By: Brittany Nicole La Hue
Every day an amazing new high-tech gadget comes out on the market. We live in a great time for innovation, but narrowing down the list can be overwhelming. Which gadgets, headsets, cameras, rigs and screens will improve your creative work or entertainment experience? We asked some tech gurus about the devices, cameras and toys on their wish lists this holiday season.
Photo courtesy Samsung
Consumer VR headsets topped most techies’ wish lists this year. UploadVR editor-in-chief Will Mason says that the Samsung Gear VR headset “is a fantastic gift for anyone with a new Samsung phone. With it you open yourself up to whole new worlds and experiences that have never before been possible.” Mason notes that the Gear VR headset is a timely device to own around the holidays, when holiday travel, traffic and long lines mean people have a lot of time on their hands. “Put on your Gear VR and you are suddenly in an empty movie theatre watching your favorite flick on the big screen,” he says. “It’s the single best form of in-flight entertainment available.”
Virtual reality studio Specular Theory CEO Morris May and CMO Ryan Pulliam will also be gifting Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard headsets this year. It’s a great way to give loved ones the gifts of traveling through space, surfing in Malibu, being in a horror movie, going on safari and more – without having to figure out how to actually make these things happen.
Photo Courtesy Apple
Pulliam has entertainment on her mind this year. Topping her Christmas wish list is the Apple TV 4, which allows you to watch Netflix, HBO NOW, Hulu, WatchESPN and more on your TV. The Siri Remote with Touch makes streaming easy, and the App Store lets you add games and apps to your television. Pulliam is also craving the Apple Watch Sport with scratch-resistant screen. After all, you can only couch potato in front of your new Apple TV for so long before you have to get out and move!
Photo courtesy Ricoh
May can’t wait to have some fun with tech this season. He wants the Krypton laser beam for great and worthwhile activities such as astronomy and enriching the imagination, and absolutely not for popping kids’ balloons from miles away. He’s also craving the Microsoft Surface 4 Pro, touted as “the tablet that can replace your laptop.” This hybrid device runs all your desktop applications but is incredibly portable – perfect for someone who is constantly on the go like May.
Several techies have creativity on the mind this season. Nafarrete has his eye on the Go Pro Spherical camera rig with Hero technology for shooting 360-video. Mason wants the Ricoh Theta S, a device that makes shooting in VR super easy (up to 25 minutes, a staggering length in virtual reality). VRScout co-founder/writer Eric Chevalier just purchased a new Go Pro camera rig and can’t wait to try it out.
Other techies are relying on the magical powers of Santa to deliver their holiday lists. VRScout co-founder/writer Jonathan Nafarrete is hoping for the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR headsets. Unfortunately, none of them have hit the consumer market yet. Reel FX VR director Kevin Althans desires a quantum stereoscopic 360 VR camera that is infinitely small, has 30 stops of latitude and requires no stitching in post-production. Unfortunately, Althans is going to have to keep dreaming!
What devices top your list this year? Let us know in the comments!