Category: treadmill

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StepVR Launches VR Gates Into the Metaverse

Whether on a flat-screen or in virtual reality (VR), the idea of a metaverse is an all-encompassing digital world. And if films like The Lawnmower Man or Ready Player One have taught us anything you’ll need a big rig to strap into to truly appreciate the experience. So Chinese technology company StepVR has done just that, unveiling its Gates01 omnidirectional motion system.

Gates01 - STEPVR
Gates01, image credit: STEPVR

Better known in China for its free-roam VR esports brand, Future Battle, StepVR has designed the Gates01 device to effectively be a gate into any VR metaverse. Covering an area of approximately 3m2 – so not exactly suitable for home VR – the Gates01 system comprises a harness, custom VR headset and an omnidirectional treadmill allowing players to walk and run as naturally as possible.

The company says that the Gate01 will: “restore the sense of vision, hearing, touch, smell, and vestibular balance in the virtual world,” so players will be able to experience haptic feedback as well as other “hyper-reality” functionality previously seen in venues like The VOID.

Actual tech specifics have yet to be detailed, such as the omnidirectional floor. From the demonstration video, it looks like users will have to wear specialised shoes (or shoe covers) to walk on the active floor. Whether players will be able to jump and crouch is another matter entirely – you might be able to hang by the looks of that frame.

StepVR Gates01 gun
Gates01. Image credit: StepVR

Founded in 2013, StepVR’s Future Battle franchise comprises 140 location-based entertainment (LBE) venues across China, each one facilitating up to 10-player free roam sessions. The company states that 60 partner stores are still to be opened and that 22% of its partners have opened a second store.

StepVR expects to release Gates01 for entertainment venues in Korea, Japan, Singapore, the Middle East, North America, and Europe during October. A consumer version which will be lighter and 50% smaller is slated to arrive sometime in 2023. Currently, StepVR hasn’t revealed a price or supported content.

For an omnidirectional treadmill alternative without all the extra sensory effects, there’s always Kat Walk C2 which held a successful Kickstarter.

For continued updates on all things metaverse related, keep reading gmw3.

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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+.

Kat Walk 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.

Kat Walk C2

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.

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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.

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Omni One – Neue Treadmill von Virtuix mit neuem Finanzierungsmodell

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Virtuix sollte mittlerweile vielen VR-Nerds ein Begriff sein. Bereits im Jahr 2013 startete das Unternehmen eine Kickstarter-Kampagne, für eine Art Laufstall, welcher euch zu einer natürlichen Fortbewegung in VR verhelfen soll. Nachdem sich Virtuix auf den B2B-Markt fokussiert hatte, soll nun wieder der Heimanwender mit der Omnie One bedient werden.

Virtuix Omni One – Neue Treadmill mit neuem Finanzierungsmodell

Das Omni One ist eine Verbraucherversion des Omni, das laut Virtuix für den Heimgebrauch optimiert ist. Das Gerät verfügt über einen leichten Rahmen, ein faltbares Gehäuse zur einfachen Aufbewahrung und soll eine Bewegungsfreiheit ermöglichen, die sich durch Gehen, Laufen, Hocken und Springen auszeichnet. All dies wird erreicht, indem man seine Füße auf einer reibungsarmen parabolischen Oberfläche bewegt, die spezielle reibungsarme Schuhe erfordert.

Das Omni-One-Paket wird  ein eigenständiges VR-Headset enthalten (im Promo-Material ist eine Pico Neo 2 zu sehen). Die Nutzer könnten zwar Omni One auch an einen PC anschließen und PC-basierte VR-Spiele mit ihrem eigenen Headset spielen, aber das Unternehmen biete ein Komplettpaket an, das “einfach out-of-the-box funktioniert”, sagt Jan Goetgeluk, CEO und Mitbegründer von Omni. Zudem wirst du eine monatliche Mitgliedschaft benötigen, um alle Omni-Inhalte verwenden zu können.

Wirklich spannend wird es aber beim Finanzierungsmodell:

Im Gegensatz zu den meisten Crowdfunding-Kampagnen, die in der Regel als Vorbestellungen fungieren, nimmt Virtuix Reservierungen von Interessenten über eine Regulation-A-Finanzierungskampagne entgegen. 

