Pimax Officially Unveils its Sword Series VR Controllers
It has been quite the week for virtual reality (VR) hardware announcements and that train isn’t stopping just yet. Pimax has chosen this week to announce its very latest motion controllers, the Sword Series.
Pimax’s motion controllers have been through many iterations, appearing at past events in one form or another. The most recent was CES 2019 where VRFocus found that the ones on display were only dummy models, but did look very similar to the ones pictured.
The controllers come in two versions, the Sword and the Sword Sense. The main difference being that the Sword controller has a trackpad, while the flagship Sword Sense controller has sensors for finger tracking and a thumbstick with a smaller trackpanel on the face. Looking quite similar to the Valve Index controllers with a little more flair on the tracking ring, the Sword Series also has an adjustable strap which goes around the back of the hand allowing players to let go of the controller when throwing a virtual object for example.
Other features include a replaceable and rechargeable 900mAh lithium-ion battery. “Many of our users have complained to us that while being immersed in VR, they often find the controllers suddenly dead and then they have to go back to the real world to recharge the controllers. In this situation, they have to always remember to charge the battery. These are the main reasons for the development of a replaceable and rechargeable battery.” said Kevin Henderson, NA and EU Head of Operations, Pimax VR in a statement.
“During the development of the new controllers we joked the most popular prototype resembled a swashbuckling sword and the name stuck. These new controllers represent the next step for Pimax in offering top notch hardware to end users and B2B customers looking for designs that are both attractive and robust. The balance these controllers have in your hand and the level of comfort will certainly please a lot of VR enthusiasts.” Kevin adds “Our goal is to provide the best VR experiences available and as we release these new controllers along with the latest lighthouse technology this will allow us to offer complete VR systems that are more expandable and versatile than any other VR offering.”
The Sword Series works with both 1.0 and 2.0 SteamVR Base Stations, and they’re expected to be available in the 2nd half of 2019. They can be pre-ordered from the Pimax website now in four combinations depending on whether customers want two trackpads, two thumbsticks or one of each. Plus Base Stations are included in the price, a mear $300 USD for any combination.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Pimax, reporting back with the latest updates.
https://www.vrfocus.com/2019/05/pimax-officially-unveils-its-sword-series-vr-controllers/
