Okay, so here’s the deal: Sharp’s diving into VR and they’ve got this prototype — a VR haptic controller. Now, don’t get too excited. It’s just a prototype in Japan for now.
So, what are they up to? They’re trying to give us a sense of touch in VR with these “multi-segmented tactile elements” at our fingertips. Sounds fancy, right? They say you can feel textures like smooth or rough — not perfect, but hey, they’re working on it. It’s like they’re tuning a guitar till it sounds just right.
Funny thing, instead of keeping it all secret until it’s perfect, they’re like, “Let’s mess with it together.” Like a group project that you hope goes well. And there’s a picture of it, if you care about visuals. I mean, I barely remember where I put my own controllers, but sure, take a look.
But hold your horses. These things won’t have delicate finger tracking or any temperature or force feedback. So, no pretending you’re holding a hot cup of coffee in VR just yet.
They’re saying the prototype’s got your basic sticks and buttons, a couple of them, and something about mounts for popular tracking systems. What happens if it all goes haywire? I don’t know, maybe someone will figure it out.
Right now they’re in demo mode, and it’s all hush-hush if it’ll ever hit the stores. They closed pre-registrations at ¥100,000 ($680-ish) but warned everyone it might get scrapped. Imagine waiting all that time and then — poof, gone.
Sharp’s no newbie in this tech game, though. They were a big player for Meta Quest 2’s displays. Oh, and they dropped some AR glasses with NTT Docomo back in 2024, called MiRZA. Because who doesn’t love a good AR side project, right?
So, there you have it. A little bit of tech, some hope, and a dash of uncertainty. Classic tech world stuff.
