Pimax integrates Ultraleap’s Hand Tracking technology into its entire range of VR headsets

In Virtual Reality News

February 27, 2020 – Immersive virtual reality (VR) hardware company, Pimax, has today announced that it has signed an agreement to offer Ultraleap hand tracking for its whole VR headset range.

The company states that this is Ultraleap’s first official accessory integration within a consumer market VR headset. The integration should help enable people to have more intuitive interactions and immersive VR experiences whilst using Pimax headsets.

The hand tracking module, powered by Ultraleap, will be compatible for Pimax’s latest Vision 8K X and Vision 8K Plus headsets, as well as the company’s entire headset collection. 

Kevin Henderson, COO of Pimax, said: “We’ve been working with the Ultraleap team for some time now and we are so excited to be able to officially bring this amazing technology to the gaming and immersive computing community. As the most advanced hand tracking available, we can’t wait to see our supporters play around with this addition and finally have the power of natural interaction for all of their VR experiences. Final production arrangements are well underway and we expect to make these modules available to the Pimax community in Q2 2020.”

Steve Cliffe, CEO of Ultraleap, commented: “Using our hands, as we do in the physical world, is a fundamental element needed as we interact with the digital world. What’s so important about this agreement is that it means even more people will be able to experience the magic of hand tracking.”

The Pimax hand tracking accessory integrates Ultraleap’s latest hand tracking hardware and seamlessly attaches to Pimax headsets. Specifications include a stereoscopic IR camera that creates an interaction zone of up to 100cm (40”) range, extending from the device in a 160×160° field of view (creating approximately 74 cubic feet or 2.1 cubic meters of interactive space, according to the company). In conjunction with Ultraleap’s hand tracking software platform, Pimax states that this creates a seamless plug and play solution.

Pimax is dedicated to providing PC VR devices with high resolution and large 200°(D)/170°(H)/115°(V) field of view to consumers. The company’s latest Vision 8K X in its Vision series of VR headsets features a native resolution 8K (dual native 4K resolution) display. In addition Pimax has a large customer base of previous headsets which include the Pimax 5K Plus, 5K XR (OLED) and 8K headsets, all of which can also be used seamlessly with Ultraleap’s hand tracking accessory.

Ultraleap’s hand tracking technology has been developed over 10 years using artificial intelligence, according to the company. The technology is applicable to a wide range of industries, including extended reality, automotive, digital signage, industrial automation, consumer electronics and location-based entertainment, to bring natural interaction between people and technology.

Pimax states that more details on the availability of the integration will be available soon on its company website.

Image credit: Pimax

About the author

Sam Sprigg

Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.