Input Devices
- See also: Input
Input devices are the hardware and sensing methods that let a user issue commands and supply movement, gesture, gaze, and other data to a virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), or mixed reality (MR) system. Because head-mounted displays place the user inside a simulated or overlaid space, input in VR and AR extends well beyond the keyboard and mouse of desktop computing to include tracked controllers, the user's own hands and eyes, the body, the voice, and a range of experimental sensors.
A recurring property of VR and AR input is the number of degrees of freedom (DoF) a device reports. A 3DoF device tracks rotation only (pitch, yaw, and roll), while a 6DoF device adds the three translational axes (forward and back, left and right, up and down), so its position as well as its orientation is known in 3D space.[1] A chronological review of XR interaction describes how dominant input methods shifted over time: 6DoF handheld controllers led from roughly 2016 to 2018, optical hand tracking and gaze input became common from 2019 to 2021, and multimodal input combining hand, eye, voice, and facial tracking developed from 2022 onward.[2]
Categories of input
Tracked motion controllers
Handheld controllers are the most common input method for room-scale VR. A 6DoF controller is tracked in position and orientation and typically carries buttons, triggers, thumbsticks, and touch surfaces, so it can act as a virtual hand while still providing discrete inputs.[2] Tracking is performed either by external base stations (outside-in tracking) or by cameras on the headset that locate the controllers (inside-out tracking). Examples include the Oculus Touch, the SteamVR Controllers, the Valve Index Knuckle Controllers, the Windows Mixed Reality Motion Controllers, the PlayStation Move, the Razer Hydra, the Sixense STEM, the Daydream Controller, the Samsung Gear VR Controller, the Oculus Remote, the HoloLens Clicker, the Finch VR and Rink controllers, and the Ximmerse and Nod systems. Specialized form factors include the PlayStation VR Aim rifle controller and the Logitech VR Ink and Logitech MX Ink styluses for precise spatial drawing.
Optical hand tracking
Optical hand tracking uses cameras and computer vision to estimate the pose of the user's hands and fingers without any handheld hardware, allowing direct manipulation and pinch-based selection.[2] The approach became widely available on standalone headsets and was popularized by depth and infrared cameras such as the Leap Motion VR controller and the Nimble Sense depth sensor. Earlier depth-sensing platforms applied to VR and AR input include Intel RealSense, the Kinect, PrimeSense, and Project Tango. The Finexus system tracked fingertips using magnetic sensing, and Google's Project Soli sensor tracked hand and finger gestures with radar rather than optical cameras.
Gloves and exoskeletons
Gloves combine per-finger tracking with tactile or force feedback, so the user can both control virtual objects and feel resistance or vibration when touching them.[3] Devices in this category include the Manus VR and VRgluv gloves and the Control VR exoskeleton. The Reactive Grip motion controller delivered grip and friction cues through its handle rather than a glove.
Locomotion hardware
Locomotion devices let a seated or standing user travel through a virtual space larger than the physical room. Omnidirectional treadmills and motion platforms in this category include the Cyberith Virtualizer, the Omni and Omnideck treadmills, and the KAT WALK. Foot-operated controllers such as the 3DRudder map foot movement to in-game motion, and fitness-oriented devices such as VirZoom turn an exercise bike into a VR input. The KOR-FX Gaming Vest is a wearable that conveys haptic feedback to the torso.
Body and finger trackers
Body trackers report the position of limbs, the waist, or other objects so that a fuller body, rather than just the head and hands, can be represented in VR. Inertial motion-capture systems such as Perception Neuron and PrioVR use networks of inertial measurement units, while optical and laser-tracked pucks such as the VIVE Tracker attach to the feet, waist, or props for full-body and object tracking.[4]
Muscle and neural sensing
Some input devices read electrical signals from the body. The Myo armband and the Meta Neural Band use surface electromyography (EMG) to detect muscle activity at the forearm or wrist and translate it into gestures or control signals. Experimental brain-computer interface (BCI) hardware reads brain and other physiological signals directly: the OpenBCI platform supplies EEG and related biosensing, and the Galea headset, a collaboration between OpenBCI, Valve, and Tobii, integrated EEG, EOG, EMG, EDA, PPG, and eye tracking into a single VR device.[5]
Gaze, eye tracking, and voice
Eye tracking determines where the user is looking and can be used for selection, for combining gaze with a manual confirmation, and for foveated rendering, and voice commands provide a hands-free input channel.[2] These modalities are central to controller-free headsets: the Apple Vision Pro uses the eyes as the primary pointer, a finger pinch to select, and the voice for dictation and commands, with no handheld controller.[6]
List of input devices
The following input devices have articles on this wiki:
| Category | Devices |
|---|---|
| Motion controllers | Oculus Touch, Oculus Remote, SteamVR Controllers, Valve Index Knuckle Controllers, Windows Mixed Reality Motion Controllers, PlayStation Move, PlayStation VR Aim, Razer Hydra, Sixense STEM, Daydream Controller, Samsung Gear VR Controller, HoloLens Clicker, Finch VR, Rink, Ximmerse, Nod, Logitech VR Ink, Logitech MX Ink, 3D stylus |
| Hand and finger tracking | Leap Motion VR, Nimble Sense, Intel RealSense, Kinect, PrimeSense, Project Tango, Finexus, Project Soli |
| Gloves and exoskeletons | Manus VR, VRgluv, Control VR, Reactive Grip |
| Locomotion hardware | Cyberith Virtualizer, Omni, Omnideck, KAT WALK, 3DRudder, VirZoom, KOR-FX Gaming Vest |
| Body and finger trackers | Perception Neuron, PrioVR |
| Muscle and neural sensing | Myo, Meta Neural Band, OpenBCI |
See also
References
- ↑ "Degrees of freedom in VR/XR". https://support.varjo.com/hc/en-us/degrees-of-freedom-in-vr-xr.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3
- Lee, Sukwon(2025). "From Controllers to Multimodal Input
- A Chronological Review of XR Interaction Across Device Generations".{Template:Journal. 26(1)
- 196. doi:10.3390/s26010196.
- ↑ "Haptic Gloves". https://www.autovrse.com/glossary/haptic-gloves.
- ↑ "VIVE Tracker (3.0)". https://www.vive.com/us/accessory/tracker3/.
- ↑ Hayden, Scott (2021-02-05). "Valve, OpenBCI & Tobii to Launch VR Brain-computer Interface 'Galea' in Early 2022". https://roadtovr.com/valve-openbci-immersive-vr-games/.
- ↑ "How You Control Apple Vision Pro With Your Eyes & Hands". https://www.uploadvr.com/apple-vision-pro-gesture-controls/.