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Known for kickstarting its original Kat Walk VR treadmill in 2015, Kat VR returned to the crowdfunding platform last month to launch the second generation of its ‘Kat Walk C’ VR treadmill, which again promises to appeal to at-home consumers. Having reached its initial funding goal in the first five minutes of launch, Kat VR went on to rack up over $2 million in crowdfunding before close of the campaign.
KatVR recently ended its latest VR treadmill Kickstarter with $2,116,680, garnered from 1,411 backers. The studio says in a recent update that they’re “on the right tracks to begin the shipping according to our original schedule and ship out the first units starting from June of 2022.”
“Due to a large number of supporters, we may not be able to ship out all the units of C2 and C2+ at the same time, but we’ve put very heavy efforts into achieving a high production capacity and can promise to you that everyone who supported us on the Kickstarter will receive the rewards soon,” the studio says in the update.
In the meantime, the company is continuing pre-sale through its own website, pricing units starting at $1,098, which is $100 more than the unlimited tier offered through the Kickstarter before its close last week. The original article follows below:
KatVR has surpassed $1 million, and is now currently boasting $1.2 million garnered with 23 days left in the campaign. At the moment, this puts the new campaign around 72.3 percent of the way to matching the company’s Kat Walk C Kickstarter from 2020, which secured $1.66 million over the course of 30 days. Considering the original Kat Walk C hit the $1 million mark in under 24 hours, this could suggest the new campaign is slightly behind, although not by much.
Now over the $1 million mark, the campaign has also unlocked a few stretch goals, including magnetic cable connections at the $500,000 mark, and now “10+ demo games” that are guaranteed to work with Kat Walk C2. Additionally, Kat VR says in an update its creating an “open developer platform” for the device, which it will publish so devs can add native Kat Walk support to their games.
Kat VR has a reason to celebrate, as the KAT Walk C2 campaign blasted past its $300,000 goal in the first five minutes of going live on Saturday. At the time of this writing, the campaign has currently garnered around $930,000.
This, Kat VR says in an update, has also unlocked the first stretch goal, which includes magnetic cable connections instead of standard plug-in style cables. Stretch goals unlock at $1 million increments, which illustrates just how high the team’s hopes are that the campaign can continue its meteoric momentum.
Currently only the unlimited $998 tier is available, as early bird pricing has been completely snapped up. You can check out the Kat Walk C2 Kickstarter here to follow along.
Original Article (May 11th, 2022): Like the KAT Walk C, which launched on Kickstarter back in 2020, the so-called Kat Walk C2 lets users walk in place via a low-friction parabola and some slippy footwear. The newer model is said to include the ability to let users to run, jump, crouch, tilt from side-to-side, and lean forward; Kat VR also says it’s improved foot tracking in the C2 model, as well as the quality of its shoes.
There’s a number of early bird pricing tiers for project supporters (see below), however an unlimited tier for latecomers is set at $998. While you might think that’s not exactly a consumer price point, larger enterprise models such as the Virtuix Omni One and the original Kat Walk can retail in the multiple thousands of dollars and weigh at least 226 kg (500 lbs). The Kat Walk C2 series is said to weigh around 54 kg (120 lbs).
Image courtesy KAT VR
Like previous models, the company says users will able able to play free locomotion VR games using PC VR and PSVR, and also Quest via Link or Air Link.
Here’s a look at the pricing tiers coming to the Kickstarter on May 14th, all of which will be available in limited quantities:
C2: Super KATer Extra Early Bird – $698 + Delivery
C2: Extra Early-Bird – $798 + Delivery
C2: Early-Bird – $898 + Delivery
C2: Special Kickstarter Offer – $998 + Delivery
The company is also producing a ‘C2 Plus’ model, which includes haptic feedback integrated into the treadmill’s base and the ability to sit down. That is being sold as an add-on priced at $200 across all tiers above, making the unlimited tier $1,198.
Kat VR says the first units of Kat Walk C 2 are expected to be shipped out as early as in July of 2022.
Crowdfunding — a process that involves the generation of funds for a business or project idea from a group of supporters, as opposed to one or two giant investors — has a history that dates back as far as the late 90s. However, within the last decade, crowdfunding has become a popular way for charities, startups and researchers to democratise fundraising via the internet. When crowdfunding projects are successful, new projects are given the opportunity to launch. Notable examples of popular crowdfunding platforms include Kickstarter, SeedInvest Technology, Mightycause, GoFundMe, Indiegogo and Patreon.
However, the traditional model of crowdfunding is still, in many ways, deeply flawed. Many platforms subject users and creators to steep processing fees, which take away from total amounts of generated funds. Success rates also vary between platforms — according to Kickstarter’s statistics, 78% of campaigns that raise 20% of their goal will see themselves become fully funded — whereas 11% of recorded projects will often finish without seeing a single penny. According to another study, a reported 22.9% of all traditional crowdfunding operations — which is fewer than a quarter — actually end up being successful.
Tokenised crowdfunding, which is fully operated on blockchain technology, is becoming a preferred strategy for companies, communities, entrepreneurs, researchers and other entities to collectively raise capital for a particular cause — whether it be for charity, gaming, scientific research or other objectives. This is largely due to the various advantages it entails through decentralisation — such as greater transparency, better security and faster transactions. DAOs (Decentralised Autonomous Organisations) are also now playing a vital role in this ecosystem, offering new ways for groups to execute agreed-upon decisions using smart contracts.
Here, we’ve put together a guide on the benefits of crowdfunding with tokens — including a rundown on the most popular types of token standards and models currently used for crowdfunding, highlights of how blockchain technology is improving traditional funding processes and examples of industries that are seeing their reliance on funding made easier by DAOs, NFTs and other Web3 technologies.
Popular token standards and fundraising models
The popularity of crowdfunding with tokens has been largely attributed to the Ethereum blockchain — particularly due to the ease that Ethereum provides in the creation of new coins. Serving as the foundation for an open-source software platform, the Ethereum blockchain allows programmers to create and distribute peer-to-peer programs (dApps).
ERC-20 tokens — a special type of smart contract — are crypto-based assets that have been constructed for crowdfunding strategies on top of the Ethereum network. ERC-20 is the token standard of the Ethereum blockchain and it has become the most popular in the crypto world, accumulating 70% of the total tokens in use. As such, this makes it both the easiest token to find and the most attractive to investors.
Some of the primary factors that differentiate ERC-20 tokens from their competitors include:
The simple deployment process associated with the Ethereum blockchain, which makes the tokens easy to understand
Their design: the ERC-20 token standard is made to address major issues with a wide number of handled tokens
Thanks to its widespread appeal and popularity amongst investors, it is the first widely-used specification for standardising Ethereum tokens
In more recent years, we’ve also seen the emergence of the ERC-721 Token Standard — also more commonly known as the Non-Fungible Token (NFT) standard. Unlike ERC-20 tokens, which are fungible, the ERC-721 standard introduces a token that is unique and non-fungible — serving as a digital certificate that is encrypted and verifiable on the Ethereum blockchain.
