The Leap Motion 3D gesture controller is now shipping following an unexpected delay. It was initially scheduled to ship on May 13, but CEO Michael Buckwald said back in April they simply needed more time to test the device before deploying it in the wild.
In a post on the company blog, Leap said they started shipping pre-orders last week and some have already received the device. They are dispatching hundreds of thousands of units to more than 150 countries but due to high demand they are still processing pre-orders at this time. The company promised not to rest until all placed orders are delivered.
If you are not familiar with the Leap Motion controller, it’s a flash drive-sized module that is able to track the movement of all 10 fingers on both hands in an area of eight cubic feet. It’s much more sensitive than the Kinect as it can detect movements of just 0.01 millimeters although it's designed for close quarters operation rather than room-filling fun like Microsoft's solution.
The device works with specialized apps found in the Leap Airspace Store. At present, there are 75 or so apps to choose from including games, productivity apps and creative tools. Most are either free or cost a couple of bucks to purchase.
If you’re the type that likes to check out a product in person before making a purchase, you can head to your local Best Buy starting July 28 to pick one up. Otherwise, you can order through the company’s online store for around $80 plus shipping.
