A Virtual Reality Gun Tracked IRL: Athena By Ilium

The folks at Ilium want to create a device that'll be tracked in virtual reality to make the reality of shooting games in VR more real. What could possibly go wrong with this situation? If they're able to create this accessory in a limited fashion and keep it supported through the largest platforms available – very little could go wrong. Of course they need to get some funds for it, first.

The folks at Ilium want to create Athena, a VR machine gun that works with the HTC-made lighthouses provided with the Vive. This accessory would be tracked by the lighthouses and fully supported by SteamVR. With the HTC Vive, the gun would appear much like one of the standard controllers – only far larger in the games that support it.

One of the things I find odd here is how detailed the gun is right this minute, before it's made. It would seem that the folks at Ilium have stumbled upon a gun shape that they feel will be appropriate for a large cross-section of games with guns – but they've thought of that. Ilium have teamed up with developers at Invrse Studios and Vertigo Games to release the gun with updates to the games The Nest and Arizona Sunshine so it'll work like a charm.

The gun will be delivered to backers for $300 alongside The Nest and Arizona Sunshine if the campaign's goal is met. Generally we don't cover crowdfunding projects this early on in the game, but this Indiegogo campaign feels more important than the sum of its parts. If this gun doesn't get funded, someone else will make one anyway – then another will be built, then another.

Above you'll see a demonstration of one of the games that'll come with this accessory, then below you'll see the other. Above is the game Arizona Sunshine, while below is a demonstration of the VR game Nest. Both of these games are already out on the VR market (on Steam) if for those interested right this minute.