9 Great Reads From CNET This Week: 'Infinite' VR, 2022 Smartwatches, Elden Ring and more

The outsized wonders of in-person virtual reality, the likely smartwatches for the coming year, the staggering popularity of Elden Ring, and a whole lot of other stuff.

VR brings a third dimension to computing. Strap on a headset, and you're not just looking at something, you're surrounded by it. There's a real sense of depth and volume and immersion. You are as good as there.

One outstanding example of that is a virtual reality installation called The Infinite, which puts you inside the International Space Station and enables you to gaze down on Earth from orbit. CNET's Joan Solsman has tried it out, and has some thoughts, too, on how that sort of location-based VR compares with wearing an Oculus headset in your living room. She also talked with two astronauts who can attest to how vivid an experience The Infinite is: "When the lights came up in the film and around me was the space station that I remembered as my home, I wasn't ready," said Christina Koch. "I wasn't ready to have to say goodbye again."

Those stories are among the many in-depth features and thought-provoking commentaries that appeared on CNET this week. So here you go. These are the stories you don't want to miss.

'The Infinite' VR Is the Closest You'll Feel to Space Without Floating
Stepping into a massive, virtual International Space Station is like slipping into the ISS' living memory.