This modular SteamVR controller fixes a major problem with VR controllers - Digital Trends

1 year ago 61

Alan Truly

By Alan Truly December 20, 2022 12:04PM

An ergonomics adept specializing successful XR has been moving for years to make an wholly caller SteamVR controller that is some modular and repairable, successful an effort to lick aggregate problems with existent VR headsets and controllers made by Valve, HTC, and others.

A modular controller would marque it imaginable to upgrade components implicit clip oregon adhd accessories astatine a much affordable terms than the outgo of a wholly abstracted controller. It’s a clever thought to plan for upgrades alternatively than effort to acceptable components astir an unforgiving, single-purpose device.

Two versions of Project Modular SteamVR controllers laic side-by-side.

After recycling respective breached Valve Index controllers nether warranty, Rob Cole was opening to person concerns astir e-waste. The outgo to repair a VR controller rapidly approaches the outgo of a full caller portion and that is much often than not however warranty issues were handled. Cole would vessel the breached controller backmost for recycling and a shiny caller controller would get from Valve.

That sounds good, but adjacent the outgo of shipping 2 full controllers successful bid to repair a breached trigger is wasteful. Cole decided to make a caller SteamVR controller that was repairable, and a modular plan was a broadside payment that made it adjacent much appealing.

The archetypal version, Project Caliper, was described successful a 2021 blog station by VR advisor SkarredGhost. It was rather popular, and Cole was precise enthusiastic astir continuing the project. Unfortunately, it was halted aboriginal connected owed to imaginable ineligible challenges.

A full twelvemonth has gone by and Cole hasn’t been idle. A caller controller plan has since been posted by SkarredGhost, showing a unsocial prototype that looks adjacent amended than the last. Known arsenic Project Modular, the halfway is made up of a Tundra SteamVR hardware improvement kit (HDK) that handles the captious motion-tracking process and a rechargeable lithium battery.

As with immoderate controller, assorted buttons, switches, haptics motor, cables, and connectors implicit the design. What’s unsocial astir the Project Modular controller is that it isn’t each packed into a hard integrative ammunition that makes accessing components astir impossible. Instead, determination are 2 rails that supply operation and the manus grip wraps astir for comfort.

Here are each of the components successful the Project Modular prototype.

You won’t beryllium capable to spot an bid this year, but Cole has already gone done a mates of prototype iterations and is rather pleased with the mechanics, comfort, and accessibility. There’s much enactment to beryllium done, however. The adjacent large situation is to find a replacement for the Tundra HDK, which is seemingly hard to order.

Cole is calling for a caller unfastened modular for XR controllers and is anxious to collaborate with like-minded developers and companies. For much information, scope retired to Cole via his website, Immersion Mechanics.