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Razer Hydra Brings Motion Control To PC Gamers

Posted by Soulskill on from the flailing-at-your-screen-is-a-fundamental-right dept.

Zothecula writes "While motion controllers are becoming a staple for console gamers with the release of the Wii, PlayStation Move and Microsoft Kinect, PC gamers have been left wanting. Razer is looking to change that with its Hydra motion controller which has been developed specifically for PC gamers. Unlike console-based motion control systems, the Hydra uses magnetic tracking technology by way of a base station that emits a magnetic field that Razer says allows the exact location and orientation of the handheld controllers to be detected with millimeter accuracy."

111 comments

  1. Slashvertisement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If I wanted motion controls, I'd have bought a Wii (and installed Linux on it, because why not).

    1. Re:Slashvertisement by Skidborg · · Score: 1

      Because your PC has far more processing power. Seriously though, If you want to stay in the stone age and use a mouse for the rest of your life, don't hold the rest of us back.

      --
      Supporter of the +1 Over Dramatic mod option. In memory of apk.
    2. Re:Slashvertisement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Would you cry slashvertisement if it were made by Logitech? Razer isn't some no-name company pushing a "revolutionary" device... most hardcore PC gamers know of them quite well.

    3. Re:Slashvertisement by jhoegl · · Score: 1

      Your lack of buttons intrigues me.

    4. Re:Slashvertisement by Gerzel · · Score: 1

      Apparently you think the stone age was more efficient than the modern.

      The mouse is still the most efficient pointing device for day to day use.

    5. Re:Slashvertisement by uofitorn · · Score: 2

      ...and I would like to subscribe to your stone tablet.

      --
      "What kind of music do pirates listen to?" -Paul Maud'dib
      "Yeeeaaarrrrr n' Bee!!" -Stilgar, Leader of Sietch Tabr
    6. Re:Slashvertisement by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      The mouse cannot replace the Wii-mote.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    7. Re:Slashvertisement by piripiri · · Score: 1

      The Wii-mote cannot replace the mouse either.

    8. Re:Slashvertisement by Skidborg · · Score: 1

      Yes, it is. Right now. The horse was also the most efficient method of travel for thousands of years and the blade the most efficient weapon.

      This hasn't been in development nearly so long as the aeroplane or machine gun. Heck, computers haven't even. Give it a chance before you brush it off as a dead end.

      --
      Supporter of the +1 Over Dramatic mod option. In memory of apk.
  2. Old school by gr8_phk · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Great, now lets get the 3d head mounted display - which is where this type of tracker was originally used way back when - and get on with the real 3D environments. I played Dactyl Nightmare in the early 90's and have been waiting for that to arrive at home for like 16 years. And that was powered by what? An Amiga?

    1. Re:Old school by dicobalt · · Score: 2

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAtrkMGNp0o&feature=channel_video_title

    2. Re:Old school by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They just had to wait for the floppy drive to completely die so the games aren't a "One-play-per-copy" game.

    3. Re:Old school by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      i too dream of the day of we can have virtual worlds that we can interact with naturally, but this ain't it. The device only has a 2-3 foot range because its designed to be operated at a desk, also looking at the videos it doesn't look very natural more like hand movements used for shortcuts.

    4. Re:Old school by NoAkai · · Score: 1

      [...]so the games aren't a "One-play-per-copy" game.

      To me, that sounds like a Publisher's wet dream... They'd just need to come up with the marketing to "justify" it, I'm certain the gaming community would swallow it whole.

    5. Re:Old school by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      not necessary when you can have a web cam track your head.

    6. Re:Old school by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That video sucked. Unimaginative, repetitive, lame.

    7. Re:Old school by Americium · · Score: 1

      3d headset for under $1,000.

      Add some LEDS and the Wii controller will be able to do 3d tracking, or just throw a couple accelerometers on it.

      Quake is open source, just code in to render two scenes from two different POVs and put them together into some acceptable 3d format.

      Voila, quake in fully immersive 3d. Personally I'd like to add separate aiming and viewing so I don't always have to shoot in the center. This is only necessary if you are holding a gun that's being tracked as well.

  3. Pass by Stratoukos · · Score: 3, Insightful

    While motion controllers are becoming a staple for console gamers with the release of the Wii, PlayStation Move and Microsoft Kinect, PC gamers have been left wanting.

    No, not really.

