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First Click: PlayStation VR and 3.14 other reasons to be excited about the week ahead

March 14th, 2016

1

Happy π day!

It’s a big week for The Verge with four major events scheduled: the South by Southwest festival, the GDC gaming show, the Baselworld Swiss watch event, and the final Go match pitting man against machine.

South by Southwest is well underway in Texas. The first two parts of the annual Austin tradition — SXSW Interactive and SXSW Film — are already in full swing, with SXSW Music kicking off Tuesday, followed by a Michelle Obama keynote on Wednesday. The first lady will be promoting the "Let Girls Learn" initiative, which is focused on educating the 62 million girls around the world who are not in school.

We’re expecting to hear important details on the PlayStation VR on Tuesday, as well. Sony’s GDC press event should give us pricing and release dates for the final version of the PSVR, allowing us to complete the VR Buying Guide so that you can easily compare Sony’s VR platform with the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. GDC will be packed with VR news from developers this year as virtual reality becomes an entertainment reality in 2016. Look for our full GDC preview on the site later today.

Meanwhile, Baselworld will attempt to rekindle our love of expensive Swiss time pieces when it kicks off on March 17th. Smartwatch sales outpaced luxury watches for the first time in 2015 thanks to a strong franc and reduced demand in Asia. Bloomberg published a primer with a preview of all the big announcements expected.

We’ve also got the fifth and final Go match between Google’s DeepMind and champion Lee Se-dol on Tuesday. DeepMind is leading 3-1 after Lee took the fourth match on Sunday, handing Google’s AI its first ever professional loss. Still, as Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt said at the outset, "The winner here, no matter who wins, is humanity."

But that’s all yet to come in addition to our usual coverage of tech, science, cars, and entertainment. First let’s take a look back at the weekend that was.

  1. John Oliver explains why Apple needs encryption to stay a step ahead of hackers

    We've heard from some heavyweight names on both sides in the ongoing encryption battle between Apple and the FBI, but as is increasingly common with complicated issues, perhaps the most succinct...

  2. Go champion Lee Se-dol strikes back to beat Google's DeepMind AI for first time

    AlphaGo wrapped up victory for Google in the DeepMind Challenge Match by winning its third straight game against Go champion Lee Se-dol yesterday, but the 33-year-old South Korean has got at least...

  3. Kanye West offers Steve Ballmer help to redesign LA Clippers mascot

    Last month, the LA Clippers — owned by world's-happiest-man-dunking, Steve Ballmer — unveiled a new mascot: Chuck the Condor. Chuck has a big blue beak, a happy-go-lucky grin, and is hated by...

  4. People who buy activity trackers shouldn’t have to be beta testers

    Over the past several months I’ve noticed a bizarre trend among the digital health and fitness products I’ve tested: many are faulty, incomplete, or inaccurate products, and the companies making...

  5. Teenager wins $250,000 in biggest drone race yet

    A British teenager has won $250,000 after placing first in the inaugural World Drone Prix in Dubai. 15-year-old Luke Bannister piloted his drone to victory along an outdoor track, using a camera...

  6. Sony’s futuristic Concept N headphones don’t touch your ears

    Sony's newly formed R&D outfit, Future Lab, is here at SXSW to show off its first concept prototype: a pair of headphones worn around the neck that direct audio upwards so only you can hear it....

  7. Daylight Saving Time is hot garbage

    When Benjamin Franklin proposed Daylight Saving Time — he invented it — it was a joke. These days, it's more like a practical joke we play on ourselves every single year. It's time to end this dumb...

  8. SNL skit sees 'Tidal intern' Ariana Grande impersonate Britney Spears, Shakira, and more

    Tidal's had a bit of a rocky road since its star-studded relaunch last May, but it appears the streaming music service has at least earned itself enough mindshare to get its very own Saturday Night...

  9. The Verge Review of Animals: The face mite

    This column is part of a series where Verge staffers post highly subjective reviews of animals. Up until now, we’ve written about animals without telling you whether they suck or rule. We are now...

  10. SXSW Interactive 2016: news, panels, speeches, and brand antics

    It can be hard to get a grasp on South by Southwest, the sometimes ungainly group of panels, conventions, and festivals the descend upon Austin, Texas in March. But we've got you covered here with...

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