Azure Dream
Member
Yeah, there is that. I thought at first I had missed an entire day of funding, a $50 difference for missing the first hour and a half of a KickStarter is rough. But they probably didn't expect them to go as fast as they did.
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Sixense STEM (Razer Hydra Successor) Kickstarter - $500k funded
- Thread starter GuitarAtomik
- Start date
Yeah, there is that. I thought at first I had missed an entire day of funding, a $50 difference for missing the first hour and a half of a KickStarter is rough. But they probably didn't expect them to go as fast as they did.
Azure Dream
Member
They added a bunch of $299 early bird packs! Jumped in. About 450 left.
Azure Dream
Member
Wow, they completely lost steam in a hurry. I guess a lot of people got turned away by the difference between the Early Bird they missed and the normal price.
Again, they added more of the $299 Early Bird 5 Tracker sets. Considering how fast these went to begin with, I don't think a lot of people realize that yet.
Again, they added more of the $299 Early Bird 5 Tracker sets. Considering how fast these went to begin with, I don't think a lot of people realize that yet.
If anyone has any specific questions about it that aren't answered, let me know. I handle PR for the product. Thanks to all of those in the thread that backed, we love you guys
Any chance you are going to number these IE limited editions?
The Abominable Snowman
Member
If anyone has any specific questions about it that aren't answered, let me know. I handle PR for the product. Thanks to all of those in the thread that backed, we love you guys
Any stretch goals planned?
I mean, its already hit the target!
jacksepticeye
Member
So the only difference between this and the Hydra according to that chart in the OP is this allows for more range and is wireless?
The Hydra has all the other boxes ticked as well, or is that just showing what the sixense stuff does better than competition?
Anyway my biggest gripe with my Hydra is calibrating doesn't always work perfectly and also latency is a HUGE issue
The Hydra has all the other boxes ticked as well, or is that just showing what the sixense stuff does better than competition?
Anyway my biggest gripe with my Hydra is calibrating doesn't always work perfectly and also latency is a HUGE issue
GuitarAtomik
Member
Lol yeah. I don't blame people though. I'd bet the majority of people are probably interested in the 2 and 3 tracker bundles and $150 for the 2 tracker and $200 for the 3 tracker is probably the highest end of the sweet spot for both. I think asking another $50 for either is a little much for most people.
If anyone has any specific questions about it that aren't answered, let me know. I handle PR for the product. Thanks to all of those in the thread that backed, we love you guys
Two big questions from me
1) what is the range from the base station? My hydras are very annoying when tethered and I'd want significantly more range for proper comfort with a rift.
2) do you anticipate licensing the STEM parts to other companies eventually? Eg hypothetically if oculus wanted to use your tech for positional tracking they could integrate a STEM into the rift?
Something that's been discussed, yet to be decided.
Yes. Updates will be posted to the KS page.
4.2ms latency across all five modules transmitting at 240hz. It's more advanced tech than their previous generation of tracking technology.
Ok, backed.
jacksepticeye
Member
4.2 for the stem? Then what was the exact latency of the Hydra? Cos that definitely felt laggy at times so I'd like to compare
Chance Hale
Member
Never used kickstarter before, will they do a fund test(ie charge me 300, and then take it back out) or will I not be charged a single cent until it completes?
As far as I know, you aren't charged (or test charged) until the end.
ab.aeterno
Member
Just to confirm, it would cost 90 to add a single STEM and STEM pack combo to a pledge?If anyone has any specific questions about it that aren't answered, let me know. I handle PR for the product. Thanks to all of those in the thread that backed, we love you guys
If so, I guess I'm glad I backed at the higher tier. No idea if I'd ever use them but maybe.
GraveHorizon
poop meter feature creep
What's the difference between the $299 and $349 tiers? The only thing I see is "EARLY BIRD". What's that, like a prototype version?
EDIT: Between this or a new 360 (to play GTA V and such instead of on my original release 360), what should I spend $300+ on?
EDIT: Between this or a new 360 (to play GTA V and such instead of on my original release 360), what should I spend $300+ on?
GuitarAtomik
Member
They're the same but the early bird tier is a limited discounted tier. Eventually those will be all gone.
GraveHorizon
poop meter feature creep
First Stretch Goal
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects...est-way-to-interact-with-virtual/posts/598229
Wireless Base Station @ 550k
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects...est-way-to-interact-with-virtual/posts/598229
Wireless Base Station @ 550k
I believe the final consumer version Rift will track position already. This device seems a little redundant. Sure there's hand-leg tracking capability, but I don't think that's as appealing to gamers. While VR puts your head inside any environment without needing a major change in gameplay, people still seem to have a very negative opinion of other forms of motion controls. Personally, I enjoyed stacking blocks in Tumble, playing table tennis in Sports Champions, and playing Killzone 3 with Move. But either Sony ran out of ideas, or it wasn't worth their time/money due to core gamer apathy,
If anyone has any specific questions about it that aren't answered, let me know. I handle PR for the product. Thanks to all of those in the thread that backed, we love you guys
Are the non-mirrored controllers just a rendering mistake, or are you guys really targeting the two left/right handers market? Also, will this be available for order after the kickstarter has ended, similar to the Oculus Rift?
