VR is expanding into many different areas at an extremely rapid pace, and one of the largest among them is the design space.
3D modeling and advanced graphical rendering is nothing new, having been a fundamental part of the design for quite some time, but VR is transforming this into an entirely new experience for creators and the rest of us.
Logitech is capitalizing on this growing niche with its new VR Ink Pilot Edition, a stylus for designing in the age of virtual reality.
It’s tough to underscore just how much of a game-changing device this could be. Until now, designers working in VR had to use awkward hand controls that were less than precise and ill-suited for finer point tasks.
As the name implies, the VR Ink Pilot Edition is a handheld stylus that gives you click controls accessible with your fingers and that lets you literally draw in the air. Naturally, you watch all of this come to life through a VR headset (although an augmented reality version of this kind of pen would be bonkers and amazing).
Logitech’s Vadim Kogan said of the stylus, “It’s natural — and if you’re a creator or designer, you want a natural and familiar input device…Ultimately, it’s about intuition…It’s about the fact that a lot of designers and creators have developed muscle memory.”
According to CNet, not much is known about an official price or when this stylus will hit the market. Writing for that website, Ian Sherr describes the device he used as being very much in the formative stages and quotes Kogan as saying it is a “first step.”
Some interesting points that Sherr pointed out include the device’s weight and general compatibility with most VR devices out there. Weight is a particularly interesting point, especially considering that you are, in effect, doodling the air or the equivalent as Sherr notes.
That might be a little too much for extended design sessions but, again, Logitech hasn’t confirmed anything final about the device.
What it promises though is truly revolutionary. Not only would this kind of device bring in entirely new groups of people to VR but also it would give another input device option for use in an almost countless number of ways.
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