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Virtual reality is still a burgeoning technology. The dream of putting on a headset and transporting to another world is the appeal, but it’s a feature that many headsets still struggle with. While HTC, Oculus, and Sony have made significant strides to increase immersion, there’s still a disconnect when it comes to how you move in a virtual world.
VR sickness, vertigo, and loss of immersion are some of the biggest problems users face, and it’s tech companies are scrambling to solve it. 3drudder’s foot motion controller for the PSVR aims to be a solution, promising free and seamless movement, as well as full motion control. We had a chance to try it out at CES Unveiled.
At a glance, the 3drudder foot motion controller doesn’t look like much. It’s a circular disc that sort of resembles a frisbee with PlayStation- blue accents on the sides, and a logo in the center. Players sit down and place their feet on either side of the device, and it teeters in the direction where you place the most force. You can also turn by pivoting your feet left or right in a circular motion.
The obvious benefit of the controller is that movement is mostly hands-free. During our demo, we played an unreleased game called The Wizards, due out on PlayStation VR sometime in February, and movement was mostly handled using the 3rudder foot motion controller. Jumps and long-distance leaps, though, were completed with teleportation, a mechanic frequently seen in many VR games. The two complimented each other well.
For plenty of people acquainted with VR, the most glaring issue with the controller is that it’s used while sitting down, which breaks the immersion. When I asked 3drudder’s CEO, Stanislas Chesnais, why they chose a seated experience over standing, he explained. “For many VR games that require players to explore large virtual territories, being seated makes more sense. It’s more relaxing and more secure. And your brain will trick you into believing you’re standing.”
While the 3drudder’s foot motion controller isn’t designed to simulate realistic movement, it’s a approachable way to navigate in VR that doesn’t cause motion sickness or vertigo. I didn’t experience any problems, and the controller brings a welcomed change to typical VR traversal. It reduces excessive use of clunky teleportation controls or unnatural movement that will have you trying to keep your lunch down.
While not a perfect substitute for walking, running, or moving in a virtual world, the 3drudder’s foot motion controller for the PlayStation VR is welcomed and sizeable option. With some iterations it could easily become a staple to mainstream consumer VR, and at an affordable pricepoint of $119, you won’t have to break the bank — or your living room coffee table — when it comes out later this year in April.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.