Category: Knuckles EV3

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Valve Begins Shipping its new Knuckles DV Controllers to Devs

Valve is developing its Knuckles controllers at a lightning pace as the company has just revealed the latest iteration, the Knuckles DV.

Valve KnucklesEV3 Controllers
Valve Knuckles EV3 Controllers

The company only revealed the Knuckles EV3 controller prototypes back in September, sending them out to developers upon request. Now the Knuckles DV dev-kits are available, with Valve acknowledging the work done by virtual reality (VR) studio: “we’ve seen great engagement and received a bunch of feedback from VR developers around the world.”

Naturally, the Knuckles DV controllers have had several tweaks and adjustments over the EV3 prototype, these are:

Updates to Knuckles DV

Cap Sense

• Capacitive sensors have been rearranged to accommodate more hand sizes
• Firmware has been updated to take advantage of the new sensors

Trigger

• Trigger spring strength increased
• Trigger click feel improved

Strap

• Increased durability of strap adjustment connector
• Strap adjust feel improved

Firmware

• Fast charging improved
• Fixed pairing bugs
• Improved stability

Other

• Thumbstick feel improved
• Force sensor variation reduced
• LED light leakage minimized
• Improved fit and finish
• Improved reliability

Steam preview KnucklesDV
Valve Knuckles DV Controllers

There’s still no word yet on whether Valve has a launch window just yet for the controllers, but with such quick progress, an announcement can’t be far off.

As before, Valve is encouraging developers to get in touch if they want a dev-kit. “To request a Knuckles DV kit, please log into the Steamworks Partner Site and look for the Request Beta Hardware link on your landing page,” Valve notes on the Knuckles Steam page. “While we have Knuckles DV kits available in quantity, we will be unable to fulfill all requests. The team will hold on to dev-kit requests and developer information for any future releases.”

As Valve continues to make progress on the Knuckles controllers, VRFocus will keep you updated.

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Valve Unveils New Knuckles EV3 Controllers

Having first showcased an early prototype of its Knuckles controllers back in 2016, Valve has just released new imagery and specification details for the latest design, Kunckles EV3.

Valve KnucklesEV3 Controllers

Via a Steam Blog posting Valve has released a list of updates over the previous Kunckles EV2 iteration, of which hundreds of developer kits have been sent out states the company. “EV2 was a huge leap from the previous generation with a completely new design, new inputs, and new sensors. Knuckles EV3 improves on the EV2 design with updates to input feel, strap design, battery life, and more.”

Knuckles EV3 Updates:

  • Strap
    • – Strap adjustment markings have been added to the top plate
    • – Strap rivet is thinner and no longer interferes with the wing
    • – Drawstring is now shorter
  • Trigger
    • – Trigger spring is now stronger
    • – Improved Trigger assembly and reliability
  • System Button
    • – The System button has been recessed slightly to avoid accidental presses
  • Grip FSR
    • – Grip FSRs (force sensors) more consistent from unit to unit
  • Battery Life
    • – Higher efficiency sensors increase battery life by 2 hours
    • – Players can now expect 7-8 hours of playtime per charge
  • Other
    • – LED light mixing improved
    • – USB port has been recessed, making it easier to connect the charge / data cable
    • – Improved fit and finish
    • – Improved reliability

Valve KnucklesEV3 MoonDust Demo

Developers keen on getting hold of the Kunckles EV3 controllers will be able to do so in a couple of ways. Valve will be sending out more EV3 kits than the EV2 version, firstly by reaching out to previous EV2 recipients as well as developers who requested a previous kit. Those that have yet to request a Knuckles kit will have to wait until the EV3 form goes live, which should be soon.

Once you got your Knuckles EV3 controllers Valve has provided several developer resources to help get you started, including an updated SteamVR Knuckles Tech Demos (also referred to as Moondust). Additionally, the source files for the demo are freely available for studios to pick apart. For further updates on the Knuckles EV3 controllers keep reading VRFocus.