Probably bad news... no more cheap hydras?

[unsilentwill]

So, what about MakeVR? Haven't heard a lot from them but the site is still up: http://sixense.com/makevr. If that relies on the hydra I still feel pretty comfortable developing for it. They may just be out of stock since they emptied out their warehouse and probably haven't made new ones in a while. I'll join the hopers that a new version would mean a great deal. Or sign me up for some new Oculus/Sixense PowerGloves with haptics or triggers or whatever.

[shent1080]

I watched the "sixense motion controller" heavily before it was released a few years ago, in my mind it was going to be the best motion controller that had been manufactured for any platform, then razer got there hands on it, turned it from a very sleek looking device into a cheap looking toy, stuck there logo on it and made it a wired controller, and from that point on I have had no interest in the device whatsoever, until......the rift came along.
I still haven't got a hydra, I can't deal with the compromises the device has made, i'm just hopeful that something else is brought to market that takes into account the integration of ODT's in the VR setup.

Rant over

Sixense you rock

[colocolo]

I watched the "sixense motion controller" heavily before it was released a few years ago, in my mind it was going to be the best motion controller that had been manufactured for any platform, then razer got there hands on it, turned it from a very sleek looking device into a cheap looking toy, stuck there logo on it and made it a wired controller, and from that point on I have had no interest in the device whatsoever, until......the rift came along.
I still haven't got a hydra, I can't deal with the compromises the device has made, i'm just hopeful that something else is brought to market that takes into account the integration of ODT's in the VR setup.

Rant over

Sixense you rock

i totally share your hopes. We need 'only' finger/hand tracking via a glove (imagine the gameplay ) and feet tracking (best way would be if one company sells only shoes with integrated IMUs that can be combined with whatever ODT).
Gaming shoes with IMUs to track walking and running on the spot must be an essential feature for people who can't afford a ODT right away. (VR control needs to be cheap)
There needs to be a standard for all game developers so that they can incorporate it into their engines.
I wonder if Oculus VR already founded a VR Game Developers Conference to reach a consensus for
game control.

[shent1080]

I don't know what technological direction ODT's are going to go with in terms of tracking, you've got Virtuix Omni with there tracking solution (yes I know Kinect will be supported as well), Viiwok and wizdish with there tracking solutions and now Cyberith with possibly a different type of tracking. I agree with colocolo, some kind of consensus does need to be reached otherwise you will have a bunch of peripherals released over the next few years with no support whatsoever.

It would be a good idea if Oculus developed (or partnered with a company) sensoring tech for ODT's, gloves, and suits. Rolled it into there SDK's to allow easy implementation of said peripheral.

If something like this doesn't happen then VR runs the risk of being another fad, and I can't wait another 10 years for this revolution to kick off.

I know this is day 0 but we cant let it become --

[Dan_Sixense]

Wanted to let you guys know that Sixense still has some stock of Hydras. We only have the Portal 2 bundle version but we're letting them go for $99.

Sixensestore.com

Doubt this will last very long considering I believe we'll be the only stock left if we're not already.

[geekmaster]

Wanted to let you guys know that Sixense still has some stock of Hydras. We only have the Portal 2 bundle version but we're letting them go for $99.

Sixensestore.com

Doubt this will last very long considering I believe we'll be the only stock left if we're not already.

No longer in production? Just when 3,500 Rifts are poised to make new Rifters in the USA want essential Razer Hydras to go with them? Whatever will these poor souls do?

[Zoide]

Surely you must be planning a Hydra 2 if the original is being discontinued?

[MrGreen]

Wanted to let you guys know that Sixense still has some stock of Hydras. We only have the Portal 2 bundle version but we're letting them go for $99.

Sixensestore.com

Doubt this will last very long considering I believe we'll be the only stock left if we're not already.

No longer in production? Just when 3,500 Rifts are poised to make new Rifters in the USA want essential Razer Hydras to go with them? Whatever will these poor souls do?

There's a new device coming soon (wishful thinking) or they gave up on it entirely (most likely).

Our boys at Oculus are doing R&D on "VR input" as we speak but one thing is sure, short term, these 3,500 poor souls are SOL.

[Ziggurat]

Wanted to let you guys know that Sixense still has some stock of Hydras. We only have the Portal 2 bundle version but we're letting them go for $99.

