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As much as we love to celebrate products that improve our lives 2024not every release lived up to its potential. Some of the products we’ve been excited about have stumbled due to poor performance, questionable design choices, or a failure to live up to the high expectations they set.
A product doesn’t have to crash and burn to fail. Sometimes not living up to the hype is enough. As we say every year, we’re not mad at these products – we’re just disappointed.
Sony Bravia Theater U
Neck speakers have always been an alternative to traditional headphones. The idea is to wear them around your neck so that people nearby can’t hear what you’re listening to. unfortunately about Sony Bravia Theater U it sounds great under the right, limited conditions. These conditions require you to sit perfectly like a statue, which is not compatible with how most people naturally hang out on their couch and watch TV. For $300, you’d be better off buying your roommate a pair of noise-cancelling headphones so you can watch TV comfortably.
Dell XPS 13 (2024)
of the year Dell XPS range should be a large 13-, 14- or 16-inch laptop series. The slim but sturdy bezel remains impressively quiet even under stress, and several models feature bright, vibrant OLED displays. Well, what’s the problem? Lighting, touch sensitive function row. While we can learn to live with, or even love, an invisible trackpad, it’s hard to appreciate the ESC key that disappears when the laptop is turned off. Worse, the touch-sensitive buttons fade in direct light, making important controls like brightness or volume adjustments almost impossible to find.
Apple Vision Pro
The Apple Vision Pro is the most technologically advanced VR headset you can buy right now. It features some of the best displays available, making watching movies or new “spatial” content a truly unique experience. However, using the device without third-party straps or headrests is a concern, primarily due to the metal and glass front plate. Slipping the power bank into your pocket adds to its inconvenience, especially if you want to use it for a quick space work session. The biggest drawback is the lack of applications that make full use of external sensors. While improvements are to be expected over time, these shortcomings are hard to overlook — especially at the $3,500 price point, where you’d expect Apple to prioritize usability.
Razer Freyja
We were captured Razer Freyja since we first saw it at CES last January. This voice-activated haptic chair promises a truly immersive spine-tingling experience, and it responds very well to the low rumble of a deep-voiced NPC. While it includes several game-specific haptic features, these effects are only activated sporadically in certain games, making it feel more like a novelty than an original tool to enhance immersion. Another drawback is that it relies on a power outlet for the seat cushion, leaving a very easy cable for your chair’s rolling wheels to snag. Overall, it’s an impressive device, but it’s still a generation (and a few upgrades) away from greatness.
Rabbit R1
Like the rest of the internet, we were fascinated by the striking orange and square Rabbit R1 when announced at the beginning of the year. An AI-powered assistive device has promised to do all that. However, once we got our hands on one, the $200 AI assistant struggled with even the simplest of tasks. Its image recognition was so spotty that I questioned whether it even had a camera, and its “all-day” battery only lasted a few hours. To Rabbit’s credit, the company has been rolling out regular software updates for the R1 since launch, but it still has a long way to go.
AirPods 4 with ANC
The AirPods 4 should have been a slam dunk with active noise cancellation (ANC), but the short battery life and empty space make it hard to recommend them over the previous generation of AirPods. While the addition of ANC is a welcome update, it struggles to block out louder city sounds like horns and sirens. If ANC is a top priority, AirPods Pro 2 is a better choice for those loyal to the Apple ecosystem. The AirPods 4’s battery life is even more disappointing; it does not allow you to continue the whole working day without needing to be recharged.
MSI Claw
The MSI Claw started at an inauspicious time, entering a market full of impressive handhelds. Its design was reminiscent of the Asus ROG Ally, but the ergonomics were awkward and the shoulder buttons were disappointingly spongy. Although the handset received several updates to improve performance, the Z1 Extreme couldn’t compete with AMD handsets. To make matters worse, the $800 price tag felt steep for what it offered.
Indoor VR Explorer chair
800 dollars Built-in VR Explorer the chair is a perfect example of a great concept let down by poor execution. It’s a VR gaming chair designed to rotate in the direction your head turns. In theory, it sounds immersive and exciting, but in practice, it feels more like a stop-and-start, clunky carnival ride. The biggest drawback is that Explorer doesn’t perform well in games that require more dynamic movement than just turning your head. While there are some interesting experiences with VR Explorer, it ultimately compromises what we love most about VR: freedom of movement.
Meta Ray bans
Don’t get me wrong – I really enjoy wearing my own clothes Meta Ray bans. Not only are they stylish, but they’re also perfect for capturing high-quality first-person videos and photos. Plus, they’re a convenient way to listen to music or check your messages without having to pick up your phone. However, the big problem with the Meta Ray-Bans is the hit-or-miss AI features. They often provide inaccurate or irrelevant answers to your questions or queries. We’ve joked that smart glasses have a bit of a “dad-brain” because of how confidently they deliver the wrong answer. Meta recently added a live translation feature, which is a nice addition, but it struggles to keep up when the speaker is speaking too quickly in another language.
