Oculus Quest’s free hand tracking may offer a novel way of playing with menus or interacting with a couple of videogames but there are limitations. For those who do need highly accurate hand and finger tracking then you’ll need to buy a data glove, and Manus VR has just announced its latest Prime II models.
Manus made the official announcement during AWE 2020’s online event. The previous Prime range which consisted of three different models have been completely overhauled, not only with new tech but also a snazzy redesign in white with black accents.
The main enhancement is for the all-important finger tracking. The Prime II gloves now support 11-degrees of freedom (11DoF) tracking which allow for full finger spread tracking as well as overstretching, ensuring even the finest motor movements are catered for.
Another useful feature is the new battery. Able to provide 5 hours of continuous usage, the battery is interchangeable and the gloves reconnect without any need to recalibrate, great for those long VR design meetings. Users have the option to charge the batteries during use or buy spares to ensure wireless freedom.
With its new white design you’ll want to keep the gloves clean so all the electronics can be easily removed for that purpose. The glove fabric can also be purchased separately so each team member can have their own set – great for hygiene – simply swapping the sensors when needed.
There’s also a universal mounting system for the addition of third-party hardware like the Vive Trackers. The Prime II and Prime II Haptic gloves come supplied as standard with mounts for SteamVR/Vive and Oculus connectors, easily slotting on top of the battery compartment.
The launch of the Manus Prime II range takes place later this month with prices starting from €2990 EUR/$3500 USD for the basic Prime II gloves. The Prime II Haptic gloves come in at €3990/$4600, while the XSENS version is €3990/$4499. As a special offer for North American customers, Knoxlabs is doing a deal until the end of June where if you pre-order the Prime II you’ll get the previous Manus Prime gloves for free. As Manus continues to improve its product lineup, VRFocus will let you know.