I find that core gamers are too stupid to really know what they want half the time.
This would be part of that half of the time. Resounding negativity for motion controllers - but the fundamental problem is simply that motion controls are at a disjunct from 2D display technology (including pseudo 3D stereoscopy). VR is a 3D display technology... and fits hand in glove with a 3D input system.
I mean... to make the problem of motion controls on 2D displays a little more obvious - simply shrink the screen size down to something unbearably small, like a 5" phone screen.
Despite the phones capacity for motion control via gesture recognition on the built in camera... few developers would even bother intuiting such an idea, much less implementing it, given how ridiculous the notion is! (of course the problem is slightly reduced when the screen gets larger... but many of the same problems that plague the idea of motion on a small screen would also affect motion on a large 2D screen - even with '1:1' motion tracking, the visual feedback is thrown off by the nature of the screen itself.
On the other hand, putting on a VR headset, then having the motions of your hands translate 1 to 1 in the VR world is intuitively sensible and desirable and quite capable of expanding the functionality of controls for hardcore gamers (as long as some or all button (and stick) inputs are retained, as is the case with the Sixense STEM system).
Chance Hale
Member
Have kickstarters such as this, ie based around the development of technology/hardware, ever shipped early? July 2014 is a long time away! Also; I hope they keep the white design of the renders.
I had a Razer Hydra and it went back to Razer. Not enough support and it was too tough to learn. I'm not going to be an early adopter again - I wish you guys luck. I'll pick one up after this has been released and has proven itself.
I'll be waiting for the Occulus Rift 2 (hopefully with 3D support) with the STEM's successor - by then hopefully a lot more games have support and there's more hacks for older games (3D + downsampling + STEM = EPIC!)
No, in fact hardware kickstarters almost inevitably ship late.
Chance Hale
Member
Figured as much so oh well. Wonder what other stretch goal rewards there might be. Hopefully we'll get to the first one soon, running out of early bird packages seems to have really slowed things to a crawl though.
GraveHorizon
poop meter feature creep
Why is this thread so dead? Are people not interested in motion controls anymore? Or is it just GTA V stealing all the thread action?
The kickstarter itself has slowed down to a crawl after they ran out of early bird slots.
The device seems awesome together with the Rift, but hella expensive, and the kickstarter could probably have used a bit more thought before launching.
Still, it's set to succeed, which is great.
The device seems awesome together with the Rift, but hella expensive, and the kickstarter could probably have used a bit more thought before launching.
Still, it's set to succeed, which is great.
None of the traditional hardcore gaming set that populate GAF are all that interested in motion controls.
Because they haven't seen them done well yet.
Only people with a sufficient vision and understanding of future tech has an inkling that this product is perfectly aligned with VR, which will be the greatest thing to hit gaming since... 3D graphics.
So until a more consumer friendly version of this AND the VR headset AND a game capable of fully utilizing the functionality of both are released... I think relatively few on this forum will be excited by the idea of motion technology.
EdwardTivrusky
Member
For me, missing out on the early-bird deal has knocked my interest at the moment. £200 is a bit rich for me on another controller.
I have the Hydra and Leap Motion so i like the ideas but Hydra support is a bit lacking and the learning curve is steep so i get put off by fiddling too much trying to configure it when all i want to do is play
I'm resigned to waiting for the consumer release like i am with the Occulus Rift. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread though to see how it's going.
For me, missing out on the early-bird deal has knocked my interest at the moment. £200 is a bit rich for me on another controller.
I have the Hydra and Leap Motion so i like the ideas but Hydra support is a bit lacking and the learning curve is steep so i get put off by fiddling too much trying to configure it when all i want to do is play
I'm resigned to waiting for the consumer release like i am with the Occulus Rift. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread though to see how it's going.
Yeah... that too.
I mean, the concept is interesting, it's nice to have a kickstarter... but most of us interested in the device are probably waiting to see how the marketing demonstrated capabilities translate to actual functionality.
From what's been said, it looks promising... but I don't think a proper critique of it can occur until units are in the hands of actual developers and users.
GraveHorizon
poop meter feature creep
It sucks that people aren't super interested in it, but I'm glad it's already successful. After seeing the videos, I can't imagine trying to play games touted as having "immersive virtual reality worlds" where you can't peek around corners or kick a ball. It's just so right, and the possibilities are endless. The Red Steel everyone wanted could actually be made now.
I really think that if they had included an extra 1,000 early bird spots for the $299 tier, they would have an extra $299,000.
