Google’s Daydream and Cardboard platforms, as well as Samsung’s Gear VR platform, will support the latest VR glove hitting the market, the CaptoGlove. The sleek wearable is made of cloth, with special equipment embedded to allow it to sense the current positions of the hands and fingers, and relay that information to a compatible VR app. The cloth itself is made in conjunction with famous Italian glove maker Reusch. The gloves connect via Bluetooth, and thanks to remappable functions, can be used to control almost any game on mobile or PC, VR or not, in an entirely new way. There is also an SDK on the way, which will allow developers to find and create entirely new uses for the CaptoGlove in and out of VR. The CaptoGlove is currently up for preorder at $40 off per glove, coming in at $415 or a pair, or $210 for one glove, until its official release on May 21.
The impressive set of gloves is compatible with PC-based VR systems and mobile devices, making it the very first consumer-purchasable VR glove to hit the mobile world. Naturally, this also means that those using apps like RiftCat or Trinus to play their PC games in VR with their smartphone and a headset like Daydream View or any Cardboard-compliant piece can use the CaptoGlove as well. Since the SDK has yet to be released, gaming will largely be limited to remapped normal controls for now, as seen in the impressive Crysis 3 gameplay below. Once developers begin to embrace the CaptoGlove, more comprehensive experiences are likely to make their way to both mobile and PC.
CaptoGlove got its start in the medical world about five years ago, as a physical therapy tool meant to aid in rehabilitation for patients who had lost some mobility. From there, it wound up in the military, helping to train pilots. After it met with resounding success there, it was tweaked and given special software to make it into a game controller, and that’s where things stand today. The device and its SDK are on the cusp of release, and promise to bring one of the most affordable, compatible, and adaptable VR glove experiences yet made to the consumer market, and more importantly, to developers.
