【A Fair Haired Woman Who Spins And Pulls Out】

Valve thinks it's solved the problem of tracking individual finger movements in virtual reality.

The A Fair Haired Woman Who Spins And Pulls Outso-called "Knuckles" controller doesn't look much different from what's out there, but it benefits from a number of innovative design tweaks.

SEE ALSO: Is video really the future of VR?

The Oculus Touch and HTC Vive "wands" do a great job of tracking hand gestures, but not so much with precise finger movements. Both rely on buttons, but it's an imperfect solution: buttons can't track finger movements, for one, and you've also got to always maintain some kind of grip on the controller (so you don't drop it).

Another problem with the current controllers: there aren't enough buttons to accommodate every finger.

As we've now learned, the Knuckles controller takes all of those issues into account. It hasn't been released yet, but developer kits are starting to ship out and Valve has posted some documentation online to help content creators get started -- and to give us plebs a look at what's coming.

On the surface, Knuckles looks a little like the Touch controller. Your hand slides in around a pistol-style grip, with a sensor-equipped half-circle of plastic wrapping around the outside. The big difference: knuckles straps directly to your palm.

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

This extremely low-tech feature -- it's just a strap! -- makes VR mic drops possible. Observe:

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Notice how the hand completely releases the controller grip and yet it doesn't fall to the floor. This is what progress looks like, friendos.

Knuckles is also equipped with scads of capacitive sensors that track a number of different things: where your fingers are positioned on each button, grasp/ungrasp gestures, and individual axes for your index, middle, ring, and pinky finger movements. That last one is key: the controller basically treats each of your fingers like a fleshy joystick.

These diagrams offer a good sense of the button placement and overall layout.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

According to Valve's documentation, the dev kit version of Knuckles includes a built-in battery that lasts for around three hours and recharges via USB Micro. Just be sure to note that this isn't necessarily an indication of how the finished product will work; dev kits often evolve as products are finalized.

How long this will take to finish is another question entirely. All of these new Knuckles details come from developer-oriented documents; the company has yet to publicly discuss any plans for a retail launch.

All I'd say is: stay tuned. Valve often works in mysterious ways, but it's now clear that these controllers are closer to being finished than not.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Say goodbye to itchy bug bites with this electric pen

---

Topics Gaming Virtual Reality

• Shopping
• Digital Culture
• Life
• Games
• Science
• Entertainment
• Social Good
• Tech

• NYT Connections hints and answers for May 18: Tips to solve 'Connections' #707.
• 'Gears of War' remaster: 5 more games that deserve remasters
• Best earbuds deal: Save $90 on the Bose Ultra Open
• Artificial
• WhatsApp launches 'Advanced Chat Privacy' to protect sensitive conversations
• Best portable power station deal: Save over $300 on Bluetti AC180
• JBL Quantum 200 Gaming Headset deal: Get $29.95 off
• What motherhood can teach us about the workplace
• Pebble smartwatches are coming, but they won't get along with the iPhone
• The 12 Best Games on PC

• Get access to Disney+ for a year and a $100 gift card when you switch to Verizon Fios
• Elon Musk defends his right to be a Twitter troll at 'pedo guy' trial
• Minister slammed on Twitter for saying women need protection from 'hormonal outbursts'
• Elon Musk testified for 3 long hours about his 'pedo guy' tweet
• This startup wants the funeral industry to look more like the wedding industry
• John Boyega just really wants Oscar Isaac to love him back
• Amazon introduces a portable Echo speaker, but only in 1 country
• Even in the White House, Trump can't escape Hillary Clinton
• Facebook's 'Liam' chatbot helps employees talk about scandals
• India hoists its tallest flag at the border but some are highly unimpressed

• Clever backyard water tank looks like a giant raindrop
• I Played 3 Hours of Dragon Age: Inquisition and It's Awesome
• Ranking the Fallout Games
• CPUs Don't Matter For 4K Gaming... Wrong!
• Colman Domingo’s Craigslist love story with husband Raúl has the internet swooning
• NYT Connections hints and answers for May 5: Tips to solve 'Connections' #694.
• Wordle today: The answer and hints for May 13, 2025
• Free Comic Book Day 2025: How to get free comics
• Secret commands found in Bluetooth chip used in a billion devices
• Why I Left Facebook After 7 Years, But Was Forced Back In

• Best Sonos deal: Save $50 on Sonos Era 100
• Two heavyweights clash in the Fat Bear Week finals
• NYT Connections hints and answers for May 13: Tips to solve 'Connections' #702.
• Samsung just launched its 2025 OLED TVs with Nvidia G
• A Decade Later: Does the Q6600 Still Have Game in 2017?
• Private lunar spacecraft sends home breathtaking moon snapshot
• Best earbuds deal: Save $90 on the Bose Ultra Open
• Did Siri snoop on you? Apply to get up to $100 from Apple.
• Get Rid of Windows 10 Ads, Office Offers and Other Annoyances
• Best portable power station deal: Save over $300 on Bluetti AC180