Die kleinstmögliche Investition beträgt jedoch 1.000 $, was die Kunden mit einem Rabatt von 20% beim Kauf eines Omni One-Systems (400 $ Rabatt) oder eines Omni One-Entwicklungskits (200 $ Rabatt) belohnt. Wenn du in der ersten Woche investierst, verdoppelt sich dieser Rabatt, so dass du insgesamt 800 $ auf das Omni One System oder 400 $ auf das Omni One Gerätekit erhalten.

Hier findet ihr das Pitch Deck und die Möglichkeit zur Reservierung eines Platzes.

(Quelle: Road to VR)

Der Beitrag Omni One – Neue Treadmill von Virtuix mit neuem Finanzierungsmodell zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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Virtuix Raises $19M in Crowd Investments for Omni One VR Treadmill

Virtuix, the company behind the Omni VR treadmill, launched a crowd-based investment campaign late last year to support the launch of Virtuix Omni One, an at-home VR locomotion device for consumers. The campaign’s second phase (Series A-2) is nearly at its end, and Virtuix says the company has garnered $19 million from individual investors looking to get a piece of the company.

Update (May 26th, 2021): Virtuix announced today that, through the entirety of its Series A financing round, it’s secured $19 million from more than 6,500 investors. Virtuix says Mark Cuban, an original investor, increased his share in Virtuix as the company readies the launch of Omni One.

The supplemental A-2 campaign is still active, and will conclude on May 28th at 12:59 PM ET.

Update (April 6th, 2021): Viruix’s two-month crowd investment campaign is over after having attracted $14,389,147. Like many tech startups, Virtuix says its two main exit opportunities would be either going public via an initial public offering (IPO) or getting acquired by a larger company.

“It’s hard to say which is more likely, and we’re not allowed by the SEC to provide ROI or time estimates, but in any case, both would be a major success for our investors,” the company says.

Original Article (October 7th, 2020): Omni One is a consumer version of the Omni that Virtuix says is optimized for home use, including a light frame, foldable body for easy storage, and a freedom of movement that boasts walking, running, crouching and jumping. All of this is done by moving your feet on a low-friction parabolic surface that requires special low-friction shoes.

In contrast to the company’s commercial Omni, which it sells to location-based entertainment facilities, the consumer version has done away with the support ring, but there’s a few other things that have changed too.

With the Omni One package, Virtuix says it will include a standalone VR headset, which in the promo material is a Pico Neo 2. Granted, users can also connect Omni One to a PC and play PC-based VR games using their own headsets, however the company is putting forward a complete package that “just works out-of-the-box,” Omni CEO and co-founder Jan Goetgeluk says.

Image courtesy Virtuix

Although it’s uncertain precisely which standalone headset will ship with Omni One, the company will be pitching their own app store with games guaranteed to support the VR treadmill. This comes part and parcel with an obligatory monthly subscription called ‘Omni Online’ for online play, similar to Xbox Live and PS Plus.

Unlike most crowdfunding campaigns, which typically work as pre-orders, Virtuix is accepting reservations from interested parties via a Regulation A funding campaign. The company has been testing the waters for such a crowdfunded equity investment ever since the US government eased investment rules via the JOBS act, which allows the general public to invest in private companies.

Image courtesy Virtuix

That said, the lowest possible investment is $1,000, which incentivizes people with a 20% discount when buying an Omni One system ($400 discount) or Omni One dev kit ($200 discount). Investing in the first week will double that discount, coming to a total of $800 off the Omni One or $400 off the Omni One dev kit.

Virtuix says Omni One is slated to release sometime in Q2 of 2021 priced at $1,995. According to The Verge, the developer kit will sell for $995, however it will lack access to the Omni game store and the included VR headset.

SEE ALSO
Kat VR Secures $1.6M in Kickstarter Funding for Its Consumer-grade VR Treadmill

Having tried the original commercial Omni several times myself over the years, and also its main China-based competitor Kat Walk VR, it’s safe to say that using these type of low friction VR locomotion devices can definitely be awkward at first. It’s not exactly comparable to walking naturally, as you slide your feet forward and forcefully turn against the weight of a constrictor bar (or in Omni Pro’s case a support ring) to turn in-game. I’ll admit that I don’t own any such VR treadmill though, both for the associated price tag and space requirements, however it’s clear Virtuix is trying to change that here with its new, slimmed-down Omni One.

And it seems the early bird investment strategy has worked fairly well so far. At the time of this writing the company has already made it halfway to its overall minimum goal of $1 million. You can check out more funding tiers and specifics around the investment crowdfunding campaign here.