I really think that if they had included an extra 1,000 early bird spots for the $299 tier, they would have an extra $299,000.
Here is a video that shows what would be possible with STEM + VR
You can watch the whole video but i like the crossbow scene alot
http://youtu.be/IgVmNQQlJf4?t=4m14s
Motion Control with VR is totally different from Motion Control with a flat TV.
You can watch the whole video but i like the crossbow scene alot
http://youtu.be/IgVmNQQlJf4?t=4m14s
Motion Control with VR is totally different from Motion Control with a flat TV.
GraveHorizon
poop meter feature creep
Here is a video that shows what would be possible with STEM + VR
You can watch the whole video but i like the crossbow scene alot
http://youtu.be/IgVmNQQlJf4?t=4m14s
I hope we're moving toward a point where most in-game actions normally handled by the game itself can be done entirely by the player to increase immersion (for more realistic games). Seeing the Hydra in action is a step in that direction, but it still seems like the games being played with it aren't close enough yet, like how your guns/avatar hands aren't accurate representations of your hands and the canned animations for reloading. Melee attacks should be 100% based on how the player is physically moving their arms in real life, not just have a fixed amount of damage for everything they come into contact with. Pull a grenade off your own body, cook it for however long you like, then throw it with realistic physics and your own level of accuracy. Hold your guns however you want, and reload by actually pretending to put another clip in. Kick enemies in the shins, pistol whip them, or headbutt them whenever you want..
That part in the video where the guys come out at 9:40 is just embarrassing, how they pop out and stand there statically getting shot. If the player is "in the world", they really need to step up AI so it doesn't feel like you're fighting robots that can't perform functions that you can with you differing control system.
I was excited yet skeptical of the Wii motion controls before it came out, and was disappointed by it's imprecise tracking and primitive nature of essentially assigning button presses to crude directional movements. The quality implied by STEM + VR is what I had hoped for, and it seems like it could actually deliver on its premise of translating my movements into the game, with less limitations than what we've already got with the Wii and the Kinect. I haven't played with the Move, but doesn't it specifically require the light ball to be in sight at all times?
GraveHorizon
poop meter feature creep
New update video regarding STEM. Some guy talking about sword-fighting using the tracker modules? I'm not sure I understand the difference between being "in the hand" and "in the weapon". Speaking of in the weapon, is there potential use for the STEMs to be inserted into peripheral objects, like the Wii did with its shitty tennis rackets and guns? I imagine this being much more useful because it's actual 1:1 motion control, and easier insertion since it's really small.
Sorry for the double post, but it seems worthy of a bump.
Sorry for the double post, but it seems worthy of a bump.
GraveHorizon
poop meter feature creep
$7,000 away from stretch goal #1 ($550,000 wireless STEM base), but there's a new stretch goal for $700,000: Android and iOS support. They have a demo video of a virtual camera using a phone to look around a room. I'm not sure about the full potential of this, but a simple virtual camera sounds fun. Only 12 days left though, which doesn't seem like enough time given the lack of steam this Kickstarter has.
EDIT: Oh man, they have unlimited $299 Early Bird tracker bundles (1 Base + 2 Controllers (including 2 STEMs) + 3 STEM Packs (including 3 STEMs)). Now everyone can save $50! Except the ones that already bought the next tier...
EDIT: Oh man, they have unlimited $299 Early Bird tracker bundles (1 Base + 2 Controllers (including 2 STEMs) + 3 STEM Packs (including 3 STEMs)). Now everyone can save $50! Except the ones that already bought the next tier...
Azure Dream
Member
An idea that's been knocking around my head past few days, especially after that 5 tracker video. There needs to be some kind of glove interface. But it doesn't have to be expensive, not yet anyway. Just enough to track the bend of your fingers. And sceptics don't like full gloves, it can be off-putting.Then I recalled a fitting form factor...
I know, "lol'', right? But you can see exactly where the STEM and battery would go, right? And for those not familiar, the Power Glove wasn't a full glove, it was a half-glove you strapped on top, with an open feel to the bottom.
The original Power Glove used a trick involving Electrical Resistance to measure four different finger bend strengths per digit. It might be even simpler nowadays, like a linear sensor running along the finger length, but I'm certainly no electrical engineer, so I can't say for certain.
I just think it would be a good design basis for a cheap, functional finger-tracking glove, that would be less likely to scare people off.
I know, "lol'', right? But you can see exactly where the STEM and battery would go, right? And for those not familiar, the Power Glove wasn't a full glove, it was a half-glove you strapped on top, with an open feel to the bottom.
The original Power Glove used a trick involving Electrical Resistance to measure four different finger bend strengths per digit. It might be even simpler nowadays, like a linear sensor running along the finger length, but I'm certainly no electrical engineer, so I can't say for certain.
I just think it would be a good design basis for a cheap, functional finger-tracking glove, that would be less likely to scare people off.
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