Cybershoes – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

May 26, 2021

Cybershoes for Oculus Quest Now Available on Amazon US

The Oculus Quest-compatible version of Cybershoes, the VR locomotion peripheral, was successfully funded on Kickstarter late last year, and has been available direct from the creators for a few months now. The company has now made Cybershoes for Quest available through Amazon US though, and has shaved a few bucks off the price too.

Cybershoes present a pretty unconventional locomotion method for VR users. Instead of using stick-based locomotion, teleportation, or standing up and sliding around the slick parabolic base of a VR treadmill, Cybershoes offers a seated experience that requires the user to slide a pair of shoe-mounted devices forward and backward to simulate walking or running in-game. The idea is to give you a physical way of inputting virtual locomotion, which in turn helps battle motion sickness. It’s a weird concept, but it actually works.

Now the Vienna-based creators have released their latest Cybershoes wireless model for $350 on Amazon US, which supports Oculus Quest, Quest 2, and SteamVR headsets. When purchased direct from Cybershoes, the whole package costs $455.

Inside the box is a pair of Cybershoes (batteries included), a swivel-style Cyberchair, a 60″ round carpet, a wireless receiver, an AC Adapter, and all of the required cables. Of course, the package doesn’t include a VR headset.

At the time of this writing, Cybershoes for Quest only supports a handful of native Quest titles, including Arizona Sunshine, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, MYST, In Death Unchained, The Wizards Dark Times, VRChat, Journey of the Gods, and a few more.

The company says full integration and optimization for other titles is coming soon though, which will include Ancient Dungeon, RTCWQuest, a VR mod of the classic Return To Castle Wolfenstein, and QuestZDoom, a mod that brings classic Doom games like Ultimate Doom and Doom64 to Quest.

The device is also said to support for 60+ PC VR titles via SteamVR. You can check out the company’s Google Spreadsheet of compatible and tested PC VR titles here.

The post Cybershoes for Oculus Quest Now Available on Amazon US appeared first on Road to VR.

May 26, 2021

Cybershoes For Oculus Quest Now Available On Amazon US

The Cybershoes for Oculus Quest are now available to purchase on Amazon in the United States after running successful Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns, alongside announcements of increased game integration from Quest developers.

The Cybershoes will be available to purchase on Amazon US for $349, with compatibility with the original Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2. The device lets a seated player move their feet on the spot to move themselves in-game in Quest apps and games. Essentially, the shoes attach to your feet and allow you to control artificial movement in VR by rubbing your feet along the ground or moving your legs on the spot.

Cybershoes ran successful Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns with over 600 collective backers. The kits promised to crowdfunders began shipping earlier this month, and now the Cybershoes are available to the public in the United States via Amazon.

In addition to the Amazon launch, Cybershoes announced additional native support and integration with more Quest games. Both In Death: Unchained and The Wizards – Dark Times now support native Cybershoes integration, while App Lab title Ancient Dungeon will add support when it launches in Early Access later this year.

Some of the popular Team Beef classic game Quest ports will also receive support – Return to Castle Wolfenstein Quest and QuestZDoom will add Cybershoes integration on SideQuest “in the next few weeks.”

That being said, the Cybershoes are designed to work with any game that uses artificial stick movement on Quest, even if it hasn’t yet received native integration from the developers yet.

We tried the Cybershoes at the end of last year and found them to be an effective way to translate real movement into artificial VR movement when seated. We noted that it might help increase immersion or combat nausea for those who are affected by it. Likewise, it could be equally useful as an accessibility option for people who are unable to stand for long period of time or move around in a roomscale environment easily.

Long story short – the Cybershoes work well and exactly as intended, but your mileage may vary in terms of usefulness, depending on your personal preferences or situation. You can read our full impressions here.

The Cybershoes for Oculus Quest are available now on Amazon US for $349.

