What you need to know
- Logitech MX Ink is a 6DoF mixed reality stylus shipping for $129 at Meta Connect 2024.
- The pen works both for drawing in 2D on an “MX Mat” and for designing a room scale layout in 3D.
- It comes with the mat, an “inkwell” for charging, and a spare nib.
3D design is a popular use case for virtual or mixed reality, but you typically have to use a bulky controller or your hands to design in XR. The Logitech MX Ink Stylus for Meta Quest 3 and 2 will change that and give you a more reliable controller for the most popular artistic VR applications.
Announced on Monday, the Logitech MX Ink is described as having a “familiar pen-like feel, a pressure-sensitive tip, and a main button” that “lets you draw, grip, and manipulate in MR.”
MX Ink “seamlessly transitions from 2D to 3D spaces,” says Logitech AR/VR head Vadim Kogan, with “the tracking precision Meta Quest users expect in MR.” Logitech and Meta collaborated on the development of the pen to ensure it would work with both the Mission 2 and Mission 3 – although not the focus on productivity Search Prosurprisingly.
Logitech says it’s “the first time the Meta Quest headset supports more than two controllers paired at once.” Once you pair the pen, you can release the touch controllers to draw and take notes without having to switch inputs.
Starting at $129, the Logitech MX Ink will have two optional accessories. MX Mat is a “frictionless drawing environment” that you can basically use as a real-world canvas while painting in VR. And the MX Inkwell is a charging dock to store and recharge your pen, although you can always use a simple USB-C cable.
Logitech says Logitech MX Ink will ship Connection Goal 2024 on September 25. Meta is expected to announce the Mission 3S at the event, and Logitech says the MX Ink will work with “future headsets.”
Once released, MX Ink will work with the most popular XR art apps on Quest:
- Adobe Substance Modeler
- Gravity sketch
- PaintingVR
- Arkio
- Engage
- open brush
- GestureVR
- FormsXR
- Elucis by RealizeMedical
Logitech’s announcement encourages “developers interested in integrating MX Ink with their apps” to use their GitHub page or request a development kit, so I’m guessing this list will grow before September hits.
Before this announcement, we would not have imagined that Meta Quest would be the first virtual reality headset with stylus controller support. Even though Apple has its Pencil (2nd generation) and Pencil Pro available for iPads, it hasn’t yet brought stylus support to the Apple Vision Pro. Those developer-focused headphones would certainly benefit from more precise control options.
Compared to an Apple Pencil, the Logitech MX Ink has similar benefits like haptic feedback and a double-tap feature, but it weighs about 8g more and is significantly thicker. We assume this can be attributed to the 6DoF tracking sensors.