Published 8 January 2024
Michael, Andy and Michael are back together to record the first episode of 2024 – and have a fantastic show on keyboard keys, a VR trackball for your feet, bricks in the form of a bricked car, the game of Tetris, the LEGO version of a Polaroid camera and a whole lot more.
This episode starts with the new Copilot keyboard key for Windows computers, which on the surface (not the Surface) sounds like a small change, but one with significant ripple effects through the computer supply chain. Check out the show notes below for a humorous Mastodon take on this, as well as Andy’s custom escape key.
Switching from keyboard input mechanisms to trackballs, the cohosts check out an innovation from Sony designed to provide VR navigation in small physical spaces. This reminded the team of the Virtuix Omni One which provides the ability to walk and run in a 4 foot diameter space.
Changing gears to the automotive world, the cohosts discuss the potential for cars to become incapacitated due to software update problems, as one redditor shared. With over the air (OTA) updates applied away from home, there is a possibility that an update causes problems operating the vehicle. Also in the automotive space, there is a story about a Toyota engineer that designed a fake manual transmission for electric vehicles to add the experience of rowing through the gears back into driving.
A listener link focuses on the story of an Oklahoma teenager who beat the NES edition of Tetris. This is an incredible feat that required amazing control. Have a listen to the soothing 8bit tones of the game music from the link in the shownotes below.
The team wraps up the episode with a couple of follow on notes from the last episode – a Star Wars role playing game, and the probable Games at Work bump for Dave the Diver selling over 3 million copies worldwide. Michael M learned that it was available for the Switch and bought a copy, so there’s at least a +1 for the Games at Work impact right there.
Have you bought a copy of Dave the Diver? Would you drive a “manual transmission” EV? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected Article Links
AI
The Verge article: Microsoft Copilot is now available as a ChatGPT-like app on Android
Ars Technica article: Microsoft is adding a new key to PC keyboards for the first time since 1994
BREAKING: We obtained an exclusive photograph of the new AI assistant key on Windows keyboards
VR
Tom’s Hardware article: Sony sticks its foot into VR — patent reveals trackball foot controller that boosts immersion for players in smaller rooms
Games at Work e412: 3D or not 3D
Games at Work e368: Chaos Agent Without Pants
Bricked Car
"Unfortunately, a recent software update was not successful. Your vehicle cannot be driven.
Please call customer support"
Original thread on Reddit
The Manual article: EVs don’t need a multi-gear transmission as much as we do
Games (some with bricks)
NPR article: A 13-year-old in Oklahoma may have just become the 1st person to ever beat Tetris
Ars Technica article: 34 years later, a 13-year-old hits the NES Tetris “kill screen”
Slashfilm article: The Modern Star Wars Universe Owes Its Existence To An RPG Most Fans Have Never Played
Game Developer article: Dave the Diver has sold over 3 million copies worldwide
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:14 — 40.9MB) | Embed
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Such a fun episode, Michael & Andy! Loved your discussion on Life by You.