A few weeks ago, Ultraleap announced the Leap Motion Controller 2, the successor of that Leap Motion Controller that got much recognition from makers and research centers. This week, I received a sample of it and I opened its box. I have not had the occasion to test thoroughly the device yet, but since I saw a bit of radio silence about it on the main VR outlets, I wanted to share with you some early photos and videos.
Ultraleap Leap 2 Unboxing
As usual, I have made an unboxing video of the device:
The unboxing has not been much surprising to me: the package had inside a few boxes just containing one object each: either a sensor, a mount, or a cable. So there was nothing fancy in the packaging. But I appreciated the hand-written letter that the Ultraleap team has written to me. That was a nice personal touch… but I guess you won’t find it in your box if you buy the Leap Motion Controller 2, too 😛
Since the Leap Motion Controller can be used both as a PC peripheral and a VR accessory, I found in my big box three different little packages:
- One contained the sensor
- One contained a long USB-C to USB-C cable to connect the sensor to the PC
- One contained a short USB-C to USB-C cable and a plastic mount to attach the sensor to your standalone VR headset.
Leap 2 and VR headsets
The mount to attach the sensor to the headset that Ultraleap delivered to me looked a bit like 3D printed because the plastic feels rough. I wonder if it was like that since it is a production sample, or if this is simply its shape. In any case, I appreciated a few features of this mount:
- The controller snaps in it and then it got stuck. There’s no way that the controller can move inside the new mount, and this is a huge improvement with regard to the support for Leap 1 which was not that stable
- The part in the back is very flexible, so the mount can adapt very well to the surface of every headset
- The companion USB-C cable is very short and fits well with all the most popular standalone headsets on the market.
- The mount makes the sensor slightly tilt down, so it frames better the hands of the user. We, humans, do not like to keep our hands at the same height as our heads (unless we have returned to monke and become gorillas) because it is tiresome. Usually, we keep them at our torso height and so a tilted sensor can frame better the hands and perform a better tracking
The only problem for me remains that it is adhesive, so once I attach it to a headset, there is no way I can remove it easily…
Leap Motion Controller 2 photos
I shot a few nice pictures of the Leap Motion Controller 2 sensor that I want to share with you here below.
The thing that impresses me is how this device is small and lightweight. It is also much more polished than the Leap Motion Controller 1. The two small rubber circles on the back for instance make sure it moves less when it is put on a planar surface like a desk. I like it a lot
To be continued…
And that’s it for today. I just wanted to share with you an early look at the Leap 2. In the following days, I will test the device and write a review about it. If you have questions, or you want me to make some particular tests, let me know!