One of the features virtual reality still lacks is emulating a sense of touch. There’s no tactile feedback when using objects or moving through areas. With VRTouch, that will certainly become possible in the near future. The product is developed by Go Touch VR and it effectively is a product one should attach to their fingertips. It is evident there is a bright future ahead for products such as this one, as there appears to be a growing demand for products focusing on touch in VR.
Emulating Touch in VR is Difficult
No one will deny it would be fun to feel some sort of feedback when interacting with objects in virtual reality. So far, that has proven to be rather difficult, as there is no viable solution on the market as of yet. That doesn’t mean companies aren’t working on such solutions, though, but one never knows how consumers will respond to it. Go Touch VR has high hopes for their VRtouch product, which effectively allows VR users to touch objects in the virtual world.
The company demonstrated this product during a recent event. The French company has successfully come up with an accessory people may be willing to use moving forward. It still requires clipping on tiny modules onto your fingerprints, which is not necessarily something everyone will like whatsoever. At the same time, there is no other way to properly emulate touch in VR as of right now. Nor will there ever be something like this in the near future either. Depending on how the final product looks and feels, it may be much less of an issue than people assume.
Go Touch VR Co-founder Eric Vezzoli comments:
“This will open enormous possibilities. We can use up to six fingers. Why? Because three fingers are enough to manipulate light objects. For example, if you’re writing, you use just three fingers. But (in) VR, there’s no mass, there’s no weight. So, just three fingers is just enough. “You can, for example, visit an apartment — virtual apartment. You can open a cabinet. You can touch the bed — feel its softness, and that generates a physical connection with the buyer that can increase the chance of sale.”
It is evident this new technology will certainly attract a lot of attention. After all, the concept has a lot of merit, assuming it can be brought to market at an affordable price. With the prices of VR headsets still on the rise these days, it is only normal most people will not splurge on accessories such as the VRTouch. For the time being, there is no official announcement regarding price or availability. It is a gadget well worth keeping an eye on, though.
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