Now a highly popular technology trend, an increasing number of companies have started looking to NFTs as a way to raise funds. The technology allows for the authenticated transfer of ownership of a unique asset on the blockchain, making them valuable through their scarcity and novelty. The adaptability of NFTs has also made them useful for leveraging in cases of fundraising — as not only can just about anything can be made into an NFT, but additional utility can also be attached to increase their value.
Let’s also take a look at some of the two popular fundraising models that make use of tokens:
Initial Coin Offering (ICO)
The most well-known option for the launch of new tokens, Initial Coin Offering (or ICO) is a method used by businesses and startups to raise investments by issuing cryptocurrency. Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) are similar to Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) in the traditional market. However, unlike the harsh regulatory processes associated with filing a traditional IPO, ICOs allow companies to fund their development and raise capital with the use of tokens.
Rather than selling equity with an IPO or turning to alternative funding methods, businesses can instead build their own blockchain and issue their own tokens. Investors can then purchase said tokens on the company’s platform, allowing them to buy into their products or services. Also, rather than giving buyers traditional equity (ownership shares of a business), the tokens — which usually (though not always) follow the ERC-20 standard and function on the Ethereum blockchain — are sold as having future utility on the blockchain that they fund.
Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (DAO)
Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (or DAO) is the term used to describe a group of people who form an organisation without the presence of a central authority dictating any of the rules and regulations. Instead, DAOs are governed by a smart contract — which defines the group’s rules and holds the organisation’s treasury. Once the contract goes live on the Ethereum blockchain, the rules cannot be changed unless the community votes.
Each DAO will have a different goal — whether it be a single purpose or part of a bigger project. At its core, a DAO is a community formed around a singular idea that each member believes is worth investing in.
Those who want to participate in a DAO will also need to have a “native” token for their designated project. For example, the AssangeDAO fundraising campaign (which has been raised to help WikiLeaks creator Julian Assange’s legal defence) utilises the “Justice” token. In other cases, DAOs can run more like members-only clubs — where members must buy an NFT to access the community.
The power that each person holds in a DAO is also largely dependent on the number of tokens they own. In the case that a funding campaign is successful, the price of the token increases — meaning that members can even make money from joining these types of crowdfunding campaigns.
Both investors and crypto communities believe that DAOs are the “next big trend” in crypto crowdfunding — even billionaire Mark Cuban has called them “the ultimate combination of capitalism and progressivism.”
How does blockchain improve crowdfunding processes?
Blockchain is steadily changing the game for raising capital, allowing project owners to enable funding at more competitive rates. Due to the elimination of intermediaries, projects can be executed more quickly and access to low-cost funds is much easier to reach. Also, due to Ethereum’s open-ended, smart contract protocol, developers are able to create new derivative tokens and platforms with greater ease and security.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the benefits offered by tokenisation in the crowdfunding landscape — especially when compared to more traditional models:
Smart contracts
Smart contracts allow participants to identify both ends of a transaction, therefore decreasing the probability of fraud. Also, given that they don’t require intermediaries, smart contracts are much faster than typical fund transfers — making them highly useful in cases where tight deadlines must be met.
Blockchain technology is also helpful in building more transparent communication between two parties — for instance, in a DAO, contracts are highly visible, verifiable and publicly auditable — meaning that every member can understand how their organisation operates at every step.
Cost-efficiency
When it comes to popular crowdfunding platforms, users and creators are often at the mercy of standard fees and payment processing fees. Kickstarter, which we’ll again use as an example, charges a 5% standard fee and a processing fee of 3% to 5 % to US-based users. GoFundMe, another popular crowdfunding platform for charity causes and individual creators, deducts 2.2% + $0.30 USD per donation as a standardised transaction fee.
Conversely, the decentralised nature of blockchain is a huge asset in making crowdfunding more cost-efficient. Given that intermediaries or third parties are eliminated from financial transactions, crowdfunding is made much more affordable.
Startups are often burdened with a lack of costs — an issue that can prevent new companies from being able to form their own marketing departments or hire the right staff to raise capital. Conversely, crowdfunding with tokens presents a way for startups to become employee-owned companies — a process that can allow them to turn their tokens into internal currency and form a decentralised community without experiencing losses.
Better transparency and security
Unlike seed funding projects — which are often highly secretive throughout their funding trajectory — blockchain technology is comparatively more transparent. When an organisation decides to file an IPO in the traditional market, only a small amount of information becomes available in the public domain. However, crowdfunding with tokens offers a more transparent system, where every transaction can be stored and made visible on the blockchain using smart contracts.
Blockchain also offers an extra layer of security. With tokenised crowdfunding, smart contracts can transfer funds to a company only when a milestone has been designated, eliminating the possibility of fraud. After funding an initiative, investors are usually provided with tokens — giving them a form of ownership that can also thwart fraudulent creators.
Greater accessibility
IPOs in the traditional market come with several regulations — but the good thing about crypto tokens is that they can be sold globally and are equated to the sale of digital keys. Also, while only 3% of the US adult population meets the $1 million net worth required to invest in an IPO, there are no restrictions in ICO or other tokenised fundraising models — anyone can purchase tokens, regardless of their net worth.
Crypto tokens can also be sold globally to all investors — meaning that anyone can participate in crowdfunding initiatives, regardless of their geographic location.
Which sectors are transforming through tokenisation and DAOs?
When it comes to participatory investing via crowdfunding platforms, one of the biggest drivers of this model’s success is that it has eliminated the requirement for any type of investor to gain approval from big corporations. Put simply, this has made investing more accessible to everyone.
It’s also given a platform to investors or companies that were previously barred from the investment industry. This, in turn, has empowered contributors that are much more diverse and representative of our greater society. Within the last decade, we’ve seen a massive proliferation in funding opportunities for varying types of companies, causes and communities across the globe.
While crypto crowdfunding follows this same logic, it also comes with additional benefits — such as fairer, more democratic reward systems and solutions that are far more secure and profitable. Diversity is good for business — and by avoiding the big gatekeepers, DAOs and NFT projects have started fostering a limitless range of ideas and innovations.
Let’s now take a look at some examples of where tokens, DAOs and other forms of Web3 technology are changing various industry landscapes.
Community
At its core, crowdfunding is a community-driven effort — making it ideally aligned with blockchain and decentralised ledger technologies. The peer-to-peer framework that comes with blockchain technology enables the development of community-based platforms — which are, in many ways, a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Crowdfunding has also shown us the propensity with which communities can collectively raise large sums in short periods of time. In 2017, the ICO fundraising model gained significant traction when Filecoin, a blockchain-based data storage network, raised more than $257 million in tokens within a mere 30 minutes. In the same year, decentralised open-source blockchain Tezos raised roughly $156 million in tokens from an online crowd sale.
