Leap Motion is cool, but so much less cool than it should be. It’s a small device that attaches to the front of a VR headset and registers your hands, allowing you to use them in a virtual space.

I first tried Leap Motion with the Oculus nearly three years ago. Back then, the technology— both Oculus and Leap— was fresh and new. Being able to use my hands in a virtual space craft to solve a series of puzzles was thrilling in itself, but it was the potential of both devices that really excited me. Now, Oculus is leagues better than it was back then while Leap Motion feels essentially the same. 

The potential for Leap Motion is enormous and perhaps that’s why it feels so disappointing. Imagine your favorite VR game. Now imagine playing it with your actual hands. Flicking cockpit switches as you launch into hyperspace, catching a ball, reloading a gun, even reorganizing a cat. Unfortunately, none of that is where you might hope it is with Leap. It could be in the future, but right now, everything Leap does seems rather remedial.

Perhaps the fact that we’re all so used to controllers is part of the problem too. For it to succeed, Leap Motion needs to be better than a controller. You need to be able to do everything you can already do with a controller and more. If that doesn’t happen, Leap risks being relegated to a novelty. 

Luckily, there is a possible saving grace for the company. While the technology may never be perfect for gaming, it could have real uses in other markets. From remote surgery to all the cool science/math/building stuff Iron Man does, there is hope for the tech in different sectors. 

Next year will be the 5th anniversary of Leap Motion and their Orion technology. They’ve raised nearly $100 million to date, including $50 million earlier this year and at least they have tangible technology to show for it, but we want more.

As they state on their website, “Hands are the original universal interface.” If they can live up to their lofty potential, Leap Motion could be the thing that brings VR to the next level. But if they want to succeed, they better hurry. Companies like Oculus and now Magic Leap are constantly coming out with more and more groundbreaking technology, it won’t be long before Leap Motion is squeezed out of the equation.