Sixensestore.com

Doubt this will last very long considering I believe we'll be the only stock left if we're not already.

So you are telling us that you are launching a kickstarted for something that has no controller in production?

[SaviorNT]

Hydra V2 with improved latency, range, drift. Wireless and supporting up to 12 receivers. 2 controller ones for hands, 2 legs, 2 knees,2 elbows, hip,torso, neck and head (all just receivers, no controllers,small)

Make it so and I won't care about price

If you want all of this (low latency,wireless,long range,no drift,lot of receivers on your body) and don't care about price, Xsens has a solution already, just drop a few thousands dollars at them

That's not a motion controller.. it's a wireless motion capture suit (MoCap). I'm sure it could be hacked into a game controller, much like the Kinect (game controller) can be hacked into a MoCap device.

[Bleppe]

There are still some left on Amazon.
Hurry up and buy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIk0abbYgXQ

[geekmaster]

Now it looks like NO MORE HYDRAS AT ALL (cheap or expensive):

Wanted to let you guys know that Sixense still has some stock of Hydras. We only have the Portal 2 bundle version but we're letting them go for $99.

Sixensestore.com

Doubt this will last very long considering I believe we'll be the only stock left if we're not already.

How long until we see them on eBay for $500?

Perhaps it is time to remove "probably" and "cheap" from the thread title? This came as a bit of a shock...

EDIT: Oops, (mostly) double post. New comments though...

[MrGreen]

That is one strange double post GM.

[geekmaster]

That is one strange double post GM.

Crap! I thought I had posted that to a different thread! Time for some more coffee!

Anyway, I added some more comments to it. What's up with discontinuing the most desirable peripheral to use with the Rift, just as they are about to be delivered?

[Zoide]

That is one strange double post GM.

Crap! I thought I had posted that to a different thread! Time for some more coffee!

Anyway, I added some more comments to it. What's up with discontinuing the most desirable peripheral to use with the Rift, just as they are about to be delivered?

I'm with you 100%, but I gotta say the "just as they are about to be delivered" is wishful thinking for now

[MrGreen]

What's up with discontinuing the most desirable peripheral to use with the Rift, just as they are about to be delivered?

They were selling too many of them and couldn't deal with that kind of pressure anymore.

Sales wise, the whole thing was a disaster. They'll probably risk a new one once the Rift hits the market and sells well enough.

Meanwhile, they're probably going to concentrate their efforts on developing more overpriced f*cking mouse pads, clicketty keyboards and whatever crap wannabe "pro" gamers throw their money at.

[geekmaster]

They were selling too many of them and couldn't deal with that kind of pressure anymore.

Yeah, working at any retail outlet has that problem. The job would be so much nicer without all those damn customers! But without them, where would the money come from on pay day?

[Bleppe]

Just got an e-mail that my Hydra shipped from the UK
Should have it in a day or two.

[yoshithedog]

Well, I guess there is no point in buying Hydra now... Unless you want to play few games that use it now and the few that are yet to come (The Gallery for example). Since it's out of production, there are no chances some future major games will use it.
I'm waiting for something better then.

[Bleppe]

I emailed Razer out of curiousity and this is their reply:

"Thank you for contacting Razer Support. My name is Raymond and I will be assisting you with your case involving the Razer Hydra.

At the moment the Razer Hydra is just sold out due to excessive demand and we do not know when it will be back in stock.

However, you can click the notify me icon on the razer store and an email will be sent to you immediately when it does come back in stock."

[yoshithedog]

I emailed Razer out of curiousity and this is their reply:

"Thank you for contacting Razer Support. My name is Raymond and I will be assisting you with your case involving the Razer Hydra.

At the moment the Razer Hydra is just sold out due to excessive demand and we do not know when it will be back in stock.

However, you can click the notify me icon on the razer store and an email will be sent to you immediately when it does come back in stock."

WOW, so it's not that bad maybe!
I hope they'll come back with upgraded, wireless version! I'm all in then.
Also I hope they got a lesson from the fact that "excessive demand" appeared when they cut the price by half.

[geekmaster]

It was pretty obvious all along that the Hydra product line would not be discontinued with recent demand, but it seems to be taking a lot of time to get production of this (or a new version) up to speed.