Mirror.xyz, a decentralised publishing platform, is a notable example of a tokenised crowdfunding model that is leveraging NFT technology — in this case, to help writers monetise their work. To raise funds, writers can turn their work into NFTs — which can then be sold to auctions or publications. This model also allows writers to crowdfund their projects, where readers can get a cut of a story’s profits once it reaches completion. Decentralised music streaming platform Audius has also been widely praised by industry professionals for allowing musicians to crowdfund their albums or album art through the sale of NFTs.
DAOs have also emerged as a disruptive force in the blockchain ecosystem, displaying how governance can be community-driven and managed through permissionless smart contracts. Within the last year, DAOs have become an increasingly popular way for communities to fund a myriad of objectives.
Juicebox, which has been dubbed a “decentralised Kickstarter”, is a rising crowdfunding platform that allows DAO projects to raise funding from communities — all with the power of public smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain. Juicebox’s goal is to transform the traditional crowdfunding model, making the process of building a treasury and issuing tokens to a community for a decentralised project much easier. Even Kickstarter has recently announced that it will be building a blockchain-based version of its platform to compete with the rising number of DAOs, opting to utilise the Celo token (due to its “carbon negative blockchain platform”).
While ConstitutionDAO didn’t achieve its goal of purchasing a copy of the U.S. Constitution, what’s notable is that the group was able to accomplish what it did solely based on the community’s contributions (and all without the backing of a larger marketing team or growth director). The rules established by the group also enabled members to receive a refund of their investment.
Another example of innovative crowdfunding we can observe is the DoGood Crypto project, which was founded by Randy McEwen — a philanthropic pastor with over 30 years of experience in non-profit and charitable organisations. With DoGood, McEwen’s goal is to utilise a deflationary token (called the Do Token) and launch a community of “do-gooders”, all while also functioning as both a DAO and a crowdfunding platform.
Following the biblical principle of having “all things in common”, the DAO includes a voluntary tax system on all buy and sell orders of the group’s native token. 70% of the Do Token’s taxes automatically go back to the community, where it is distributed to all token holders proportional to their previous amounts — while 18% of taxes are allocated towards the platform’s charity fund. Also, members looking to donate funds simply just need to participate in the platform’s DAO and vote for charitable causes.
In all, these models are currently showcasing the potential for communities to donate towards causes in a more affordable, convenient and hassle-free way — utilising inventive tokenomics and taxenomics to leverage easier crowdfunding. Due to their evident success thus far, it is likely that we will see more crowdfunding efforts transpire through DAOs over time.
Venture capital (VC) funding
As we continue to see the growth of DeFi, NFTs and tokens, a growing list of venture-backed startups are looking to leverage DAOs with different types of blockchain dependencies across the corporate landscape. This is helping founders dodge regulatory barriers, instead allowing them to rely on the power of smart contracts and tokens.
While the concept of democratising capital is obviously not new, this decentralised approach to funding is enabling more groups to raise funds without needing to rely on the approval of a large VC. This concept alone is already making DAOs a highly effective alternative to VC firms.
Syndicate DAO, a decentralised investment protocol, is one such example of a group that is looking to streamline capital and make the process of pooling money and investing in a project remarkably easy. Syndicate creates investment DAO templates for anyone to use to form investment clubs — a concept that essentially allows DAOs to be created within minutes with the use of an Ethereum wallet.
“At the end of the day, DAOs are a collective technology as opposed to an individual one,” Will Papper, co-founder of Syndicate, recently told TechCrunch in a recent interview. “DAOs are kind of the next evolution of the corporation because they encode both voice and exit into their foundations.”
SushiSwap, which is both a DAO and a decentralised exchange, is an example of a group that recently brought the traditional VC funding model to the battleground. With around 60,000 token holders, SushiSwap was selected by VCs hoping to invest in the project. However, with no centralised entity in place, this led to the first (and likely not the last) time that VCs needed to win over a vast crypto community.
It also appears that early investors in the space are already cropping up. Layer3, a crypto startup offering tools to DAOs, recently closed a seed funding round of $2.5 million — an effort which was led by a team of traditional venture capitalists and angel investors. Some VCs have even recently become DAOs, such as Stacker Ventures.
In all, Web3 technology is allowing for trusted transactions to take place without the need to trust those involved — while DAOs are also allowing startups to raise money without the need for third parties. As DAOs become more popular and more VCs look towards a more decentralised future, it’s widely believed that they will offer the most significant change in how venture capital (VC) funds operate in Web3.
Ali Yahya, GP of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (or a16z) has commented on the sheer power behind the DAO concept: “The fact that a DAO is just a software that can be spun up with the click of a button … but can catalyse thousands or tens of thousands of people — eventually we expect millions of people or larger numbers — that all put together capital and put together ideas to work together for some common goal … we see that as almost the purest vision of what Web3 and crypto are all about.”
Gaming
One of the most conventional forms of fundraising through the purchase of tokens or NFTs can be seen within the Web3 videogame industry. Many developers and publishers are expanding their business models into this new form of financial backing. Where we would have seen, in the Web2 era of the internet, a developer may establish a Kickstarter or similar crowdfunding project, this always created a ‘middle-man’ to whom fees must be paid.
With the advent of blockchain technology, we can now see games being launched directly to the public using a similar briefing method but then financed by the selling of tokens or NFTs (which can be used in-game), which ensures all funds reach the creating team, often transcending currency exchanges due to the use of cryptocurrency.
Of course, this system offers a level of risk to the consumer – you must first believe in the project, but more importantly, you must believe in the creator and their intentions. If a developer abandoned their Kickstarter project, there was a chance you could recoup your investment, however, with tokens and NFTs, that investment is a lot more unstable.
Many Web3 games have begun in this way. Everything from DeFi Kingdoms to Aavegotchi began life with community members rallying around an idea for a game, buying and staking tokens, which become liquid assets for the developers to use to build the game and pay overheads. Once the game then launches, the holding of tokens or NFTs bestows exclusive in-game items, skills or characters to the player.
If we focus on DeFi Kingdoms, we can see how players and users invested in the game. DeFi Kingdoms was formally announced on Medium, September 3rd 2021 – though it had been playable for a few months prior – with the document stating “DeFi Kingdoms is a game, a DEX, a liquidity pool opportunity, a market of rare utility-driven NFTs”. Over the following months, the development team began updating the potential player base regularly, detailing how the game was being made and what gameplay mechanics would be implemented.
