Leap Motion's Hand Tracking Technology is Headed to Razer's OSVR Headset

[[Coi] Mr.CLuBBeR]

Handy dandy VR

We spoke with Razer about its Open Source Virtual Reality (OSVR) ecosystem at the Consumer Electronics Show a couple of months ago and were excited about the possibilities. Even more intriguing is the announcement that Leap Motion has partnered up with Razer to integrate its motion-tracking capabilities right into Razer's OSVR headset when it ships to consumers later this year.
The OSVR Hacker Dev Kit will have an optional faceplate with Leap Motion's hardware and software embedded. This will make it the first VR headset with natural motion control technology integrated right into the head mounted display, which will open up a whole new world to developers.
"By letting the user connect directly with the VR environment, hand tracking allows virtual reality to be as natural and intuitive as interacting with the real world, giving the user a powerful sense of presence and immersion," said Michael Buckwald, CEO and co-founder of Leap Motion. "We're pleased to partner with OSVR to bring our technology to the OSVR Hacker Dev Kit, helping developers enable the true potential of VR."
What this will do for developers is allow them to write code for a single platform that works across multiple hardware devices, Leap Motion says. And for consumers, that means a consistently smooth experience, as the integrated OSVR motion plugin supports multiple motion device types.
Motion tracking is really the next step VR. It's something other companies are working on as well, including MindMaze with its neuro-goggle headset and of course Microsoft and its HoloLens platform.
According to Leap Motion, this collaboration with Razer is "the first in a future lineup of head mounted displays thta will feature Leap Motion's technology built-in," suggesting that other headsets will see the same kind of integration, perhaps even Oculus Rift.
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