    --
    It may be 7 digits, but at least it's a semiprime
    1. Re:Pass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Indeed. The only thing I sometimes miss is vibration from controllers, but I trade it gladly to use a mouse.

      Have a +1 and a nice day.

    2. Re:Pass by Anonymous+Cowar · · Score: 1

      http://www.dansdata.com/ifeel.htm

      I had one of these circa 2002.

    3. Re:Pass by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      Yeah the last thing my gaming PC needs is fucking motion control. It's bad enough that an Xbox 360 controller is basically required to play today's shitty console ports, but at least I can sit down and play with that.

      Doesn't Razer get that a PC is supposed to be the anti-console?

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    4. Re:Pass by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      Indeed. The only thing I sometimes miss is vibration from controllers, but I trade it gladly to use a mouse.

      Have a +1 and a nice day.

      Heh. Try playing more than just shooters.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    5. Re:Pass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We used to have a lot of simulator type games for the PC and a wide array of gaming peripherals. More than game consoles had in fact. If you used a Gravis Gamepad, you might get heckles from the keyboard only snobs. It used to be so diverse because PCs were so open.

      Has anyone ever called you a pussy because you use a mouse instead of the keyboard?
      Fast forward and now any non-mouse gaming peripheral is shat upon by same close minded elitist pricks.

      PC games are doomed to the limitations of a mouse and a handful of genres that work with them.

      In fact, "bunch of elitist pricks with too much say" pretty well sums up all the problems with computing in general.

    6. Re:Pass by an+unsound+mind · · Score: 2

      PC isn't supposed to be anything, especially nothing defined by consoles.

      Computers are versatile and are hundreds of things depending on the user, the software and the hardware. They are not the "anti-console", and console-like gaming fits the PC just as well as indie games, boring shooters and office tools.

      Don't define yourself by what you're not. And more importantly, don't use that to define others.

    7. Re:Pass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Strategy games? Trying playing Starcraft with a motion controller.

    8. Re:Pass by Jartan · · Score: 1

      The reason a lot of PC gamers hate consoles is straight up because of the thumbstick. This thing has thumbsticks but obviously the motion controls will be the primary pointing device.

      There are plenty of things this COULD be great for if it's as accurate as they say. The problem is simply whether or not they can get enough game support. Going by past products I'm going to guess no.

    9. Re:Pass by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      yeah.. we already tried motion control sidewinders, headtracking mouses.. touchscreen hacks for sniping and all that were common ages ago.

      fact of the matter is that it sucks for long term playing. it's only good if the user will use the application/game for a total of 1 minute, eliminating learning curve. also minority report style ui's really suck and have been tried for years and years. i don't want to be a conductor in a shitty band.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    10. Re:Pass by Confusador · · Score: 1

      How, exactly, does one play an RTS with a controller? I can't even begin to imagine it.

    11. Re:Pass by filthpickle · · Score: 1

      The same way as with any other console game that doesn't port well....the developer slows/dumbs it down until it works. I don't really play console games, not sure if there as ever been an RTS console game. There probably will be eventually though, too much money to be made.

    12. Re:Pass by elrous0 · · Score: 2

      There have been numerous RTS's that work just fine with controllers. "Halo Wars" was a particularly successful example. PC snobs who say you "can't play such-and-such type game with a controller" remind me of my roommate who used to say that consoles would never have a decent FPS because no controller could be possibly ever handle one. Then Halo, Gears of War, Bioshock, et. al. came out and he had to eat his words. Today he's probably saying the same thing about MMO's, even as DC Universe Online is starting to prove that wrong.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    13. Re:Pass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No he did not have to eat his words- dumbing down the AI and slowing down the gameplay, adding autoaim, introducing weapons were accuracy are not important, assuring that engagement ranges will never be beyond 50 meters and adding health regeneration created a new low bar for console based FPS players to play around in that essentially sent them back to the keyboard only wolfenstine and doom days of PC FPS- they never played the type of FPS games that made the genre popular on the PC.

      Microsoft's one experiment into allowing PC halo players to play with the X-box halo players pretty much established conclusively that the controller was no match for the mouse/keyboard (the PC players absolutely wiped the floor with the console players despite not having had several months of practice on there PC versions and the feature had to be removed).

      It is similar to being stuck in the desert and having all of the water taste brackish; you want something to drink so you find the least brackish water (say, halo) and drink away- this does not diminish the fact that the guy in the middle of the oasis gets to choose between orange juice, pineapple juice, and fine alcohol mixes- it just means the guy stuck is the desert is no longer dying of thirst.