May 4, 2021

Cybershoes Begin Shipping To Kickstarter, IndieGogo Backers

The Quest-compatible models of the Cybershoes have begun shipping out to those who supported the project on Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

The Cybershoes have been around for a while, first for PC VR and more recently updated for Quest and Quest 2. The shoes attach to your feet and allow you to move around in VR by moving on the spot. This allows for seated play while controlling artificial locomotion in-game with movement in your legs.

Cybershoes had a very successful Kickstarter campaign for the updated Quest model, more than tripling the original goal. Additional pre-orders were then made available by a separate Indiegogo campaign back in February. Now, units from both Kickstarter and Indiegogo have begun to ship out to over 600 collective backers.

Back in December 2020, we went hands-on with the new Quest-compatible Cybershoes. We found that while they work as intended, it’s hard to find a compelling reason why you would use them. Here’s an excerpt:

Yes, Cybershoes works as intended and removing the wire from PC VR makes it far more user-friendly and compelling, but, just like the 3DRudder, I fail to see a compelling reason to use this instead of just moving around a room. Even if you don’t have enough space for roomscale and would just be standing in one spot and leaning around I’d still rather do that than be restricted to sitting in a chair while in VR — especially when using a standalone, wireless, roomscale headset like the Oculus Quest or Quest 2.

The Cybershoes Indiegogo campaign runs until May 10, so you have until then to secure a pair at the lower pre-order price. After the Indiegogo campaign finishes, the Cybershoes will be available online at Cybershoes.com and later on Amazon for customers in the US.

February 4, 2021

Cybershoes Integrates Doom3Quest Support as Indiegogo Campaign Launches

Virtual reality (VR) walking peripheral Cybershoes held a successful Kickstarter campaign at the end of 2020 to update the product to support Oculus Quest. This week the team is back with another crowd-funding campaign – this time on Indiegogo – with an interesting announcement, the shoes are fully integrated with Doom3Quest.

Just like the Kickstarter campaign, over on Indiegogo you’ve got the choice of the full Cybershoes for Oculus Quest kit or just the ‘CyQuest’ receiver. The kit which is currently available as a limited Super Early Bird Reward for $279 USD (instead of $399), includes the Cybershoes, Cyberchair, “CyQuest” receiver, Cybercarpet and USB Charger + Cables. The full kit also supports PC VR headset as well as Oculus Quest.

If you’ve previously purchased the Cybershoes for a PC VR headset and simply want to make it compatible with the standalone headset then grab the receiver for $49 (regular price will be $79). And that’s all you need to walk in VR using these unique peripherals.

During these campaign Cybershoes has been building support for more and more videogames, some with native integration like Arizona Sunshine or The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners which has non-native support. The latest to see compatibility is DOOM 3 VR mod Doom3Quest.

Doom3Quest arrived last month from Simon Brown (Dr Beef) and Team Beef on SideQuest, allowing Oculus Quest/Quest 2 owners to play 2004’s Doom 3 in VR for the first time – the mod doesn’t support Doom 3: BFG Edition. All you need is a copy of the videogame which is available on Steam for £4.

“We can’t wait until you feel what it’s like to use their natural body movements to navigate a doomed research facility on Mars and experience Doom3Quest in VR,” said Cybershoes in a statement. “Thanks to Team Beef’s support of Cybershoes, slaying evil demons, pulverizing zombies, and squashing Hell’s attempt to take over the earth has never felt more immersive.”

Cybershoes for Oculus Quest is available now via Indiegogo with delivery to backers beginning in May 2021. For further updates, keep reading VRFocus.

February 2, 2021

Cybershoes Announce Doom3Quest Integration, Pre-Orders Via Indiegogo

Cybershoes announced full integration with Doom3Quest, alongside the launch of a new Indiegogo campaign to pre-order the device after a successful Kickstarter campaign.

Cybershoes have been around for quite a while now — we first tried them out for PC VR over two years ago, and more recently tried the updated model with support for Oculus Quest and Quest 2. In essence, Cybershoes attach to your feet and let you walk around in VR by moving them on the spot.

