Leap Motion Controller ships May 13: pre-orders start today

It would appear that the motion control masterpiece (or so we've heard) Leap Motion is pumped up and prepared for shipping as soon as May 13th with pre-orders starting today. If you're all about this device before you've tested it out yourself, you'll be glad to know that Best Buy will begin taking pre-orders with a ship date set for May 19th as well. Time to make your motion take hold of your content!

In addition to the launch of this device – for real, actually official and everything, comes word that a collection of apps will be delivered at the same time as the system under the name Airspace. Leap Motion's Airspace will effectively be their own app store, filled to the brim with apps made specifically for the system and its unique abilities. Several apps and tools revealed this week for release at the time of the system's own push are as follows:

• Plug-ins for 3-D design software leader Autodesk

• Corel's Painter apps

• Disney Interactive's Wreck-It Ralph: Sugar Rush Speedway racing game

• Double Fine's music game Dischord (made exclusively for Leap Motion)

• The Weather Channel app

• ZeptoLab's Cut the Rope, a top casual game

It's also been announced that Leap Motion will be available for testing by the public at SXSW 2013, complete with a lovely hands-on (so to speak) with a collection of apps and first-release experiences. This will allow those of you that are at the tipping point between wanting and not wanting this faceless interface for yourself to see which way you'll want to go.

Leap Motion walkthrough:

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And the whole package (which is, in the end, just the one tiny device), will cost you USD $79.99 in pre-order mode – it may be that it sticks to that price at final release, too – we shall see! Have a peek at the timeline below to learn more about Leap Motion and be sure to stick with SlashGear for a review of the system sooner than later. We're beyond excited about the "the Disappearing Interface" era that Leap Motion is spearheading, and plan to be right there up front of the roller-coaster so you all can take this journey with us. Hooray for motion!