Search here...
Subscribe
Home Blog Page 19

PSVR2 Adaptive Trigger funktionieren jetzt auf dem PC

Marty
-
0
PSVR2 Adaptive Trigger funktionieren jetzt auf dem PC

Der PSVR2-Adapter ist eine der aufregendsten Entwicklungen für PC-VR-Erlebnisse seit Langem. Doch der Start wurde durch Verfügbarkeitsprobleme, Bluetooth-Verbindungsschwierigkeiten und die Enttäuschung einiger Nutzer über fehlende Funktionen wie Sonys Adaptive Trigger beeinträchtigt. Dieses letzte Problem wurde gelöst, nicht von Sony, sondern von einem Drittanbieter, den ich gut kenne.

Was sind PSVR2 Adaptive Trigger?

PlayStation DualSense Controller und die Controller von PSVR2 verfügen über Adaptive Trigger. Dies ist die Taste, die sich am ehesten wie das Ziehen eines Abzugs anfühlt, normalerweise die Taste unterhalb der rechten Schulter-Taste.

Der “adaptive” Teil besteht darin, wie sich das Ziehen des Abzugs anfühlt. Bei der Entwicklung von Resident Evil haben die Entwickler jede Waffe im Spiel unterschiedlich programmiert, um einen unterschiedlichen Widerstand beim Abzug zu erzeugen. Dies sollte das echte Leben nachahmen und ein realistischeres Gefühl vermitteln. Es mag ein bisschen wie ein Gimmick klingen, aber Gamer lieben es.

Daher waren PC-Spieler etwas enttäuscht, als sie erfuhren, dass Sony Adaptive Trigger auf dem PC nicht unterstützen würde. Hier kommt DSX ins Spiel.

PSVR2 Adaptive Trigger auf dem PC zum Laufen bringen

Wenn Sie, wie ich, ein PlayStation 5- und PC-Spieler sind, kennen Sie wahrscheinlich bereits DSX von Paliverse. Diese Software ist auf Steam verfügbar und unerlässlich, um Ihren PlayStation 5 DualSense Controller vollständig mit dem PC nutzen zu können. Redditor finalhope227 hat es bereits zum Laufen gebracht:

  • Installieren Sie DSX
  • Deaktivieren Sie DSX-Benachrichtigungen, da diese zu Ruckeln führen
  • Deaktivieren Sie “Aktueller Wiedergabestatus”
  • Stellen Sie beide PSVR2-Controller auf DualShock 4-Emulation ein
  • Deaktivieren Sie “Nicht-VR-Apps beim Start auf Theaterbildschirm anzeigen” in SteamVR

Und schon können Sie PSVR2 mit VR-Spielen wie Half-Life Alyx und Adaptive Triggern nutzen. Ich bin gerade unterwegs, werde aber so schnell wie möglich berichten!

PSVR2 Adaptive Triggers Working on PC

Marty
-
0
PSVR2 Adaptive Triggers Working on PC

The PSVR2 adapter is one of the most exciting things to happen to PC VR experiences in quite some time. But the launch has been stifled by availability issues, Bluetooth connectivity issues and some being disappointed at missing features like Sony’s Adaptive triggers. This last issue has been resolved, not by Sony buy by a 3rd-party provider I know well.

What Are PSVR2 Adaptive Triggers?

PlayStation DualSense controllers and the controllers of PSVR2 have Adaptive Triggers. This is the button positioned to feel most like pulling a trigger, usually the button below the right shoulder button.

The “adaptive” part of all of this is the how the trigger feels to pull. When making Resident Evil, the developers programmed each gun in the game differently to have different resistance to pull the trigger. This was to mimic real life and give a more realistic feeling. It might sound a tad gimmicky but gamers love it.

So PC gamers were a little disappointed to find out Sony wouldn’t be supporting Adaptive Triggers on PC. In steps DSX.

Get PSVR2 Adaptive Triggers Working on PC

If, like me, you are a PlayStation 5 and PC gamer, you likely already know DSX by Paliverse. This piece of software is available in Steam and is essential to getting your PlayStation 5 DualSense controller working fully with PC. Redditor finalhope227 has already gotten this working:

  1. Install DSX
  2. Disable DSX notifications as it causes stuttering
  3. Disable “Now Playing Status”
  4. Set both PSVR2 controllers to DualShock 4 Emulation
  5. Disable “Present Non-VR Apps on Theater Screen Upon Launch” in SteamVR

Just like that, you’ll have PSVR2 running VR games like Half-Life Alyx with Adaptive Triggers. I’m travelling at the minute, but will report back as soon as I can!

Get Premium Access to The Athletic, Financial Times and More With Revolut

Marty
-
0
Get Premium Access to The Athletic, Financial Times and More With Revolut

Years ago, Revolut gave me Metal for free. After one year, much to my forgetful surprise, it renewed and just like that I was paying for Metal. I have been paying for it ever since. My perception of the value it brings changes from time to time, but right now it’s very high. That’s because I’ve just seen a wide range of decent premium subscriptions I now get to use “for free” because I’m a Revolut Metal customer.

If you like the sound of some of these benefits, you can sign up for Revolut using my referral link. Doesn’t cost you anything extra but I get a kick back. Revolut doesn’t pay for my content but I am a paying customer myself.