      So can an RTS be done on a console; sure. Can one of the fast thinking dynamic RTSs that have defined the RTS genre on the PC be ported to the console; no I don't think so; concessions will have to be made to allow for the much less precise controller, and everything will have to be slowed down for the fact that there just aren't enough 'hotkeys' to allow quick access to commands. So your likely looking at non build-centric sort of games, like myth.

    14. Re:Pass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Halo Wars suffers from a pretty severe lack of depth and complexity. Granted, the designers invented a lot of interesting ways to get around the severe lack of precision that game controllers suffer from but the experience is a best 'RTS lite'.

      Same goes for FPSs on consoles. I don't know how anyone can argue for controllers, or the quality of any FPS on a console. The proof my point is obvious in /every/ consol FPS. And that's autoaim. Every single one of them has massive amounts of pointer assist to let console players to hit their targets.Without it they'd be whifing bullets in to the sky or the ground 99% of the time. Many are simply unaware that it exists because the're used to it, or have never played with a mouse. It's simple to test. Fire up halo, get in to a multilayer game. Set your controller down. Have your friend walk across your field of view, near your aiming reticle. Watch how he can drag your view in complete 360 circles without you even touching your controller. Autoaim.

    15. Re:Pass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And they still suck to play because of the controller. But there are people who don't know any better (ie. you)

  4. millimeter accuracy by Khyber · · Score: 2

    Not from a magnetic field from any reasonable distance, not by itself, liars.

    You need a whole slew of additional sensors to even get close to such accuracies.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    1. Re:millimeter accuracy by Skidborg · · Score: 3, Funny

      It is to a millimetre accuracy, it's just that that is also the full motion range of the controller.

      --
      Supporter of the +1 Over Dramatic mod option. In memory of apk.
    2. Re:millimeter accuracy by Skidborg · · Score: 2

      ...Why is this modded informative? I didn't even read the article.

      What is wrong with you?

      --
      Supporter of the +1 Over Dramatic mod option. In memory of apk.
    3. Re:millimeter accuracy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sounds authoritative... Check.
      Says the summary is misleading... Check.

      Must be right, mod informative!

    4. Re:millimeter accuracy by Peteskiplayer · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Not from a magnetic field from any reasonable distance, not by itself, liars.

      You need a whole slew of additional sensors to even get close to such accuracies.

      The Polhemous Liberty and other devices have been around for a while now and offer 0.03" accuracy with 6DOF: http://www.polhemus.com/?page=Motion_Liberty

      These only use a single sensor (for a single location, can use many with one base station for multiple points tracking), I've used them for motion tracking and they seem pretty accurate to me. I'm not sure what you consider reasonable range, but considering the Razer system is supposed to be used with a PC, I'm guess you're not counting in the 10s of metres. This system has an optional source which can get you 5 metres of accuracy from the base station.

      These are quite expensive (in the thousands of pounds sterling) so would be interesting to see how Razer managed it on the cheap.

    5. Re:millimeter accuracy by CSFFlame · · Score: 1

      Define reasonable distance. In this case it has millimeter accuracy to 6 feet from the base station, with slightly less accuracy out to 8 feet. You don't need a slew of sensors, just one magnetic sensor for each axis per controller (read: three).

  5. an all seeing eye in every house by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    from what i've read about Kinect, I wouldn't want an extra camera in my house monitoring my movements, boring as they may be.

    the two way touchscreens are here, an all seeing eye in every house, under the guise of entertainment.

    1. Re:an all seeing eye in every house by Skidborg · · Score: 1

      You do realize that it would be more practical just to mount a touch screen with a camera hidden separately next to it, right?

      Anyway, this tech sounds like another 3D mouse technology, as soon as you drop the remote, you're tracking free.

      --
      Supporter of the +1 Over Dramatic mod option. In memory of apk.
  6. Obligatory ZP by Burning1 · · Score: 2

    Obligatory Zero Punctuation on Motion Controls.

  7. Why not? RAM not. by tepples · · Score: 1

    I'd have bought a Wii (and installed Linux on it, because why not).

    Why not? Not everybody was born in a country where homebrew is legal. And once Nintendo introduces Wii Menu 5, not everybody's housemates know not to install Wii system software updates until after the HackMii Installer update.

