During the last decade I’ve reported on and examined many various VR styluses, however none of them have truly caught on. However the brand new MX Ink stylus for Quest stands an actual probability at legitimizing the VR stylus as a complete, because of its considerate design, robust lineup of launch apps, and tight integration with Quest’s software program.
This week Logitech introduced MX Ink, an formally endorsed ‘Made for Meta’ stylus supporting Quest 2 and Quest 3 (see the full announcement details here). It’s the primary time Meta has allowed every other firm to harness its monitoring know-how in a third-party product. That alone makes MX Ink distinctive, however there’s extra that makes this the system that would legitimize VR styluses as a complete.
The primary styluses are thought to have been invented 5 millennia in the past. And there’s a motive they’ve caught with humanity ever since: a stylus amplifies the precision with which we will level. Whereas that appears moderately easy, it makes data duties like writing, drawing, calculating, and designing considerably extra sensible and helpful than utilizing our fingers alone.
So it’s not stunning that we’ve seen many makes an attempt to convey a VR stylus to life.
Simply to call a couple of: in 2017 an enterprising developer hacked together a chunky prototype utilizing a Vive Tracker and a pressure-sensitive stylus tip; in 2018 an organization referred to as Massless designed its own prototype VR stylus that it hoped to convey to market; even Wacom has been toying with the idea. Hell, Logitech already made a VR stylus back in 2019… however at $750, it’s no surprise it by no means made it to common availability.
So what could possibly be completely different about Logitech’s new MX Ink? Effectively for one, the worth is considerably extra palatable than what’s come earlier than. The $130 worth level is a fairly straightforward promote for professionals for whom the added precision of a stylus might truly enhance their workflow.
Logitech can be neatly launching some ‘good to have’ extras for individuals who are actually critical about making the MX Ink a part of their workflow.
There’s the Inkwell dock which, for less than one other $40, provides you a straightforward place to retailer and cost the stylus so it’s prepared on your subsequent use. And there’s the MX Mat, for $50, which Logitech pitches as the perfect floor to make it really feel such as you’re drawing on a paper-like materials when utilizing the stylus.
However extra importantly than worth or equipment is the first-party integration with Meta and the robust lineup of supported software program out of the gate.
Logitech labored straight with Meta, not solely to undertake Quest’s monitoring know-how, but additionally to construct the stylus’ software program expertise proper into Horizon OS. Pairing the MX Ink is rather like pairing one of many headset’s personal controllers, with none additional {hardware} or software program wanted. Even the stylus’ settings—which allow you to management issues like hand choice, button bindings, and strain curves—are baked proper into the system’s personal Settings menu.
It’s even received a correct ‘Meta’ button on the tip (the place the eraser could be), making it straightforward to tug up the headset’s menu.
After which there’s the robust lineup of software program that may work proper out of the gate. Logitech has locked in a strong swath of VR design apps for MX Ink help:
- Adobe Substance Modeler
- Gravity Sketch
- PaintingVR
- Arkio
- Interact
- OpenBrush
- GestureVR
- ShapesXR
- Elucis by RealizeMedical
If Logitech performs its playing cards proper, MX Ink could possibly be the primary VR stylus that basically sticks the touchdown. So for sure, I used to be intrigued to strive it.
Palms-on With Logitech MX Ink for Quest
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Final week I swung by Logitech’s San Jose, CA workplace to take a look at an early model of the stylus for myself. In comparison with the corporate’s final VR stylus, the MX Ink is considerably extra compact. Even so, I used to be impressed with the monitoring.
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Even with my hand overlaying a big space of the stylus, there have been seemingly sufficient hidden IR LEDs hiding below the stylus’ shell to supply steady monitoring irrespective of how I held or twisted the stylus. The corporate mentioned it even put IR LEDs towards the tip of the MX Ink so it could possibly be held like a wand or a pallet knife.
Logitech says the stylus is ‘as correct because the Quest controllers’—however that doesn’t imply it might’t be extra exact. Utilizing a stylus as a pointing system means you should utilize your dexterous fingers to control the enter place in a really nice means; much more so than twisting your wrist alone (which is what primarily drives nice controller movement).
That was apparent whereas I used to be utilizing the MX Ink to attract and sketch straight onto an actual desk in entrance of me. The strain delicate tip additionally made it really feel pure to range line width as wanted.
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I additionally tried utilizing the MX Ink stylus towards a whiteboard whereas utilizing Quest 3’s combined actuality view. The tight latency and accuracy of the stylus actually made it really feel like I used to be leaving marks on the whiteboard. It was a complete layer of immersion that I wasn’t anticipating to really feel whereas attempting the stylus.
This sense of truly leaving actual marks on the whiteboard solely made the following half much more mind-bending… I might raise the stylus from the floor whereas holding the button on the barrel and lengthen my drawing into the third dimension. Watching my strokes actually leap off the web page like this was simply plain enjoyable.
Whereas urgent the MX Ink towards an actual floor, the tip communicates the quantity of strain to the headset and thus adjustments the thickness of the road you draw. However whenever you’re utilizing the stylus to attract in 3D, immediately there’s no means for the system to understand how a lot strain you’re utilizing, proper? Truly, no; Logitech neatly made the button on the barrel of the stylus strain delicate itself, so you may squeeze softer or more durable to outline the width of brush strokes, even whenever you’re drawing within the air.
The MX Ink even features a haptic engine for suggestions. So even in the event you’re utilizing it towards a digital floor, the stylus can let you already know whenever you’re touching the canvas.
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I’m impressed with the extent of thoughtfulness within the design of MX Ink. It’s clear the corporate has carried over some necessary classes discovered from its earlier experiments with VR styluses.
MX Ink has an inexpensive worth level, direct integration with the preferred headsets available on the market, and a powerful lineup of supporting apps. Logitech is giving the VR stylus—as a class—its finest probability but at actually catching on.
The important items are in place. The factor that may make or break this product is now possible right down to how nicely built-in it’s into the workflow of key functions. My understanding is that builders have an enormous vary of management over precisely how their functions will deal with MX Ink. Half-hearted implementations might kill what in any other case seems to be like a powerful product.
With MX Ink not resulting from launch till September, there’s time nonetheless for functions to tighten up their implementations, so we’ll have to attend to see the way it all comes collectively.