Check out the company’s SeedInvest campaign pitch below:

The post Virtuix Raises $19M in Crowd Investments for Omni One VR Treadmill appeared first on Road to VR.

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Kat Walk Mini: Vorbestellungen ab 1500 US-Dollar

Der chinesische Hersteller Kat VR kündigte kürzlich eine Kickstarter-Kampagne für das neue VR-Laufband Kat Walk Mini für den Heimbetrieb an. Dieses sollte nach Angaben der Entwickler nicht nur platzsparend sein, sondern auch preiswert und damit auf die Zielgruppe des Heimkonsumenten abzielen. Nun veröffentlichte das Unternehmen auf seiner offiziellen Webseite eine Preisliste für Vorbestellungen, die entgegen mancher Erwartung teurer ausfällt als erhofft: Das Kat Walk Mini kostet mit einem Frühkäuferrabatt 1500 US-Dollar, der reguläre Preis liegt bei 3000 Dollar.

Kat Walk Mini – Vorbesteller-Preise für das VR-Laufband veröffentlicht

Kat VR präsentierte bereits verschiedene Modelle ihrer Treadmill Kat Walk, die eine endlose Fortbewegung innerhalb der VR ermöglicht. Bisher waren diese aufgrund des hohen Preises und ihrer ausufernden Abmessungen hauptsächlich für VRcades interessant. Doch im letzten Monat verkündete der chinesische Hersteller, eine Kickstarter-Kampagne ins Leben zu rufen, um ein kleineres und preiswerteres Modell für den Heimkonsumenten auf den Markt zu bringen.

Nun veröffentlichte der Anbieter auf der offiziellen Webseite eine erste Preisliste mit einem Formular für Vorbestellungen des VR-Laufbands und sorgt damit teilweise für Ernüchterung bei der Zielgruppe. Mit einem Frühkäuferrabatt von 50 Prozent kostet das Kat Walk Mini 1500 US-Dollar. Die Preise steigen zudem wöchentlich bis zu einem Verkaufspreis von 2500 Dollar an, der endgültige Preis liegt regulär dann bei 3000 Dollar. Allerdings ist das wesentlich günstiger als die aufgerufenen 9000 Dollar für den großen Bruder.

Kat-Walk-Mini-Treadmill-Preorder

Die Spezifikationen des Laufbands zeigen, dass es deutlich kleiner und leichter als seine Vorgängermodelle ist. Dank des Formfaktors und innovativen Designs sowie der Stoßdämpfung in der Bodenplatte soll komplette Bewegungsfreiheit ohne Verletzungsgefahr gewährt werden, da sich das Gerät an jede Bewegung des Anwenders anpasst. Zudem setzt das Modell auf ein Set von Laser-Sensoren auf der Lauffläche, um eine geringere Latenz zu ermöglichen. Das Laufband soll mit sämtlichen VR-Spielen mit freier Locomotion sowie für alle gängigen VR-Brillen (Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Pimax, PSVR und sämtliche weitere Brillen) kompatibel sein.

Ob das Unternehmen die besagte Kickstarter-Kampagne noch ins Leben ruft und dort andere Preise aufzeigt, bleibt derzeit noch abzuwarten. Zum aktuellen Verkaufspreis dürften sich nur Heimkonsumenten mit dickem Geldbeutel zu einem Kauf verleiten lassen.

(Quellen: Road to VR | Kat VR | Video: Kat VR Youtube)

Der Beitrag Kat Walk Mini: Vorbestellungen ab 1500 US-Dollar zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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Mythbusters’ Jamie Hyneman Backs Treadmill Shoes Crowdfunding Effort

Mythbusters’ Jamie Hyneman Backs Treadmill Shoes Crowdfunding Effort

We’ve seen a number of hardware-based attempts to simulate movement through large virtual spaces, but none have really taken the world by storm. Omnidirectional treadmills, for example, are typically very large and extremely expensive.

A new effort backed by Mythbusters’ Jamie Hyneman is looking to raise $50,000 on Indiegogo to produce a more advanced prototype of “electric shoes” that essentially put the treadmill directly into footwear. Unlike many crowdfunding projects, however, this effort doesn’t promise to deliver the finished product to backers. Instead, they are offering a Hyneman-branded survival kit starting at the $75 backing tier.  The fundraising is just to support the development of an improved prototype and the $50,000 goal is fixed, meaning they don’t get any money unless the goal is reached before the fundraising period ends in December.

