9 Great Reads From CNET This Week: ‘Infinite’ VR, 2022 Smartwatches, Elden Ring and more – CNET

VR brings a third dimension to computing. Strap on a headset, and you’re not just looking at something, you’re surrounded by it. There’s a real sense of depth and volume and immersion. You are as good as there.

One outstanding example of that is a virtual reality installation called The Infinite, which puts you inside the International Space Station and enables you to gaze down on Earth from orbit. CNET’s Joan Solsman has tried it out, and has some thoughts, too, on how that sort of location-based VR compares with wearing an Oculus headset in your living room. She also talked with two astronauts who can attest to how vivid an experience The Infinite is: “When the lights came up in the film and around me was the space station that I remembered as my home, I wasn’t ready,” said Christina Koch. “I wasn’t ready to have to say goodbye again.”

Those stories are among the many in-depth features and thought-provoking commentaries that appeared on CNET this week. So here you go. These are the stories you don’t want to miss.

Stepping into a massive, virtual International Space Station is like slipping into the ISS’ living memory.

The ISS cupola window offers a glimpse of Earth with swirls of blue and white
Felix & Paul

A more durable Apple Watch, Google’s long-rumored Pixel Watch and the first Wear OS Fitbit smartwatch might launch this year.

Apple Watch Series 7Apple Watch Series 7
Lexy Savvides/CNET

Commentary: It makes no sense.

A scene from Elden RingA scene from Elden Ring
FromSoftware / Namco Bandai Games

Location-based virtual reality fell derelict in the pandemic. Now, with in-person experiences reviving, it’s where you’ll touch the metaverse’s future. 

Scene from Ready Player OneScene from Ready Player One
Jaap Buitendijk

Loop is a DIY automated insulin delivery system with more customization and features than FDA-approved systems on the market. 

The Loop app dashboard displaying pump and blood sugar dataThe Loop app dashboard displaying pump and blood sugar data
Justin Eastzer/CNET

Commentary: I was sick of Wordle spinoffs, but I’ll be devouring a Waffle every day. 

The Wordle-like game WaffleThe Wordle-like game Waffle
Wafflegame.net

Commentary: Mergers can come with price hikes, but $15 per month is already expensive enough.

Warner Bros. Discovery logo on a smartphone screenWarner Bros. Discovery logo on a smartphone screen

The same quadcopters you can buy at Amazon are on the front lines of the battle for Ukraine.

AeroVironment

Yes, we can put sensors in clothes — but there still isn’t a great reason you can’t use a smartwatch instead.

A person running down a sidewalk away from the camera, overlaid with graphics depicting health and fitnessA person running down a sidewalk away from the camera, overlaid with graphics depicting health and fitness
Metamorworks / Getty Images

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