Premium Subscriptions With Revolut Metal

I’m reluctant to say “free” when talking about these subscriptions because they are only available for Revolut Metal customers. So they’re not free. You’re paying for one platform and getting these as added benefits. For many customers, none of this subscriptions will be of interest. For others, they’ll use nearly all of them. I’ve started using maybe 4 or 5 of them. Here’s the full range as of right now.

Financial Times

Clearly targeting the business types, access to the Financial Times will be popular with those suit times on the London Underground. I’m sure there are plenty of others who’ll enjoy this subscription too and sorry for stereotyping!

The Financial Times typically costs €45 per month. Basically, if you are a Revolut Metal customer already paying €15.99 and you also have a Financial Times subscription, it’s a bit of a no brainer to make the switch here and save substantially.

The Athletic

About twice a week I click a link to The Athletic only to curse the fact it’s paywalled and over €70 per year. The Athletic has some great sports coverage and insights that I find genuinely interesting, but I know I’d never pay for it. So this is a firm “nice to have” but “will never pay for” benefit of Revolut Metal. Maybe actually reading all that paywalled content will change my mind. Time will tell.

WeWork

I’m genuinely shocked the likes of this gets included. Ok, again for many this subscription will mean nothing. But for others it will genuinely be really useful.

We the rise of remote working, WeWork offers people the chance to get an office environment when working fully remote. Or, when travelling, if you need an office WeWork is one of the many answers out there. Revolut Metal customers get 1 free day at a WeWork every month. That’s worth about €10.

Perplexity

In November 2024, Revolut added Perplexity Pro to the list of subscriptions you get premium access to as a Revolut Metal customer.

Perplexity is an AI-powered search engine combining various large language models with more traditional search engine approaches. The result is a useful tool that normally costs €22 in Ireland, now available for free as part of your Metal membership.

I believe nearly everyone can use AI in their day job or personal life and this means even more people will be able to access a great tool. This is another tool that will make Revolut membership a no-brainer for some who just need one high value subscription to make the maths work.

Deliveroo Silver

Normally €3.99 per month in Ireland, Deliveroo Silver gives you lets you avoid delivery fees on orders over €15. It’s not great and Deliveroo tends to price gouge you these days anyway so I’m not so excited about this one. I have free Deliveroo premium through Amazon but generally am trying to use Deliveroo less. It’s a bit of a rip-off

ClassPass

I wasn’t 100% sure what ClassPass was at first. I haven’t used it yet but almost certainly will. Initially I thought it was going to be useless access to a horrible online yoga class. It was giving me lockdown flashbacks. But it’s much better than that.

Revolut Metal customers get 10 ClassPass credits per month to access real life classes. Now, that’s not one credit per class to be clear. Given that these real life classes have varying costs, so to will the credits you need to spend.

I’ve had a quick look at the range of classes and training sessions spanning the likes of yoga, pilates and even access to a personal trainer working with small groups. These can cost anywhere from 5 to 9 credits per session and even more. So that “free” access you get with being a Revolut Metal customer might be 1 or 2 sessions, or none at all depending on what takes your fancy.

Still, I’m impressed about what you can access for free. I can also see why companies are offering this access to Revolut Metal customers. It’s nice to get for “free” but you’ll almost certainly be enticed to pay for more too.

NordVPN Plus

What kind of benefits package doesn’t offer a a VPN. NordVPN is probably one of the world’s best known VPNs. Not actually my VPN of choice, but now that I get access to it with no extra cost. I’ll give it a go.

With Revolut Metal, you get 2 years of NordVPN Plus, typically worth €3.99 per month. Having a VPN while browsing the internet these days is a nice privacy step to take. I won’t harp on about it too much but if you have Revolut Metal, this is a nice add-on to get access to.

VPNs are also great for viewing restricted streaming services in different countries with NordVPN offering access to countries some others don’t.

Freeletics Coach

I’m arguably most impressed by the Freeletics Coach app despite only using it once. I invested heavily in some adjustable weights at home. I was using the same program a personal trainer gave me years ago and getting quite bored with it. Freeletics combines AI with your stats and the tools you have at home. It then curates a workout for you.

In what sounds like a marketing line for them, it really is like having a personal trainer at your beck and call.

The first run through asked me to lift some ridiculous weights, but feedback and manual adjustments soon got my trainer in the right place. I just loved that I could plug in the weights I have, the fact I have a bench, a mat, foam roller and some straps and everything was tailored to this setup.

This app costs about €16 per month, and is genuinely something I plan to use quite a lot now that I have access to it. Would I have paid for it? No. But now I actually might when I have to.

Sleep Cycle

Sleep Cycle is a very niche benefit to get. I’m big into this kind of thing usually, obsessing over circadian rhythms and sleep management on long haul flights. Yet, sleep tracking in general really hasn’t been my thing. I can also see this being the kind of premium service that struggles to sell it’s paid version over free access.

I guess if you’re into it, it’s nice to get included but it wouldn’t be making me grab a Metal subscription alone.

Tinder Gold

I don’t think my other half reads most of my articles. But I’m lucky to enough to be very much sorted in the partner department for such a long time that I’ve never even used Tinder. Sorry, not intended to be a humble brag to those seeking love.

Anyway, in what is probably the most universally appreciated app for singles seeking love, you get Tinder Gold for free when on Revolut Metal. Alone, Tinder Gold costs about €20 so this means paying for Revolut Metal every month would save you money versus signing up with Tinder directly. No brainer territory that.

