Leap Motion to launch exclusively at Best Buy

Pre-orders for Motion Controller will begin in February

Fresh off its deal with Asus to bring its motion controller to more consumers by automatically bundling the controllers with laptops and PCs, Leap Motion has signed another partnership to distribute its still unreleased motion controller.

Leap Motion will launch its Leap Motion Controller exclusively in all U.S. Best Buy stores and online at BestBuy.com this spring, it was announced Wednesday. Beginning in February the Leap Motion controller will be available for pre-order online at BestBuy.com.

The Leap Motion controller will be able to track movements to 1/100th of a millimeter  with no visible lag time. It will have a 150-degree field of view, and will track individual hands, and all 10 fingers, at 290 frames per second. The Leap Motion controller measures approximately three inches long, one inch wide and 1/2 inch thick.

"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 COO Andy Miller said in statement. "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."

"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, said in statement. "We are excited to bring this innovative product exclusively to our customers."

Earlier this month, Leap Motion entered into a partnership with consumer notebook vendor Asus to bundle Leap Motion's 3-D motion-control technology into new high-end notebooks and premium All-in-One PCs later this year. The OEM partnership with Asus is the first of its kind for Leap Motion.

In addition to being available at BestBuy and being bundled with Asus computers, the motion controller is also  currently available for pre-order for $69.99, plus shipping, on Leap Motion's website.

Since revealing its technology and controller in May 2012, Leap Motion says that over 40,000 developers have requested its developer units since May 2012. The company has sent over 12,000 free units to developers around the globe. 

San Francisco-based Leap Motion was founded in 2010 by Michael Buckwald and David Holz. It is a motion-control software and hardware company that is developing 3-D motion-control and motion-sensing technology. 

The company has raised to over $44 million/ In 2011, when the startup was known as OcuSpec, it raised $1.3 million from Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, SOSventures International and a number of angel investors. It then raised a $12.75 million Series A round of funding led by Highland Capital Partners in May 2012.

Earlier this month, the company raised a $30 million Series B from existing investors. 

Leap Motion could not be reached for comment.

(Image source: https://leapmotion.com/product)