Leap Motion, the makers of the innovative motion control system software and hardware, announced today that it will launch the retail presence of its Leap Motion Controller exclusively in all U.S. Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) stores and online at BestBuy.com this spring. The featured motion controller will be available for pre-order online at BestBuy.com beginning in February.
“Consumers expect Best Buy to have the latest connected technology and the Leap Motion Controller is a great example,” Jason Bonfig, merchant vice president for computing at Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY), said in a statement.
The 3-inch long motion controller connects with a PC via USB, and can track the movements of up to ten individual fingers around it and is all set to be offered in Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) stores and through the retailer’s web site
“Finding a major retail partner for our North American launch was a critical component to our strategy, and Best Buy was the obvious choice,” Leap Motion President and chief operating officer Andy Miller said in a statement today.
Debuted last year in the market, the Leap-motion gadget can track movements smaller than a pin tip, and can track your hands and fingers up to 290 frames per second.
When asked about the reason for selecting Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) and why it is the store best fit for the hardware startup, Leap Motion President and COO Andy Miller said that Best Buy had been following their progress and showed a lot of interest in selling Leap’s controller through their online as well physical stores in U.S.
“They’re a pretty forward-thinking company and we love the way they can tell the story. It’s really about partnering with someone who has the training to show off to potential customers what we can do.” said Miller in a statement.
A device like Leap’s motion controller has better sales records when it is properly demonstrated to the users and they can see for themselves what the gadget can do. Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) is famous for their product displays and demonstrations, which is one of the main reasons the company struck a deal with the U.S. retailer.
“Best Buy’s market leadership and extensive store distribution network, combined with the product floor space and dedicated marketing promotional plans, represents an incredible opportunity to bring the Leap Motion controller to a massive consumer audience.”
Aiming to change the future of physical device control, Leap motion focuses on replacing mouse with gesture controls, which could lead to some interesting developments on touch-focused operating systems like Windows 8.
Back in December 2012, Leap announced its partnership with Asus to shop their motion controller with new PCs in 2013.
