Playing virtual beer pong with Control VR
Virtual reality in video games is all about new technology that places players within an interactive digital environment. By now, most know about Oculus VR, Sony's Project Morpheus or augmented reality specs like Google Glass and CastAR. But what do you do with your hands while using these headsets?
Instead of relying on traditional game pads, Control VR is taking a different approach by creating wearable technology that places players' hands and arms in any virtual environment in conjunction with headsets like the Oculus Rift. We went hands-on (yes, literally) with the company's hardware at E3 2014 and spoke with Alex Sarnoff, CEO and founder of Control VR about its ambitions. Overall, the hardware functions well and makes tasks like throwing a ball and holding a cup feel quite natural. The demos we toyed with, a beer pong simulator and one set on the surface of the moon, were glitchy at points and eventually got out of sync with our real-life arm placement. In Control VR's favor, they were also developed in less than a week and the team didn't yet have a means to calibrate the gear on the fly.
Control VR is currently raising funds on Kickstarter to bring the project to life, and already surpassed its initial $250,000 goal, currently resting at $381,728. Those that pledge $350 receive one harness and controls for one arm, while $600 guarantees backers sensors for both arms. The Kickstarter project is slated to end on Saturday, July 5.
