5 cool upcoming gadgets

The gadget world is promising a lot in 2013, and MyGaming has rounded up 5 of the most exciting gadgets heading our way this year, including the Oculus Rift, Google Glass, the Ouya console, Intel Papertab, and the Basis Band.

Oculus Rift

The Oculus Rift was one of 2012′s breakout Kickstarter stories – the virtual reality headset project received just over US$2.4 million in pledges, as well as moral support from top dogs in the gaming industry, such a John Carmack, Cliff Bleszinski, and Gabe Newell.

Still in the prototyping stage, the VR headset looks similar to a ski-mask – except the view-port is a pair of 640 x 800 displays – one for each eye. There is also a control box that handles DVI, HDMI, Micro-USB, and power. A key feature of the Oculus Rift is its motion tracking, which emulates head swivel and pitch in the virtual world on display. Full 360-degree immersion is therefore possible.

Oculus Rift

Google Glass

Google Glass is a stamp-sized electronic screen mounted on the left side of a pair of eyeglass frames which can record video, access e-mail and messages, and retrieve information from the Web.

The glasses use augmented reality technology to visually display elements and details onto the lens for the wearer to see.

The glasses, which weigh less than some sunglasses, contain a wireless networking chip and essentially all the other technology found inside a typical smartphone – save for a cellular network radio.

Google Glass

Intel Papertab

Intel is currently developing a paper-thin display for tablets. Called PaperTab, the revolutionary display is a 10.7-inch plastic screen that feels like paper and can be folded as well as dropped without any damage.

PaperTab runs on second-generation Intel Core i5 processor and when putting multiple PaperTabs together, one large screen can be created. Large documents can be sized by bending the screen. Capable of storing thousands of documents at a time, PaperTab can also be used to send e-mails.

Intel Papertab

Basis band

The Basis band is aiming to be a more accurate and convenient heart-rate monitor, as it works without a chest strap, so that you can wear it all the time and get an accurate reading.

The band also features a galvanic skin response sensor, which monitors sweat levels, and an accelerometer so that you can see how changes in your heart rate correlate with your exercise habits.

This device is said to give you a more accurate picture of your health than any other consumer gadget to date.

Basisband

Ouya

The Ouya campaign was one of the success stories of Kickstarter in 2012, as Ouya originally asked for $950,000, but managed to accumulate over $8.5 million thanks to the help of backers, in order to produce a $99 Android-powered console.

As promised, the console and one controller is available for pre-order and is priced at $99.99, with an extra controller going for $49.99.

The Ouya console is the brainchild of a Los Angeles startup, backed by Xbox co-creator Ed Fries, Amazon Kindle man Muffi Ghadiali, One Laptop Per Child designer Yves Béhar, and IGN’s Julie Uhrman.

The Ouya console has already had an announcement of an exclusive title, namely that of Human Element – Robert Bowling’s (ex-Infinity Ward) zombie survival game.