So perhaps what happened is that restarting Hydra production after the surplus stock got exhausted takes time. The molds for the plastic parts may be in storage, or the injection molding equipment may be in use for another product, or they may need to hire somebody to run the machinery if the equipment for this device has been "mothballed". I have seen all of these situations when we needed replacement parts and we were giving those reasons why there was a 6-month lead time on these parts.

Or perhaps there is an upgraded version of the Hydra, but the existing units should be fully compatible and certainly useful as development tools, right alongside our Rift Development Kits. I think the Rifts that have been arriving on doorsteps combined with software that uses both Rift and Hydra has more to do with demand than just temporary discount pricing.

EDIT: Hmm... The OculusVR developers forum server seems to be "falling over" again. I hope it did not lose my recent post that is taking FOREVER to submit. It had a lot of informative detail. Another browser window is not working, but I did get a partial page up once, so perhaps it is just overloaded...

[nateight]

Wanted to let you guys know that Sixense still has some stock of Hydras. ... Doubt this will last very long considering I believe we'll be the only stock left if we're not already.

Oh no. This sounds like the very worst kind of news. Razer finally sells most of its old stock of Hydras due to the demand for just such a device created by the release of the Rift DK, but because they sat around for so long and Razer may not have broken even, they have no interest in producing more? We're at the very shallow start of what I hope will be an exponential demand curve here, but if there aren't more Hydras available until the demand is painfully obvious, developers won't create software for the Hydra, and the demand for them will never materialize. I think you Sixense guys get it, but you're a software company, not a hardware manufacturer. Am I misreading this, or is there any hope of convincing Razer (or someone else *cOughculus*) that the Hydra or something like it needs to remain widely available in order to achieve its place as the dominant input controller for VR? That without such a device on store shelves, VR will have an even harder time achieving the commercial success we believe is possible?

Of course, Razer dropping the entire concept would be the best kind of news for random dudes who have cheapo dataglove prototypes lying around. It may not look like it to someone outside the echo chamber yet, but VR input devices are going to be a multi-million-dollar industry, either in ~two years or in ~10 years. I was excited about building games specifically for the Hydra, Razer, but if you insist on making the most short-sighted move right now, if you're going with the gut reaction that says the Hydra will always be a loser and who cares how that hurts the mainstream adoption of VR, I'd be more than happy to eat your entire lunch. Shall we have a little race? See who is in a better position in 10 years, the lone hacker and his crowdfunded motion controllers, or the entrenched peripheral manufacturer who thought mice and keyboards were the pinnacle of technological advancement? I always wanted to be an HCI mogul!

It was pretty obvious all along that the Hydra product line would not be discontinued with recent demand, but it seems to be taking a lot of time to get production of this (or a new version) up to speed.

I'm willing to trust your sense of this situation ahead of my own, geekmaster, but I still reserve the right to be nervous. Even if Razer sold a few thousand Hydras almost overnight, I think there's a real chance they're ready to wash their hands of the motion controller fad. I don't think they see this as any kind of sustainable uptick in sales, just some kind of fluke. I really hope I'm being overly cynical and what we're seeing here is just the machinery of production taking the time it needs to restock a suddenly depleted supply, but the numbers are so small next to their other product lines, this looks a lot like the grinding end of the Razer Hydra. Let's just hope you're the prescient one here; you do have a decent track record at it.

[geekmaster]

... this looks a lot like the grinding end of the Razer Hydra. Let's just hope you're the prescient one here; you do have a decent track record at it.

It looks like we will find out very soon (just a handful of minutes from now):
http://www.mtbs3d.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=140&t=17985

[nateight]

I think you Sixense guys get it, but you're a software company, not a hardware manufacturer.

Take that, me!

[geekmaster]

The Razor Hydra's big brother, and they both speak the same language (full backward compatibility, so the new Sixense device will work with existing Razer Hydra apps).

[RABID]

It almost looks like 3 USB ports on the front of the base

[mattyeatsmatts]

Surely you must be planning a Hydra 2 if the original is being discontinued?

You figured it out.

[Evenios]

seems like the rumors are true, new hydra! sounds nice. i hope they fix the drift issues!

[Bleppe]

Got my Hydra from Amazon today. It'll do nicely until the wireless version from Sixense is released
If only I could get my Rift now aswell

[przecinek]

What this means is that old hydras should slowly decrease in price which is cool as it means wider availability also for the budget consumers.

[mayaman]

Got a hydra today from Amazon for $79