Logitech unveils its keyboard for virtual reality: The BRIDGE

It may sound surprising, but using the keyboard in virtual reality is one of the strangest points to deal with in the concept. This is in any case what emerges from numerous testimonies from the first users of this technique of immersion in a parallel
world. Even if you are one of those who do not look at their keyboard when they use it and what for years, once you've put on your virtual reality headset, it's a whole different story. The simple fact of starting to find where this damn keyboard is is a challenge in itself in an artificial world.

Virtual keyboard concepts have already been developed, like the Rink from Samsung for example, but as effective as these prototypes are, they do not replace a good old mechanical keyboard.

Whether it's for surfing the web, working on various projects, or a whole host of other more or less productive activities, the physical keyboard remains an essential tool. It is important to communicate with other people, but it is absolutely essential to communicate effectively with your computer. Think of all these keyboard shortcuts that you have learned and memorized over the years, sometimes by the sweat of your forehead and after significant efforts ...

That's why Logitech, the well-known manufacturer of countless different keyboards for decades, doesn't want the keyboard to disappear from the virtual reality equation. They therefore took matters into their own hands, and developed the BRIDGE, a keyboard intended to be usable both in real life and in virtual reality. This new concept works with HTC Vive headphones, and it takes the keyboard and your hands into the world of virtual reality.

The SDK (which stands for “Software Development Kit”, consists of a Logitech G gaming keyboard, a device that allows you to attach a Vive sensor to the keyboard to allow tracking of its position , and its associated software. With these three elements, developers can start tinkering…

As shown in the demonstration video above, Logitech has managed to introduce a representation of your hands that are placed above the keyboard, to help you find that good old ENTER key and all the others. We are very curious about the technique they used to achieve such a precise result and such a faithful representation… For the moment, the manufacturer has simply expressed himself by saying that they had created a way of use the existing Vive technology tracker to achieve this feat.

For now, this is a simple experiment, of relatively small scale. Logitech receives requests from developers who want to be among the first to see what this concept looks like, and to do various and varied tests… Registration is open until November 16, and the first 50 development kits will be sent soon after. this date…