Oculus announces “Touch” VR controller delay to second half of 2016

Oculus' latest Touch controller image doesn't look much different than the model we tried out in June. (credit: Oculus)

Want to simulate waving your hands around in virtual space? 2016 should be a very good year for you, with burgeoning VR hardware makers HTC, Oculus, and Sony all gearing up to launch motion-tracked VR options by way of handheld controllers. However, in the case of Oculus, their offering received a delay on Thursday, just before this year's New Year's Eve ball drop.

The Oculus Touch system, which will add two handheld controllers and an additional motion-tracking camera to the upcoming Oculus VR headset, will now launch in "the second half of 2016," according to an official announcement. This news pushes back the controllers' originally announced—and equally vague—window of 2016's "first half."

Oculus' announcement says the delay will enable "advances in ergonomics" and "improved hand-pose recognition." Ars got the chance to try out an early Touch controller demo in June, which showed off the system's ability to notice whether our fingers within the controller were extended or clenched, enabling poses such as fists and finger points, but the recognition did feel somewhat wonky in the system's early state.

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