Gallery: Inside Oculus' Quest to Design an Invisible VR Controller

  • This prototype embodies a trifecta of roads not traveled it's worn rather than held it employs a centered thumbstick and...
    Jonathan Sprague
    01

    SELECTS-Oculus-Controller-23-crop.jpg

    This prototype embodies a trifecta of roads not traveled: it's worn rather than held; it employs a centered thumbstick and no buttons; and rather than a conventional trigger button, it opts for a rotary scroll wheel.
  • Image may contain Art Pottery and Porcelain
    Jonathan Sprague
    02

    SELECTS-Oculus-Controller-19-crop.jpg

    While engineers wanted to give sensors as broad a tracking ring as possible, the design team knew that smaller would be better (though, as in this case, there was such a thing as too small).
  • The face of this prototype has some elements that persisted namely the offcenter thumbstick but its hookstyle...
    Jonathan Sprague for WIRED
    03

    SELECTS-Oculus-Controller-51-crop.jpg

    The face of this prototype has some elements that persisted, namely the off-center thumbstick, but its hook-style wearability fell by the wayside.
  • Image may contain Jewelry Accessories Ring and Accessory
    Jonathan Sprague for WIRED
    04

    SELECTS-Oculus-Controller-64-crop.jpg

    This is what it looks like when you make tracking as easy as possible for the sensors—without considering actual usage patterns.
  • Image may contain Sphere Clothing and Apparel
    Jonathan Sprague for WIRED
    05

    SELECTS-Oculus-Controller-41-crop.jpg

    Should a controller be held, or should it be worn? While Oculus ultimately opted for the former, there was plenty of investigation of what the latter might look like.
  • Image may contain Electronics Hardware Computer Mouse Jewelry Ring Accessories and Accessory
    Jonathan Sprague for WIRED
    06

    SELECTS-Oculus-Controller-68-crop.jpg

    How to integrate occlusion-proof trackability led to a series of mockups that affixed tracking rings in various ways—like this one, in which the ring hovered just in front of the hand.
  • Image may contain Mouse Electronics Hardware and Computer
    Jonathan Sprague for WIRED
    07

    SELECTS-Oculus-Controller-78-crop.jpg

    While the finished product sticks with rigid plastic, the design team briefly explored the idea of a pressure-sensitive squeezable grip—all the better to experience haptic feedback.
  • Image may contain Electronics
    Jonathan Sprague for WIRED
    08

    SELECTS-Oculus-Controller-72-crop.jpg

    What if people were using the controllers while seated? Shouldn't there be a flat bottom so they can be rested on your thighs?
  • Image may contain Lamp and Jug
    Jonathan Sprague for WIRED
    09

    SELECTS-Oculus-Controller-93-crop.jpg

    A wearable prototype that disregarded features to explore optimal face angle.
  • Image may contain Jewelry Accessories Accessory and Ring
    Jonathan Sprague for WIRED
    10

    SELECTS-Oculus-Controller-81-crop.jpg

    While Oculus had settled on a general shape, there were still unanswered questions regarding how responsive thumbsticks and buttons needed to be, leading to prototypes that explored whether to go make triggers saddle-style or spring-loaded.
  • Image may contain Electronics Headphones Headset and Joystick
    Jonathan Sprague for WIRED
    11

    SELECTS-Oculus-Controller-99-crop.jpg

    The Half Moon prototype, which Oculus brought to E3 in 2015 in order to introduce its input devices to the world.
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