Samsung is revealing their new motion controllers designed specifically for virtual reality and the Gear VR headset at CES next week.
Mentioned briefly on the Samsung site, Samsung will be showcasing for the first time the rink hand motion controller system that will work with mobile VR devices, offering a more intuitive way to interact with virtual reality content.
The rink motion controllers designed for the Gear VR is the latest project coming out of Samsung’s R&D program called Creative Lab (C-Lab). C-Lab is a unique program at Samsung that allows employees to take at least a year off from their normal jobs to pursue experimental projects, like the rink.
Samsung Gear VR ‘rink’ motion controller system
Back in May we reported that Samsung was working with a team of researchers at the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas to build a low-cost centimeter-accurate GPS systems that looks similar in size and build to the released photos of Samsung’s latest rink device attached to the Gear VR (video below).
If the two are related, then the box on top of the Gear VR could be used to track head positioning, while the rink hand controllers connect wirelessly to this hub as input devices. This is just all speculation at this point and may not be related what so ever.
In May Samsung was developing a snap-on accessory that will tell smartphones, tablets and virtual reality headsets their precise position and orientation.
Additional images have fueled further questions, with the below image showing two rink hand controllers being used along with a virtual keyboard. Whether or not that is to show the comfort of the device or it can actually be used with finger tracking is still a mystery.
Coincidentally, this latest news today also coincides with the announcement that Oculus will be delaying their Touch controllers for the Oculus Rift until the second half of 2016.
Next week CES attendees will get hands on demos of the device, with Samsung’s rink Gear VR controllers being showcased at Eureka Park, the flagship destination for startups at CES, in Hall G, Level One of the Sands Expo, from January 6 to January 9, 2016.
