FAR LEFT:The Magic
Leap Creator’s
Edition currently
costs developers
nearly $2,300 to buy,
with no special
benefits attached.LEFT:The devs of
subversive indie
throwbackThe
Messengerlaunched
on PC and Switch
simultaneously, just
after the Switch
market began to
get crowded.WHAT THE TECH? Here are a few of the curious peripherals that built significant industry support
RAZER HYDRA
This magnetised motion controller
might have faded into the memory of
obscure peripheral lists everywhere, if
not for its ties to Valve. The Razer Hydra
Portal 2 bundle has over a dozen levels
exclusive to its version of the game.G560 LIGHTSYNC SPEAKERS
Using rear-facing LEDs, Logitech’s
Lightsync speakers projected colour
and significant game information into
your physical space in major triple-A
games of the time including
Battlefield 1,CS: GO and GTA V.LEAP MOTION
A relatively low cost of entry for hand
tracking made the Leap Motion an
attractive option for adding physical
interaction to independent projects, as
with FlyInside’s modding of Microsoft’s
Flight Simulator X.TOBII EYE TRACKER
The Tobii website boasts over 130
games using its eye-tracking
technology. Players can control and
interact with games from Hitman to
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, using sets of
‘gaze-based interactions’.
Alistair Aitcheson’s
custom hardware,
such as the pictured
‘The Book Ritual’,
uses cheap Arduino
kits as a base for
artistic installations
and playful
interactive shows.DISCLAIMERAs a professional developer, I am on friendly and/or working terms with parties mentioned in this piece.NEWS | OPINION |DEVELOPMENT