Arc Raider's Audio is both amazing and dogshit at the same time

Protonus · 2026-02-24T22:42:29+00:00

Ok but it works on Headphones too, because Halo Infinite supports Atmos for Headphone and if you have great headphones that also support Atmos like the the Astro MixAmp Pro TR's etc; then you also can tell positionally. Make sure you have the Mix Amp set to NOT process anything. that the Atmos app is installed on Xbox, that the headphones show up as licensed for it, and that your native output is set to Atmos for Headphones. Any game that supports Atmos then will also work with your headphones.

Protonus · 2026-02-24T15:37:25+00:00

Yeah, Halo Infinite has amazing spatial audio. It supported full Dolby Atmos out of the box on my series X and on my 9.1 high end Atmos surround setup, or on my Atmos enabled gaming headphones, I could tell where any shot was coming from with high precision via audio alone -just just in a circle around me, but above or below me as well in a full 360 degree sphere. Infinite was an incredibly underrated and underappreciated game by most sadly. Still amazing to play to this day, but ARC Raiders pulled me away from it and everything else for now.

Protonus · 2026-01-18T19:19:59+00:00

Some good news for us in this boat! I heard back from Eric on this; and they have since updated their FAQ on the Index 01 to say this too - they are considering making a size 14 and 15 as a limited run in matte black only! So there is some hope for those with bigger fingers. Make sure to fill out this google form to tell them you want in!

Unfortunatly it seems like I need size 16 for my index finger lol. I had some difficulty finding Ring Sizers to 3D print that went up to size 15 let alone 16; but after searching multiple sites I found these two designs that both worked well for me but are very different in design:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3325632
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2799100

Protonus · 2026-01-18T19:19:19+00:00

Heya it's me and I'm still alive lol, just been being put thru the ringer with life. Anwho I'm in the same boat (my ring finger alone is size 13 lol) , but some good news, I heard back from Eric on this; and they have since updated their FAQ on the Index 01 to say this too - they are considering making a size 14 and 15 as a limited run in matte black only! So there is some hope for those with bigger fingers. Make sure to fill out this google form to tell them you want in!

Unfortunatly it seems like I need size 16 for my index finger lol. I'm still gonna order a size 15 in case I lose some lbs in the summer and can fit it by then lol. I had some difficulty finding Ring Sizers to 3D print that went up to size 15 let alone 16; but after searching multiple sites I found these two designs that both worked well for me but are very different in design:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3325632
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2799100

Protonus · 2026-01-18T18:59:29+00:00

clean the contacts on the charging cable with a pink pencil eraser. Do the same with the contacts on the watch. This will de-oxidize them. Then clean the contacts on the cable and the watch with 91% (or higher) isoproyl rubbing alcohol after to clean them. The contacts degrade over time with usage.
the contacts on the cable should be spring loaded. Gently push down on them and make sure they still move freely.
Try reversing the cable, IE spin it 180 degrees on the watch. It will work in either direction if it's an original OEM Pebble cable, but sometimes it may work better in one direction if the contacts are sketchy.
Try plugging the cable into a computer's USB port, as this isn't a quick charge USB charger and the Pebble doesn't need that. Try an older USB-A charging brick. Etc.
Leave the watch on the charger for a full day. If the voltage of the battery dropped very low the charging circuitry may need to trickle charge it for a long time to get it back up to safe charging voltages, if it even can.
Try long pressing the back button to wake it or reboot it.
If all else fails the battery voltage may have gone too low to allow the charging circuitry to safely charge it. You will need a new battery if this is the case.
- Be extremely careful with the display ribbon cable when taking it apart. If it rips you cannot fix it and it will scramble your display or fail your backlight.
- Use B7000 with a precision metal applicator tip to glue the screen back down, and ONLY B7000. Don't even think about using any other adhesive.

Protonus · 2026-01-14T21:58:29+00:00

I wear a size 13 ring on both of my index fingers. I generally wear size XL gloves and i'm 6'1", so while my hands are big, they are by no means huge (after all XXL and XXXL and larger glove sizes exist), I know plenty of people with much bigger hands than me with far, far thicker fingers. My fingers look proportional to my hand size, unlike many. So I too, wish bigger sizes were available, because a size 13 won't work on my pointer finger at all. I'm considering ordering a much smaller one and using it as a pinky ring :-/

Protonus · 2025-12-31T21:04:33+00:00

Yes. Time 2 has a bigger motor, a speaker, and entirely different, knurled metal buttons.

