Good news is getting better for both consumers and the start-up company Leap Motion. Just a few weeks after announcing that Asus computers will be bundling the new motion controller with some of its high-end computers, the company revealed on Wednesday that its impressive new technology will also be available as a stand-alone purchase exclusively in Best Buy stores around the country.
The Leap Motion controller will go on sale this Spring, but BestBuy.com will start taking pre-orders in February. The controller should retail for about $70.
"Finding a major retail partner for our North American launch was a critical component to our strategy, and Best Buy was the obvious choice," said Leap Motion President and COO Andy Miller. "Best Buy's market leadership and extensive store distribution network, combined with the product floor space and dedicated marketing promotional plans, represents an incredible opportunity to bring the Leap Motion controller to a massive consumer audience."
The Leap Motion controller can track movements down to 1/100th of a millimeter, making it 100 times more accurate than Microsoft's Kinect. The controller doesn't just track movement, though. It also creates an interactive space around the user measuring eight cubic feet, and that entire area can be manipulated on-screen. You can draw or sculpt in it, or even zoom in and out of a page, or perhaps a digital environment.
There are a lot of possibilities for the controller, and the good news is there are plenty of creative minds working on the device. Leap Motion received over 50,000 applications from developers requesting the controller, and the company chose 12,000 of them from all over the globe to receive a development kit. These developers are all creating apps for the controller, and those programs will be sold in an app store much like Apple's. Prices will range anywhere from $1.99 to $9.99. Speaking to Digital Trends, Miller said "We have people building some pretty significant software, such as CAD [computer-aided design] and other professional applications."
Miller also said the company has more announcements in store regarding its retail plans, including to-be-announced partnerships with other computer manufacturers. Until then, Best Buy seems like the best way to get your hands on it.
"Consumers expect Best Buy to have the latest connected technology and the Leap Motion Controller is a great example," said Jason Bonfig, merchant vice president for computing at Best Buy. "We are excited to bring this innovative product exclusively to our customers."
