VR Cover Protective Covers
VR Cover is one of the only companies in the VR industry that’s addressing the obvious hygiene problem that sharing virtual reality headsets produces. VR games often get you moving, which in turn causes people to perspire. When you’re wearing an HMD, your forehead sweat has nowhere to go except into the foam cushion. And then you remove the HMD and hand it to a friend...
VR Cover makes a lineup of washable and moisture resistant products that product your HMD’s foam cushion. The company makes covers for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Samsung Gear VR, and PlayStation VR.
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Noitom Perception Neuron Suit
Noitom's Perception Neuron is a wearable motion capture system that you can pair with a VR system. The Perception Neuron allows you to connect sensors (called "neurons") to your feet, legs, torso, arms, hands, and fingers. Each neuron sensor unit features a three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer, and three-axis magnetometer, and the Perception Neuron system can access up to 32 Neurons at once.
Noitom created the Perception Neuron system as an affordable alternative to camera-based mocap systems. It's also a more practical option for smaller studios because you don't need a lot of space to use the Perception Neuron suit, which Cloudhead Games demonstrated when it revealed how the actors from The Gallery performed their scenes.
The Perception Neuron suit can also be used as a peripheral for VR experiences. AltspaceVR, for example, offers full-body motion if you're wearing a Perception Neuron suit.
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CaptoGlove Motion Controller
The CaptoGlove is a platform-agnostic glove-based input device. Unlike the other glove controllers, which are being developed primarily for virtual reality, CaptopGlove is building its glove controller for PC, mobile, and XR experiences. The CaptoGlove even works with Sony's PlayStation VR.
The CaptoGlove motion controller offers 10-degrees of freedom, and each CaptoGlove controller can manage up to 20 different controls. A pair of CaptoGloves, then, would allow 40 individual input options. It includes a three-axis gyro, three-axis accelerometer, and three-axis magnetometer. The controller also includes five finger sensors that can detect the bending action of your fingers at one degree of resolution, and there's a pressure sensor on the tip of the thumb. CaptoGlove is also a wireless device with built-in batteries that provides up to 10-hours of use.
You can purchase CaptoGloves individually or as a pair. A single CaptoGlove would set you back $250. A pair of CaptoGloves would cost you $490.
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VirZoom VZ Sense
The VirZoom exercise bike is a great way to get in shape while enjoying a VR gaming experience, but what if you already have an exercise bike? To meet the needs of those who don't want to shell out hundreds of dollars for a full VirZoom bike, the company is developing an accessory called the VZ Sense that attaches to any existing stationary exercise bike and would allow you to use your existing equipment to play VirZoom's VR content library.
The VZ Sense peripheral fills a few voids that the VirZoom Bike does not. For example, the VirZoom Bike is rated for up to 260lbs., but if you need a stronger bike than that, you have to use dedicated exercise bike. The VZ Sense also works with mobile VR devices, such as the Gear VR, which the full bike does not support.
The VirZoom VZ Sense is also perfect for people who go to the public gym to get their exercise, because the VR Sense module is portable, and the installation is not permanent. VirZoom is currently taking pre-orders for the $99 device and expects to ship hardware to the early-bird customers this fall.
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Vive 'N' Chill
When you're playing an active VR game, it doesn't take long before you start to get sweaty. VR Cover's whole business emerged because of the fact that people sweat when playing VR games. Sweat is A) uncomfortable (and if you're sharing, unhygenic) and B) it can damage your hardware. VR Cover's gear keeps your foam cushion fresh, but they don't prevent you from sweating. In fact, the leather covers often cause you to sweat more than the standard foam.
Vive 'N' Chill takes the opposite approach to dealing with sweat in that it tried to prevent you from doing so in the first place. It's also designed to remove moisture The Vive 'N' Chill is a pair of adjustable fans that you can attach to the top of your Vive HMD. The fans blow air towards your forehead and through your hair. The air flowing over your head should help evaporate your sweat while you play and prevent it from making your foam cushion soggy.
Vive 'N' Chill successfully passed its crowdfunding goals, and the company expects to ship the hardware to backers in September. You can order a Vive 'N' Chill unit through Indiegogo until July 30, 2017.
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