While the Quest does support roomscale tracking and physical movement, using Cybershoes would allow you to play sitting down or without worrying about the size of your playspace or your Guardian boundaries. The physical movement of your legs and feet may also help those who suffer from motion sickness, as an alternative to artificial movement using a thumbstick. After trying them last year, David noted that the Cybershoes worked reliability and effectively, but still failed to see the use cases unless it was for a comfort or accessibility reason.

Back in December, Cybershoes launched a Kickstarter campaign that finished with $98,000 raised — triple the original fundraising goal. Some users who already owned the Cybershoes kit for PC could get an adapter for Quest for $50. Alternatively, the full setup cost $300 with Quest compatibility, including the floor pad, spinning chair, receiver and the shoes themselves.

Cybershoes are now launching a second fundraising campaign through Indiegogo, which it claims will essentially allow people to pre-order units if they missed out on the Kickstarter. The estimated delivery for Kickstarter backers was April 2021, so it seems likey that Indiegogo backers probably won’t see their kits until after that.

Additionally, Cybershoes announced “full integration” with Doom3Quest, the sideloaded port of Doom 3’s single player campaign by modder DrBeef and his team. “We can’t wait until our backers are able to get their hands, or feet, on the product and feel what it’s like to use their natural body movements to navigate a doomed research facility on Mars and experience Doom3Quest in VR,” said Cybershoes CEO Michael Bieglmayer in a prepared statement.

You can see the Cybershoes in action, with full Doom3Quest integration, in the new trailer embedded above.

January 4, 2021

Cybershoes for Quest Triples Kickstarter Goal With Over $98,000 Raised

The Kickstarter campaign for Cybershoes for Quest has now concluded after reaching over triple its original goal by raising $98,420.

Last month I wrote some quick impressions of my time with Cybershoes for Quest. During the Kickstarter campaign the creators sent out demo units to press and content creators to check out and I must admit it works better than expected. In terms of effectiveness and reliability for controlling movement in a game, yes, Cybershoes work well. I just wasn’t sold on the use cases versus actually moving around the room using a wireless, standalone headset like Quest 2 — unless it’s necessary for a disability or comfort reason.

But it seems like they’ve certainly found their audience. The Kickstarter goal was only listed at $30,000, but they hit that mark within 12 hours of the page going live. Now that the dust has settled, they’ve managed to gather up over $98,000 which is more than triple the original goal.

Backer tiers were separated by those that already have the PC version of Cybershoes as opposed to those that don’t have any gear at the moment. If you just want the Quest receiver to use your existing shoes, it was only $50. To get the full setup though, it costs at least $300 which includes the carpet pad, spinning chair, receiver, shoes, and everything else you need.

According to the timeline published on the Kickstarter page, delivery to backers is estimated for April 2021. Since the company has previously shipped their first iteration of Cybershoes and already sent units to press and content creators like myself, I’d expect this to be a realistic estimate since they’ve done this before. However, keep in mind that it’s not guaranteed.

Since the Kickstarter managed to surpass $90,000 a “Hidden” Stretch Goal was unlocked, but they haven’t revealed what that will be just yet.

Were you one of the 470 backers that brought Cybershoes for Quest to life? Let us know down in the comments below!

January 4, 2021

Cybershoes’ Kickstarter Ends, Hits Almost $100,000

Starting a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign over the festive period may not sound like a wise idea but Cybershoes is proof it can definitely work. Launched in November, the Cybershoes for Oculus Quest campaign ended last week, tripling its funding goal in the process.

During its six week campaign, Cybershoes managed to raise $98,420 USD from 470 backers, a not inconsiderable sum for a walking peripheral designed for use with the Oculus Quest standalone headset. Towards the end, Cybershoes released updates that confirmed Arizona Sunshine would be given away to those purchasing complete Cybershoes packs as well as revealing titles like Myst and Journey of the Gods are compatible.

Originally, the shipping was estimated to begin in April 2021 but the team have managed to bring this date forward – for North American customers at least – announcing that next week 400 Cybershoes will begin their journey, loaded into two shipping containers.

