Simplifying User Interactions with the Oculus Touch — Rift S and Quest
At the end of 2017 we released designs for controller caps that covered the buttons on Oculus Touch controllers, created with the intention of simplifying the users experience and preventing misclicks of the Oculus Home and Settings buttons. The caps are now a key part of the hardware kit we offer as VR experience providers and also proved popular with the public, garnering almost 1,500 downloads via Thingiverse. With the recent release of the new Rift S and Quest controllers we’ve produced v2.0 of our controller caps.
New Design
The new design takes into account lessons learned from thousands of hours of public demos and client feedback. The previous version was applied directly to the controller using a thin double sided tape and proved problematic to remove without something to pry under the edge, with the tape needing to be replaced every 3–6 months dependent on frequency of use. Our new solution uses a mount that is glued in place on the face of the controller, with a main cap that snaps into place magnetically, inspired by the design of the Oculus Touch battery compartments.
Extra space has been left at the front of each cap to allow them to be removed with a finger tip, and the size and positioning of the mount doesn’t interfere with the buttons, letting the user comfortably use the controller with the caps removed.
Instead of using a local 3D printer we opted to use Shapeways 3D printing service. Using their services and the Versatile Natural Black Material we were able to skip the preparation and painting that the previous design required to achieve a professional finish.
The Future
So far the caps have only been used internally. We’re keen to see how well they perform when they’re out in the wild and will be looking to make tweaks and changes based on the feedback we get.
We’re always looking for ways to improve experiences in VR and are happy to create bespoke solutions for users and our clients. For more information on our work you can visit our website at neutral.digital.
We’ve made the files for the caps openly available to use with a Creative Commons licence. Visit this link to download the .stl files to 3D print your own. We have plans to improve these caps in the future so stay up-to-date with their progress, as well as other exciting developments, by following us on Twitter @neutraldigital.
