Oculus Building Motion Controllers for Better Immersion (Report)
The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset allows you to become visually immersed in digital worlds, but Oculus VR doesn't seem content to let you simply look around anymore. The company is reportedly developing its own motion control peripherals, which, combined with the Oculus Rift, could make gaming a more enveloping experience than ever.
According to a report from Cnet, moving toward motion control is the next logical step for Oculus VR, the company set to be acquired by Facebook for $2 billion. Motion-based gaming has been gaining momentum over the past few years, and Facebook's financial backing could allow Oculus VR to craft a full set of gesture accessories to launch alongside its headset.
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As of now, the bulk of motion-based gaming experiences can be had on home consoles. The Xbox One has its motion-tracking Kinect camera, the Wii U has the wand-like Wii Remote and the PS4 has a similar set of motion controllers called PS Move. Leap Motion allows you to control PC games with physical gestures, but the accessory isn't quite a household name in the way that Kinect and Wii are.
Since Oculus is already an established name in the PC gaming space, it could potentially release the definitive ecosystem of motion peripherals for PC gamers.
We got a taste of what Oculus gaming with motion control could be like when we played the hilarious "Shark Punch" tech demo at South by Southwest 2014. The game used Oculus' VR headset combined with a Leap Motion controller, and allowed us to enjoy the physical sensation of punching a digital shark right in the mouth.
It only makes sense that Oculus would want you to buy its own motion accessories instead of a competitor's, so we wouldn't be surprised to see the VR company start selling more than just headsets. The Development Kit 2 version of the company's VR headset is currently available for pre-order for $350, though the gaming giant has yet to announce a commercial debut for its long-anticipated device.
Via Cnet
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