Over the years, we’ve heard a lot about the promise of virtual reality. But these days it’s looking like we could be on the cusp of an amazing leap forward, in part because some very big tech companies want a piece of the action. From The Verge: The rise and fall and rise of virtual reality. I can’t wait to put on my virtual reality headset and finally get a break from all this distracting technology.

+ Last month, everyone was sure that Google was buying Twitch, a site where millions of people watch other people play video games. That deal died. Amazon moved in and made one of its biggest acquisition to date.