    That and Skidborg is right that even an ION nettop beats the Wii console. I'm not entirely sure about Atom vs. an 0.73 GHz PowerPC G3, but I believe the GeForce 9400M beats a Radeon-9000-class GPU on the "Hollywood" northbridge. And PCs have an order of magnitude more RAM than the 88 MB in a Wii.

    1. Re:Why not? RAM not. by the+linux+geek · · Score: 1

      A 1.6GHz Atom is probably a fair bit faster than the "Broadway" G3 derivative. It has a faster clock speed, a much wider set of vector instructions, and (presumably) substantially fewer cycles of latency for cache and memory access. I'll go out on a limb a little and estimate a 60% performance increase going from Broadway to Atom, and I wouldn't be surprised if it were more.

    2. Re:Why not? RAM not. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      As a former game developer I think 60% is way too high for a single core atom, perhaps 20%. The CPU from the GameCube was my favorite to program. Very fast RAM (used MoSys 1T SRAM) where the delays going through the cache actually hurt the performance. If the data was already in the cache it was faster but the ram had about 8 cycles delay before data came out. There also are special instructions for doing fixed/float conversions that are essentially free. The GC was the best console of the generation by far, and I programmed them all.
      Now the Wii is a 50% overclocked GC with an additional 64MB of gddr RAM. It is so far away from being competitive with the 360 and ps3 as to be laughable.
      What I hoped the Nintendo would do for their next console was do another die shrink to 28nm on the Wii/GC GPU and CPU. Tuck the original GPU into a tiny corner of the die for compatability, put 4-6 of the GC CPUs on the die optimized for high (>2GHz) operation and slap a gig or two of DDR3 RAM and whatever AMD GPU they can get for cheap with DX11 and at least 256 pipes on it. That would be the best console out there by far. If they were feeling generous they could open up the paired singles pipe to four way SIMD when not in Wii/GC compatability mode.

  8. Magnets? by Altanar · · Score: 1

    Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I really don't like the idea of any kind of magnet anywhere near my PC. I get nervous if anything gets close to my speakers. Maybe that's just a relic of floppy disc/CRT days.

    1. Re:Magnets? by ben+kohler · · Score: 3, Informative

      TFA: "Razer says the magnetic field put out by the Hydra base station is 20 times weaker than the Earth's magnetic field, so it shouldn't affect objects such as credit cards, HDDs or speakers in the surrounding area."

    2. Re:Magnets? by Osgeld · · Score: 1

      what about my 1983 apple // disks?

    3. Re:Magnets? by Danieljury3 · · Score: 1

      Couldn't they have just used the Earth's magnetic field instead.

    4. Re:Magnets? by mortonda · · Score: 1

      TFA: "Razer says the magnetic field put out by the Hydra base station is 20 times weaker than the Earth's magnetic field, so it shouldn't affect objects such as credit cards, HDDs or speakers in the surrounding area."

      If it's weaker than the earth's magnetic field, why not just use earth's magentic field?

    5. Re:Magnets? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If it's weaker than the earth's magnetic field, why not just use earth's magentic field?

      The earth's magnetic field doesn't vary much over the course of a millimeter, theirs does. Has something to deal with the source location of the magnet.

    6. Re:Magnets? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you fucking serious? UID is 5175, and you're a moron. You typically (always) need a reference point when measuring something. Do you think maybe you need a reference position when trying to measure the position of something else? What fucking reference position does the Earth's magnetic field offer?

      Do you also think we can extract energy from the magnetic field and solve the energy crisis? Well, we can't with the current state of our physics models. And crackpot theories may be on the right track, but they don't have experimental results and math to back them up. It's being worked on by CERN using real science. Stay tuned.

    7. Re:Magnets? by CSFFlame · · Score: 1

      No, it uses multiple differently oriented magnetic fields to calculate it's position. (earth's has one orientation)

    8. Re:Magnets? by CSFFlame · · Score: 1

      The earth's magnetic field has one orientation, you can't get position off of that...

  9. markets being created for lots in southern hillary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    still underwater (literally) but that could change like the weather/topography etc.. any moment now. the unchosens who were conveniently placed down under in southern hillary aren't just drowning. each hillarian's 3X6 airtight citizen bunker has its' own shared oxygen line, light from the surface (when there is some), steaming vdo etc.. there's never any water, or seafood shortages. the surface may be coming down to the hillarians well before 2025, when their lease expires, & they're relocated, to mebotuh, as it was written, & re-written.

