The tactile game controller "Unlimited Hand" developed by H2L, a venture company of the University of Tokyo, which became a hot topic at the TGS and CEATEC venues in 2015, has started pre-sale at the ASCII store from today. The price is 35,000 yen (tax included).
UnlimitedHand was also announced on Kickstarter, a crowdfunding company in the United States, in September 2015, and is a remarkable VR game controller that immediately raised $ 75,000. After the reservation on Kickstarter was completed, pre-ordering in the United States started in February this year, and sales in Japan are preceded by the ASCII store.
This product is an Unlimited Hand developer kit. SDK supports Unity, Arduino and Processing. Please note that it is for game developers and makers, and you cannot play the game suddenly if you purchase it.
Reasons for VR game developers' attention
UnlimitedHand is a game controller that allows you to operate the game intuitively just by wrapping it around your arm, and also gives you an in-game feel. The biggest feature is that the player can interactively feel the pseudo-tactile sensation caused by electrical stimulation.
Not only the actual movement is input to the game side from the motion sensor of the controller wrapped around the arm and reflected, but also the built-in functional electrical stimulation contracts the muscles of the hand to give the user a pseudo tactile sensation. Can be done.
In the VR game, it is a dream-like controller that can receive the tactile sensation of stroking the character's head, the weight of the bird stopped at the fingertips, and the recoil of the gun fired in the game.
However, at present, it is only at the stage of providing development devices, so it is a little while before it reaches general users. At the same time as this release, it will form a global developer site dedicated to Unlimited Hand.
■ Specification requirements Compatible PC (Windows, Mac, Linux) Wired specification USB Micro B Wireless specification Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR compatible SDK ・ Unity ・ Arduino ・ Processing Warranty period 6 months (Warranty is attached to the instruction manual Please keep it in a safe place together with the receipt or receipt at the time of purchase.) Size Width 24 cm Length 13.7 cm Height 2.1 cm Accessories UnlimitedHand (main unit), USB cord, dedicated gel pad, dedicated sponge, instructions Precautions This product is for developers. Do not use for small children. Do not use if you have a weak heart or if you have a pacemaker. * Technically suitable and FCC certified. Please use the USB connection when using in countries other than Japan and the United States.
A set of accessories. In addition to the feather-shaped Unlimited Hand body, a USB cord, a dedicated gel pad, and a dedicated sponge.
In the VR industry, such as "Oculus Rift", "Gear VR", "HTC Vive", and "PlayStation VR", competition for head-mounted hardware is already overheating. Of course, UnlimitedHand can be expected to cooperate with these in the future, and it can be assumed that the immersive feeling of VR will be higher by linking the sense of sight and touch.
What kind of experience will you be able to experience with this tactile game device that turns your body into a controller? I would like to expect development in VR etc. including developers in the field as well as professionals.
In addition, ASCII STARTUP will soon post an interview with H2L, who worked on UnlimitedHand development as a notable startup.
Tactile Game Controller UnlimitedHand Buy Developer Kit from ASCII Store
■ Related sites UnlimitedHand.com UnlimitedHand-Developer site.
