We’ve come a long way from the days of arcade gaming on the Atari, Sega Genesis, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), and PlayStation. The graduation began with the good old controllers getting haptic feedback. Things steadily refined to include immersive haptics and dynamic adaptive triggers on controllers like the DualSense. Now VR headsets bring a whole new dimension of immersion with controllers like Oculus Touch, Valve Index, PlayStation Move, and HaptX Gloves for Meta Quest 3, or HTC Vive XR Elite.
The next big level jump comes in the form of shooting controllers that are shaped like a real weapon. Not only do they have physical devices like gun stock or handgun controller to stimulate the recoil, magazine ejection, or even have adjustable triggers that emulate the feel of pushing the real trigger. These accessories attach to the VR headset, converting the physical aiming input into precise in-game action. That’s how close we’ve got to blurring the lines between real life and VR.
Wonder Fitter has just introduced the world’s first AI-powered smart shooting system, which promises to push the envelope of realism a notch higher. The gaming accessory turns any space into your personal shooting range to eventually take on the enemies in hard-fought FPS matches in popular titles. The maker has revealed life-sized replicas of assault rifles, pistols, and archery bows to elevate your gaming experience. These advanced gaming controllers are bundled with the optional accessories, including a Red Dot Sight and, 558 Holographic Sight.
The M416 Smart Rifle comes with a pair of motorized dynamic recoil engine and swappable semi/full-auto tactile reload mechanics depending on the mode of play. I’m curious how the weapon will perform the practical-level dry-fire training, or adapt to the fast-paced gameplay in tactical shooting games. Similarly, the compact M16 Smart Pistol brings the nuances of rapid shooting drills to your living room. The pistol has an authentic trigger feel and motorized recoil for fine-tuning your practice draws, or follow-up shots amid intense action.
Coming to the use of more traditional bow shooting in games, the HOUY13 Smart Bow brings the feel of real archery. Measuring 30 inches in length, it has a true 12lb draw along with an auto-arrow loading system secured by a triple-lock safety mechanism. This makes the arrow pulls and release feel very authentic.
Each one of these weapons is crafted out of aircraft-grade aluminium and comes with USB-C plug-and-play or low-latency connection modes via Bluetooth 5.0. The VR mode compatibility with the Meta Quest 3 and Quest 2, HTC Vive, mobile phones, and SteamVR library via Windows 10 (or higher PC) makes this a suite of versatile gaming accessories for users who love to invest hours in AAA First Person Shooting titles.
You’ll feel every weapon’s feedback, tactile reloads, or magazine swaps to eventually develop the muscle memory to master the rifles. The same goes for the bow, which recreates the pull tension, anchor stability, and release precision. The Class 1 laser system on the weapons and the bow system is precise and safe for use by players of all ages. You can choose from the VR, big screen, or mobile modes – changing from one platform to the other seamlessly.
Wonder Fitter Shooting and Archery Arsenal are currently up on Kickstarter for crowdfunding. You can buy the M416 Smart Rifle for $349, and for early adopters, the game shooting accessory comes bundled with a phone mount, laser locator, scope mount, and VR attachment. The M17 Triple Mode Pistol Motorized Edition is up for pledge at a discounted price of $279, and it also comes with the same set of accessories. The HOUY13 Triple Mode Bow also comes for an early bird price of $379, and it has bundled accessories including wooden limbs, a smart quiver, a bowstring, a phone mount, and a VR attachment.
