Razer and Sixense launch full motion gaming support for Valve game titles and software integration with Steam
Game Developers Conference, San Francisco, United States and Sydney, Australia – 6th March, 2012 – Razer, the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, together with Sixense Entertainment, the leader in precision motion technology, announce fully integrated motion gaming support for Valve’s game titles including Left 4 Dead 2, Half-Life 2, and Team Fortress 2 using the Razer Hydra motion sensing controller. Future Valve titles Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will also support full motion play with the Razer Hydra.
Additionally, Sixense and Valve have now integrated Sixense MotionCreatorTM 2.0 software with Valve’s Steam gaming platform, enabling backward compatibility for motion gaming with the Razer Hydra for over 250 of the most popular titles on Steam. Now, Steam users will receive automatic motion control updates for current and future game titles, and a new in-game overlay allows gamers to view control maps for the Razer Hydra as they play.
“The Razer Hydra’s magnetic motion-sensing technology is the fastest and most precise to deliver a level of gaming immersion other motion-sensing tech in the industry right now can only dream of. Gamers are going to experience Valve’s new and legacy games in an amazing and fun way”, said Robert ‘RazerGuy’ Krakoff, President, Razer USA.
“Sixense is excited to bring the Razer Hydra motion gaming experience to the Steam community,” said Amir Rubin, CEO and Co-Founder, Sixense. “By wrapping Sixense MotionCreator inside Steam, the PC and Mac gaming platform of choice for both gamers and developers, we are able to provide plug-and-play functionality for the Razer Hydra to showcase our innovative motion gaming modes across game genres.”
The Razer Hydra is the world’s first PC gaming-grade motion-sensing peripheral to use an electromagnetic field to track your hand movements as you hold two ultra-precise motion sensing controllers. Because the Razer Hydra tracks the position of your hands down to a millimeter and degree, saving the world in Half-Life 2, cutting down zombies in Left 4 Dead 2, and pushing the cart in Team Fortress 2 will be a highly intuitive and immersive affair.
In response to significant demand from developers, Sixense has created Mac OS and Linux versions of the Sixense SDK (Software Development Kit) for the Razer Hydra. The Mac, Linux and Windows versions are now available for download from Steam. The Sixense SDK allows developers to quickly and easily create immersive gaming experiences that take advantage of the Razer Hydra’s full six degrees of motion freedom.
Game developers and independent software vendors who are interested in porting their current games or developing future games based on the Razer Hydra and Sixense motion sensing platform are invited to write to dev@sixense.com.
About the Razer Hydra Motion Sensing Controllers
The Razer Hydra is the first gaming-grade motion-sensing controller to bring a whole new dimension of gameplay and immersion to the PC and Mac. With compatibility for over 250 games out of the box and future support for gamers to self-configure controls for any PC or Mac game, the entertainment possibilities are virtually endless. Built to deliver ultra-low latency and location-orientation tracking exact to the millimeter and degree, the precision and speed of the Razer Hydra make it unrivalled amongst its kind.
Price:
Razer Hydra standalone (via RazerStore): US$99.99
Razer Hydra + Portal 2 : Available at Razerzone.com
Availability:
Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Half-Life 2 and Sixense MotionCreatorTM 2.0 – Available March, 2012
Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – Available at title release
Product features:
(Per controller)
- Thumb-ergonomic analog stick for fluid control
- 4 Hyperesponse action buttons
- Rapid-fire trigger and bumper for faster in-game response
- Non-slip satin grip surface
- True six degree-of-freedom magnetic motion tracking
- Lightweight, anti-tangle braided cable
(Base station)
- Low-power magnetic field, low power consumption
- Ultra precise sensor for 1mm and 1 degree tracks
- No line of sight to controllers required
- Low latency feedback
For more really interesting information about the Razer Hydra, please visit www.razerzone.com/hydra
Razer Hydra images
About the Razer Group:
Razer™ is the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware. Founded in 1998, with its headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif., the company has offices in nine cities around the globe. Used by the most demanding professional gamers who compete in global tournaments, Razer provides gamers with the unfair advantage of cutting-edge technology and award-winning design. We live by our motto: For Gamers. By Gamers.
Learn more at www.razerzone.com
About Sixense™ Entertainment:
Sixense Entertainment is a Los Gatos, Calif. based company founded in 2007 with the goal of bringing high precision motion tracking technologies to gaming and other mass markets. Founded by a team of experts in the visual simulation and entertainment industries, Sixense recognised that the full potential of motion gaming could only be achieved when the computer could recognise the player’s every movement. The fundamental high performance of its magnetic tracking technology along with its easy to use software development platform has allowed Sixense to partner with hardware and software companies to commercialise superior gaming and digital media solutions.
For more information, please visit www.sixense.com