It didn’t take long for the community to rally around the game’s concept and begin investing in $JEWEL, the game’s native governance token. You can see that as the game began ramping up production in the tail-end of 2021 and the game gained more traction online, the purchase of $JEWEL went crazy, reaching a peak price of $22.33USD on 5th January 2022.
Charting the rise and fall of $JEWEL
These tokens further benefit the players by enrolling them into a DAO, where community members can vote on upcoming additions to the game, or have a say in the direct development. While it’s clear to see the benefits of fundraising and community support through tokens in the entertainment industry, this method of community backing is now entering into further industries.
Further funding
Funding operates differently across all industries and, as we’ve been exploring here, the advent of Web3 technologies is vastly shifting the investment landscape. In one particular industry, the reliance on funding is paramount to momentum, yet it seems archaically stuck in the past. Whenever a scientific research group wants to create and analyse, they must write a proposal, which then moves through authoritative channels to seek the finances.
Often these proposals are given funding through government grants which are backed by the taxes paid by society. With so many research topics, so many governing bodies and only so much money, a bottleneck is created. Not just a bottleneck, in the US this also becomes a monopoly for pharmaceutical firms looking to turn a profit.
Important research passes through several stages to reach public consumption:
Many times, these research breakthroughs won’t even reach manufacturing stages if profit-driven companies see no margin for business. Researchers will provide the same proposal and proof of concept, though rather than passing through trials and then onto the public, the discoveries and improvements will languish in a gulf researchers colloquially call the ‘valley of death’. Projects that happen to fall into the valley will likely never see the light of day simply because there is no profit in the improvements or patents, and this happens frequently to universities across the world.
Not only do many of these patents fall through the cracks, or in the worst case scenarios, pass, but gouge the public for prescription costs; the proposals which never even receive funding end up wasting the time of researchers. A recent study showed that out of 3570 proposals reviewed by The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia, only 21% were funded. It’s estimated that, in Australia, researchers spent an average of 34 days working on a proposal. For a total of 3727 proposals, researchers spent a combined 550 years working on these documents, which translates to AU$66million in wages.
Much of that time and money is wasted, without the public even knowing that the research is being conducted.
Can VitaDAO solve or improve this situation?
As with other industries, blockchain technology is shaking up progress through the use of tokens and the establishment of DAOs. For those unaware of what a DAO is or can be, a DAO is a distributed governance system which is formed of like-minded community members. The DAOs rules and regulations are voted on through the holding of community tokens and all decisions are actualised by smart contracts, then recorded and stored on a blockchain.
A fraction of the scientific community are beginning to push towards funding through community tokens, establishing a DAO. This movement is currently named DeSci, though as with all Web3 concepts it could change to encompass arts, history and other humanities, removing the ‘sci’. A great example of this new DAO structure is seen with VitaDAO.
VitaDAO is aiming to create a shift in ownership of patents and innovation from the large pharmaceutical corporations, to communities of researchers and patients. This is being achieved by using their own token $VITA, which community members purchase and stake in the DAO in order to take part in governance voting.
Charting the growth spikes of $VITA
As you can see, the $VITA token pricing allows DAO membership accessible to many. Although it should always be noted that the more tokens you hold, the more votes you have to sway decisions.
Anyone can join VitaDAO and governance operates simply; proposals are made and funded by the finances within the DAO. This happens after passing the proposal through a committee of leading researchers, ensuring productivity and benefits from the proposed results. Once the proposal is made, the community votes on whether funding is released. Moving past this phase, any intellectual property or patents are owned by the DAO, developing a growing portfolio.
VitaDAO operation flow
Community is key
The community token powers everything within VitaDAO. Many of those working within the DAO or similar DeSci structures are large proponents of focusing on those who will end up using the patents when it reaches the public. An example often given is with insulin; Molecule marketplace – imagine an OpenSea but for open research projects requiring funding – is one such example. They say, in their Medium blog post, “Imagine a new insulin treatment funded, governed, and owned by diabetics.”
This example underlines everything within DeSci currently – an urgency to shift the power dynamics and extend the ‘creator economy’ so important to the age of Web3.
It all works simply; after visiting the VitaDAO website, you can connect your wallet and review a proposal. Once the proposal is open, you’ll read a summary, followed by a much more in-depth look at the ‘problem’, ‘opportunities’ and even ‘risks’ of the research. As long as you hold $VITA in your wallet, you can then vote For, Against, or Abstain from voting.
The beauty of using tokens on the blockchain is the full transparency of each proposal, plus the voting itself. Everything is laid out for all, from wallet addresses to how they voted individually. It even shows how much $VITA is held by each member of the DAO.
An example of the voting procedure for VitaDAO
Of course, not all projects fly through funding, though browsing the proposals, it seems all but one was passed in the history of the DAO. Constructs like VitaDAO show that not only do members of the scientific community want to take back control from those clutching the purse strings, but they also want to collaborate and work together more efficiently, something which is paramount to any DAO entering the market.
Away from VitaDAO, many academics are turning to token-based community funding in the hope of removing the bureaucracy and lengthy time it takes to craft proposals. Chris Ferrie decided to venture out on his own in order to raise funds for research into quantum systems and quantum engineered devices.
Ferrie took it upon himself to create his own token, $QUANTUM, which raised funds in Ethereum. Structured just like a Kickstarter project, Ferrie aimed to reach 3ETH (the total currently sits at 4.47ETH) which would be used to hire a research student who would work with him on the tasks. Ferrie was transparent with his goals stating that once the research was complete, the IP would be minted on the Zora network as an NFT, thereby making the research fully available to the public.
In Ferrie’s own words, he sees these opportunities as a ‘meta-experiment’ and poses the question, “What if research — that is often funded by the public anyway — was truly owned by the public?” He goes on to list his reasoning behind the experiment, citing “Funding bodies are large bureaucracies with archaic and opaque rules and selection procedures.” And also, “there are no places to request small grants for this kind of research.“
IP-NFTs
Let’s rotate back around to the above mentioned Molecule. Molecule is aiming to be an “open bazaar” creating a “system that could radically increase the diversity of treatments, and lower costs and time to market.” As with VitaDAO, Molecule aims to fully decentralise scientific breakthroughs, allowing for varied ownership. This is done via IP-NFTs, or Intellectual Property Non-Fungible Tokens.
In a first proof of concept, the first biopharma IP-NFT was transferred to VitaDAO to fund novel longevity therapeutics at the University of Copenhagen. It was purchased for the equivalent of $325,000 and included full legal IP.
The blockchain contract for the first biopharma IP-NFT
How does this work? The IP information is stored within the NFT contract itself. Using technology from Nevermined, the data is tokenised and locked away. Only upon purchasing can this information be utilised by the buying party. The reason for tokenising this data is to be able to fully liquidate the IP and place a monetary value on it, which could never be done previously when corporations were supplying funding. This value then becomes the liquid funding, usually paid by a DeSci DAO.
