Valve has developed a special version of Portal 2 with exclusive content that can only be experienced using the Razer Hydra motion controllers.
Last year, Valve and Razer teamed up to display a demo of how Razer’s “Ultra” motion controllers used Sixense technology to play Left 4 Dead 2. At CES 2011, the controllers have been rebranded as the Razer Hydra, but kept their Valve association in the form of exclusive Portal 2 levels and features.
The Hydra controllers are basically two gaming wands being designed to work with first-person shooters and other games. They’re held in each hand and have their movements read through a base station that emits a six-foot electromagnetic field, so you don’t have to make sure you’re in front of a camera. The controllers are currently wired, but wireless models are in the works.
Razer is still figuring out the release of Hydra, but has already put together a Portal 2 bundle with Valve that will ideally cost under $100. The bundle will include an exclusive version of Portal 2 that supports Hydra and includes maps and mechanics created just for Razer’s motion controllers.
Joystiq describes some of the mechanics that will see players scaling, stretching, and rotating cubes to create a bridge or shatter a glass floor. Players will also have to reshape and reposition portals, sometimes using Hydra to throw objects through them at various velocities. The abilities of Hydra are said to be “impressively” accurate.
To get an idea of how Hydra and Sixense work, Razer points to the following video that explains the motion controllers through play of Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Hydra is still under development, but it appears to have quite a bit of potential as a new control scheme. Will it improve upon the keyboard and mouse? For what it’s worth, Valve seems to think so. It’s definitely something to keep on your radar if you’re a die-hard FPS fan and your wrists are starting to hurt.
Source: Joystiq