  10. fd by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    the tides advance;GHD Hair Straightenersthe tides recede.winter goes and summer comes.summer wanes and the cold increase.the sun rises,;the sun sets.the moon is full,the moon is black.the birds arrives,the birds depart.flowers bloom,flowers fade.seeds are sown;harvets are reaped.all nature is a circle of moods and i'm a part of nature and so,like the tides,my moods will rise,my moods will fall.today i will be master of my emotions.it's one of the nature's tricks,little understand.

  11. Judging by their Razer Megalodon... by cultiv8 · · Score: 1

    Judging by their Razer Megalodon headset, which is a PITA to install on Windows 7 due to a driver issue, I have no real faith this will work as described either. Razer just isn't what it used to be...

    --
    sysadmins and parents of newborns get the same amount of sleep.
    1. Re:Judging by their Razer Megalodon... by zigmeister · · Score: 1

      I just built a gaming rig, this past summer, and I ordered a razer mouse and keyboard off newegg to go with it, both died due to manufacturing defects within 6 months. I checked around on google and it looks like a bunch of other people had the same problems with those products and then some got RMAs and the replacement units did the same thing... I saved myself the UPS fee and put it towards a nice logitech mouse and keyboard, sturdy as heck.

      --
      Failure formatting five FAQs of financial facts.
    2. Re:Judging by their Razer Megalodon... by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

      Razer's just not very good at writing software for their products (maybe they hired some ex ATI staffers). I've got a mamba mouse, the software screws up all the time. End up having to "reboot" the mouse to get it going again.

    3. Re:Judging by their Razer Megalodon... by RobbieThe1st · · Score: 1

      razerd on linux + qrazercfg. Works great now that I figured out how to compile it.
      3500dpi on my Lefty DeathAdder's very nice.

    4. Re:Judging by their Razer Megalodon... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In the PC peripheral market, quality of software only gets bad and worse.

    5. Re:Judging by their Razer Megalodon... by Omestes · · Score: 1

      Where did you find a lefty-version? I scoured their site and didn't find any reference. I'd love to replace my aging wired Copperhead, it still works fine but the scroll wheel is a getting a bit sticky, but I hate mouse shopping since decent mice with any functionality are largely only right-handed, and most ambi models kind of suck.

      --
      A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. -edward abbey
    6. Re:Judging by their Razer Megalodon... by RobbieThe1st · · Score: 1

      They've so far only made one mouse in a left-handed version, and that most likely as an experiment(Their founder being left handed might also have something to do with it...)
      You can buy it here: http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en_US/pd/productID.182251700 or on Amazon etc.

    7. Re:Judging by their Razer Megalodon... by filthpickle · · Score: 1

      I used a mouse left handed for the first 3-4 years I had a PC...I finally just bit the bullet and went right handed only. Since the right handed devils have always forced us to use our off hand...it wasn't that hard of a transition. I did have a mouse on either side of my keyboard for a while though, which was an interesting setup. To this day I can use a mouse with either hand and never mix the buttons up.

      Fight the good fight my left handed brethren.

    8. Re:Judging by their Razer Megalodon... by CSFFlame · · Score: 1

      Razer did not develop this. It was developed by Sixense and branded Razer by Dell.

    9. Re:Judging by their Razer Megalodon... by RobbieThe1st · · Score: 1

      Heh. I've always used ambidextrous or /right handed/ mice with my left hand... in right-handed button mode(well, once I started using actual mice - I used TrackPoints before that most of the time). Adjusting to the left-handed deathadder was quite a bit of a retraining for me, but does seem to have increased my accuracy and such.

  12. UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, by anomaly256 · · Score: 1

    LEFT, RIGHT, LE.. oh crap my hard drive just got wiped by EMF. Thanks Razor. :(

    1. Re:UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1

      I suspect that I'm walking into a joke; but contemporary HDD platters actually have fairly high coercivity. A decent rare-earth magnet will give you a bit more than a Tesla, if measured at the magnet's surface, so rubbing the platter down with one is not advised; but devices capable of wiping an HDD without opening the case tend to draw multiple amps of mains current, and devices capable of wiping an HDD from a distance tend to involve superconductors and cryogens...

    2. Re:UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, by anomaly256 · · Score: 1

      To wipe securely and uniformly, sure. I've seen corruption caused by less though. Also the platters aren't the only concern.