This also allows, through smart contracts, for the inventor of the patent or data to be rewarded with royalties if the IP-NFT is ever sold on.
A GIANT leap for decentralized research was made today
For the first time, real-world biopharma research and IP was transferred and funded on-chain as an NFT via @Molecule_to@Nevermined_io@vita_dao
A DAO now owns IP and funds biotech research at a leading lab…
Another major worry, inherent across the internet during its Web1 and Web2 phases, is the idea of permanence. So much of what has been written on the internet is subject to change or is easily editable by authors, or bad actors. As DeSci users enter into a new era of funding and public accessibility to data, a more secure and precise version of the internet could be the key to bringing everything together.
Enter, Arweave, a Web3 protocol attempting to establish an internet which would be forever permanent and resistant to editing, their colloquial term is ‘permaweb’. Why is this important? Well, Arweave is committed to upholding two central points; firstly, their protocol is hosted on the computers of everyday people, rather than in central servers. This means that if one computer goes down, the content is backed up elsewhere and delivered to the user. Why would people host this content? Well, money, of course. Miners would function as data hosts and be rewarded with funds from the stake holding community.
Secondly, due to blockchain security, the websites and apps being hosted cannot be edited or tampered with, because, much like with NFTs and crypto, fraudulent blocks won’t be processed. This benefits society directly because there’s less chance of spreading misinformation, but also, there could be little to no censorship as the content is hosted independently.
Arweave, much like VitaDAO and the Quantum project, is powered by community and businesses investing in their community token. In this case, $WIKI.
Summary
The changes to fundraising, when switched to blockchain enterprise, are vast. Not only are steep processing fees avoided – particularly if the blockchain used is built on Proof on Stake, where gas fees can be heavily reduced – but there’s more opportunity to give creator support or community control.
Financial backing has been radically overhauled in the era of Web3; supporters can join a DAO, where they can vote on upcoming changes to a variety of projects, such as music, art, movie-making or even scientific research. NFTs can be used as tokenised memberships or direct fundraising for charities using smart contracts.
Even the way cryptocurrency operates benefits fundraising projects by acting as a digital token currency which is unaffected by traditional fiat currency exchanges. This is just the beginning; as crypto and blockchains evolve over time, as well as the programming of smart contracts, we will likely see even more dynamic ways to show financial support where it’s needed.
SimulaVR, the startup behind its own open-source VR Linux distro, is creating a VR headset that aims to bring the full power of a PC to the standalone format. The company initially had plans to launch a Kickstarter last month, but has scuttled its crowdfunding campaign for direct-to-consumer sales.
Update (February 14th, 2022): SimulaVR has opened up preorder sales for its Simula One VR headset, ditching plans for its Kickstarter. The company says it doing so to save money on fees, which in turn is allowing them to pass on $100 price reduction for all versions of its headset.
The company says in a blogpost update that, given the number of people interested in the Kickstarter, it more realistically looks to assemble the required funds in 1-4 months, and is much less likely to do so under the 60-day cap Kickstarter places on projects. In addition to the $100 savings per-device, it’s also accepting $1,500 half-deposits to reserve headsets.
Here’s the new price breakdown:
Headset
Full Deposit Pre-Order Pricing (Early Bird Pricing)
Full Deposit Pre-Order Pricing
Partial Deposit Pre-Order Pricing
MSRP
Simula One
$2,499
$2,699
$1,499 + $1,499 = $2,998
$3,499
Simula One Tethered Edition[1]
$1,999
$1,999
$1,149 + $1,149 = $2,298
$2,499
Simula One Founders’ Edition[1]
$4,999
$4,999
N/A
$4,999
It’s important to note that Simula VR is making initial deposits are refundable only for one week after submission. They become non-refundable until headsets are delivered. Headsets are aimed to ship starting in Q4 2022, with the company guaranteeing all headsets shipped before end of 2023. Check out the preorder agreement here for more details.
The original article, including spec sheet, follows below:
Original Article (January 12th, 2022): It’s been about a month since we first learned about Simula One, a headset that’s squarely targeted at developers and people who want to use Linux natively on a virtual screen for work (re: not gamers or consumers). Now the company has released price and specs ahead of its Kickstarter campaign, which is slated to launch at some point this month.
Here’s are Simula One’s specs as they stand now:
Display: dual 2,448 x 2,448 per-eye LCDs at 90Hz, RGB stripe
Lenses: Triple-element non-Fresnel design
FOV: 100-degrees (estimated)
Sensors: Dual RGB cameras,
IPD range: 55 – 77 mm hardware adjustable
Ports: 1 USB4/Thunderbolt 4; 3-4 USB3.2 Gen 2 via USB-C with DisplayPort alt mode
All of that PC hardware will come at a price though. Simula One is set to cost $2,799 for Kickstarter customers, which will then go up to $3,500 MSRP after the campaign has finished. Early birds will be able to snap up a limited number of headsets priced at $2,499.
With the Kickstarter campaign, SimulaVR hopes to raise $2.5 million, something SimulaVR founder George Singer says is the base amount the project needs in order to break even. While the initial ask of $2.5 million is undoubtedly large, the startup has presented a pretty convincing cost breakdown alongside a defense we simply don’t hear enough with these sorts of ambitious projects:
“We’ve noticed that other campaigns will sometimes target very small fundraising goals in order to easily beat them/not risk public failure. That is not the case with our campaign: it takes a higher amount of money to jumpstart an operation like this, and we’d rather be open & transparent with people about it up front.”
Singer admits there is “a very real chance our Kickstarter campaign could fail,” which would force the company to either abandon Simula One or delay operations to search alterative funding though. We’ll just have to see how forgiving the Venn diagram of professional VR users and Linux devs are; Singer says the campaign needs to sell at least 892 units to break even.
Outside of the model mentioned above in the spec sheet, the campaign will also provide funding tiers for a tethered-only headset for consumers who want to provide their own computer, docking stations for office desks, and a more expensive headset made with finer materials.
There’s still no telling when the Kickstarter for Simula One will arrive. If you want to be notified right before it launches, you can subscribe to email updates here. (see update)
Japanese startup Diver-X launched a Kickstarter for a unique VR headset called HalfDive that was designed to be used while laying down, drawing some pretty clear inspiration from hit anime Sword Art Online. Although the unique project managed to secure enough cash to be considered fully funded, the team has decided to cancel the Kickstarter, citing scaling issues which ultimately stem from its niche appeal.
Diver-X announced that it’s pulling the plug on HalfDive, announcing that all backers would not be charged for funds collected.
The company mentions three major concerns, which essentially boil down to its niche appeal, inability to reduce costs by producing major components in-house, and resultant cash flow issues due to scalability issues. You can read the full text in the company’s blog post.
