Hand-held controllers for virtual reality system

1. A hand-held controller for a virtual reality system, the hand-held controller comprising:

a user-input surface comprising a first user-input key;

a grip coupled to the user-input surface;

a cage having a ring shape that is coupled to the user-input surface at two points without the grip interposed therebetween; and

a plurality of illumination sources on an outer surface of the ring shape of the cage.

2. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein the grip is integrally formed with the user-input surface.

3. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein the grip is slanted at an angle with respect to the user-input surface.

4. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , further comprising a structural web coupling the cage to the user-input surface.

5. The hand-held controller of claim 4 , further comprising a second user-input key mounted at least in part on the structural web.

6. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of illumination sources comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

7. The hand-held controller of claim 6 , further comprising a power source to supply power to the user-input surface and the plurality of LEDs.

8. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of illumination sources comprises a plurality of passive reflectors.

9. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein the first user-input key is selected from the group consisting of a thumbstick, a button, a trigger, and a directional pad.

10. The hand-held controller of claim 9 , wherein the first user-input key is a button selected from the group consisting of an A or X button, a B or Y button, a start button, a back button, a forward button, and a home button.

11. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein:

the user-input surface comprises a plurality of user-input keys including the first user-input key; and

respective user-input keys of the plurality of user-input keys are selected from a group consisting of a thumbstick, a button, a trigger, and a directional pad.

12. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , further comprising a trigger mounted on the grip at a position configured to be actuated by a middle finger of a user.

13. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the plurality of illumination sources are positioned to be visible to a forward-looking camera on a head-mounted display worn by a user when the user holds the grip in a neutral position.

14. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the plurality of illumination sources are positioned to face away from a user when the user holds the grip in a neutral position.

15. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein the cage is configured to be positioned above a user's hand when the user holds the grip in a neutral position.

16. The hand-held controller of claim 15 , wherein the user-input surface forms an inner front surface of the cage.

17. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein:

the user-input surface comprises a plurality of user-input keys including the first user-input key; and

the user-input surface is a touch-sensitive surface partitioned into a plurality of sections, each section corresponding to a respective user-input key of the plurality of user-input keys and including at least one touch sensor to detect a touch on the corresponding section.

18. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein the cage is detachably coupled to at least one of the user-input surface and the grip.

19. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein the cage comprises an over-molded rubber material or a hard plastic.

20. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein:

the ring shape is continuously curved;

the two points include a first point and a second point;

a first end and a second end of the cage are respectively coupled to the user-input surface at the first and second points; and

the grip is coupled to the user-input surface midway between the first point and the second point on a circumference of the user-input surface.

21. A hand-held controller for a virtual reality system, the hand-held controller comprising:

a body comprising:

a touch-sensitive user-input surface partitioned into a plurality of sections, each section corresponding to at least one user-input function; and

a grip coupled to the touch-sensitive user-input surface and slanted at a predetermined angle in a vertical direction from the touch sensitive user input surface;

a cage having a ring shape that is coupled to the touch-sensitive user-input surface at two points without the grip interposed therebetween;

a plurality of illumination sources on an outer surface of the ring shape of the cage;

a structural web coupling the cage to the body; and

a power source configured to supply power to the body and cage.