      But yes, it was a joke

  13. Re:Incorrect. by johnsnails · · Score: 1

    Did you always just repeat an earlier post that was modded high? I'm certain this is the 2nd time I have seen you do this in the last 3 weeks.

  14. one word... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Vaporware.

  15. PC Gamers left wanting for motion controllers? by Liam+Pomfret · · Score: 1

    Fairly sure we've had one for a while now, considering I just saw it down at my local shops. Not that it's seen much support.
    Oh, here it is, and on Slashdot no less. The Asus Eee Stick, released circa 2008. My, how soon we forget.

  16. Re:markets being created for lots in southern hill by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sometimes I wonder if these posts are the first, unintelligible words from a newly-born AI somewhere.

  17. Lol! "MAGNETIC FIELD"! by joocemann · · Score: 1

    Standing by for all the frivolous and completely ignorant lawsuits and claims that these devices cause cancer, disturb sleep, cause depression, etc etc etc.... ...gotta love watching people who have no grasp of how things work start coming up with 'reasons'. Sure, its a pain that actual trials are held and so many people get pwned by science, but its sure fun to read about!

  18. Is it just me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is it just me or does the challenge of controls sometimes make for an enjoyable gaming experience? I mean sometimes playing an action game on a PC having to time your finger movements to hit the right keys in the right sequence just makes it more challenging and entertaining at times.

  19. Wii Controllers and Bluetooth by xdancergirlx · · Score: 1

    Or you could just use your Wii controllers with your pc using bluetooth. I love playing Assasin's Creed on the big tv, with surround sound, and my wii-controllers so I can jump around instead of being hunched over in front of the computer screen. Also works great for controlling your pc's media player like a remote control.

  20. It can be done with only magnetic fields by DeadCatX2 · · Score: 1

    Yes, you can do 6 DOF, with only magnetic fields, with sub-mm precision. Ascension and Polhemus are two companies that sell such products.

    Look at the stats for Polhemus' Patriot. About 0.01 mm resolution at 1 foot. That beats your "liars" stat by about two orders of magnitude.

    http://www.polhemus.com/?page=Motion_Patriot

    --
    :(){ :|:& };:
    1. Re:It can be done with only magnetic fields by Khyber · · Score: 1

      I said reasonable distance.

      For me, that's just over 10 feet away, like I sit right now from my monitor.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    2. Re:It can be done with only magnetic fields by Omestes · · Score: 1

      I said reasonable distance.

      For me, that's just over 10 feet away, like I sit right now from my monitor.

      I doubt that many people sit that far away, and I doubt that many people would find that "reasonable" because that fact. Right now I'm about 3 feet from my 24" display, when I'm typing I'm less, when I'm watching a movie I'm a bit farther. But I'm never 10' (in my den its only 10' from my monitor to the back wall). Sure, on my HTPC I sit back a bit (as far as 7'-8'), but I don't think a television is considered a monitor, even when connected to a PC.

      To me a reasonable distance would 3'-4'. For a console it would be 8'-10', since people sit further from them.

      That said, I really doubt I'd buy anything like this. Even on the Wii motion controls often just become annoying after a short period of time, and most of the time is nothing but a cheap gimmick. Also, if I really cared, I'd just wait until people work out the kinks in connecting a Kinect. The Kinect is the only "motion" gimmick I think has any long-term potential. It still didn't get me to want a 360, but I respect them for trying.

      --
      A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. -edward abbey
    3. Re:It can be done with only magnetic fields by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1

      I'm impressed that they manage to deal with ambient magnetic fields. Your average PC has a few modestly chunky motors in it, plus power magnetics in the PSU, and the FCC doesn't regulate magnetic fields, so if it doesn't delete the HDD, it isn't an issue. Back in the CRT days, there were some speakers that had sufficient magnetic fields that they could not be placed near the monitor, on pain of rather horrid image distortion, as well.

    4. Re:It can be done with only magnetic fields by CSFFlame · · Score: 1

      It only deflects if you get VERY close (inches) from a large metal object, like a shelving unit. Also CRTs could play merry hell with it if you got the controller less than a foot from them. The EMF from a normal computer isn't even remotely a problem, the magnetic field from the base station is very strong.

    5. Re:It can be done with only magnetic fields by CSFFlame · · Score: 1

      The base station is tiny and you can put it wherever you like, even behind you, because it's absolute position/orientation, not relative position.

  21. There are some products out there by FluffyBob · · Score: 2

    The flight sim community has been using TrackIR to control POV for quite a few years now.

