Roomscale virtual reality (VR) is great for immersion but not everyone has that amount of space to move around it. KAT VR, a specialist in omnidirectional treadmills knows this, revealing plans earlier this month for a crowd-funded consumer-focused device called KAT Walk C. Today the company has announced further details on its Kickstarter campaign.
While KAT VR’s previous devices have been larger units designed more for VR arcades than home use, KAT Walk C will be as compact and price friendly as possible for consumer adoption.
The Kickstarter campaign will begin this Sunday, 21st June at 3pm BST/7am PST/10am EST. It’ll be a 40 day campaign aiming to reach a funding goal of $100,000 USD. As is customary with these sorts of projects, KAT VR will be offering several limited-run early bird tiers which look like this:
- Quantity-Limited – Super KATer Extra Early Bird – $699 + Delivery
- Quantity-Limited – Extra Early-Bird – $799 + Delivery
- Quantity-Limited – Early-Bird – $899 + Delivery
- Unlimited – Special Kickstarter Offer – $999 + Delivery
There will also be unit and delivery discounts for multiple quantity purchases.
KAT Walk C is a full-body locomotion system providing players with 0.69m2 of walking space. A harness system keeps you in place and upright whilst still enabling 360-degree movement, from turning around to crouching down. The treadmill can only be used in conjunction with dedicated footwear (included) which allows for a smooth, natural walking gait.
Most importantly, KAT Walk C will support most major headsets such as Oculus Rift S, Oculus Quest (via Oculus Link), HTC Vive, Pimax, Windows Mixed Reality and PlayStation VR (via an additional adapter). Owners will also gain access to KAT Gateway, KAT Walk C’s control panel. Available through a desktop PC or in VR, the software enables users to adjust the treadmills parameters to suit their requirements.
As KAT VR isn’t new to this field – its first Kickstarter campaign was in 2015 – the project offers a promising step towards a compact motion system thanks to the company’s track record. If the campaign is successful the first KAT Walk C units will begin shipping in early October. For further updates on KAT Walk C once the Kickstarter begins, keep reading VRFocus.