3dRudder, the company behind the eponymous foot controller for VR, announced its next product; 3dRudder Blackhawk, a newly redesigned device that aims to make input more responsive and intuitive. The company is also reducing their last generation model by $40, bringing it to $100 when the new model goes on sale this spring.
3dRudder’s foot controller is a foot-controller device that allows you to move forward/backward, strafe left/right, rotate, or move up/down in VR from the comfort (and safety) of your chair. With a convex bottom, the device isn’t meant for standing gameplay, which for many people is exactly the point. It’s supposed to take make seated gameplay more immersive by giving you a physical object to relate to (instead of a thumbstick or trackpad).
The company says their newest controller offers a few more functions over its predecessor. A new ‘Active Dead Zone’ feature aims to better balance stability with reactivity by automatically adjusting according to how quickly you want to move.
“In VR, you need stability when you stay still,” the company writes in a press release provided to Road to VR. “But when the action heats up, when you move and change directions quickly, you need reactivity: the more intense the action, the lower the dead zone. The ‘Active Dead Zone’ will be addressable as well by game developers directly from their games.”
Blackhawk will also include new modular foot strap bindings which aim to make control more precise, and further avoiding any slippage that might occur when you’re playing fast-paced games. Two different kits will also be offered for owners of the previous generation 3dRudder starting February; a ‘Foot Guide Kit’ for $24/€24 and ‘Foot straps kit’ for $19/€19.
3dRudder Blackhawk will make its debut at CES this year, going from Jan. 9-13 this year. We’ll be on the ground at CES, so check back for all things virtual next week in what promises to be a VR/AR heavy show.
3dRudder Blackhawk Specs
- Model Number: 3dRudder VR Edition 2 “Blackhawk”
- Price: $139/€139 starting Spring 2018
- Length: 13.39 inches / 34cm
- Width: 13.39 inches / 34cm
- Height: 4 inches / 7,2cm without the wings, 10 inches / 17cm with the wings
- Weight: 4.4 pounds / 2 kg
- Maximum tilt = 20°
- Free accompanying software dashboard, regularly updated for new functionalities