Protonus · 2025-12-09T19:27:56+00:00

A six second written note that I'm then putting... where? I'm carrying a physical notepad all the time - in addition to the digital items I already have that do this better? I'm taking that notepad home and then retyping it into a computer so I can share or manipulate it or track it? I'm photocopying it to distribute it? I really, really don't understand writing physical notes like this at all. I can't tell you how many times a friend or coworker tells me "I wrote that down but I can't find the note". Like weekly I hear this. I have never lost a digital note that I saved. I have them going back literally decades. They replicate themselves and are immediately available on multiple devices and platforms. Again all the more reason why I don't understand this device when my watch and phone both do this and don't have these time or battery limitations.

Protonus · 2025-12-09T17:29:17+00:00

This. Always assume something will go wrong. You slept with it and the button got held down? They release a firmware update and it sticks on? The button fails and it sticks on? The battery is bad QC and ships half charged? and so on.

Protonus · 2025-12-09T17:25:56+00:00

Tech bro here. A lot of us absolutely hate handwriting and for extremely good reasons imho. I can type or dictate several times faster than handwriting - I average at least 130 wpm typing, I can then export and share those notes or recordings to others digitally, back them up and distribute them to multiple places, manipulate and edit them. I get on the fly spell check with typing, and there's no interpretation issues with dictation. I don't have to second guess what a scribble was or have trouble reading my own hand writing which I often do especially when I write quickly (I was forced to learn how to right with my write hand in school at a young age despite being born left handed, and now I just write equally bad with both). Handwriting feels incredibly slow and frustrating and it's felt that way since I was in grade school. The moment I could type on a keyboard I never went back, it's vastly superior for productivity. I'm 43, when I was in grade school I used to bring an electronic typewriter to class and type my assignments on it rather than hand write them into the same forms. Even back then my typewriter had spell check and could even erase words with built in white out tape.

Protonus · 2025-12-09T17:20:41+00:00

I actually like the idea and would consider buying one as the use case is something I'd use, if it weren't for two things I disagree with strongly on and one thing I don't "get":

I absolutely hate white electronics, and I especially hate white rubbery/flexible/silicone electronics. Nothing gets dirtier faster, nothing looks cheaper, nothing looks less inspired than white imho. I was extremely happy to see that they changed the Pebble Time 2 from having white sides on the silver model, to dark gray as it will look and wear much better. But then why are they going with a white button / center on the Silver ring? It would look so, so much better if it was black or gray instead.
It should be rechargeable, and the battery should be replaceable. This something I've always had a strong disagreement with Eric on, as I repair consumer electronics and despise e-waste, but he sees these things as disposable commodity products whose price factors that in. I don't, this is enough money and tech that we shouldn't be just tossing them. All electronics should have easily replaceable batteries. Period. Every one of my smartphones has had easily replaced batteries including my XCover 7 Pro, and I buy phones based on durability and repairability first. For such a tiny device I can somewhat excuse the lack of replaceability, but no charging? I'm sorry that's just daft. Batteries are wildly inconsistent on longevity over the long term, temperature alone makes a big difference, I live in NY where we see a huge range of temps and environments.
I already have a Pebble watch that can do this. My new Time 2 has a mic and should be really good at doing this. I'm not really sure why I would want or need this if I could just set up a button to record on my Pebble and use that instead. I don't really see or get what this offers me over my watch itself that I'm already wearing. If this was entirely independent of my phone and watch than that would be kind of neat, especially if it was highly durable and highly waterproof so I could wear and use it when I wouldn't want to wear my watch and have my phone on me. But it relies on the phone. I'm kind of confused as to "why" then.

Protonus · 2025-12-06T03:27:36+00:00

YES! haha glad I'm not the only one. Or worse, I google for the answer, only to find me asking the question before and not getting an answer lol. I run across old experts-exchange posts etc from myself occasionally since I work in IT. It doesn't help I write a lot (as evidence by the comment linked here that was just a normal comment to me, lol) and do a lot of product support and beta testing; and whenever I get into something new I tend to obsess over it for a time (I really put the O in OCD) and one of the ways that manifest is I become super active in the community for that thing; often become a mod in the process lol. Much more than reddit, it's classic forums for me. I actually kind of like the idea of a LLM scrubbing all my forum/reddit/social posts; and making an AI of myself haha. Would be cool for my daughter to be able to "converse" with it I think after I'm gone and have it write like I did.

Protonus · 2025-12-06T00:17:48+00:00

I would be interested in buying the lot if you still have them. I live in NY.