“We were faced with the brutal reality that no matter how optimized and multifunctional our device may be for use in sleeping-posture, it is only a replacement of existing VR devices and not yet an interface that brings innovative experiences,” Diver-X says.
Despite the setback, the company maintains it’s still dedicated to developing “full dive” tech which emphasizes in-bed VR immersion. The original article announcing the campaign’s start follows below:
HalfDive has just surpassed its funding goal, amassing around $178,000 from 177 backers. All available funding tiers are still available at the time of this writing, with the most popular tier, the early bird Basic Model, having nearly sold out at $1050.
Diver-X hasn’t published stretch goals yet, however we’ll be following the project as it finishes out the remained of its 40 days until the campaign comes to an end on January 30th, 2022. The original article detailing the Kickstarter follows below:
Original Article (December 16th, 2021): HalfDive isn’t a brain-computer interface like SAO’s NerveGear, however it does promise to let users play SteamVR games like VRChat and experience some pretty interesting object interaction via its tethered force feedback solution too.
The Kickstarter launched today, and is asking for ¥20,000,000 or around $176,000 USD. At the time of this writing, the project has already garnered over $70,000, putting it around one-third of the way there.
Diver-X is offering two distinctive models through the Kickstarter, what it calls a ‘HalfDive Minimum Model’ (starting at $750) and ‘HalfDive Basic Model’ (starting at $1,050).
The minimum model includes the headset and base, a pair of HalfDive controllers, and a proprietary head tracker. The basic model includes that, plus the force feedback module and a pair of wind feedback modules (re: fans) for both greater immersion and cooling.
Image courtesy Diver-X
The company previously said it would be providing a more expensive version with variable focus lenses, however the creators say the variant is too difficult to mass produce. There won’t be a stretch goal for vari-focal lenses either, something Diver-X says they’ve decided as to better focus on development and production.
Controllers haven’t been revealed yet either. The creators are ostensibly still working on its promised foot-worn ankle controllers and the Vive Index-style hand controllers, which it teased in previous marketing material. Its force feedback cuffs appear to provide a place to attach Vive Trackers at least. The company says its working to integrate support for Tundra Trackers as well.
As for functionality: unlike standard VR headsets, which require you to strap them to your head for optimal fit and image clarity, HalfDive is more of a passive experience that seems to cradle your head rather than tightly affix it in place. Diver-X CEO Yamato Sakoda adjusts himself into a prone position and slips on two hand-worn cuffs that are tethered with retractable wires to force feedback modules in the base of the unit.
Diver-X says its design primarily allows users to operate in VR without any pressure on the head, and as a result covers 99% of all human head sizes.
As you’d imagine, a user laying on the ground has a different expected range of motion is than someone using a VR headset in either sitting or standing positions. The headset’s range of motion was previously described by Diver-X as 4.5 degrees of freedom (DOF), further calling it “virtual 6DOF”. We can see what that means functionally in the video of the 3D printed third prototype below as he adjusts the visor down into the optimal viewing position and angles it left and right, also called ‘yaw’.
What the gif doesn’t show is it can also apparently pitch up and down (relative to the user’s point of view) to a lesser degree. Still, that action looks pretty stiff, and even with the promise of a smoother injection molded body, looking around will decidedly require more effort than with a standard VR headset in either seated or standing position.
Construction of the mold for mass production is said to take place in February 2022, with completion estimated for May. Shipping is said to arrive sometime in Summer 2022; Kickstarter funding tiers are marked as releasing in August 2022.
It’s an innovative design for sure, however HalfDive is probably not for everyone. Playing VR games whilst laying down—but positioned in the VR world as if you’re standing up—may cause discomfort in some users depending on the amount of movement required in the game. Vection, or the motion that’s implied by movement in your visual field, can lead to discomfort if artificial motion and your body’s expectation of that motion don’t match up well enough.
That’s essentially why room-scale games without any type of artificial locomotion are usually the most comfortable to play, while games that toss around your point-of-view with topsy-turvy game geometry, or include heavy expectation of frenetic movement, are often the least comfortable among the bunch.
Granted, HalfDive looks pretty ideal for watching Netflix in the void theater, and maybe even hanging out in VRChat for a chill virtual face-to-face that doesn’t require too much virtual locomotion. We’re looking forward to seeing more as the headset exits its third prototype phase and heads closer to mass production in early Summer 2022. Again, you can check out the Kickstarter here.
Specs
Display – 2,880 × 1,600 LCD at 90Hz (1,440 × 1,600 per eye)
Optics – 10-element aspheric lens array
FOV – estimated 134°
Adjustable IPD – 58-84 mm range
I/O – Located in headset base: DisplayPort 1.2 / USB3.0 / 3.5mm audio jack / 12V power source / I2C (module connection),
Developers looking for a unique Linux-based workstation may be interested to hear that SimulaVR, the startup behind its own open-source VR Linux distro, is creating a standalone VR headset that aims to offer just that.
Dubbed ‘Simula One’, the standalone VR headset isn’t meant for gaming, rather it’s targeting programmers, software engineers, developers—essentially anyone who uses Linux for work-related stuff.
For now, the company has mentioned basic features and has also shown off a prototype of Simula One. It’s certainly capturing the cool, retro vibe that’s ostensibly taking inspiration from early home computers such as Magnavox Odyssey, Atari 2600 and Apple II.
Image courtesy SimulaVR
So far, we only know a few definite things about Simula One. The headset is said to come with a detachable x86 compute pack which will arrive with the company’s SimulaOS open-source VR window manager installed by default, the very same which can be installed and run on SteamVR headsets such as Valve Index and HTC Vive Pro.
Simula One is also said to include hand tracking via UltraLeap, a passthrough AR mode so you can keep an eye on your surroundings, and “other goodies to be unveiled in the coming weeks and months,” SimulaVR founder George Singer says in a blog post.
The company is tentatively aiming to launch a Kickstarter campaign for the headset in January 2022. Singer says we’ll hear more about delivery and price for Simula One in the coming weeks, as well as product updates, pictures, and videos of the headset.
It’s clear Simula One is appealing to a pretty small subset of VR users with its hardware-focused approach—i.e. not a virtual machine running Linux, which is admittedly a more general purpose solution. Still, the promise of a standalone VR headset that natively runs Linux out of the box is pretty intriguing, and it will be interesting to see what developers can do with it besides simply using command line to continue work within VR.
In any case, we’ll be following Simula One in the coming weeks as it nears its Kickstarter launch. Make sure to check back for more info as it arrives.
Japanese startup Diver-X is looking to launch a SteamVR-compatible headset that seems to be taking a few ideas from popular anime Sword Art Online. The new style of VR headset—not a brain-computer interface like the “full dive” NerveGear featured in the show—was supposed to hit Kickstarter on December 6th, however it’s now been delayed by “a few days.”