But not for me, obviously. Hi if you’re reading schatz.

Picsart Pro

This one I absolutely love. I used to use Photoshop quite a lot, but it’s so damn expensive and I just need some small edits from time to time. I kinda hate the idea of these platforms at times, but they are so handy for content creation. They answer little questions at a reasonable price.

So since getting access to Picsart Pro, which is typically €11 per month, for “free”, I’ve shifted quite a bit of my creative work to it. Simple edits, image resizing and even some AI-image editing which I found really helpful in some circumstances.

This firmly in the “really handy” list of apps I now have premium access to that I wouldn’t have before. But being honest, probably also in the category of “I won’t pay for it after it’s taken away” too.

Headspace

Genuinely, Headspace is the kind of app that every government in the world should sponsor for people. I use this regularly when I wake up in the middle of the night with my mind racing and need to get back to sleep.

There’s probably a million other uses I should be using the app for and am not. But I absolutely do recommend this app. Everyone should be investing in their mental wellbeing, but realistically, can’t. Very nice to see this included with Revolut Metal. Granted, you do have to pay for that subscription I hope there’s a cohort of customers that have improved mental wellbeing as a result.

Masterclass

I like the concept of Masterclass, but I would never pay for it. Masterclass gives you training and lectures from the best know people in the world. Think filmmaking by Martin Scorsese – that’s literally what you get.

I’ve always thought about writing a book or at least some short stories. Masterclass has some tracks to help with that and I’m going to do them for sure.

Your access through Revolut Metal is limited to certain classes so not everything is available. But there’s plenty to sink your teeth into from productivity to cooking and creativity and more. One draw back with the tier of membership you get is no downloads, so no watching on flights. I found that a pity on a recent trip, but still I won’t complain. I’m going to learn some stuff here that I wouldn’t and won’t normally pay for.

Chess.com

I can’t play chess and don’t really have an interest in it, but know loads of people do. I’m sure some will like getting this even though it’s not overly pricey itself – around €6 per month. But I have to mention it. Hell, maybe I’ll get into it too.

If all that sounds nice, don’t forget you can sign up for Revolut using my link to say thanks for pointing you towards all this “free” stuff!

Today, the overall value of subscriptions Revolut Metal offers is €1200 per year. Of course, you won’t want all of those tools, but this is a genuinely good offering of tools that I’m sure most people will like accessing at least one of.

Majority D80 Review: The Affordable Gaming Speakers for PC

Marty
-
0
Majority D80 Review: The Affordable Gaming Speakers for PC

It’s not that long ago since I built my gaming PC. It’d been years since I’d done this and the market has changed dramatically since I’d done it before too. All of that aside, I sat down on my first night with a fairly silly omission; I had no speakers in my setup. In stepped Majority with the D80 gaming speakers for PC. I’ve had them running for a few months now, and they are a dream element of the home office and gaming rig setup.

Who is Majority?

Majority is a UK-based audio company that has surfed the wave of Amazon expansion, becoming the platforms top-selling home audio manufacturer. I’ve gotten my hands on a few Majority products, the D80 being my first review of their wares and two things stand out. The quality of the products is high and the price, while rarely silly cheap, is always fair.

I wanted to introduce the company to you, because when it comes to home audio, Majority is a relatively unknown brand in most markets. For now, let’s get on with the review of the D80 speakers.

Majority D80: Design and Build Quality

At first glance, the Majority D80 doesn’t scream “gaming”. For a start, there’s no RGB, but I’m going to level with you here. The Majority D80 speakers aren’t designed to target just the gaming PC market. They are designed to be an all-rounder that a would-be home music producer would be just as happy with as a gamer or home office worker.

I personally like the rounded matte design. The D80s are as much old-school speaker as they are modern desktop speaker. At about 3.5kg, the speakers are sturdy and heavy enough to sit nice an still on my desk, even when I’ve cranked up the volume a bit. If I had to criticize anything its that the weight and shape of the speakers making placing them on my desk slightly challenging. I now have one atop my gaming PC tower and the other behind a monitor. It’s not ideal, but the limited space on my desk right now, doesn’t lend itself to having real estate for speakers. I should probably look at getting dedicated bookshelf stands for the wall or something, but that’s far too logical for me.

One of the most impressive aspects of the D80’s design is its connectivity options. Majority has thoughtfully included a wide range of input/output (IO) options, which is one of the standout features of these speakers.

My gaming setup at home, doubles as my home office setup. I have several machines from gaming PC, to Windows laptop and Mac that I use for lots of different tasks. Sometimes, I might even have my iPad on while I’m working on something. I don’t always need my gaming PC to be what I’m listening to. So while I leave the 3.5 connected jacked into the speaker and my PC, at the flick of a switch one of my portable devices can connect to the speakers via Bluetooth.

There’s also optical and HDMI Arc support, which makes these speakers are incredible flexible for any home office use.

Majority D80: Sound Quality

In terms of sound quality, the Majority D80s don’t do anything absolutely wild. I didn’t turn them on and have my mind blown, but equally, I didn’t find them to detract from anything either.

Previously, I had been using my Huawei Monitor’s built-in speaker, and I did notice that the D80s blew this away. A much more expansive sound stage and the simple fact I now had two separate speakers a distance apart.

