Flights of fancy

By Tom Standage

As a fan of new technology, I’m often at the front of the queue to buy the latest gadgets. But even I draw the line somewhere. Consider the HTC Vive, for example, the state of the art in virtual-reality headsets. Using an awesome trick called “volumetric” or “room-scale” VR, it doesn’t just transport you to another world: its position-tracking system means you can walk around in it too. There’s just one problem: the Vive costs £750, and you also need a £1,000 PC to power it. And a spare room. All this makes for a pricey toy, which is why I have not bought one.

Then there’s the DJI Mavic, an insect-like quadcopter drone that can fold up to fit in a backpack. Normally when I try to fly drones they crash into the wall, the ceiling or the cat, and I am ordered to go outside and crash them into trees instead. But the Mavic is idiot-proof. If you try to crash it into a wall (and I tried) it beeps and refuses to go any farther. If you hold up your arms to make a Y shape, it follows you around. Make a square shape with your hands and it snaps a selfie. It lands automatically too. It’s great fun, but it costs £999, so I have not bought one of these, either.