One of the many problems when trying virtual reality (VR) is motion sickness, this is mostly due to your brain realising it’s physically moving in a space but your body is not. One of the ways to combat this horrible feeling is by being in a motion simulator. The price of high-end VR is already expensive, but if you really want to take yourself to the next level and avoid motion sickness getting a Yaw VR might be the solution. VRFocus recently spoke to Founder Zslot Szigetlaki about Yaw VR.
When VRFocus spoke to Szigetlaki it was at the CES 2018, and they were busy with their Kickstarter. Since the video, they have secured $219,281 having added a $200,000 stretch goal to its campaign, giving the standard edition a custom colour and the Yaw VR Pro back and headrest support. The Yaw VR motion simulator is a compact device designed to make virtual reality (VR) videogames even more immersive by twisting and rotating players. Supporting headsets like Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, Yaw VR is perfect for those situations where space is at a premium, with the entire device folding away into a neat storage solution – as the GIF above demonstrates – with a diameter of 29 inches and a height of 15 inches when folded, weighting in at just 33 lbs.
There are two different occasions you may want to purchase a Yaw VR for. The first is for hardcore VR enthusiasts who might have some extra cash to spend $900 on a 15kg lightweight Yaw VR for at home. The second more professional Yaw VR is meant for out-of-home entertainment use cases such as VR arcades, for $2,000-$3,000. Szigetlaki explains that he started Yaw VR due to the lack of affordable motion simulators. “We like virtual reality and just realised there is no solution for simulation of motion in VR, or you have to spend a lot of money and cannot use at home because they’re huge and really heavy. There’s nothing on the market.”
When trying out the Yaw VR it felt very similar to the 4D rides you would go on when at an amusement park. The VR experience would have to be perfectly suited to the VR experience, so you would need to be inside a car, cockpit or spaceship in order for it to make sense to be physically sitting down during the experience. This would be a great, portable and affordable way to introduce VR to consumers at events or out-of-home locations such as arcades. Especially if they’re prone to being nauseous. However it can be a great way of travelling through space or racing on a track rather than buying a really expensive racing chair.
Szigetlaki will start delivering in August, for professional users a little bit sooner. To find out more watch the video below.