As is the standard warning for crowdfunding projects — creating hardware is extremely difficult so give your money over with caution. The fixed goal implies they know a certain amount is needed to make progress with their idea and under the risks section of the project page it says “we don’t want anyone to be misled.”

“These shoes will be difficult,” the page reads. “There is a reason nothing like them exists.”

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Omni Treadmill: Virtuix enthüllt Omniverse-Plattform und 16 Titel [Update]

[Update] Virtuix hat für seine „Tretmühle“ Omni die Omniverse-Plattform und gleichzeitig 16 VR-Titel enthüllt. Der Hersteller vertreibt die Hardware an kommerzielle Anbieter. Über Omniverse können Arcade-Betreiber beziehungsweise die Spieler auf alle Titel zurückgreifen, sie werden von Virtuix nach Minuten abgerechnet. Weitere Spiele sollen noch folgen.

Die Titel in Omniverse sind:

• AFFECTED – The Manor
• Bow Master
• Coin Rush
• Hyperdrome
• Karnage Chronicles
• Nature Treks VR
• Omni Arena
• Primordian
• Project Ghost
• Quell 4D
• QuiVr
• The Bellows
• The SoulKeeper VR
• TRAVR: Shadow Ops
• TRAVR: Training Ops
• VRZ Torment 

Virtuix Omni Treadmill

Originalmeldung:

Der Laufstall für unbegrenzte Fortbewegung in VR auf kleinstem Raum hat einen Vertrieb für Deutschland, Österreich und die Schweiz (DACH) gefunden: die Nürnberger nous GmbH berichtet, dass bereits Anfang September erste Laufställe von Virtuix Deutschland erreichen sollen. Allerdings hat die Sache zwei Haken: Auf Wunsch des Herstellers dürfen nur Gewerbetreibende zuschlagen und die Virtuix Omni kostet jetzt das Mehrfache als seinerzeit bei der Kickstarter-Kampagne.

Virtuix Omni Treadmill: Endlos-Runner für VR ab September für Deutschland, Österreich und Schweiz

So schön Room-Scale auch ist: eher früher als später stößt man an Grenzen beziehungsweise eine Wand. Umgehen lässt sich das Problem mit der Virtuix Omni Treadmill, auf der man auf der Stelle unendlich lange laufen kann. Das Kickstarter-Projekt begann bereits im Juni 2013 und konnte in 48 Tagen über eine Million US-Dollar sammeln. Es gehört damit zu den erfolgreichsten VR-Kampagnen auf der Plattform.

Der Preis für die Omni lag seinerzeit bei rund 400 US-Dollar und enthielt die erforderlichen Schuhe, Tracking Hardware und einen Gürtel für das Omni-Rack. Bis zur Auslieferung dauerte es allerdings erheblich: Noch im Dezember 2016 mussten Teilnehmer an der Kampagne auf den Laufstall warten. Zudem stornierte der Hersteller internationale Bestellungen und lieferte lediglich an Kunden in den USA aus.

Zumindest Gewerbetreibende können das inzwischen laut nous verbesserte Produkt ordern, ab September sollte die Auslieferung dann im DACH-Bereich erfolgen können. Billig wird der Spaß wohl nicht, der Vertrieb nous spricht von einem Mehrfachen des Kickstarter-Preises. Endkunden bleibt also nichts übrig, als sich nach einer Arcade-Halle mit Omni umzusehen, wenn sie den Laufstall ausprobieren wollen. Aktuell nennt der Vertrieb drei Anlaufstellen: Die VR-Lounge in Berlin, das Giga-Center in Köln und die Virtuis VR-Arcade in Nürnberg. Allerdings sollen bereits weitere Arcade-Hallen ihr Interesse bekundet haben.

Bisher stehen offiziell erst drei Titel bereit, die mit dem Laufstall kompatibel sind: TRAVR Training Ops, TRAVR Shadow Ops und OMNI ARENA. Außerdem gibt nous bekannt, dass noch mehr Spiele zugesagt oder in Planung sind. Im April diesen Jahres verkündete Virtuix eine Partnerschaft mit HTC und gab bekannt, dass man drei neue Spiele unterstützen wolle: den Zombie-Survival-Titel Arizona Sunshine, das VR-Horror-Spiel The Bellows sowie den First-Person-Shooter Quell 4D.

Der Beitrag Omni Treadmill: Virtuix enthüllt Omniverse-Plattform und 16 Titel [Update] zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!