As I’ve mentioned, I use the speakers for a wide range of entertainment. The Majority D80s proved to be excellent PC speakers for gaming, listening to music and watching movies, all the while being really easy to switch between a range of devices quickly. This is also helped by the speakers coming with their own remote control.

The Goosed Verdict: Majority D80 PC Speakers

Once you’re not at the very cutting edge of audio requirements, and by that I mean music production, the Majority D80 PC speakers are an excellent purchase. I’ll admit, when I used to have a gaming PC back the day, cheap and cheerful is all I wanted but I wouldn’t dare say this is “cheap and cheerful” Yet, at €130 from Amazon, they also don’t tip the scale into the realm of unaffordable gaming PC speakers. Given the build quality, I would also expect these speakers to handle a few knocks and survive for many years to come. So that investment just keeps on getting better.

No. The Astro Bot Controller Isn’t Animated and Doesn’t Blink

Marty
-
0
No. The Astro Bot Controller Isn’t Animated and Doesn’t Blink

Sony has launched a highly anticipated Limited Edition Astro Bot controller for the PlayStation 5. It’s based on the PS5’s cute mascot Astro Bot who is the centre of the console’s tutorial games.

While expectations are extremely high with many fans looking forward to their beloved mascot being commemorated in a controller, not all expectations will be met.

Sony’s Reveal Video for the Controller

The Astro Bot PS5 controller will feature the bot’s well-known eyes on the controller’s touchpad, with the launch trailer leaving many believing the touchpad’s eyes are animated. Even The Verge’s coverage of the launch said, “Astro’s signature pair of bright blue eyes on the touchpad that, based on the adorable trailer, appear to blink at you. (They better blink at you — what’s the point of the eyes if they don’t blink at you?)”.

All of this left some believing the controller would have Astro Bot’s animated eyes on the controller, but that’s just not the case, unfortunately. The eyes are static, making them a lot less cool, but not less attractive for Astro Bot’s fans around the world.

Sorry to be a buzzkillington, but I’d hate to see fans buying this and the controller not meeting expectations.

The Astro Bot PS5 controller is €79.99 and is available to pre-order from Smyths now.

Some PSVR2 PC Gamers Won’t Need Sony’s Adapter

Marty
-
0
Some PSVR2 PC Gamers Won’t Need Sony’s Adapter

Sony launched the PlayStation VR2 app on Steam today. Just last week I wrote about how Sony slashing the price of the PSVR2 was a bad deal for console gamers, but a coup for PC gamers. So PC gamers, it’s time to get excited. Depending on what GPU your gaming rig is running, you might not even have to wait for Sony’s adapter to launch tomorrow. You could start gaming on the best pound-for-pound VR headset for PC gaming, right now.

Sony initially stated that for PC gamers to use the PSVR2 they would need a few things:

  • The PlayStation VR2 VR headset
  • PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers which connect via Bluetooth
  • Sony’s brand-new PlayStation VR2 PC adapter

But some users have already downloaded the PSVR2 app from Steam and gotten Sony’s VR headset working without the official adapter that’s required. The difference is that these gamers have GPUs featuring VirtualLink USB-C ports.

Steam user tg2 posted to the PSVR2 app Steam page confirming the “headset works very well and the adapter is not actually mandatory if you have a GPU that supports VirtualLink, like the RX 6000 series or RTX 20 series. The controller tracking is surprisingly good despite what I heard from earlier reviews and the output from the HMD is gorgeous”.

On Reddit, the person said, “I knew from how the adapter looked that it was a virtual link splitter and knew [sic] that the PS VR2 needed 12-volt power so as soon as the software came out I tested it”.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of GPUs and laptops which feature a VirtualLink USB-C port which should, in theory, let you get your PSVR2 headset up and running without buying Sony’s extra adapter.

Nvidia

  • GeForce RTX 2060 6G version by Aorus
  • GeForce RTX 2070
  • GeForce RTX 2070 Super
  • GeForce RTX 2080
  • GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
  • GeForce RTX 2080 Super
  • Titan RTX
  • Quadro RTX 4000
  • Quadro RTX 5000
  • Quadro RTX 6000

AMD

  • Radeon RX 6800
  • Radeon RX 6800 XT
  • Radeon RX 6900 XT
  • Radeon RX 6950 XT
  • Radeon RX 7900 XT
  • Radeon RX 7900 XTX
  • Radeon Pro W5700

Laptops

  • Asus Mothership GZ700

This list is both non-exhaustive and comes with a massive caveat.

I have the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX and excitedly grabbed my PSVR2 headset and ran to my PC only to find it doesn’t have a VirtualLink USB-C port. My GPU was designed by XFX making it an aftermarket GPU and not a reference card. Not all aftermarket cards will feature a VirtualLink USB-C port. So, unfortunately, I’ll be waiting to see if I can grab one of Sony’s adapters in the coming weeks.

Will PSVR2 Work Without the Adapter?

PSVR2 will likely work without you having to buy Sony’s adapter, but only if your PC’s GPU supports VirtualLink. It’s extremely early days and this hasn’t been thoroughly tested yet by the masses. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to test this at all. But I’m sharing the news for those who already have a PSVR2 and a GPU with a VirtualLink USB-C port. Hopefully, you can not only start gaming sooner, but you might save yourself some money too.

