Valve's newest VR controllers — Knuckles — are fully-tracked motion controllers with a new design and a few neat tricks. Here's everything you need to know about them.
Valve's newest controllers are taking things in an interesting direction; they are immediately familiar but have quite a few new features and a new way to attach to your hands. If you're wondering what they're all about, we have everything you need to know.
What we have for you
Here are quick links to the subjects covered in the article, in case you want to skip ahead!
- News and Updates
- What are Valve Knuckles controllers?
- How do I get Valve Knuckles controllers?
- How do Knuckles controllers attach to your hand?
- Is it easy to remove the controllers?
- How do Knuckles controllers track motion?
- How do you calibrate finger tracking on Knuckles controllers?
- How many buttons do Knuckles controllers have?
- Do Knuckles controllers work with existing hardware and software?
- How do you pair Knuckles controllers with SteamVR?
- How long do the batteries last in Knuckles controllers?
- What do the lights on Knuckles controllers mean?
- Are Knuckles controllers ambidextrous?
- How well do Knuckles controllers adapt to different hand sizes?
- What comes in the box with Knuckles controllers?
Latest News on Valve's Knuckles Controllers
August 2018: Mediocre battery life
Three lucky Devs tested the Knuckle controllers and gave the best updates I've seen thus far. Will, from FOO VR goes into explaining the best ways to get the most comfortable grips on the new Knuckle controllers. Apparently, by allowing the strap to rest on your knuckles you can get it to almost fall into the right place by opening and closing your hand a few times. After finding the perfect fit we're shown just how easy it is for these controllers to track each one of your fingers individually, and I'm absolutely blown away. Will and his friends here were even able to give one another the bird in the virtual reality world!
The only downside I heard was that the battery life in the Knuckle controllers is lower than it was in the wands. While that's disheartening I could get past it, so long as there was enough battery life to justify average playtimes. Speaking of playtime, just seeing what Will is able to do with the HTC Vive and Knuckles controllers has me blown away. With the increased finger tracking and the headset itself, he's able to record all VR content in a new world that allows him to choose what scenery they are going to use around them for their chat. Knuckle controllers are absolutely going to be the revolution in VR content and everything we're seeing is only expanding this reality.
So, what do you think? Comment below to tell us all your thoughts and opinions!
July 2018: EV2 Dev updates
In this unboxing video, we see Brian Lindenhof show us the ropes of the new EV2 Knuckle controllers that released last month. He says that the straps aren't as amazingly comfortable as they seemed in the videos. In less than 30 minutes of play time in the game Climber, he explains there was a noticeable discomfort that may need to be solved with extra padding.
In another video by Cloudhead Games he gives us an up close and personal vision to all the straps and buttons. Contrary to Lindenhof's experience, Cloudhead appears to have nothing but good things to say regarding the Knuckles' comfort and functionality.
This leads me to wonder if it has to do with the size of the hands or the type of game that's being played. All of the straps are meant to be the driving factor that allows these controllers to fit across a wide variety of hand sizes. If the straps are uncomfortable to use if your hands are too small or too big, that could be an issue. What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below!
June 2018: Knuckles EV2 makes their debut
Today Lawrence, who's running the SteamVR Knuckles Driver Guide on Steam, informed the world that the Knuckles have been released in its EV2 form.
These updates include improved industrial design and ergonomics, updated input set and layout, improved strap fit and feel for more hand sizes, new sensors, enabling new interactions, improved battery life, USB-C charging port, and added support for SteamVR Tracking 2.0. We've updated this entire article to reflect the information on these changes, as well as show you all the shiny new images and videos available to reflect the new Knuckles controllers.
Let us know in the comment section below if you're drooling just as much as I am!
January 2018: Knuckle Controllers are not being released with the Vive Pro
"That's a Valve question," HTC says when asked about when the release of the long anticipated Knuckle Controllers. Looks like Valve is letting us down in regards to the release date, and continuing to go radio silent in regards to it. So instead of the shiny new Vive Pro launching with the Knuckles, as we all hoped they'd do, instead they're releasing with an updated Wand Controller that will be compatible with Steam Tracking 2.
I see one of two things happening. Either A we'll have to wait for another headset update for the Knuckles to come out, which is aggravating given how long we have already been waiting. Or B, they're going to be sold separately (if we ever get a release date). What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
December 2017: Firmware Updates, Are we getting closer to a release date?
As of November 10, 2017, The SteamVR Knuckles Firmware has received an update regarding a range of things. The Finger Tracking, as well as the twitch and backlash users, were experiencing have been corrected with a wider range of motion. Users with smaller hands had complaints of their pinkies not registering when using the device, a patch has been included where the pinky will follow the ring finger should the pinky not be detected instead of remaining stiff. On top of this, they are testing an experimental auto-calibration that begins as soon as you power on the controllers and continues on even as you're playing.
Some of the bugs users were experiencing, such as needing to reset the entire controller when unplugging from a USB, have also been addressed. Now a reset will not be required when unplugging the device, and plugging in the device will not auto-power on the controllers. A nifty feature they have included in regards to charging is now the LED will blink different colors for battery levels ranging from Red, Orange, Yellow, and Green!
Now, on the topic of a release date. Testing developers have said that outside replacing damaged Knuckles and releasing the Firmware update that Valve has been radio silent. Therefore there are no updates on how far in progress they are, or when their estimated release dates are. Most are guessing we should see them released before Winter of 2018, but we'll see!
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