Sharp Introduces Prototype VR Controller Merging Haptic Gloves with Traditional Buttons

Alright, so Sharp’s diving into the VR scene with a new toy. It’s a VR haptic whatchamacallit—yeah, that’s a controller—coming out in Japan. Basically, it’s got all these tiny touchy-feely bits on your fingertips. It’s like, “Hey, feel this texture!” but in VR. I mean, how futuristic is that?

Sharp’s saying these gizmos let you kinda sorta feel stuff, like smooth or rough, by shaking things up. It’s not perfect, though. Not like “Whoa, I’m touching a cat!” perfect. But, hey, they’re working on it with us—the everyday folks—before they say, “Done!” Imagine, you’re part of their team just by using it!

Now, they show us this image, right? And I’m thinking, why do these things have to look so sci-fi weird? I’m no techie, but it’s a looker, I guess. They come in pairs—one for each hand, duh. But don’t expect to track your every finger twitch; it’s more “button-mashing” than “finger-wiggling.”

It’s standard controller vibes with sticks and buttons and all that jazz. But how they track the thing? It’s a mystery. Maybe they stick to the big guys, like… well, whoever’s boss in that area.

They’re still in the testing lab playing around, which means, don’t hold your breath for a store shelf moment. But a few lucky people might get their hands on them sometime soon in Japan. They’re asking a cool ¥100,000, which screams, “Hey, investors!” but also, “Might never see daylight!”

Remember, Sharp isn’t new here. They’ve been doing the XR dance longer than you’d guess. Once upon a time, they were the screen czars for Meta Quest 2. Plus, they joined forces with NTT Docomo to drop those MiRZA AR glasses last year.

In a world where touch is the final frontier of tech… or something like that. Alright, I’m out.