If, like me, you still need to go and get yourself an official Sony PSVR2 PC Adapter, your best bet is likely to be Amazon.co.uk, Smyths Toys or, to a lesser extent, Harvey Norman.

Timeshifter: The Best App to Avoid Jet lag

Marty
-
0
Timeshifter: The Best App to Avoid Jet lag

I recently got back from a trip to Japan. It was a dream trip, my second bucket list holiday after I did South Korea a few years ago. One lesson I took away from that first trip to Seoul is that jet lag is no joke. It took me three days to get back to normal, which many who have suffered from jet lag disorder will admit is pretty good. When I was planning for Japan, I knew tech could help with a few things. Along with Wanderlog for planning my days, I found Timeshifter which promised to overcome jet lag. Here’s how it went.

What Does Jet Lag Actually Mean?

Jet lag is a temporary sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s internal biological clock, or circadian rhythm, is out of sync with the local time at their travel destination. Regular readers will know I’m fascinated by circadian rhythms and I have lights in my house to manage my rhythms as much as possible. These rhythms are effectively related to jet lag. It’s ultimately the desynchronisation of your body from your current timezone to the one you’ve moved to.

This misalignment results from rapid long-distance travel across multiple time zones, causing the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle to become disrupted.

Symptoms of Jet Lag

The impact on you will vary based on quite a few variables but there are some general things to look out for. Jet lag can significantly impact both physical and mental well-being, reducing productivity, impairing cognitive function, and decreasing physical performance. Travellers often experience a range of symptoms, including persistent fatigue, daytime drowsiness, and insomnia. As you can imagine, this is not a fun experience to have on the dream holiday of a lifetime.

Additional stress if travelling with others can bring on exponential unpleasantness as those affected by jet lad could experience mood swings, irritability, and increased stress levels along with physical discomforts such as headaches and dizziness.

So it’s best we do what we can to avoid jet lag, right?

How to Avoid Jet Lag

There are a few things you can do to avoid jet lag. My main piece of advice is “do what your told”. That from both the Timeshifter app that I’ll talk about further below, but also take the cues from your long haul airline too.

What Airlines Do to Help With Jet Lag

I flew to Tokyo via Amsterdam. This is already very good for managing jet lag because the vast majority of my flight was in my second leg. That meant it was one airline managing my jetlag. If I was stopping half way, it would be harder for them to know which passengers were on which sleep cycles. So for this reason, KLM were largely in control of my sleep patterns coming into Tokyo.

The plane has modern lighting systems that simulate natural light patterns, aiding in those all-important circadian rhythm adjustments. The timing of the flight itself was planned to align with natural sleep cycles. So too were the timing of food and coffee service with the offering largely “coming to us in the galley” instead of “us coming to you”. This allows the airline to serve the needs of individuals adjusting to patterns individually.

If you choose to avoid all of these prompts, you’re going to have a bad time with jet lag when you land. What I found amazing was the fact I was using an app to help with jet lag and the app was pretty closely aligned to what the crew was recommending too.

Timeshifter: The Jet Lag App

Timeshifter is your personal jet lag avoidance assistant for long-haul travel. Your first trip is free and after that you can pay by the trip or pay annually. I’ll include pricing further below.

Timeshifter was a system originally developed by NASA’s consultant on circadian rhythms, Dr. Smith L. Johnston and NASA’s own flight doctor, Dr. Steven W. Lockley for astronauts to manage their day-night cycles while in orbit or abroad the International Space Staton. Even back on earth, ground control utilises similar methods to ensure they can maintain peak mental performance around the clock.

Realising this system was also extremely helpful for long-haul travellers, the pair launched Timeshifter for consumers.

How Does Timeshifter Work?

Remember how I said my one piece of advice is to look for the cues and do what you’re told when travelling? That applies tenfold for Timeshifter. If you want to give the app a try, you have to be prepared to do what it tells you and make sure push notifications are turned on.

Starting out, I put my flight numbers into the app. It’s important to note that you should put in your outbound and return flights for Timeshifter to effectively give you the best experience. This one simple step of providing your flight numbers makes setting up really easy as the app does all the work from here. Now Timeshifter can work out your travel plans and give you the outline of your schedule.

The schedule Timeshifter gives you focuses on three main things:

  1. Circadian rhythms (exposure to light)
  2. Caffeine consumption (coffee etc)
  3. Sleep

The plan kicks in a few days before you travel and you should start following that plan as soon as it starts. The app will tell you when you either get or avoid daylight, stop consuming caffeine and when you should hit the hay.

One thing I nearly forgot for mine was that a lot of cola drinks contain caffeine, including zero-sugar drinks – so watch out for that.

Your Timeshifter plan will start before you travel, give you tips during your flight and continue a few days into your trip too. I’ll admit I wasn’t as strict with my plan when I landed because I felt great and I was on holiday. But the idea here is that the app continues to optimise your sleep schedules a few days into your trip to make sure you feel great.

As I mentioned earlier, I was impressed with how in sync the plane’s lighting system was with the recommendations in my app with just a few minutes between them. This was likely somewhat lucky too given the amount of different cycles on board the plane.

Does Timeshifter Work?

My personal experience with Timeshifter was incredibly positive. Of course, I can’t say that alone worked given I spotted so much jet lag management on my plane too. But I was horribly jet lagged when I flew to Seoul with British Airways from London, but landed in Tokyo ready for a holiday and hit the ground running.

