Razer, a leading maker of high-end controllers for video games, together with Sixense Entertainment, a developer of motion-sensing technology, on Tuesday announced motion gaming support for Valve’s popular games, Left 4 Dead 2, Half-Life 2, and Team Fortress 2 as well as some future and 250 already released titles using the Razer Hydra motion sensing controller.

“The Razer Hydra’s magnetic motion-sensing technology is the fastest and most precise to deliver a level of gaming immersion other motion-sensing tech in the industry right now can only dream of. Gamers are going to experience Valve’s new and legacy games in an amazing and fun way,” said Robert ‘RazerGuy’ Krakoff, President, Razer USA.

Additionally, Sixense and Valve have now integrated Sixense MotionCreator 2.0 software with Valve’s Steam gaming platform, enabling backward compatibility for motion gaming with the Razer Hydra for over 250 of the most popular titles on Steam. Future Valve titles, such as Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, will also support full motion play with the Razer Hydra.

Now, Steam users will receive automatic motion control updates for current and future game titles, and a new in-game overlay allows gamers to view control maps for the Razer Hydra as they play.

The Razer Hydra is one of the world’s first PC gaming-grade motion-sensing peripheral to use an electromagnetic field to track one's hand movements as he or she holds two ultra-precise motion sensing controllers. The Razer Hydra tracks the position of hands down to a millimeter level, according to the manufacturers.

“Sixense is excited to bring the Razer Hydra motion gaming experience to the Steam community. By wrapping Sixense MotionCreator inside Steam, the PC and Mac gaming platform of choice for both gamers and developers, we are able to provide plug-and-play functionality for the Razer Hydra to showcase our innovative motion gaming modes across game genres,” said Amir Rubin, CEO and co-founder, Sixense.

In response to significant demand from developers, Sixense has created Mac OS and Linux versions of the Sixense SDK (software development kit) for the Razer Hydra. The Mac, Linux and Windows versions are now available for download from Steam. The Sixense SDK allows developers to quickly and easily create immersive gaming experiences that take advantage of the Razer Hydra’s full six degrees of motion freedom.

Tags: Valve, Razer, Hydra, Sixsense