Razer, Sixense and Valve Bringing Motion Controls and Gesture Recognition Hardware to PC Games

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Gaming hardware developer Razer has announced a new multi-year partnership with Sixense Entertainment and Valve Software to deliver a, "...revolutionary true-to-life, next-generation motion sensing and gesture recognition controller for PC gaming."

Razer, Valve, and Sixense, along with a selection of PC OEM partners, are aiming to produce, "...ultra-precise one-to-one motion sensing controllers that use electromagnetic fields to track precise movements along all six axes." Each controller will reportedly track its orientation within a single degree, and detect positioning within one millimeter. Thankfully, the device will be compatible with both current and future generation PC games.

The new technology is being demonstrated at CES this week using Valve's Left 4 Dead 2 and a controller prototype, with the software development kit currently available on Steam, Valve's PC digital distribution service. Left 4 Dead 2 team lead Chet Faliszek threw a gauntlet at the feet of other motion-control efforts, stating that he believes, "...this release represents motion-enabled gaming that's more integrated and visceral than any platform has so far achieved."

Avi Arad, chairman and co-founder of Sixense commented that the unnamed device, "...will not only enhance the entire gaming experience, but will truly revolutionize how games are played on the PC." On an interesting side-note, Arad also owns the movie rights to Mass Effect and is currently assigned as a producer on the Uncharted and Lost Planet films, in addition to having worked as a producer on several Marvel comic book movies.

Valve is no stranger to interesting controller technology, as evidenced by their fairly recent support of the Novint Falcon Controller. Considering the players involved in their latest partnership (and Faliszek's fighting words), this new doodad might be one to keep an eye on leading up to its release sometime in 2010.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    January 7, 2010 4:40 PM

    Think i'll just keep to mouse and keyboard 'till occipital jacks are invented.

    "Might I sugest agin, a skul-gun for my head. Yesterday in Batery Park, some scum we all know pushes smack for NSF gets jumpy and draws. I take 2 .22's, 1 in flesh, 1 in augs, befor I can get out that dam asalt gun."

    "If I could kil just by thought, it would be beter. Is it my job to be a human target-practis backstop?"

    • reply
      January 7, 2010 4:50 PM

      Poor Gunther, he never got his skull-gun.

      • reply
        January 7, 2010 5:05 PM

        You know why? It's the staff. They have some kind of plot.

        • reply
          January 7, 2010 5:10 PM

          "It's the janitor, he knows I like orange."

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