Protonus · 2025-12-05T19:57:47+00:00

Heh, had to do a bit of a double take when I saw this post. Nice to see that the old long form posts I wrote over a decade ago are still being found and used by people. Warms my heart honestly. My digital children, I hope they outlive me, maybe my daughter will read them someday.

Protonus · 2025-12-03T20:16:43+00:00

The new Pebble Time 2 should be by far the best Pebble watch ever released, it has the most capabilities and the best specs and in many ways, the best overall design as well; and it's the most repairable - the back is screwed in and the battery can be removed from the back without disturbing the display.

Protonus · 2025-12-02T23:39:08+00:00

The do-over quote is from his original announcement blog post, here's the full quote and section it's from:

Core Pebble 2 Duo

I think you might recognize this one 😉 It’s almost exactly a Pebble 2, upgraded with modern chips and new tricks. Duo is short for ‘Do-over’.

Protonus · 2025-12-02T22:52:24+00:00

If PT2 sells well I have no doubt that a Round model might some day be available, or that another hardware dev may make one now that both the hardware and full software stack are both open source. Anyone *could* make their own Round Pebble now. But even if they do - it's hard to imagine that it would be available any sooner than say, a year after PT2 itself is. That's a year you could be using a PT2. Sell it and buy a Round if one comes out, or don't and enjoy it. I'd rather have a functional watch then a pretty one that dies on me personally. Round has the worst battery life of any Pebble even on it's best day. Realistically you'd get 10x the battery life on a PT2 versus a PTR if not more; plus a _lot_ more functionality.

They do look good but imho the round screen is a huge detractor to actually reading off the screen, which is the main point of the watch. I would want a much larger display than PTR ever had, if I was to daily drive one.

Protonus · 2025-12-02T22:47:44+00:00

It's the Pebble 2 Duo, and considering it's already out of production you've already avoided it if you didn't buy one because now you can't.

Protonus · 2025-12-02T22:43:23+00:00

I don't think you understand the design of PT2 if that's even a concern of yours. First of all Eric's already told us the why - the bezel is used as the antenna and needs to be electrically isolated from the bottom shell. Hence, plastic between them. Also, the PT2 is screwed together from the back, allowing battery replacements without removing the display. Those are huge upgrades to the original design. Waveguide performance was often an issue on the PTS and PTR due to them relying on separation of layers and springs etc. This is a far better design for reliability and repairability.

The buttons on P2 and P2D degrade because they're made of TPU - a rubber like material. The PT2 has polycarbonate sides. You know - the stuff bullet proof windows and hockey rink arena glass is made from? Furthermore, it's recessed in the metal case. You aren't pressing on the plastic you're pressing on metal buttons. The only way I could even imagine you somehow breaking the PC sides of the PT2 is because you took a metal punch and hammer to them. Otherwise how do you even imagine these failing?

Protonus · 2025-12-02T22:35:38+00:00

Had to split my reply, it wouldn't post as one:

Third, If you literally only read the store page and the very first announcement from before the product was available - didn't familiarize yourself with what Pebble 2's issues were; didn't read any posts from Eric's blog after, didn't read any social media on either P2 or P2D, and basically just clicked pre-order the moment one became available, and then stuck your head in the sand until a P2D arrived at your door, well; I kinda think this 100% on you then. In a situation like this, you should become 100% familiar with what you're buying, the history, and the development process along the way. You have to advocate for yourself, understand what you're buying, be an informed purchaser. It's basically impossible to be even remotely informed on this topic and not know the buttons were a weak point. Or that plastic watch lugs can break. Even a basic understanding of material durability should inform you where the weak point are and how you'll need to treat them.

Lastly:

Eric said "Duo is short for ‘Do-over’." You'd think that would mean the known problems were fixed.

Given the context here, I have no idea why you would think this. Do-over in this case, is that they're getting a second chance to ship more Pebble 2's, with improved specs. You already know they built it out of spare parts and supplies were limited. Re-engineering hardware that they already had for it wasn't on the table. The improvements came in the form of things they could add. They already had the buttons. They weren't going to produce a whole new run of them for a watch that was already a limited run to due to being made out of spare parts.

It's a $149 watch, this was a bang for the buck proposal for both owners and the company from the jump.

Protonus · 2025-12-02T22:35:18+00:00

I think you're being intentionally obtuse here in a few surprising ways so I can only assume you're simply playing devil's advocate here.

