Project Lore

Although I didn't have the opportunity to attend E3 this year, it's been pretty exciting hearing about all the neat announcements from home. One that especially piqued my interest? The introduction of the Peregrine. This nifty-looking little glove reminds me of an updated, more sophisticated version of Nintendo's Power Glove that I always wanted to play since seeing it in The Wizard, but never got a chance. From what I hear, I didn't miss out on much. But regardless, I can make up for all of that regret with this new gadget being put out for the PC by Iron Will Technologies which could offer us a new option for how we want to control our WoW characters. The Peregrine, named after the bird of prey, works through a combination of more than 30 programmable actions. It has 17 touch points and 3 activator points that, when pressed together, perform the action you have programmed into the glove. So while playing my rogue, for example, I could touch thumb to pointer finger for gouge, then thumb to middle finger for backstab, and back again. Right now I'm not sure that it would be any easier or more efficient than using hotkeys or just clicking your action bars, but with a little practice, it could be fun and possibly even effective. Here's a little bit more about the Peregrine, according to the product's official Web site:

Rapid action speed advantage: The Peregrine reduces finger travel and allows interaction without the need to look down, thereby increasing speed. Initial tests have shown speeds of 250 APM are possible. Immersive experience: Removing a layer of hardware between you and the virtual world and what do you get? A more immersive user experience. You become the interface by touching your fingers. Comfortable Ergonomic Gaming: By using natural hand motions and allowing you to rest your hand in the position that is most comfortable for you, the Peregrine creates comfort that can’t be beat.

I'll let you decide just how much of that you want to buy into. To me, 250 actions per minute sounds way too optimistic. Maybe you could do that for a couple minutes at a time, after which I would think your hand would cramp up. And that also messes up the ergonomic gaming argument for me. But who knows - it could come out and totally prove me wrong. Maybe people who use the Peregrine will become as legendary as my friend Lucas with the Power Glove, here. Or, it could really suck. I'll be interested to find out. So, what do you guys think? Is this toy worth the $129 price tag it's going for? Would you be willing to give it a shot for WoW, or for any other computer uses?

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