Immediately noticeable was that it had large trackpads, but no joysticks. Vividly presented images showed their striking new design with huge tracking rings and fabric hand straps, finished with a special blue coating advertised as being resistant to environmental contaminants. Perhaps a new SteamVR controller would finally be “just right”. Much as I’d enjoyed many experiences and games with the Vive and Index controllers, both had their own issues. The email from Pimax about their Sword controllers was welcome, especially because I’d recently been wondering if we’d ever see a new SteamVR motion controller. Kevin from Pimax explains where the name came from:ĭuring the development of the new controllers we joked the most popular prototype resembled a swashbuckling sword and the name stuck. The Sword controllers were something I’d certainly heard of but had somewhat forgotten about, until now. Getting electronics built at volume on time and at acceptable cost was proving difficult, and a number of development projects had sunk without trace or were seemingly stuck in perpetual Kickstarter mode. The World had since gone through the initial shock of the Covid Pandemic whilst dealing with the aftershocks many manufacturers were still suffering component shortages and rising costs, shipping delays, factory shutdowns caused by covid lockdowns, and power shortages. On the 11 th of May, I received an email from Pimax about their new “Sword” virtual reality motion controllers, which had finally become available to purchase, following a reveal way back in January 2019 at CES. We sincerely apologize on behalf of Pimax to Backers who got an email from Customer Service that had some mischaracterizations about the project and was inadvertently released before all the information was included.Pimax Sword Controllers – review by Rob Cole for Skarredghost (Image provided by Rob Cole) Introduction Please file a ticket with our Customer Service Team to request the index controller upgrade option. Those we do not receive a request from and still have an outstanding order for Sword controllers will receive the trackpad edition.įor those who do not want to receive the trackpad edition or a refund you can also choose to add $179 and receive a pair of Index Controllers. All requests for refunds must be made before November 30th, 2021. In the title please use “ Sword Refund for backer number xxx” (replace xxx with your backer number). Those who want refunds please create a service ticket using this link: Submit a ticket : Pimax Support We understand some of you may be disappointed with this decision and we sincerely apologize to those of you interested in a joystick version.Īs a result, we are again offering refunds to those who request it. If there are more developments we will be sure to let the community know.Īs we could not confirm with the exact time frame when will be the Sword Sense can be fully developed (as this required development support from Pimax & Steam) we have decided to only release the trackpad version. If we are successful in developing a fully functional Sword Sense Controller our backers will be given a special discount to purchase this version. We have not abandoned the Sword Sense project entirely and if there is an opportunity to complete it with additional third-party support, we will give the software and drivers another go. For the same reason, the “B” button, which was also included in the Sword Sense version, will not be released at this time. To overcome this issue, we require SteamVR to expose more interfaces for third-party hardware, which takes time. The major reason is that there are certain compatibility difficulties when the sword controller sends commands to SteamVR. The finger tracking sensors are indeed present in Sword controllers, but third-party Capsense, Joystick nor extra “B” button were not properly supported by SteamVR today, which is why HTC kept the previous design when they launched the second edition Wands (Touchpad design, without any Joystick, Capsense feature or an additional button). We failed to achieve the required level of capability and precision despite repeated attempts to enhance the finger tracking nor joystick capability for Sword Controller.
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