China-based company KAT VR have announced a new product in the form of the KAT Walk Mini, a smaller omni-directional treadmill designed for use with virtual reality (VR) titles.
The company is known for their successful Kickstarter and release of the KAT Walk, their first omni-directional treadmill. The design of the KAT Walk was to allow a user to have complete freedom with a 360-degree field of continuous movement within a space space. Rather then having a ring around the waist that would restrict the users movement to keep them inside the product area, the KAT Walk had a suspended harness that would hold them up in place, without the risk of falling over. This also meant that users where able to move with more ease and even lean, crouch, turn and even run with more freedom.
Now with the announcement of the KAT Walk Mini, users will be able to experience a similar product all within a smaller, more compact product. The KAT Walk Mini also replaced the old wireless foot sensors with a laser sensor array built into the base plate of the device, allowing for a faster response time providing lower latency. Likewise the overhead suspended harness is gone and now released with a guide bar system that provides with the turning of the user allowing for less strain and more freedom in movement.
The Kickstarter campaign for the KAT Walk was successful in raising over $150,000 (USD) back in 2015 and now the company aims to do the same again with the KAT Walk Mini. Though no set date or further details have been released the company plan to take the KAT Walk Mini to Kickstarter once again to offer the product up to willing backers. With the KAT Walk having expanded its library of compatible titles a few months ago, the hope is that the KAT Walk Mini will support the same if not more VR titles on release. For now, KAT VR are being very quiet about the details until they launch the Kickstarter.
VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on the KAT Walk Mini in the future so stay tuned for more.