Update (December 9th, 2021): Diver-X has issued an update on Twitter in recent days announcing the delay of its Kickstarter campaign. Here’s the text in full:
“Due to a mistake in the process of posting on the crowdfunding site, the review of the page has not been completed yet and the publication is expected to be delayed for a few days. We apologize for the delay, and will notify you as soon as the page is available!”
In the meantime, the studio has released a reveal video that will ostensibly be featured in the campaign when it launches in the next few days.
Original Article (November 18th, 2021): Called HalfDive, the Tokyo-based company says its taking advantage of the sleeping position to “enabl[e] human activity in its lowest energetic state.”
Since it’s worn laying down, the creators say they’re freed from many of the design constraints that conventional VR headset makers are used to pursuing with the introduction of things like pancake optics and microdisplays. Since the weight isn’t on your neck, it doesn’t have to be light or slim.
Image courtesy Diver-X
Instead, HalfDive is perched on a base that allows it to include things like a 10 aspherical lens stack for a reported 134-degree field of view (FOV), and what Diver-X calls a “significantly improved image quality” out of its 1,600 × 1,440 pixels per-eye dual displays.
After all, HalfDive is meant to be a mostly stationary experience, so users really aren’t meant to physically move outside of turning their heads left and right, something the company calls 4.5DOF (degrees of freedom), further calling it “virtual 6DOF.”
The company says its supporting the avatar movement simulation mentioned above in addition to SteamVR base station tracking, which may be used for its yet to-be-revealed controller. We’re eager to see just how that’s supposed to work when HalfDive gets closer to its Kickstarter launch, which is coming on December 6th, 2021.
That said, Diver-X has revealed surprisingly little for such a unique design concept. So far we know the system’s locomotion method will be fairly passive too; locomotion is controlled by foot-worn controllers which depend on the degree of tilt of the user’s ankle.
Image courtesy Diver-X
A hand controller hasn’t been completely revealed yet either, although a blurred image released in late September suggests it will be something akin to Valve’s SteamVR controllers (aka ‘Knuckles’).
To immerse the other senses, HalfDive also features four speakers—that’s two more than basically all VR headsets out there. The company has also made mention of a “wire-based-force-feedback-module” which it says will give the user a sense of touch.
A concept image shows a lead connecting the user’s hand and the headset base, which may allow for a basic level of resistance when encountering digital objects.
Image courtesy Diver-X
Two fans integrated into the headset provide greater immersion via wind effects and also comfortability when set on low.
Another weighty inclusion to the headset: a vibration feedback system which syncs with audio to enhance things like enemy footsteps, gunshots, and environmental sounds.
The most expensive version of the hardware coming to a Kickstarter next month will include a custom varifocal optical stack, which allows the headset to more naturally replicate vergence and accommodation—something Meta (formerly Facebook) has been working on over the years too in various prototypes.
We won’t have to wait too long to see it in action hopefully. HalfDive is being pitched on Kickstarter starting December 6th, and is slated to offer the headset in three flavors: a basic model without varifocal lenses (~$700), some sort of bundled package (~$1100), and its varifocal lens version (~$3,900). You can check out the full specs below:
Specs
Degrees of Freedom: 4.5dof (Virtual 6dof)
Optical system: Original optical system using 10 lenses. Varifocal feature supported.
Field of view: 134 degrees
Resolution: 1600 x 1440 pixels per eye (3200×1440 pixels combined)
Refresh rate: >=90hz
Dial styled IPD adjustment: 58-82mm
Audio: Immersive sound system using 4 speakers
Controller: Two hand/foot controllers
Tracking: Lighthouse supported / Avatar movement emulation system using foot controller
Camera: Keyboard overlay system
Interface: DisplayPort 1.2 / USB3.0 / 3.5mm audio jack / 12V power source / I2C (module connection)
Platform: All SteamVR application supported
SDK: Unity (features dedicated to VRChat) / Unreal Engine
French startup Lynx launched a Kickstarter campaign for Lynx R-1 in October, a standalone MR headset which is capable of both VR and passthrough AR. Starting at €530 (or $500 if you’re not subject to European sales tax), the MR headset attracted a strong response from backers as it passed its initial funding goal in under 15 hours, going on to garner over $800,000 throughout the month-long campaign.
Update (November 10th, 2021): Lynx R-1 Kickstarter is now over, and it’s attracted €725,281 (~$835,000) from 1,216 backers. In the final hours the campaign managed to pass its first stretch goal at $700,000—a free facial interface pad.
Previous updates to this article have been included at the bottom, which include a play-by-play of its progress and additional stretch goals.
Original Article (October 5th, 2021): Lynx R-1 features the same Qualcomm XR2 chipset as Oculus Quest 2 and HTC Vive Focus 3, and like those two it’s also based on a heavily modified version of Android. Plug it into a VR-capable computer, and the creators say you’ll be able to play SteamVR content too when it launches next year. Jump to the Kickstarter here if you already know what’s up.
For everyone else: what sets it apart though is it’s tuned from the ground-up to play full VR games and do both passthrough augmented reality, making it a mixed reality headset by definition. Another hardware quirk: it also features a novel optic called a “four-fold catadioptric freeform prism,” which is said to slim down the size of Lynx R-1 seemingly beyond what current Fresnel-style lenses have achieved. More on specs below.
Lynx is hoping to appeal to a pretty wide swath of would-be backers, as it offers both a Professional Edition starting at €950 (or $900 without VAT) and a consumer-oriented version at €530 (or $500).
A Limited Edition version is also available for €745 (or $700 without VAT), which features a fully transparent faceplate. Only 1,000 of those are being made available through the campaign, so get ’em while they’re hot.
Initially started as an enterprise-focused company, Lynx R-1 Professional Edition offers few things over the consumer version; with that tier, you can resell the headset and also receive pro-level support from Lynx. All headsets—save the €4,999 tier where backers can meet the team and receive a signed model a month early—are slated to ship in April 2022.
Image courtesy Lynx
All versions are also coming with a 1m USB-C cable, USB-C Charger, VR facial interface for a more immersive experience, and fabric headstrap for added comfort.
Since it relies on hand tracking, motion controllers aren’t the ‘out-of-the-box’ control method. CEO Stan Larroque tells Road to VR that its 6DOF controllers are based on Finch Technologies ‘Shift’ controller hardware, something we’ve seen in practice with HTC Vive Focus in the past. Those are available as a separate €100 (or $90 without VAT) add-on tier via the headset’s Kickstarter.
The campaign is shooting for €300,000 (~$350,000) for its initial funding goal, although we can bet it will go well beyond that if any of the recent VR hardware campaigns from this past year are any indication. Tundra Tracker, a small motion device using the SteamVR tracking standard, managed to net over $1 million back in April, and the Yaw2 motion simulator chair garnered a whopping $2.7 million in June.
