Gaming peripherals maker Nyko has thrown its hat into the VR ring, announcing a pair of new add-ons designed to make gamers' experiences safer and less nauseating - though the efficacy of its product for the latter is extremely questionable.
Nyko's main product launch for the VR crowd is designed for those running Oculus Rift or OSVR hardware for room-scale gaming without using OpenVR or SteamVR and its handy-dandy chaperone system. Four transmitter units - wireless and rechargeable, to simplify installation - are placed at the corners of a four-sided play space, and a vibrating armband is worn on each side. As you approach the edges of the play space, the bands vibrate to warn you that you're about to hit something definitely not virtual.
While the VR Guardian system addresses a need, Nyko's VR Motion Band is significantly more questionable. Based on the same acupressure concept behind popular anti-nausea product SeaBands, the VR Motion Band is designed to push on the user's wrist with a small plastic nub - stimulating a pressure point which, Nyko claims, 'may ease or eliminate the negative effects of prolonged VR headware use.'
Sadly for Nyko - and for anyone buying the VR Motion Band or the SeaBand on which it is based - studies have consistently shown that such pressure-point-based anti-nausea products perform no better than placebos in properly-conducted clinical trials.
Pricing and UK availability for the two products have yet to be confirmed.
Nyko's main product launch for the VR crowd is designed for those running Oculus Rift or OSVR hardware for room-scale gaming without using OpenVR or SteamVR and its handy-dandy chaperone system. Four transmitter units - wireless and rechargeable, to simplify installation - are placed at the corners of a four-sided play space, and a vibrating armband is worn on each side. As you approach the edges of the play space, the bands vibrate to warn you that you're about to hit something definitely not virtual.
While the VR Guardian system addresses a need, Nyko's VR Motion Band is significantly more questionable. Based on the same acupressure concept behind popular anti-nausea product SeaBands, the VR Motion Band is designed to push on the user's wrist with a small plastic nub - stimulating a pressure point which, Nyko claims, 'may ease or eliminate the negative effects of prolonged VR headware use.'
Sadly for Nyko - and for anyone buying the VR Motion Band or the SeaBand on which it is based - studies have consistently shown that such pressure-point-based anti-nausea products perform no better than placebos in properly-conducted clinical trials.
Pricing and UK availability for the two products have yet to be confirmed.
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