Valve, Razer and Sixense to bring Motion Controller to the PC

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Valve, Razer, and Sixense announced a new motion sensing controller for the PC platform. The concept controller being presented looks somewhat similar to a Nintendo Wii controller but it apparently isn't the final design. For a video demonstration and photos, check out this CNET post.

"Marking the next step in user interface technologies for gaming on the PC, Razer and Sixense scientists and engineers along with select PC OEM partners have been working on ultra-precise one-to-one motion sensing controllers that use electromagnetic fields to track precise movements along all six axes for use in current and future generation PC games. The absolute controller position is tracked to within a mere millimeter for positioning and to a degree for orientation.

“Razer is extending its vision for PC gaming by partnering with Sixense on this exciting new endeavor,” said Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff, president, Razer USA. “The magnetic motion sensor technology combines precision and speed with the freedom of other motion sensing technologies to fill the gap between consoles and PC in terms of human interface devices.”

The multi-year technology partnership between the companies have been in the works at Razer’s design innovation centers in San Francisco as well as in Singapore, where Razer recently announced a US $20M investment in the Razer-MDA IDM Lab for the research into next generation user interfaces for gaming.

“We are really excited to be working with Razer to bring motion gaming to the PC world. This technology collaboration will allow PC gamers to experience true-to-life gaming in a different dimension,” said Avi Arad, chairman and cofounder, Sixense. “This is a strong partnership that will not only enhance the entire gaming experience, but will truly revolutionize how games are played on the PC.”

“With this controller, Razer and Sixense have created the most immersive way to play our games,” said Chet Faliszek, team lead on Valve’s recent best-seller Left 4 Dead 2. “For us and for our customers, this release represents motion-enabled gaming that’s more integrated and visceral than any platform has so far achieved.”

Working together with Valve, Razer and Sixense will be presenting a first glance into the future of PC Gaming with Left 4 Dead 2, a co-op team based tactical FPS game that is available on the Steam network, with a technology demonstration of what is slated as the first true one-to-one motion sensing and gesture recognition platform for the PC, which adds a totally new dimension to the Left 4 Dead 2 experience. Technology demonstrations with prototype motion sensing controllers will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall 4, Meeting Room #S215. Products utilizing the motion sensing technology showcased at CES will be launched later in 2010."