Kat Walk C2 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

May 16, 2022

Kat Walk C2 Kickstarter Nears $1m Funding as Initial Goal Achieved in 5 Mins

Two days ago Kat VR, the omnidirectional treadmill specialist, launched a new crowdfunding Kickstarter for its latest models; the Kat Walk C2 and C2+. Only looking to raise $250,000 USD, the campaign not only smashed that within minutes but it’s also just shy of $1 million with 27 days still to play with.

That initial funding amount was hit within five minutes Kat VR notes in a blog post, with the overall current funding surpassing the first $500k stretch goal. That was for magnetic charging, swapping out the standard wires for some nice handy magnetic connectors. The campaign lists a total of 5 stretch goals with the next being the offer of 10+ demo games for customers to try on their shiny new treadmills.

To get to that funding figure 643 backers have pledged money to the campaign, most making use of the early bird specials. Offering some significant savings, those specials have all been bought up, with the Kat Walk C2 and C2+ now being sold at $998 and $1198 respectively. Which is probably still cheaper than either product will be once officially released on Kat VR’s website.

For the first time, Kat VR has created two omnidirectional treadmill models, the standard Kat Walk C2 and the slightly more advanced C2+. Whilst both offer the core functionality of being able to walk (or run) in VR utilising specialised shoes – supporting users between 1.55m – 2m (5’1″ – 6’7″) at a max weight of 130kg (286 lbs) – the C2+ also sports some additional features.

The Kat Walk C2+ has integrated haptic feedback built into the base as well as a sitting posture module. So after a lot of running about or when stepping into a vehicle, players can pull down the in-built seat to rest or enjoy an immersive seated experience.

With a month still to go the Kat Walk C2 Kickstarter still has plenty of time to hit those stretch goals and customers won’t have too long to wait for their treadmills either. Kat VR expects to begin shipping in July 2022 which tends to mean the Kickstarter was mainly used for promotional purposes as well as gauging initial production numbers.

For continued updates on the latest VR accessories, keep reading gmw3.

May 11, 2022June 20, 2022

‘Kat Walk C2’ VR Treadmill Kickstarter Ends with Over $2M in Funding

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.

Update (June 20th, 2022)

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:

Update (May 20th, 2022)

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.

Update (May 16th, 2022)

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).

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.

The post ‘Kat Walk C2’ VR Treadmill Kickstarter Ends with Over $2M in Funding appeared first on Road to VR.

May 1, 2022

Run Into the Metaverse With Kat VR’s Next Omnidirectional Treadmill

Take any popular movie about virtual worlds and they’ll likely have the protagonist physically running around using all manner of contraptions. Here in the real world, a proper metaverse walk requires some serious equipment, namely an omnidirectional treadmill, and Kat VR has been making these for a while. Today, the company has announced its next treadmill iteration, the Kat Walk C2 and C2+.

Having focused most of its efforts on enterprise-level hardware, Kat VR turned its attention back to the consumer market a couple of years ago with the Kat Walk C. This new generation of omnidirectional treadmills aims to improve upon its forebear by making its locomotion experience even more natural and easier to use.

For the first time, Kat VR plans on releasing two models, the base Kat Walk C2 and the slightly more enhanced C2+. These 2nd-gen units will still feature a one-size-fits-all design but will see improvements to the custom shoes for that improved walking experience, improved “Trunk-Tilt” support to enhance in-game actions thus allowing players to easily lean forward and crouch deeper; and reduced component resistance. This should mean action like turning or moving up and down is smoother and less noticeable.

When it comes to the C2+ there are two additional features; Integrated Haptics and a Sitting Posture Module. The integrated haptics will activate upon stepping or they can be combined with the controller’s own haptics so that events like an explosion will be in sync – which sounds very cool. As for the Sitting Posture Module, this is kind of self-explanatory, sit down whilst being able to walk in VR. But it does go a step further, with a switchable Vehicle Simulation Mode. Sit down whilst driving a vehicle and when combined with the haptics can simulate various conditions like different road surfaces.

Just as with previous models, Kat VR will be launching a crowd-funding campaign to bring the Kat Walk C2/C2+ to market. A Kickstarter will begin on 14th May 2022 starting at 7 am PST, offering a remarkable early bird price of $698 (approx. £550 GBP) for the KAT Walk C 2, and $898 (approx. £710) for the KAT Walk C 2+. Quite the saving considering the current Kat Walk C retails for $1,499.00.

The Kickstarter will end on 6th June looking to raise $300,000 USD. The aim of the crowd-funding campaign is for marketing and promotion instead of needing money to build the VR treadmills. Kat VR already has a strong history in this space and it expects to ship the first Kat Walk C 2 units out in July.

For continued updates on the Kat Walk C 2 campaign, keep reading gmw3.