It appears Google has made some serious headway on its low-cost, mobile inside out VR controller tracking standard first seen back in April. Today the company revealed they’ll be offering developer kits of a pair of new experimental Daydream with positional tracking (aka six degree of freedom, or 6DOF) controllers, which they say will allow devs to build such experiences for the Lenovo Mirage Solo.
The pair of controllers are optically tracked, and include a trigger, Daydream button, App button, grip buttons, and a touchpad with click ability.
Developers will require a Lenovo Mirage Solo, as the kit only includes two controllers and the purpose-built tracking faceplate that connects to the headset’s USB port.
Google is currently accepting applications for developer kits of the experimental Daydream 6DoF controllers, although only in the United States at this time.
Lenovo Mirage Solo, which launched back in May, already offers 6DOF optical tracking for its headset, while its native controller scheme is only a single 3DOF controller (rotation only)—presenting an unfortunate mismatch for users looking for greater VR immersion.
While not entirely out of the realm of possibility, it’s doubtful the company will sell these aftermarket 6DOF kits to the public, as it’s more likely points to company’s next generation of VR hardware yet to come. Google’s VR/AR team lead Clay Bavor previously stated at this year’s I/O dev conference that Lenovo Mirage Solo users shouldn’t expect 6DOF controllers for the headset, although he maintained that “directionally, I think that’s where the technology, the industry is going.”
As Oculus gears up to talk more about their 6DOF headset/controller hardware Project Santa Cruz, it’s clear Google wants a seat at the 6DOF table for what could be a new bar in standalone VR.