Razer Hydra Preview

{sidebar id=1}Motion controlled technology in gaming has made some great strides over the last 5 years. Game developers are constantly looking for “the next big thing” that will allow them to have the upper hand on their competition. Some gamers might say that not all platforms have been created equal; one in particular, which has seen less publicity at least, is the PC Gaming market. Well, for all you PC gamers out there that have been waiting for the latest innovation in motion controlled peripherals, your prayers might soon be answered.

Set for pre-order this month, the “Razer Hydra” is on course to give the motion controlled console platforms a run for their money. San Francisco based company “Razer” is no stranger to setting the bar when it comes to PC game peripherals. In 1998, they created the world’s first gaming mouse, the “Razer Boomslang” which has resulted in countless online tournaments being won by progamers, and of course the birth of an entirely new demographic of PC game enthusiasts.

What sets the Hydra motion controller apart from the other controllers on the market is, not only was it developed specifically for PC gaming, but it also uses a unique tracking system that emits a magnetic field from its base station. This field is said to detect the orientation of the handheld controllers within millimetres of their actual location, creating a true one-to-one motion experience. When asked about accessibility for the Hydra, PR Specialist Melonie McElhannon told AbleGamers:

“We think the Hydra could be very beneficial to handicapped gamers in various ways. For example, the Hydra could help improve hand-eye coordination and build better motor skills, which, for example, would be very beneficial for stroke patients. Moreover, the case of the mentally handicapped, the Hydra can be used to help them translate their thoughts into physical movements to follow visual cues on screen, for example. If used with the right software, this can strongly help in cognitive learning for mentally handicapped patients. Overall, it would benefit the disabled with the increased physical interactivity over traditional gaming avenues.”

The Hydra is set to go on sale in June, which will allow for those keeners who have picked up their copies of Portal 2 the opportunity to mentally prepare for what awesome motion controlled gaming lays ahead. For those of you who have been waiting for a “bundle of joy”, Razer plans to release a combo pack of sorts which will include: a Razer Hydra and copy Portal 2 with “Sixense MotionPack DLC that features 6 TrueMotion levels that were specifically created for use with the Razer Hydra” for US$139.99 / EU€139.99. There is said to be 122 initial titles that will support the Hydra. For a full list, see the bottom of this article.

With all of this in mind, I’m curious to see what this will mean for the AbleGamers community and what kind of adaption’s and mapping will be made available to assist with precision. I suppose eager eyes will have to wait a month to see what this technology is really capable of. Stay tuned to the site for full product review.

List of Support Titles (thus far):