This article was published on August 12, 2013

Three weeks after launch, Leap Motion apps have been downloaded 1m times, the SDK 25k times


Three weeks after launch, Leap Motion apps have been downloaded 1m times, the SDK 25k times

Leap Motion revealed today that its users have downloaded apps for its controller more than 1 million times. This comes just three weeks after the company began shipping its 3D gesture controller to excited customers. The device has certainly become a hot item with developers, with its SDK also being downloaded more than 25,000 times.

To showcase its passionate user and developer base, Leap Motion shared that it has added 13 new apps to its Airspace app store — a 15 percent expansion since launch. So what are the top rated apps users are downloading? According to the company:

  • BetterTouchTool – Configure gestures to control your Mac
  • Dropchord – A music-driven score challenge game with mesmerizing visuals and an original electronic soundtrack
  • GameWAVE – Completely control keyboard and mouse-based video games with the Leap Motion Controller
  • Cyber Science – Motion – Explore spatial relationships of human anatomy with Dissection and Assembly modes
  • Geco MIDI – Use hand movements to create music with MIDI-capable software or hardware

For all intents and purposes, things seem to be going swimmingly for the company and that makes CEO and co-founder Michael Buckwald pretty happy:

We’re providing developers and users a powerful platform for creating, playing, exploring, and learning, and it’s thrilling to see people around the world take their first leap with our technology.

We’re already seeing musicians, doctors, teachers, artists, students, and gamers find creative and practical uses for their Leap Motion Controllers, and we’re just getting started.

Leap Motion seeks to create a whole new way to interact with your computer, relying on hand gestures (a la Minority Report) instead of your mouse and keyboard. The company has been working on tapping into the developer ecosystem to help grow the number of apps and services it integrates with — clearly to bolster its chances of mass adoption. Let’s face it, if you’re looking to transform the way people control their screens, it’s going to need to have programs to support it.

During its development beta period, the Controller was being shuffled to hackathons like Evernote and others and even opened up a developer portal that had 50,000 people sign up.

The Controller costs $79.99 and can be purchased both online and Best Buy (at least in the US).

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