British Airways did time the flight perfectly and very similarly to my KLM flight to Tokyo, but they didn’t have as much circadian management.

All in all, this means it’s tough for me to say Timeshifter alone works, but taking some steps to manage your exposure to jet lag absolutely can. And if your airline does nothing for jet lag, it’s even more important you have an app like Timeshifter to avoid it.

The Goosed Verdict: Timeshifter – Is It Worth It?

I hate paying for apps in general, but Timeshifter is fairly priced for all customers. If you are a business traveller flying long haul on a regular basis, the annual plan of €25 is great value, even more so if you’re thinking about the time it saves you. If you’re doing one big long-haul trip per year, you can buy a single plan for €10.

If you look at that €10 as expensive for an app, like I typically would, you need to reframe that focus. This is €10 to make sure you don’t waste a day or more of the holiday of a lifetime. That holiday probably close a small fortune, so that €10 is a great investment. If you’re a couple you can even use the one plan together.

I am unlikely to ever fly long-haul again without plugging my itinerary into Timeshifter because I know what jet lag feels like and life’s just too short! The Timeshifter app is available for Android and iOS.

Dyson Hairdryer Review: Is it Worth it?

Marty
-
0
Dyson Hairdryer Review: Is it Worth it?

I’ve had the Dyson hairdryer (officially the Dyson Supersonic) for a few years and felt it was about time I wrote about it. The hairdryer is one of Dyson’s most popular products and you’ll typically find it in man barber shops too. But does this make it good and worth the hefty pricetag that it comes with?

What Makes the Dyson Hairdryer Different?

The Dyson Supersonic is a high-end hair dryer developed by Dyson, a company renowned for its innovative household appliances. Launched in 2016, the Dyson Supersonic quickly became popular for the marketing around its advanced technology and unique design. But really the driving force behind it was the premium nature – as is often the case with Dyson products.

Dyson is a bit like Joseph Joseph. Some of the products they make are overengineered solutions that offer a different approach, while not always better. I could argue that this is the same for the Dyson hairdryer. The head of a Dyson hairdryer is much smaller because the air intake is from the bottom of the handle, and up through the handle too. It’s a unique design making a much smaller product.

The Supersonic’s digital motor V9, it spins up to 110,000 times per minute, providing powerful and controlled airflow. The motor’s placement in the handle ensures better balance and ergonomics. The Supersonic features intelligent heat control, measuring air temperature 40 times per second, which Dyson claims prevents extreme heat damage and protect hair’s natural shine. Magnetic attachments offer versatile styling options with the flyaway option proving popular amongst many with longer hair – not something I got to test.

Actually, the vast majority of features I have no opinion on, yet I still love the Dyson hairdryer.

Just a Guy that Loves His Dyson Hairdryer

I have to admit, I love using my Dyson hairdryer and, despite being a guy with relatively short hair, I use it a lot. My hairstyle is a zero to one fade on the sides with a scissors cut on top, combed from left to right. After my last barber moved to Australia, I was left looking for a new guy. I found Ciaran Collopy, owner of Autonomy Hair Studio. Not only did he give me a haircut, he gave me a hairstyle and the knowledge I needed to manage it. He taught me about the “flatwrap” technique and how to use my Dyson hairdryer to get the style I wanted consistently, even when rushing in the morning.

The sheer power of the Dyson hairdryer is enough to make me love it. It makes flatwrapping my hair super simple and quick. The cold button swaps from drying heat to cooling air to lock in a style almost instantly. I have come across a few hairdryers that offer the same power and same features, but buying one like that is an absolute minefield in terms of quality. While the Dyson Supersonic is a wild price, it sure is convenient to just know this one is good.

I have heard quite a few people say after two years their Dyson hairdryer dies off and stops working as well. I must have had mine at least two years and haven’t seen any drop in quality. I have some other Dyson products that died just as the warranty expired, including the Dyson lamp – a review I’ll be updating shortly, but the hairdryer is solid.

I’d cleaned the filter two weeks ago, but it needs another small clean today

The main issue most face is not cleaning the filter at the base of the handle. Yes, that end cap comes off and has to be cleaned every few weeks of use.

Beyond that, aside from what I assume to be quite a lot of complex engineering, the Dyson Supersonic is so simple. One button controls the power, one controls the heat, there’s an on/off switch and a button to make it blow cold.

You can see I’ve had this for some time

The Goosed Verdict: Dyson Hairdryer

The Dyson Supersonic hairdryer costs €400 and that price is just absolutely wild for blowing hot air. I could never justify that kind of money for a hairdryer. Yet, I’m here to say that if that price doesn’t make you flinch, you won’t be disappointed with your Dyson hairdryer.

It’s powerful, reliable and easy to control without taking up a lot of space in your bag when you travel – if that’s your thing.

Who is Yuno Energy and How Does it Work?

Marty
-
0
Who is Yuno Energy and How Does it Work?

Energy pricing in Ireland has left consumers with an appetite for something new. Yuno Energy is hoping to whet that appetite a little with a relatively new approach to how you pay for your electricity. In this article, I’ll look at everything you should consider when it comes to deciding whether or not Yuno Energy is a good option for you.

Who is Yuno Energy?

