Pinć VR tries to use your iPhone 6 for virtual reality
If you thought that only the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the LG G3 are the only ones that can have their virtual reality fun, it might be time to think again. Cordon Media, a company that, according to its profile, specializes in creating immersive and futuristic interfaces, is looking to use the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to power its own take on the virtual reality headset. But Pinć, pronounced as "pinch", is more ambitious than anything you've seen or heard about, trying to put you inside your smartphone itself.
VR, at least at the moment, is largely tied with games and entertainment, though there are definitely applications outside of those industries. Pinć, however, doesn't look to those. Instead, it wants to let you do everything you would normally do on your smartphone in virtual reality fashion. That means browsing the web, viewing photos, or reading messages in a 3D VR environment. Yes, this is Johnny Mnemonic come to life.
To accomplish this, Pinć also incorporates a hand-based input method, something that the likes of Gear VR and VRTX One do not address by themselves. The package includes two LED rings that slip into each hand's index finger which gets detected by the iPhone 6's camera, assisted by a special lens, to drive the VR interface of Pinć. You do this mostly using a pinching gesture, which gave this project its name. And yes, there is of course also a custom interface that ties hardware and software together.
But wait, there's more! Unlike other VR headsets vying for the mass market, Pinć isn't a bulky contraption that you will leave at home. In fact, when not used as a headset, it collapses into a smartphone case that you can use with the iPhone every day, albeit a tad bulkier that common cases. With the LED rings, this makes Pinć a portable VR solution that will make your VR dreams come true.
That is, if Pinć actually gets off the ground. As good and drool-worthy as the idea may seem, it still exists only as a crowdfunded project on IndieGoGo. Cordon is asking true believers to help it reach its CAD$100,000 goal, which will be used for almost all processes and requirements involved in turning this idea into a product, including refining the manufacturing processes, the comfort of the headset, the LED "pincher" rings, and the development of the tracking lens for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
SOURCE: IndieGoGo