Having been available for a couple of years now for PC VR headsets, Cybershoes aims to fill the space between controller-based locomotion – which can be uncomfortable for some – and the larger, more expensive omni-directional treadmills. Keeping users seated, the Cybershoes attach directly over your own shoes, connect via Bluetooth and then essentially allow users to ‘walk’ in VR with no discomfort.

While the full Cybershoes for Oculus Quest kit will retail for $399, Kickstarter backers could save a minimum of $100 off that price. Those that already have Cybershoes for PC VR simply need the CyQuest receiver to make their shoes Quest compatible.

There has been a bit of bad news when it comes to legacy games and Oculus Touch. “We’ve encountered limitations that are holding us back from emulating the touch controller. It looked very promising since we’ve started this endeavor but as of December 23rd we’ve identified new problems. Unless we can register as openXR driver, ideally in cooperation with Oculus/Facebook it would only work by rooting the device and this has never been a pathway we wanted to follow,” notes the team.

Check out VRFocus‘ impressions of the Cybershoes for Oculus Quest and for further updates on the latest VR peripherals, keep reading VRFocus.

December 28, 2020

Cybershoes for Oculus Quest Impressions: Surprisingly Effective VR Movement

Cybershoes for Oculus Quest give you the means to move convincingly in VR using your actual legs without ever needing to physical stand up from your chair. And, believe it or not, it actually does a pretty good job. Here are our first impressions of the Cybershoes for Oculus Quest. The Kickstarter campaign for Cybershoes on Quest is fully-funded at over twice their goal with an end date of December 31.

Cybershoes on Oculus Quest

Over two years ago I wrote about my experience using the original iteration of the Cybershoes, which were designed to be used with a PC VR headset tethered to a PC. This newest model supports both Quest and PC VR.

The most intrusive part of the previous setup is that you had to dangle the HMD wire above your head with a little fishing rod-style contraption that was a pain to setup and took up lots of space. That’s no longer the case with the wireless, standalone Oculus Quest headset.

While it might seem redundant to use a device that lets you move around in VR with your legs since you could just, you know, stand up and move around in VR with your legs using a Quest already, but there are some unique advantages with Cybershoes. Not only does it mean you don’t need to worry about your Guardian boundaries and room size constraints, but it also should help tremendously for those with motion sickness concerns.

cybershoes the shoes

The act of swinging your feet and twisting around in a chair adds that physical element most VR is missing that can, for many people, alleviate the VR sickness woes. Personally, I don’t get motion sick or VR sick so I cannot confirm nor deny the effectiveness, but many users have reported results after using these and the previous PC VR version.

The concept here is very simple. You strap on these open-style shoes that slide on the ground and simulate actual movement. The bottoms of the shoes have sensors that tell your VR headset which direction you’re moving.

If the game has analog stick / gamepad movement support at all, then it should work with no problems. For Oculus Quest many of the top games, like Arizona Sunshine, Myst, and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners all work great right out of the box.

Thankfully setup is dead simple. All you have to do is strap the Cybershoes onto your feet, attach the little box to the front of your headset, which is incredibly light, and plug that in the side. There are no wires to worry about at all.

At first it takes some getting used to. Rubbing your feet across the floor to move isn’t exactly a natural movement nor is it super intuitive, but it starts to click after a while. The concept is the same as you see in other movement solutions, such as the treadmill-style options from Omni, but you’re seated instead.

cybershoes opening it up

Admittedly I don’t think I see myself using Cybershoes for Quest very often even though they absolutely do work as advertised. To me, the physicality of standing up and moving around a room is far more immersive and important than rubbing my feet on the ground. However, I can see some use cases for this.

If you get motion sick easily and traditional artificial locomotion in games like The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners always makes you uncomfortable, then you could totally try using Cybershoes as a way to circumvent that side effect. Alternatively, if you have a disability that prevents you from standing for long periods of time but you can still move your legs, then this is an excellent middle ground.

