3dRudder, the company behind the virtual reality (VR) foot-based input device of the same name, released a new version of the 3dRudder Dashboard software that allows you to custom-tailor the device for a wide variety of use-cases.
In July 2016, we took a close look at the 3dRudder VR edition R.5, which is the same unit that pre-order customers received last year. At the time, the 3dRudder companion software was still quite rough around the edges. The tool worked well enough, but it was clearly designed for people with a technical background, and "intuitive" is not the word we'd use to describe the 3DRM Dashboard utility.
Before 3dRudder started shipping retail units, the company had to refine the software to make it more approachable for the average user. A beta version of the dashboard software debuted when 3dRudder started to ship retail hardware in December 2016. The 3dRudder Dashboard is no longer in beta
The 3dRudder Dashboard features an intuitive design and allows you to customize your 3dRudder’s input characteristics. You can set the foot controller in Standard mode, Keyboard mode, or Mouse mode, each of which allows the peripheral to adapt to different situations.
Standard mode treats the peripheral like a joystick and lets you to use the 3dRudder for locomotion in apps that accept native joystick axis inputs.
Keyboard mode lets the 3dRudder emulate custom keyboard inputs, which allows you to replace the WASD keys with input from your feet. Rock the 3dRudder forward to move forward, back to move backward, and to either side to strafe. The default configuration doesn’t include rotation and vertical inputs--pressing up with one foot and down with the other--but you can assign keys to those functions if you’d like.
Mouse mode allows you to control your mouse cursor with the 3dRudder. Mouse mode allows you to navigate most Windows-based software, including web browsers, productivity applications, and even games. In fact, 3dRudder created Mouse mode primarily for gaming.
3dRudder CEO Stanislas Chesnais told us that Mouse mode was created because a customer with a disability was looking for a way to play games with his son.
“This mode was done at the request of a person missing his left arm that enjoyed so much the ability to move in World of Tanks with his son that he reached out to us for more, and requested we create a Mouse mode," Chesnais said. "The result is quite magic even if it requires some practice.”
The new version of 3dRudder Dashboard is available now from the company's website. If you don’t have a 3dRudder, they are also available through the 3dRudder website for $179. And, for a limited time, the company is offering a 25% discount if you use discount code “3DRVALENTINE” at checkout between now and February 14.
