3dRudder, an innovative technology company, leader in delivering solutions to virtual reality motion issues, announces today the 3dRudder Blackhawk, a new foot motion controller for PC Gaming and VR, to be honored with a 'CES Innovation Award' in the "Computer Accessories" product category and presented for the first time at CES 2018 in Las Vegas.

The 3dRudder Blackhawk represents the next evolution in the product line and offers a newly redesigned device providing added functionalities. It fully really takes the space limitations out of the room-scale VR experience. Users control their motion intuitively with their feet while sitting, leaving the hands free to grab hand controllers and maximize the immersion while playing games.

• New 'Active Dead Zone' feature adjusts automatically reactivity and stability depending on the movement direction and speed of the user. In a device like the 3dRudder, the dead zone in a 2-dimensional plan (horizontal movements) is like a circle of stability. In a 3-dimensional space, it's like a sphere of stability. In VR, you need stability when you stay still. But when the action heats up, when you move and change directions quickly, you need reactivity: the more intense the action, the lower the dead zone. The 'Active Dead Zone' will be addressable as well by game developers directly from their games.
• New design includes LEDs and foot straps bindings. The blue LEDs are visually indicating the state of the 3dRudder also providing an aerial and futuristic shape to the device. The foot straps bindings are designed to help users in gaining the most precise control in their movement. When the game gets tensed especially with fast-paced FPS', some players tended to inadvertently let their feet slide away from the 3dRudder. With the new design, it's no longer the case and the overall experience is greatly enhanced. Gamers can also now better take advantage of the revolutionary 4th vertical axis provided by the 3dRudder. Foot straps can be adjusted and snap in and out of the device at their convenience.

3dRudder is also introducing two foot kits to let users of the existing device upgrade it, should they choose to do so. The Foot Guides kit includes 2 bases to be fixed at the top of each existing pad and 2 guides to be plugged into the bases. The Foot Straps kit contains the 3dRudder Blackhawk wings to be plugged on the device. Both kits are interchangeable at the user's convenience.

3dRudder Blackhawk technical specifications and pricing

• Model Number: 3dRudder VR Edition 2 "Blackhawk"
• Length: 13.39 inches / 34cm
• Width: 13.39 inches / 34cm
• Height: 4 inches / 7,2cm without the wings, 10 inches / 17cm with the wings
• Weight: 4.4 pounds / 2 kg
• Maximum tilt = 20°
• Free accompanying software dashboard, regularly updated for new functionalities

For developers: supported game engines are Unity 3D, Unreal Engine 4, Xenko, Stingray and OpenSpace3D; supported program tools are SKD C++, C# and Python.

Pricing: 3dRudder Blackhawk will ship for $139/€139 starting Spring 2018; 3dRudder Original now ships for $99/€99; Foot guide kit ships for $24/€24 and Foot straps kit ships for $19/€19, and will be available from February 2018 on the company website at www.3drudder.com.