Hotware
Sega Genesis Mini
Price: $120 • Distributor: Sega gensismini.sega.com
It had to happen, right? All these other minis. Gotta get on that bandwagon before someone ruins consumer goodwill. What? No! Shhh! We don’t talk about the Sony one! POWERED UP: A ‘first party’ product, unlike previous Sega mini consoles which were built by AtGames and generally fairly poorly received. Includes 40 games with expected titles like Sonic and Altered Beast, but also less common games like Castlevania and ToeJam & Earl. Comes with two wired, threebutton controllers. PLAYED OUT: Some people pronounce SEGA like “say-gah”. Wild huh?
HTC 5G Hub
Price: $TBA • Distributor: HTC www.htc.com
Say hello to this Pie-powered Android tablet that sits on a desk or bench somewhere and gives your home or business internet through a 5G hotspot. POWERED UP: 5inch 720x1280 display. Supports up to 20 connected devices. Voice controls. 7660mAh battery. VPN for those more business-oriented. PLAYED OUT: Our 5G future isn’t quite here in Australia.
Hololens 2
Price: $5,000 • Distributor: Microsoft www.microsoft.com
Speaking of our future, Microsoft’s vision for how we do just about everything, from manufacturing to medicine, is one of augmented reality, thanks to the Hololens 2 headset. POWERED UP: While we like to think about what augmented/mixed reality headsets could do for gaming, current abilities include remote assistance for complex technical issues, or assisting minimally-invasive surgical procedures. PLAYED OUT: Priced out of range for most, we aren’t likely to see hobbyist development on this platform for quite some time.
Kiwano KO1+
Price: $1,500 • Distributor: Kiwano www.kiwano.co
A “self balancing electric scooter” is how Kiwano describes this vehicle, probably because “unicycle offroad Segway” doesn’t sound anywhere near as good. POWERED UP: This thing charges in two hours, has a top speed around 19km/h, and about 19km range. PLAYED OUT: So many things, but why did it need to be “fire proof”? Did Kiwano envision this being used in Hollywood movies, with cool guys scooting away from explosions without looking back? Are the batteries so volatile they catch alight? Oh, wait, it says right there: “safety shield prevents explosion” um… maybe give this one a miss.
CXC Motion Pro II
Price: $73,000+ • Distributor: CXC Simulations www.cxcsimulations.com
Are you a racing sim fanatic? Are you still using that PVC pipe “simulator” you built badly with bits from Bunnings? Do you have two thirds of 100-large burning a hole in your back pocket? If you answered yes to all of these questions then wow do we have something cool for you! POWERED UP: Built and tested with pro racers for over two years, this is going to be the closest thing to real racing most of us would get, and it’s highly customisable: you can choose the standard model with a single screen and wheel, or grab the Pro with panoramic display, Oculus integration, and multiple wheel configurations (for a paltry 50k extra). PLAYED OUT: You could buy an ACTUAL FAST CAR for this money.