Here’s a look at the headset’s specs.
Lynx R-1 Specs
1,600 × 1,600 LCD @90Hz per eye, with ultra low-latency Color Passthrough for Augmented Reality
Qualcomm XR2 chipset with 6GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage
6DOF rom-scale
Optical Hand tracking
Cameras: 2 B&W for positional, 2 IR cameras for hand tracking, 2 visible light cameras for passthrough
WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5
PCVR compatible with SteamVR over WiFi
SD card slot for up to 1TB of external storage
Two stereo speakers, 4 microphone array and a 3.5mm Jack TRRS
Update (November 1st, 2021): The Lynx Kickstarter has doubled its funding goal, currently at €600,000 of €300,000 (~$693,000 of $346,500). One week remains in the headset’s crowdfunding campaign which expects its first shipments in April 2022.
The Lnyx team recently showed a closer look at the headset’s Ultraleap-based hand-tracking capabilities, including occlusion and drawing.
The company plans to livestream an update on November 4th which it says will cover topics like SteamVR, the headset’s developer SDK, and the upcoming AWE event which Lynx plans to attend.
Update (October 15th, 2021): Less than two weeks since its launch, the Lynx Kickstart is approaching twice is funding goal, currently sitting at c488,000 of €300,000 (~$567,000 of ~$348,000). With 24 days remaining, the project looks likely to exceed the double mark and then some.
$1,500,000 – Option for $50 travel case (photo here)
The company says it may add additional stretch goals moving forward.
Lynx also shared a demo of the headsets hand-tracking in action (which is powered by Ultraleap):
Update (October 6th, 2021): The Lynx R-1 campaign has passed its €300,000 goal, and now sits at around €320,000 nearly one full day later. There’s still no talk of stretch goals, although if it keeps up its current pace we that may change here soon.
Lynx also provided an update this morning to clarify that Lynx R-1 does indeed cost $500 for people not subject to European/French value-added tax (VAT). It was previously reported that the Early Bird tier was around $615, however it now the creators have created a dedicated funding tier without VAT for non-EU backers. We’ve made note of these changes in the article below, and have adjusted all pricing tiers.
French startup Lynx today launched the long-awaited Kickstarter campaign for Lynx R-1, a standalone headset capable of both VR and passthrough AR. It’s looking to grab some eyeballs too with more of a consumer-focused price, starting at $615 (€530).
Lynx R-1 features the same Qualcomm XR2 chipset as Oculus Quest 2 and HTC Vive Focus 3, and like those two it’s also based on a heavily modified version of Android. Plug it into a VR-capable computer, and the creators say you’ll be able to play SteamVR content too when it launches next year. Jump to the Kickstarter here if you already know what’s up.
For everyone else: what sets it apart though is it’s tuned from the ground-up to play full VR games and do both passthrough augmented reality, making it a mixed reality headset by definition. Another hardware quirk: it also features a novel optic called a “four-fold catadioptric freeform prism,” which is said to slim down the size of Lynx R-1 seemingly beyond what current Fresnel-style lenses have achieved. More on specs below.
Lynx is hoping to appeal to a pretty wide swath of would-be backers, as it offers both a Professional Edition starting at €950 (~$1,100) and a consumer-oriented version at €530 (~$615).
A Limited Edition version is also available for €745 (~$840), which features a fully transparent faceplate. Only 1,000 of those are being made available through the campaign, so get ’em while they’re hot.
Initially started as an enterprise-focused company, Lynx R-1 Professional Edition offers few things over the consumer version; with that tier, you can resell the headset and also receive pro-level support from Lynx. All headsets—save the €4,999 tier where backers can meet the team and receive a signed model a month early—are slated to ship in April 2022.
Image courtesy Lynx
All versions are also coming with a 1m USB-C cable, USB-C Charger, VR facial interface for a more immersive experience, and fabric headstrap for added comfort.
Since it relies on hand tracking, motion controllers aren’t the ‘out-of-the-box’ control method. CEO Stan Larroque tells Road to VR that its 6DOF controllers are based on Finch Technologies ‘Shift’ controller hardware, something we’ve seen in practice with HTC Vive Focus in the past. Those are available as a separate €100 (~$115) add-on tier via the headset’s Kickstarter.
The campaign is shooting for €300,000 (~$350,000) for its initial funding goal, although we can bet it will go well beyond that if any of the recent VR hardware campaigns from this past year are any indication. Tundra Tracker, a small motion device using the SteamVR tracking standard, managed to net over $1 million back in April, and the Yaw2 motion simulator chair garnered a whopping $2.7 million in June.
Here’s a look at the headset’s specs.
Lynx R-1 Specs
1,600 × 1,600 LCD @90Hz per eye, with ultra low-latency Color Passthrough for Augmented Reality
Qualcomm XR2 chipset with 6GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage
6DOF rom-scale
Optical Hand tracking
Cameras: 2 B&W for positional, 2 IR cameras for hand tracking, 2 visible light cameras for passthrough
WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5
PCVR compatible with SteamVR over WiFi
SD card slot for up to 1TB of external storage
Two stereo speakers, 4 microphone array and a 3.5mm Jack TRRS
Tundra Labs celebrated success back in March as Tundra Tracker, the company’s SteamVR-based tracker device, not only exploded past its Kickstarter goal in less than 24 hours, but went on to pass the $1 million mark. It’s proved to be so popular that it’s actually become a victim of its own success, as the company has drastically limited future orders through Kickstarter.
Back in late April, Tundra Labs founder Luke Beno announced that, due to supply limitations caused by ongoing global manufacturing disruptions, the company would need to put an upper limit on the number of Tundra Trackers it could sell. Now the company says it’s reached that limit with a majority of its hardware bundles.
Reward tiers featuring Super Wireless (SW) dongles ‘SW3’ and ‘SW7’ have “hit the limits,” Tundra Labs collaborator Jason Leong says in a tweet, leaving only bundles with the ‘SW5’ model available to purchase. The SW USB dongle is used to connect a variable number of trackers to the user’s computer: 3, 5, and 7 trackers respectively.
Image courtesy Tundra Labs
At the time of this writing, the only way to buy multiple Tundra Trackers now is to purchase a single tracker (either $95 without dongle, and $130 with) and then add a second tracker for $89 upon checkout. All other multiple tracker bundles are now sold out.
Many companies have faced similar supply issues throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which is in large part due to a shortage in chips. Manufacturers of smartphones, cars, graphics cards—essentially anything with a microprocessor—are being affected currently. It’s possible the shortage could last into 2023, so with such uncertainty it makes sense why Tundra Labs wouldn’t put the cart before the horse and take orders it may not be able to fulfill.