  22. Advances in Shaving Technology by Meskarune · · Score: 0

    My first thought after reading "razor hydra" was that it was weird for slash dot to have a story on new 8 bladed shaving technology.

    --
    cat /dev/head >> post
  23. Re:markets being created for lots in southern hill by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I figure it's what APK posts when he stops taking his meds.

  24. (In)famous Razer QA by Weedhopper · · Score: 1

    Razer peripherals have some great features. I particularly like how their designers have really studied mouse ergonomics and have produced good designs for different types of grips for different types of gamers.

    OTOH, Razer build quality is atrocious and Razer software matches the sloppiness of their hardware QA. It's ridiculous. I've had several Razer products fail within weeks or just never work properly at all. I'm talking about stuff like keys on the keyboard rubbing together and sticking combined with buggy drivers making you wonder WTF is going on over there at Razer.

    I own over a half dozen Razer products and I'm often tempted to spend money on their next new cool gadget. Fortunately, each time I am about to pull the trigger, I am reminded of all my other bad Razer experiences, think better of it and don't.

    1. Re:(In)famous Razer QA by Laser+Dan · · Score: 1

      Someone also wasn' thinking when they made the charger for my Razer wireless mouse USB (I forget the model). When I am using the mouse the PC is on, so the charger is on... but the mouse is not in the cradle. When I stop using the mouse and put it back in the cradle to charge, the PC is off, so the charger is off...

      I realise some PCs supply USB power when switched off, but I can't see any BIOS settings to allow it on mine.
      So I have to use my wireless mouse in wired mode (at least that feature is a good idea).

    2. Re:(In)famous Razer QA by Vegemeister · · Score: 1

      the PC is off

      Ah. That'd be yer problem right there.

    3. Re:(In)famous Razer QA by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1

      Unless the charger has to be plugged in to the PC during use for some reason, you might be well served by dropping ~$5 for a teeny little AC-to-5v-on-the-power-pins-of-a-usb-socket adapter. Those things have become cheap as chips now that cellphones and ipods and stuff have moved to USB charging.

      If it does have to be connected, many powered USB hubs, if plugged in to their wall wart, will continue feeding downstream devices regardless of the power state of the upstream host. Since those also start at under 10 bucks, it might be worth a shot.

    4. Re:(In)famous Razer QA by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      I'm not terribly enamored of Razor's ergonomics given how horrible the side-button design is on most of their gaming mice (requiring WAY too much pressure to generate a click, making those buttons useless for frequent use).

      Then there are Razor's Linux drivers... oh wait, no there aren't. The only way to bind actions to the mouse buttons for their newer mice under Linux is to do so while running a Windows VM in VMware or VirtualBox and running Razor's configuration tool. And even then the tool allows for only a small number of actions to be bound, and they're almost all keyboard commands. It turns your mouse into a keyboard so you can bind actions like "Copy," "Volume Mute," etc. All I wanted was a mouse with multiple buttons that just passed those clicks on as if they were mouse buttons. But thanks to Razer's horrible design, that's just not possible.

      Then there's the issue that my Razer Lachesis just starts to freak out after it's been connected to the computer for a few hours -- like it was "sticking" except there's no physical issue. For some time I worried that it was my new mouse pad that it was having trouble bouncing the beam off of, but the problem only existed if the computer had been on for some time and only with that mouse.

      I went back to my years-old Logitech MouseMan. It's still a fantastic mouse, not something I can say for the $80 Razer Lachesis.

    5. Re:(In)famous Razer QA by CSFFlame · · Score: 1

      This is simply branded Razer. Razer did not develop it.

  25. Euro price? by Shemmie · · Score: 1
    FTFA

    The Razer Hydra will be available standalone or as part of a special edition Portal 2 Bundle that includes the Hydra system, that Portal 2 game and some Hydra-specific DLC. The Portal 2 Bundle will retail for US$139.99 and EUR139.99 – which seems a little unfair to European buyers

    As a European gamer, that does sound tempting - except it should be around €100 ($140), not €140 ($200).