So to be perfectly clear: yes, Cybershoes works as intended and removing the wire from PC VR makes it far more user-friendly and compelling, but, just like the 3DRudder, I fail to see a compelling reason to use this instead of just moving around a room. Even if you don’t have enough space for roomscale and would just be standing in one spot and leaning around I’d still rather do that than be restricted to sitting in a chair while in VR — especially when using a standalone, wireless, roomscale headset like the Oculus Quest or Quest 2.

cybershoes quest

Maybe that will change once more developers add support, but as it stands it’s hard to imagine a world where sitting down with sensor shoes is the ideal way of enjoying otherwise roomscale VR.

December 16, 2020

Cybershoes Kickstarter Double its Funding Goal With 2 Weeks to go

Almost a month ago Cybershoes launched a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign for its latest model, one that’s compatible with the Oculus Quest platform. The campaign proved to be an instant hit and has now easily exceeded its original goal by double the amount.

Cybershoes aimed to secure $30,000 USD and achieved that without a problem, on the first day in fact. Now almost four weeks later the Kickstarter sits on just over $76,000 with two weeks still left to go. An impressive feat considering the festive period.

Whilst it’s unlikely to get anywhere near virtual reality (VR) locomotion competitor Kat Walk C which raised a staggering $1.6 million during the summer, Cybershoes has done what it needed to bring the product to market.

Just like the original PC version, the Oculus Quest edition is all about making immersive movement comfortable and natural whilst not taking up too much space. The difference with this model is the addition of the Bluetooth module – the CyQuest – which attaches to the front of the standalone headset. This not only enables the shoes to connect but also offers a speed slider to tweak how sensitive the shoes are.

Now depending on your past affiliation with Cybershoes there are a couple of options when it comes to the backers tiers. If you already own a pair of Cybershoes for your PC VR headset then head to the $49 reward which is just for the CyQuest receiver, this is all you need for Oculus Quest compatibility and its discounted for the campaign.

If you’re new to Cybershoes then you’ll need the full kit which comes with the Cyberchair and Cybercarpet. The Early Bird tiers started from $279 but these were limited so may no longer be available.

As for videogame compatibility Arizona Sunshine offers native integration with many more including The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners working with the shoes.

VRFocus went hands-on with the Cybershoes for Oculus Quest so you can read our impressions here. Come back here further updates.

November 26, 2020

Cybershoes für Oculus Quest erreicht Kickstarter-Ziel nach einem Tag

Ihr wollt eure Füße verwenden, um euch in der Virtual Reality fortzubewegen? Für diesen Zweck hat Cybershoes ein System entwickelt, welches euch im Sitzen durch die Virtual Reality laufen lässt. Dieses System soll nun auch für die Oculus Quest und Oculus Quest 2 verwirklicht werden.

Cybershoes für Oculus Quest erreicht Kickstarter-Ziel nach einem Tag

Bereits am ersten Tag der Kampagne wurde das Finanzierungsziel für die Cybershoes für die Oculus Quest und Oculus Quest 2 erreicht. Dazu sei aber gesagt, dass das Unternehmen nach “nur” 30.000 US-Dollar gefragt hatte, was für ein Hardware-Produkt nicht besonders viel Geld ist.

Wenn ihr noch kein Cybershoes-System für den PC besitzt, dann könnt ihr als Early Bird mit 279 US-Dollar aktuell auf Kickstarter einsteigen und sollt das Produkt im April 2021 erhalten.

Wenn ihr Cybershoes bereits für den PC besitzt, dann müsst ihr nur 49 US-Dollar investieren und erhaltet im April 2021 den Reveiver für die Oculus Quest und Oculus Quest 2.

Hier gelangt ihr zur Kickstarter-Kampange von Cybershoes.

Die Oculus Quest 2 in Deutschland weiterhin nicht verfügbar. Ihr könnt die Brille aber problemlos über Amazon FR bestellen. Hier findet ihr die Oculus Quest 2 auf Amazon FR.

(Quelle: Road to VR)

Der Beitrag Cybershoes für Oculus Quest erreicht Kickstarter-Ziel nach einem Tag zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!