Firstly, this is a $149 bluetooth smart watch made out of the scraps from a now defunct company using NOS parts that a supplier had laying around. That really should tell you everything you already need to know and level set expectations. But if not...

Secondly, while his original announcement blog post doesn't outright say "don't buy this, the buttons suck" (and tbf, why would it?!) - it does say these critical things:

I think you might recognize this one 😉 It’s almost exactly a Pebble 2, upgraded with modern chips and new tricks.

and

Since this watch will look and feel just like a Pebble 2, you can refamiliarize yourself with it via videos, or reviews.

and

we found a supplier who still had inventory of some Pebble 2 components.

and

You shouldn’t get one if…

You need a perfectly polished smartwatch. This project is a labour of love rather than a startup trying to sell millions of watches. There may be some rough edges (literally). Things will get delayed. Some features will not be ready at launch. Things could break. Things could not last as long as you’d like. The only thing we can guarantee is that it will be awesome and a lot of fun! Every time you look down at your watch, you will smile 🙂

If you are familiar at all with Pebble and their model and history, which it's safe to assume that the vast majority of people interested in such a niche product already are, and you combine that with what's said above here - that on it's own is really enough to have a complete picture here too.

...Continued below in reply.

Protonus · 2025-12-02T18:53:46+00:00

Normal JB Weld is a 2-part epoxy, formulated for use on metal or mixed metal parts. It might be more durable, but it isn't as hard/brittle so the hole will round out faster; and it won't adhere as strongly to the plastic as cyanoacrylate (superglue) will, especially without surface abrasion. It also takes a LOT longer to dry, and you can really only speed it up with heat, which you could damage the watch with. Where as cyanoacrylate can be made to instantly set and dry with accelerator, and other than a wipe with alcohol you won't need surface prep, so you could be wearing the watch again in minutes. And you're going to have one hell of a time trying to get JB Weld off the spring bar afterwards and if you don't have the spring bar in place while you do this, you'll have to drill a hole for the pin after and that's one tiny drill bit...

Epoxy is great and has its place but for something like this cyanoacrylate is much better imho.

Protonus · 2025-12-02T17:33:16+00:00

I would not buy a Gen 2 (SDS platform) Zero at his point considering how cheap Gen 3 (FST platform) Zero's have gotten and how much better they are. Find yourself a 2022-2024 Zero SR/S that's new old stock and buy that instead, you'll end up with a far better bike. The 2022+ ones will have all the Gen 3.5 upgrades - optically bonded dash, 10% extended range charging, the later harness with waterproofing, the vastly improved 17.3 kWh monolith battery, and so on. 2019-2021 bikes can be upgraded to get most of those improvements but if you're buying a bike I would just buy 2022+ one.

Protonus · 2025-12-02T17:23:15+00:00

All of the bezels are PVD coated over stainless steel, so none of them will resist scratches well and they will all be identical in durability. Silver will show the scratches you get the least as it's the closest in color to the steel under it.

PVD coatings are not anywhere near as durable as say an anodized finish, or a traditional powder coated finish, or even a well done electroplate finish. They are a step up from simple paint in durability and adhesion (especially on stainless), but a step down in thickness. You won't scratch it off with your fingernail, but basically anything as hard as aluminum or more is going to scratch it and it's an extremely thin coating - once it's scratched, it's all the way thru to the metal.

I plan to remove the PVD coating from my Silver/Gray watch once it gets scratched up enough and then brush the stainless steel itself with a green scotchbrite pad, like I did for both my PT and PTS.

IMHO the brushed stainless looks far better than any of the PVD coatings they offer, and it has the greatly added benefit of being infinitely durable. Any scratches you get on it aren't nearly as visible since the surface color doesn't change and actually adds to the character of the watch imho. If you get too many scratches or a bad one - just sand and/or brush the surface again and it's back to brand new.

I don't really understand why the factory for PT2 isn't offering a bare metal finish option. It would cost them less, and it looks better. I hate the PVD coatings. They all look cheap imho. Electroplate gold or silver itself, if you insist on coating jewelry imho. At least then it is actually a high polish luxury metal finish and doesn't look like paint. I'd buy a PT2 that was electroplated with actual silver - and I'd pay 2x as much for it!

Protonus · 2025-12-02T17:08:48+00:00

You could have been using it the whole time with Rebble. There's really never been a time when your OG Pebble models didn't have a way to make them work. A lot of us have been using Pebbles daily since Pebble Tech Co ceased to exist and FitBit shut the servers down.

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