Maximum PC - UK (2020-01)

maximumpc.com JAN 2020 MAXIMUMPC 53

R&D

examining technology and putting it to use

TIP OF THE MONTH

MAKE – USE – CREATE

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDES TO IMPROVING YOUR PC

CHRISTIAN GUYTON

STAFF WRITER

EXPLORING VR

I’ve been spearheading our

investigations into the state of

the VR market, and it’s been

fascinating to re-acquaint myself

with virtual reality. I used to think

of it as a fun side project for the

games industry, something most

people couldn’t afford to get into,

but a platform that would chug

along next to mainstream gaming.

Now I’m not so sure. VR needs

to innovate, and the industry

needs to band together if it wants

to keep VR alive—on PC, at least.

Sony’s PSVR is hugely successful,

and as a PS4 owner, it’s a tempting

prospect every time it goes on

sale. But the PC VR market is

crowded; Oculus and HTC have

been butting heads for years,

while newcomers, like the Valve

Index, only serve to clutter VR

storefronts, dividing developers

with lucrative exclusivity deals

that hurt the core conceit of VR.

The worst part is that VR feels

as though it could be great. It’s not

perfect, but there are moments

when I feel like I’m glimpsing

a Ready Player One-esque

world of glorious immersive

entertainment. Landing a long-

range crossbow shot in Journey

of the Gods, catching airborne

projectiles in SUPERHOT, even

something as simple as waving to

a friendly robot feel good in VR.

Sadly, though, I suspect we’ve

got a while to wait until VR tech

becomes what it was meant to be.

ADJUST YOUR COMMAND PROMPT WINDOW

You can customize the look of your Command Prompt window

by opening it up (search for it in the “Start” menu, if you

don’t know how), right-clicking the top bar, then selecting

“Properties.” This enables you to alter all sorts of elements,

from font and text size to colors and command history. Most

helpfully, you can adjust the opacity, enabling you to view other

windows while you bash away.

↘ submit your How To project idea to: [email protected]

62

Machine of the

month: Atari ST, and

how to emulate it

56

Build your

first nginx

reverse proxy

70

Put together a

powerful system

for VR experiences

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