What kind of accessory would you make for the HTC Vive? Now that the timeline has been extended for the Vive release there’s time to get those ideas out there and to the market. HTC is anxious to know your thoughts on how to make the system better.
What recommendations can you make that will help the HTC Vive be an unbeatable VR experience? So far I’ve heard of a few accessories; a rumor of one, a remarkable display of one at the Unbound event in China and I’ve seen a concept demo’d in a video.
The Rumored Accessory
A while back, I remember reading about plans to introduce custom colored headset shells. These shells would be customized giving users a unique way to express themselves through their Vive gear. This colored shell would apply to the front of the Vive headset without interfering with the many sensors that communicate with the stationary light houses for positioning. Imagine the shell on your very own Vive set up bearing the flag of your country or with a pattern you are fond of. This could trickle down to the controllers as well, I mean we don’t want those things to break. Besides, how much would it cost to replace a controller and how easy is it to pair a new one to your headset.
Finger Tracking Gloves
With the Vive you can get lost in VR for hours if you want to. HTC is doing the right thing by adding controllers to the mix. This is what takes VR above and beyond, but the demo video below blows the mind when you start thinking about finger tracking gloves added to the equation. Noitom has apparently found a way to integrate a set of gloves using Perception Neuron finger trackers with Vive controllers. This video was shot during the HTC Unbound event in China last month.
This tech looks stunning and would be a great way to interact with Vive. I’ve read that there are still issue with the sensitivity or the idea of picking up a ball in the virtual world and applying too much of a grip. Essentially the programming is receiving too much input and the ball could get crushed or fall out of the user’s hand, because the grip on the ball was over applied.
Tactical Haptics’ Reactive Grip
When I read about this product I immediately felt invested. A company called Tactical Haptics is working on a grip that provides vibrations when the environment calls for it. It’s like those console game controllers that vibrate when the player comes into contact with something. Imagine with the Vive how realistic the virtual space will feel when your controller vibrates when something taps your hand or when you fire a gun and can feel the recoil. The company has been working on this type of product for a couple of years and it looks like they had a prototype for the first gen developer kit so it will be interesting to see what they come up with for the next model controller and the final version.
These are some great times for virtual reality and the Vive is poised to be on top with its room scale VR experience. What else can HTC do to make the best stay the best?
Leg tracking ankle sensors
this.
would allow games that aid in teaching the end user proper form in physical movement. Tai-chi, ballet, etc. along with realistic H2H combat.
Kinect like devise that can track my legs. Detect when I kick, and using running in place as my in game movement.
Baring that, a device I can attach to my feet.
A rifle like controller. The current controllers works great for handguns but does not work so well for rifles simply because there is no but stock or frame between them and thus feels disconnected
Now that i have one, the correct answer was “wireless”
Storage for the HMD. I’m using a hook and the HMD slipped off twice. On/off switches on the bases. New controllers that fit over your hands.
After using the Vive for about a week, to me the self evident accessories would be sensor enabled gloves (to replace the controllers) – any tracking, switches, triggers or buttons could be designed on top of glove or around wrist…
feet or ankle bracelets… Heck, make it like the glove – sensor enabled slippers or shoes.. we are use to wearing shoes anyway..
And why not a lightweight VR helmet… load balance the screen on your face and encapsulate the sound with a tight well fitted helmet…