Oculus Touch controllers launch this December for $199

Oculus has announced that its virtual reality Touch controllers will be released on Dec. 6 for $199. The bundle will come with VR Sports Challenge and The Unspoken.

Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe also described the ease with which developers can add Touch and haptic support for their games, and a new Guardian system that will keep users within the space that is tracked.

The Touch hardware will also support 360 degrees of play area by putting a sensor behind you, and there is a room-scale option with a third sensor if you have the space. Extra sensors will be $79 and ship on December 6 for the new sensors.

The company also announced a suite of games and experiences that either use the controllers or even require them, meaning that the Oculus Rift community will be split if only a small percentage of players purchase the controllers.

We’ve spent the past day playing through many of the platform’s upcoming releases, and the Oculus Rift and Touch controller combination feels like a finished, high-quality platform. The tracking was steady and precise.

On the other hand, without the addition of a third camera behind you — a trick a few of the developers used — tracking could be lost if you turn around and put your back to the camera.