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Hands-on with Sixense's MakeVR, a motion-controlled 3D modeling suite bound for Kickstarter (video)
The last time we saw Sixense's Stem motion controller, it was little more than a collection of prototypes. The company showed us a gaggle of Plexiglas boxes containing reference hardware and a 3D-printed shell representing the final product's design. A more functional third unit (a developer kit, actually) allowed us to play with the controller's electromagnetic tracking technology, but the overall experience was fragmented and incomplete. The company finally pulled these disparate elements together, revealing the final Sixense Stem System at CES earlier this month. We caught up with the company earlier this month to take a look at the revised controller, and found a solid, lightweight controller modeled very closely after the 3D-printed mockup we saw last year. In fact, the only major difference we found was the revised button layout: We were originally told the device would utilize a modular faceplate system, but the final version wears a symmetrical button configuration reminiscent of the Razer Hydra. Sixense hadn't met up with us merely to show us the completed Stem System, however -- it was rearing to show us MakeVR, the firm's homegrown virtual reality 3D modeling software.
Kickstarted sword-fighter Clang pauses development, seeks further investment
Developer Subutai Corporation rececntly announced that it has "hit the pause button" on the development of Clang. The project earned $526,125 on Kickstarter in July 2012, though it has apparently run out of resources in the meantime, leading the developer to focus on luring investors to fund the rest of its development. Project lead and sci-fi novelist Neal Stephenson explained in the update on the game's Kickstarter page that Subutai Corporation "stretched the Kickstarter money farther than we had expected to, but securing the next round, along with constructing improvised shelters and hoarding beans, has to be our top priority for now." Stephenson said the plan to further fund the project outside of Kickstarter was in the cards all along, citing the team's plan to build a "functional proof of concept in the form of an exciting prototype" in order to "achieve our next level of funding" in the project's description. Numerous backers questioned the direction of the project, noting the description didn't make the developer's aspirations for additional funding particularly clear at the outset. To risk-averse publishers, Stephenson said that the sword-fighting simulator "seems extra worrisome because it is coupled to a new hardware controller." Clang uses controllers like Sixense's Razer Hydra motion controller and the STEM system, the latter having been successfully funded on Kickstarter and has three weeks left in its campaign. While the PC game can be played with a mouse and keyboard, Stephenson endorsed Sixense's Kickstarter project in the hopes that it "will get the next generation of hardware out on the market, reducing the element of perceived risk and, we hope, clearing the way for us to pursue our own quest to find financiers who have steady nerves and other anatomical prerequisites." Until then, the developer is "working on Clang as an 'evenings and weekends' project until such time as we get funding for a more commercial-style reboot."
Sixense STEM System hits Kickstarter, funded almost immediately
Sixense, the motion control technology company whose scientific know-how powers the Razer Hydra, launched a Kickstarter earlier today to fund the final development stages of its STEM System – a modular motion-tracking solution for VR and other gaming applications. The fundraising campaign's goal of $250,000 has already been surpassed. Consisting of up to five wireless tracking modules ("STEMs") and a base station for charging and orientation tracking, the STEM System is designed so that STEMs can either be inserted into peripherals, or slapped into "STEM Packs," which are then strapped to whatever part of your body the game is interested in tracking. The STEM System is also backwards compatible with all games that currently support the Razer Hydra. The technology is apparently immune to "drift," as it "does not rely on inertial sensors (gyroscopes and accelerometers) for position tracking," according to the Kickstarter. Additionally, there's no line-of-sight requirement between the STEMs and their base unit. Backers that pledge at a high-enough level ($199 and up, depending on how many STEMs you want) should expect to receive their own STEM System in July of 2014, though there's no indication that this is when retail units will hit shelves. In fact, Kickstarter proceeds are only being used to finish development and produce enough units for backers – retail models will enter mass production "later." Our friends over at Engadget have already had a go with a STEM System prototype, so be sure and check out their video of the experience for an in-depth look at what the dealio, yo.
