My idea of the perfect VR controllers based off Valve’s knuckles design, not the best modelling but I was in a rush. It would also need to have a middle finger grip button as in the Pimax design (and similar to Oculus Touch). What do you guys think?
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I like it but i think 1 button should be on the left side like the Valve reference design else you will always have a pain with the button assignment. Left Trigger Left - Right Trigger Right with your concept you have Left Trigger Top - Right Trigger Bottom or the other way around.
Yes that’s possible. Maybe one of the buttons would be better sitting between the home button and the thumbstick
Just grabbed my GearVR controller to check and think that could work out pretty good.
Great design, but I have an opinion about bunch of inputs…
If the controller has just a normal size trackpad, you can realize a lot of buttons, sliders, gesture-based behaviors and even couple of d-pads. I think, with standard touchpad, we simply don’t need any other inputs except system’s.
As example, while gaming, I permanently use touchpad, trigger and grip inputs, and just twice (at the start and at the end) home button.
IMO, VR knuckles aren’t controllers for sims, like H.O.T.A.S monster with tons of buttons, axises, triggers and switchers. The role of VR knuckles is to form a bridge between your palm and it’s avatar. Your palm hasn’t so much buttons as you provided on your concept, hasn’t it? grins
Awhile ago I said, that there are can’t be too much inputs on any controller, but, seems, I was wrong. I don’t wanna fight with some new gamepad, I wanna use something different, based on position traking, finger sensors, touches, gestures. 
Peace.
It doesn’t have to be based on the circle. It should be the best arrangent concerning the users’ best experience as the most important part of the design. Therefore, all of the components (joystick, slider, and the buttons) could be closer to each other. I like the idea of a slider. But the space for the joystick/touchpad should be bigger as the touchpad cannot be that small. I have tested something very similar to your design (maybe u even got inspired by my video, haven’t you?) The ergonomics are very good. You could also pay attention to the arches I have added. They can improve the comfort, and the symbolic part of using the controllers. Check out my concept:
I think that @PimaxVR @Heliosurge @Matthew.Xu could take a look on that as well. Or maybe it’s you responsible for the design of the controllers? Those doesn’t seem to be quick sketches IMO.
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Actually, putting the trackpad in place of the slider is a great idea. I haven’t read that the slider is just a misdirection. Joystick can play the role of the slider as well. So the way in which you placed the buttons is very well. No need to change 
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I really like the idea. Is it official? I think the arches would be great. I don’t know whether they would increase production costs toomuch, but rather not as there can be a little arches with a flat surface for the touch sensors. Arches don’t have to be totally circular. Just a tiny separation for the fingers is needed. It would make each of the fingers more tangible.
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Now I realised that maybe such arches would need a more banana shape to fit all the components including battery. But maybe changing (lowering) the angle between the touchpad/joystick part and the handle would be enough to enable us to place the arches in the handle and to be able to reach all of the interaction things with the thumb
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This is the best looking option I have seen so far!
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Hi,
First I’ll admit I do not have any VR, so my experience is limited (I only played in special rooms that had Vive HMDs).
Design
Interesting design, though after thinking about this, a controller should be ergonomic to our hand as much as possible, we neglect our body natural characteristics for wishful thinking features (and I do this mistake too).
From ergonomic part, I think this controller offer a lot of buttons on the upper side but they seem to be useful only for the thumb(?) In this case we will have to work our thumb most of the time…
I might missed something but this is how it looks from the pictures.
I’m also puzzled that there are no pictures from the other side (flipped side?) of the controller, there should be a trigger button for middle finger (I think I see one) and maybe another one at the bottom or side for the other fingers (like current vive ones). I do admit that the bottom side button in Vives controller case (not the nuckle model) was not intuitive as the others although it was placed correctly for the hand grip, but it is better than moving your thumb left and right down and up to do all button work.
The pros here: There is a touchpad, joystick and options/home button does not interfere.
@petes117 I hope you will have more time to show other angles of the controller, I might miss other buttons though.
@andrewb - I think your clay design is interesting and ergonomic for hand grip, though I would like to have both worlds, stick and touchpad.
Cheers
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I really hope pimax doesn’t do any two in one controller design. I don’t want a trackpad on my stick controller and I know many don’t want a thumbstick on there trackpad controller. It’s better to keep them separate as they already agreed to do. They perform the same function, both are not needed on the same controller. The thumbstick or trackpad need to be in the optimal position and putting both on one controller means one will be awkward to use almost certainly.
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I would like to have both worlds, stick and touchpad.
I agree 
I really hope pimax doesn’t do any two in one controller design. I don’t want a trackpad on my stick controller and I know many don’t want a thumbstick on there trackpad controller. It’s better to keep them separate as they already agreed to do. They perform the same function, both are not needed on the same controller. The thumbstick or trackpad need to be in the optimal position and putting both on one controller means one will be awkward to use almost certainly.
I think that the conclusion was already made somewhere. Putting a joystick over the trackpad or a trackpad over the joystick is an excluded idea already, I think.
But putting two, where one would be on the side of another, I think you would agree, seems to be a nice idea.
That would be really un-ergonomic, like the Microsoft ones. Exactly what I don’t want.
Or maybe that isn’t what you meant?
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That is exactly my point! The ergonomics of putting both on the same controller would be terrible for at least one of them.
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Maybe you didn’t read my comment very well. If you read it again I think it should be clear that I actually think it’s a terrible idea to put them both on the same controller. Look at the Microsoft controller, people are not happy with it. If both are put on the same controller people who don’t care about having a trackpad will not be happy that the stick has been pushed over to an inconvenient spot just because some group of people who want trackpad can have a choice of using a stick. How about a design that puts the stick in the main position and shove the trackpad further away? How would you trackpad supporters like that?
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Simple and very cost effective fix for everyone to this daunting problem; just like the headset make the controller’s analog thimbstick and trackpad as modular components that can be swapped out easily.
That way for future changes and future growth additional modules can be created and interchanged in as vr libraries grow and their controller needs change. The other huge benefit of this is that you do not have to sacrifice to space when trying to crame in both which will ultimately take away from the user’s immersive VR experience. Keep the trackpad large as it should be and have different analog modules that can be swapped out. Analog thumbsticks could be protruding out like a thumb stick or indented in depending on the game type that’s needed for. Packing these additional thumbsticks will allow for the user to decide ultimately depend on what game they play.
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I doubt doing that would be simple or cost effective.
It would be the most future proof though.
The three problems I see with that solution is:
- The design needs to accommodate for the modularity of the “input device” increasing size and decreasing possibilities how the design can be made e.g. the concave touchpad that the Valve Knuckle controller hve would be hard to implement if you have a modular design.
- Decrease of durability, movable components will always be a point of failure.
- Increased production cost.
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