The Leap Motion controller could very well be the future of modern desktop computing. It could also just be a really cool invention that is too ahead of its time. We’ll find out in the near future. An exact shipping date has been announced.
After previously saying that it would ship in early 2013, the folks behind Leap Motion have confirmed that the device will start shipping on May 13th to customers who already pre-ordered online. Everyone will be able to pick the Leap Motion up in Best Buy stores around the country May 19th.
“We’re honored and humbled that hundreds of thousands of people have joined Leap Motion’s global community of developers, pre-order consumers and business partners,” said Leap Motion co-founder and CEO Michael Buckwald. “We know people have been eagerly waiting, and today I’m happy to announce we’re bringing the Leap Motion Controller to the world less than a year after we introduced our technology. We’re taking the time needed to provide an incredible user experience and robust ecosystem of applications for consumers to explore the new power and magic Leap Motion brings to computing.”
The Leap platform allows users to interact with desktop apps Minority Report style. The Leap Motion controller is simply a little bar you place in front of your computer to track your hand movements. Everything is gesture driven. We tested the technology last summer, and the accuracy of the controller is truly amazing.
Getting apps updated with support for Leap Motion will be the platform’s biggest challenge out of the gate. Popular consumer developers like Realmac have already pledged their support, but there’s still a lot of evangelizing that needs to be done.
The good news is that the device will be shipping with its own app store called Airspace. Autodesk will have a plugin for its professional 3D software and Corel’s Painter apps will support Leap Motion. More examples include a Disney game based on Wreck-It Ralph, and ZeptoLab’s will have an optimized version of Cut the Rope. There will also be a gesture-driven Weather Channel app.
Leap Motion will retail for just $80. It works on Mac OS X 10.7-8 and Windows 7-8.
Source: Leap Motion