Yuno Energy launched in Ireland in Augusy 2023 as a pay-as-you-go energy provider, owned by PrepayPower. So in terms of the wider energy market, Yuno Energy is indeed relatively new.

How Does Yuno Energy Work?

Unlike Prepay Power, which requires customers to prepay for their electricity and includes a prepayment service charge, Yuno Energy employs a more traditional billing model with a standard standing charge. They also charge ahead of time using what they called personalised prediction. Which leaves me seeing this as a hybrid of paying a electricity bill and opting for prepay power. I understand you will need a smart meter to get the most from Yuno Energy and they can assist you in getting this installed.

Overall, Yuno’s innovative and fresh approach genuinely give it some of the lowest prices in the market right now. But that may not always be the case. It’s possible, if not likely, that Yuno Energy is operating at a loss to establish a strong customer base. It’s a common strategy for new entrants in competitive markets to initially offer lower prices. The hope is that you forget about your energy provider and after 12-month they lift you onto higher charges while hoping you don’t notice.

While that’s my inner skeptic, Yuno does promise lots of insights for smart meter customers which should give you more control over your energy usage and, in theory, cheaper bills over time.

Yuno Energy’s Environmental Impact

One massive question mark I have over Yuno Energy is the greenness of its electricity. Yuno Energy’s electricity has come under scrutiny for being particularly “dirty” compared to other providers on the market. Customers can find greener options for only slightly more money per kWh—approximately 0.2 cents more—offering 100% renewable energy along with better customer service. This marginal cost difference has prompted some environmentally conscious consumers to switch to greener alternatives.

While all electricity ultimately comes from the grid, which includes a mix of renewable and non-renewable sources, the choice of provider impacts the overall contribution to green energy initiatives. Yuno Energy and its affiliate Prepay Power have a higher reliance on fossil fuels compared to the national average. By opting for providers that source 100% renewable energy, customers can contribute positively to the overall energy mix and support the development of sustainable energy infrastructure.

Critics also highlight that many green energy claims in the market are based on purchasing green certificates rather than actual renewable energy generation. However, some smaller providers in Ireland own their own wind farms and genuinely guarantee that every kWh sold is green. These providers often come at a higher price premium, reflecting the true cost of renewable energy. Despite the challenges, the availability of these options allows consumers to make more environmentally friendly choices, even if it involves paying a bit more for their electricity.

With all of that said, there is a much wider issue when “green energy”, which has, in general, become an obscure concept and extremely difficult for consumers to make a clear and easy decision on.

Goosed Verdict: Is Yuno Energy Legit?

Navigating Ireland’s energy provider landscape can be tricky. But if you’re a saavy consumer, you can get the best deal right now. At the minute, that genuinely does seem to be Yuno energy. The sacrifice you make to get that cheaper rate with them is risking the long term cost if you don’t keep an eye on your agreement with Yuno. You are also likely paying for dirtier energy, but it has become nearly impossible to quantify that as part of any decision making.

Temu Review in Ireland: Is Temu Legit?

Marty
-
0
Temu Review in Ireland: Is Temu Legit?

Temu has ramped up its marketing in Europe over the past year, leaving many tempted to dip their toe into this massive alternative to Amazon. I’ve bought some items from Temu to test out the platform and bring you an insight into what Temu is and whether or not it’s safe for you to follow suit. I’ll also have some tips on how to shop safely with Temu if you are going to try it out.

What is Temu?

Temu is a Chinese online marketplace that connects buyers and sellers, offering a wide range of products including electronics, fashion, and home goods. Founded by tech enthusiasts and entrepreneurs, the platform aims to enhance the online shopping experience through a user-friendly interface, advanced search filters, and personalised recommendations.

Temu’s main draw is the wide variety of low priced products it offers.

Interest outside of China grew as Temu expanded focus on markets like the US and Europe, with massive funding of sponsorship around events such as the Superbowl and the Olympics.

Temu in Ireland

Temu’s expansion ramped up in 2022, with Ireland operating as the company’s European Headquarters. Temu’s marketing launch in Ireland was muted, with general interest being increased from global advertising and advertising on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

While many rushed to position Temu as a massive threat to Irish retailers, the truth is that massive online retailers such as Temu and Amazon usually offer a wide range of products that you simply won’t find on the high street. While these platforms do usually offer many high street products for lower prices, Irish shoppers do tend to support local businesses as much as possible, with as many of 60% of shoppers saying they’ve not shopped on Amazon.

Temu’s offering of an incredible range of products and extremely low prices is the main draw for Irish consumers, often starved of competition, variety and even simple access to certain ranges of products.

Product Range and Quality

Which brings me onto the products I bought. Most of them were just random things I know I was unlikely to find on the Irish high street, or something I’d been thinking about for some time and didn’t want to spend much on.

I’m a big coffee fan and wanted some accessories for my Sage coffee machine. I grabbed a coffee tamper, a portafilter rim, some filters along with a grounds distributor thing.

I also grabbed an extra meat thermometer for cooking, a holster for beer bottles, a Back to the Future license plate, cable management thing and a nosehair trimmer.

Honestly, the variety can’t be beaten, but the quality is very hit and miss, particularly anything with electronics. The nose hair trimmer worked, but I was terrified using this on a sensitive part of my body and haven’t used it since. The meat thermometer was ok, but not as good as a similar one I got from Amazon at the same price that’s much better built.

