Now playing: Watch this: Picking the right gaming PC for virtual reality 1:30 Now that we’ve tested nine new PCs (eight desktops and one laptop) specifically built for use with virtual reality headsets, there are a few key takeaways: VR is an expensive hobby. The Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets cost $599 and $799, …

One of the big issues with the the current generation of virtual-reality headsets is that the wearer needs to be tethered to a big, bulky desktop computer. Sure, the cables that come with the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift are long, but getting tangled up in a cable or having it tug on the back of your head is an …

Facebook’s curated list of trending news topics has been embroiled in controversy this week, thanks to allegations that conservative news stories and topics were filtered out. Now, the story about Facebook’s trending topics section is itself being listed as a top, you guessed it, trending topic on Facebook. As of this morning, it’s the top of the list for political …

Instagram, the popular social-media photography app owned by Facebook, is getting a new look. The app’s longtime icon, a retro-looking camera, has been replaced by a new minimalist version, with a white line drawing of a camera shape against a gradient colored background. The change seems to reflect a shift away from the vintage-style filters the app is known for …

Using the Snapchat handle EverestNoFilter, a pair of veteran adventurers are documenting their climb up Mount Everest in real time. Adrian Ballinger and Cory Richards are posting dozens of still images and short videos to the service daily from Nepal. In one of the team’s recent snaps, Richards addresses the camera and answers a question about fear on such a …

Google announced Wednesday that it’s banning ads for payday loans and other related products with crazy-high interest rates starting July 13. “We will no longer allow ads for loans where repayment is due within 60 days of the date of issue,” David Graff, Google’s director of global product policy, posted in a blog Monday. “In the U.S., we are also …

Gaming website Videogamer.com has spotted several products on Amazon.com that were only for sale to Amazon Prime members. Games such as Grand Theft Auto V for the PlayStation 4 or the film “Birdman” on Blu-ray are not available to buy directly from Amazon, and potential purchasers see the following message: “This item, sold by Amazon.com, is currently reserved exclusively for …

In a company blog post, Facebook says it will rely more on time spent reading an article as a metric for deciding if similar content should be more prominent in people’s news feeds. In the post by Moshe Blank, a Facebook software engineer, and Jie Xu, a research scientist, the pair says, “We’ve found that there are stories people don’t …

Enjoy Earth Day, as it may be our last, according to a new trailer just released for the upcoming sci-fi film “Independence Day: Resurgence.” The 20th Century Fox film debuts internationally on June 23 and in the US on June 24 — but April 22, otherwise known as Earth Day, was a savvy date to drop a new long-form trailer. …

Now playing: Watch this: Snapchat’s face swap finds new ways to creep us out 2:10 The classic MTV program “Cribs” will make a comeback, but not on television. The show, which featured tours of outlandish celebrity homes, will return as short-form videos on messaging app Snapchat, Variety reported Thursday. Original episodes of the show were produced between 2000 and 2011, …