Japan-based Sharp Corporation is working on something very cool for the future of virtual reality (VR): a new VR glove controller that gives you the feeling of different textures right on your fingertips. That means you could touch something in a game and actually feel if it’s rough or smooth!
Let’s learn more about this exciting new gadget — what it does, how it works, and what it means for the future of VR gaming and virtual experiences.
What is the Sharp VR Glove?
The Sharp VR Glove is a wearable gadget you put on like a glove. It is designed to work with VR headsets like the Meta Quest 3S (a popular headset for games and apps). The glove gives tactile feedback, which means it can make your fingers feel something even when you are only touching it in the virtual world.
But this is not just a simple glove. It also has controller features built in! That means you can use a joystick and buttons (three buttons, to be exact) placed between your thumb and finger — just like on a real game controller.
How Does It Work?
This glove does not let you feel the shape or force of objects (like holding a ball). Instead, it has tiny special parts called multi-segmented tactile actuator elements on each fingertip. These are electrodes (tiny electronic parts) that send small vibrations to your fingertips.
These vibrations can be different depending on what you’re touching in the VR world. So if you’re touching sand in the game, it might feel grainy. If you touch metal, it might feel smooth and cold.
That’s what makes it special — most VR gloves today don’t give this fine-level texture feeling.
Controller Buttons and Joystick
What’s also very helpful is that this VR glove has some built-in controls:
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A joystick
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Three buttons
These are placed between your thumb and forefinger, which makes them easy to press with your other hand or your thumb.
This is smart because many current VR gloves don’t have buttons or joysticks, and users have to carry a separate controller.
Is It a Full Hand Tracker?
No. The glove does not track each finger's movement like some other VR gloves. This means the glove doesn’t know exactly where each of your fingers is or how they are moving. That could be a problem in some VR apps.
But Sharp is working on a solution! They plan to make the glove work with a normal VR controller, such as the one used with Meta Quest 3S. By combining the glove with the controller, users can get both texture feeling and finger tracking.
This is a smart hybrid design — taking the best from gloves and controllers and putting them together.
How Much Does It Cost?
For early testers in Japan, the glove was priced at about ¥100,000 (that’s around $680 USD). Sharp opened pre-registrations for people who wanted to test it, but those applications are now closed.
It’s not yet for sale in stores. This is still a testing and development product.
What About Developers?
Sharp also wants developers to help. They say developers could add tactile data (touchable textures) to VR environments by using normal image editing software like a GUI (graphical user interface).
But they haven’t said which software or how this will work exactly. Still, it sounds like they want it to be easy for creators to make games and VR apps that use the glove's texture feedback.
Are There Any Real Photos?
This is one thing to watch. All of the pictures we’ve seen of the glove so far are computer-generated images (also called renders). There are no real photos of a person wearing the glove yet.
That might mean the product is still being built, or it’s not quite ready for the public yet. But we hope to see more soon!
When Will It Be Ready?
Right now, there’s no official release date for the Sharp VR Glove. It’s still in testing. Since Sharp closed the tester applications, they might be working with those users to improve the glove and get feedback.
This kind of feedback will help Sharp make the glove better and launch it faster in the future.
Why Is This Important for VR?
Feeling things in VR is one of the last big challenges. We already have:
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Great VR headsets (like Meta Quest 3)
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3D sound and graphics
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Motion tracking for hands
But most people still use basic controllers that don’t let them feel anything. Adding real texture feedback will make games and virtual worlds much more real.
If Sharp can make this glove comfortable, affordable, and easy to use, it could change the future of virtual reality.
Conclusion
The Sharp VR Glove is a cool new gadget that combines the feeling of real textures with the power of a VR controller. It’s still in the early stages, but it shows a lot of promise.
You might not be able to buy it yet, but it’s good to know that companies like Sharp are working to make virtual reality more real than ever.
Want to learn more about Sharp's VR projects in the future? Keep an eye on their website and stay tuned to VR news sites like Road to VR or UploadVR for updates.