  26. It is called virtual reality by networkzombie · · Score: 3, Funny

    Motion controller? I want motionless controllers. I can frag 10 players with a slight wrist motion and even that is too much work. I want sensors connected to the back of my skull that let me tea-bag players without moving at all. I want to be suspended in a viscous fluid with my eyes closed fully submersed in virtual reality. I've played Wii tennis, and it's great and all, but real tennis is better. If I want to dance, dance revolution than I'm old enough and rich enough to go to a club in L.A., with a woman. One that smells nice. Need exercise? Go outside! When I game I need to be a cybernetic killing machine or a flying space monkey with a doomsday device. Waving my arms around in my living room is fucking stupid. I stopped playing portal 2 to post this rant. Let's see them do Portal 2 with a Kinect. Sorry, it won't work. The next games shouldn't even need you to open your eyes, because even that is too much. All the interaction should be in the game using virtual reality. That's why computers were invented. And porn.

    1. Re:It is called virtual reality by g0bshiTe · · Score: 1

      Let's see them do Portal 2 with a Kinect

      Suddenly images of the WII mote meets tv screen fail videos came to mind, cept with the people hitting walls instead of jumping through a portal.

      Kudos for the Firefly reference.

      --
      I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
    2. Re:It is called virtual reality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hello Matrix!

    3. Re:It is called virtual reality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Being not a much of a tech geek, I don't have much to contribute to the conversation except to ask how Portal 2 is, and to say I think I may love you. And that the image of people sliding down walls, cartoon style, has kept me giggling for the last five minutes.

  27. All this talk of Motion Control... by thatbloke83 · · Score: 1

    ...And I've not seen one mention of the Novint Falcon: http://novint.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39&Itemid=54

    I own one, and it is an awesome little device :)

  28. Suspicious of Razer by rainmouse · · Score: 1

    Seriously though, If you want to stay in the stone age and use a mouse for the rest of your life, don't hold the rest of us back.

    Problem with Razer is they cash in on making things look futuristic. This may be a great new technology, I am no expert. What I do know is that Razer has a nasty habit of covering something with fancy looking LED's and then tripling its price.

    1. Re:Suspicious of Razer by torgis · · Score: 1

      Problem with Razer is they cash in on making things look futuristic. This may be a great new technology, I am no expert. What I do know is that Razer has a nasty habit of covering something with fancy looking LED's and then tripling its price.

      Nerds, like moths, are irresistibly drawn towards shiny things. I'm just making up percentages here, but I'm guessing a good 90% of consumer products that fail do so because they're not shiny enough, and they don't have enough color-changing LEDs.

      - iPod? Shiny, check. Success.
      - Zune? Shit brown, dull. Failure.
      - Apple Newton? Dull gray. Failure.
      - iPad? Shiny! Success.
      - Microsoft Sidewinder mouse? Dull, no lights. Failure.
      - Razer Boomslang? Shiny! Has bright light. Success.

      FYI - that was not a scientific survey by any means.

  29. magnetic field eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    so what if i'm still using floppies ?

    1. Re:magnetic field eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then you need to find a female

  30. Wanting? Hardly. by JustAnotherIdiot · · Score: 1

    "PC gamers have been left wanting."

    The only thing I want is a mouse that doesn't agitate my wrist with prolonged use. Motion controls tend to agitate my wrist more so than conventional controllers.

    --
    What do I know, I'm just an idiot, right?
  31. Re:markets being created for lots in southern hill by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    it's either emanating from 4chan, or who/whatever it is trolls there too. I have seen the racist ones there.

  32. Still a mouse for FPS by g0bshiTe · · Score: 1

    I would still say a mouse should be the pointer of choice for any PC FPS fan. If I wanted to use this I'd buy a console. How about something similar to the PS3 gun for FPS? That would be cool.

    --
    I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
    1. Re:Still a mouse for FPS by CSFFlame · · Score: 1

      It can work like that if you want; just hold it like a pistol grip and the gun will lock orientation to it on screen.

  33. i have pc and console by KingBenny · · Score: 0

    because you dont get mortal kombat or tekken on the pc, i have a kinect, kinect sports is kinda fun and im looking forward to the star wars game, but if all of those were to make it to pc (including motion control for wannabe jedi's) i'd probably sell the xbox and kinect right away, its hardware is totally inferior to my diy-box. So ... what software does this razermotionthing come with? razerimals ? if so, good luck selling it to pc-gamers

    --
    Free speech was meant to be free for all... how can anyone grow up in a nanny state ?
  34. Will people really use this? by splitreason · · Score: 1

    I would say the majority of gamers play on a monitor that is under 30". I just can't see many people standing in front of that size of a screen playing a PC game with motion control.

    --
    Splitreason Clothing | Gear for geeks and gamers.