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With Microsoft's Kinect the popular standard for controller-free motion controls today, its reputation is on the negative side as far as core games are concerned, with even John Carmack dismissing it as a "zero-button mouse with a lot of latency." However, following multiple delays since its originally planned release in December last year, a new solution has entered the fray: the Leap Motion - a small USB-powered dongle that sits on your desk to interpret the subtlest of motions from all 10 digits. By promising to reduce input lag to imperceptible levels and offering the fine, granular level of control required to to play any type of game, could this £70 gizmo be capable of making motion controls a genuine alternative to a mouse for gaming and desktop use?On paper the device sets itself far apart from Microsoft's offering, with Leaps Motion's CEO Michael Buckwald confidently declaring it to be "200 times more accurate than anything else on the market". This is perhaps an uneven comparison to make given the shortened radius of control compared to Kinect's living room focus, but for the purposes of gaming it speaks to the company's determination to ramp up accuracy in the place where it matters most: the hands. To make this all possible, the Leap Motion is equipped with two cameras and three infra-red LEDs that track anything within eight cubic feet above it, providing accurate feedback on each finger down to a claimed 0.01mm.
Unboxing the Leap controller, we're presented with two proprietary USB 2.0 cables and a small device that measures 80x30x10mm, curving at the edges with a silver bezel and a USB slot to one end. On top we have a glossy black panel beneath which all the sensors and cameras are positioned, while the back is rubberised to provide decent purchase on any desk. That's all we get in the package, with all the apps, drivers and updates being found on the company's browser-based Airspace store. Once plugged and activated, the device heats up noticeably as its three infra-red LEDs come alive at the centre, and a green power LED alights on the side.
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