The test of the stuff is perfect and the coffee tamper I use daily, while some of the other coffee accessories were impulse nerd buys that I really didn’t need.

There’s also a massive part of me wondering where a lot of Temu products come from. The quality of electronics being quite low is worrying, leaving me wondering how many electronics on the site would be genuinely passing EU inspections. In the past, travel adapters were available which left live power ports reachable while plugged in. This product has since been discontinued.

I have to say the silliest thing I bought was the beer bottle holster. It was incredible quality and I ended up giving it to a family member as a joke gift. It got a massive laugh because we always enjoy a beer together and it was quite unique.

Pricing and Value for Money

Price and value for money are two very different things in my eyes. You’ll rarely pay a lot in total on Temu for what you get, but you might pay a lot per use of what you buy.

When I bought, Temu had lots of promotions and mechanisms to encourage me to make a purchase. €20 off when I spent €50 left me adding stuff to my basket I didn’t want because I was losing money by not buying more items. Temu gamifies the purchase experience too, adding a spinning wheel for discounts when you log into your account.

It’s tough to resist some of the stuff on Temu, let me tell you

But when the products arrived, I was left using about half of them regularly, and the rest I couldn’t even tell you where they are. So my opinion of the value is mixed. In truth, your ability to control yourself will determine your own experience.

In simpler terms though, buying some items on Temu versus the Irish high street, will be cheaper. You could find items for the home like this knife sharper, 75% cheaper than most shops. These products often come from the same factories and just get a logo put on them at some stage that inflates the price.

Saavy shopping on Temu will bring savings and good value, once you avoid the tactics to suck you into buying tat.

Shipping and Delivery

One of the biggest pities with Temu is that they use An Post. This is an issue exacerbated by the fact I live in Dublin City, but I hate companies using An Post. In my experience, I’ve just had the most issues with them while companies like DPD are flawless.

Typically, I had issues with this delivery too. I was home and a slip was left with no effort to contact me. Basically, An Post regularly just doesn’t carry packages and drops slips instead. Eventually I got the package after a few weeks but only when I flipped to my day time address across the city.

Delivery times are long. While free, don’t order anything expecting Amazon Prime like delivery times. You’re generally looking at weeks, not days and that’s not just because of An Post.

Oddly, a few weeks after my order arrived, my order was refunded because Temu thought it hadn’t arrived. They had also given me a discount on my next order for the delay before the refund. Temu, in general, does seem to be dealing with such cheap products that they are happy enough to offer refunds in the event of issues.

Beyond this though, how can you shop safely on Temu?

How to Shop Safely on Temu

Temu has been the source of many controversial headlines already. Weeding out genuine concerns from xenophobia can be tough when it comes to Chinese companies.

There were concerns that the Temu app was running around in the background absorbing your data, but in my own opinion, quite a few apps do this without getting headlines – because they’re not Chinese.

Regardless, I’m not an app security specialist. But I can give you some tips to stay safe when shopping with Temu, and indeed any other online platform. In general, I recommend a zero trust approach. Take as much control of your data back into your own control.

First of all, I use Revolut. Revolut let me create a disposable card that I could destroy effortlessly after my transaction. Now, I don’t care what happens to that card number. No more charges can be applied to the card, but I can still receive refunds. Absolute security.

Next, I used a “burner email”. Because I use quite a few Apple products this is really easy. Apple lets me create an email for every account I create and routes mails back to my primary mail. Gmail has similar functionality with email tagging, but it’s not quite as good as Apple’s approach. My advise, set up an iCloud email account just for scenarios like this.

Finally, if you have concerns about the app, just don’t use it. Use their website and only use it while incognito or private browsing. When creating your account, make sure your Temu password i unique to Temu, strong and not used anywhere else. This isn’t just advice for Temu, this is what you should be doing all the time, while using a password manager like 1Password.

The Goosed Verdict: Is Temu Legit?

Temu is legit in terms of, you can buy products and you will get them. If there are issues, there’s a way to engage with Temu to get a resolution.

But I do understand concerns around the platform in general. We’ve seen similar concerns about Huawei in the past, leaving quite the bit of confusion as to what is genuine concern and what is politics. But as I look at the news and see divisions being sown over immigration along with rioting, I do hold many concerns about what world superpowers could be doing with technology installed on our phones, and social media platforms that we use for hours daily. Just look at how Facebook impacted the 2016 Presidential Election in the United States.

My advise is, as much as possible, support your local shops on the high street. But if you find something you want on Temu, don’t feel bad about buying it. Take precautions and look after your privacy and card details and you’ll be just fine. You’ll be even happier if you buy this beer holster which is definitely the highlight of my Temu haul.

1...181920...184Page 19 of 184

About Goosed

Welcome to Goosed.ie! We test the latest consumer electronics and tech from around the world to help you find gadgets that make your life just a little bit easier.

Must Read

JBL launches five new audio products at Gamescom 2025

JBL 0
At Gamescom 2025, JBL has announced five new products:...

Fallout 2 Teaser Video Drops at Gamescom

Entertainment News 0
After revealing a first look at Prime Video’s Fallout...

Laois Gardai Investigating Social Media Electric Picnic Ticket Fraud

News 0
If you open TikTok today, you’ll be greeted with...

Subscribe

© 2024 Goosed. All Rights Reserved.