Oculus today launched a revamped version of their website to prepare for the upcoming ‘Step into the Rift‘ event later this week. With it came a slew of previously unseen photos which show, for the first time, an Oculus input controller, the ‘SID’ or Simple Input Device.

Developers have been awaiting the reveal of an Oculus input solution for quite some time. The company has acknowledged from early-on that input is important, but said they wanted to wait until they had a good solution rather than pushing something out hastily. Valve/HTC’s impressive input solution has put even more pressure on Oculus regarding the input question. Sony, Oculus’ other major competitor, also has designated the PlayStation Move controllers as their VR input solution.

controller-top-down

Now we get a glimpse at what the company is working on for the first time. Called the ‘SID’ or Simple Input Device, according to the leaked photos, the unit is smaller and more simple than we might have expected, showing just a few buttons and a trackpad that’s similar to that of Valve’s SteamVR controllers. The controller also bears Oculus’ new logo, though it isn’t clear if it’s just a button or just a mark.

Oculus founder Palmer Luckey took to the Oculus section of reddit shortly after the leak warning that, “This is an old placeholder concept image that we accidentally leaked. Everything in it is ancient, certainly nowhere close to final (as evidenced by the GPU specs and the game named ‘war’). Enjoy checking it out, at this point, but don’t expect everything to carry through to the [Step into the Rift event] on the 11th.”

Newsletter graphic

This article may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product we may receive a small commission which helps support the publication. More information.


Ben Lang
Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • brandon9271

    wow.. Oculus is launching at least 4-5 months behind Valve and still not able to play catch-up. Unless they do something to quickly one-up Valve with either price or features I know where my money is going.

  • Gerald

    my guess:

    the camera on the left is for tracking ( I’m Nostradamus! )

    the headset has a Nimble integrated, the one lens camera is similar and the IR source is hidden behind the IR transparent cover (that also hides the tracking IR leds)

    the controller is made for a one hand interaction so the other hand can be tracked. which actually is a smart approach as it is a compromise of cost and the ability to integrate it into the mobile headsets too.

    It also is a smart bridge between seated VR and standing VR. The Vive controller solution will not work well with seated VR, but if I have it right the Rift should cover both use cases with true spatial input through the hands.

    Should be cheap and simple for the non-gamer. My first reaction was not very positive, but I think this is actually a really smart approach that I like better the longer I think about it.

  • Gerald

    And I think the SID is the Nimble – the controller is the gamepad. Both are mentioned as separate items on the big image with the description.

  • Druss

    I’ve been waiting for the Consumer Rift to come out since the kickstarter launched. But I’m a poor student and the industry is still young and rapidly exploring and bettering itself. My wallet is begging me to just wait a few years until VR crystallizes a bit more.

    ATM the input devices and methods are legion and there is no clear catch-all platform. Valve is closest with their unlimited expansion platform and the licensing of those light sensors. If they partnered with more companies, I would go their way for sure. Their resolution is still too low, but that is just because of technical restraints.

    So my wallet keeps screaming and begging ‘just wait for 4K with virtual desktops without the need for real monitors’. I think that will be the moment I will really dive in. Just a few more years…