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Omnidirectional Treadmill: The Ultimate FPS Input Device?

Posted by timothy on from the pricey-but-cool dept.

MojoKid writes "The concept of gaming accessories may have just been taken to a whole new level. A company called Virtuix is developing the Omni, which is essentially a multidirectional treadmill that its creators call 'a natural motion interface for virtual reality applications.' The company posted a video showing someone playing Team Fortress 2 and using the Omni along with the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. You can see in the video how much running and movement this fellow performs. With something like the Omni in your living room, you'd likely get into pretty good shape in no time. Instead of Doritos and Mountain Dew, folks might have to start slamming back Power Bars and Gatorade for all night gaming sessions."

7 of 292 comments (clear)

  1. Dream on. by slackware+3.6 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The whole point of gaming is to sit on your ass and avoid the elements drink caffeine till you shake and eat a dehydrated cow. If I wanted exercise and shooting I'd go play paintball.

    1. Re:Dream on. by jatoo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I would be far more inclined to have a game on this than to organise paint ball.

      Paint ball involves pre-planning, showering, dressing, leaving the house and worst of all, IRL friends.

      This I can pick up any time.

      Plus, looks like a lot more fun than going to the gym.

    2. Re:Dream on. by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Paintball is expensive. Personally, if I want exercise, I go for a bike ride. But if I wanted exercise *AND* shooting (and also the feeling of killing people rather than spraying brightly-colored dyes on their clothes), I'd absolutely LOVE one of these treadmills.

      --
      "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
    3. Re:Dream on. by Apothem · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You forgot to mention the part where you have to deal with getting shot and/or getting hurt while running for cover in the middle of a match. If I couldn't play paintball, this would make for a decent second possibly.

  2. FYI by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Mountain Dew and Doritos are not substantially different, health-wise, from Gatorade and PowerBars.

    1. Re:FYI by B1oodAnge1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The difference in salt is relatively unimportant.

      The difference in salt is of primary importance since the purpose of Gatorade is to provide those salts that are lost during the natural process of perspiration.
      You're also ignoring the caffeine present in the Mountain Dew and not in the Gatorade.

      Gatorade is far from the healthiest choice of beverages to be swilling down in large amounts, however it is substantially different nutritionally than Mountain Dew, and your comparison is lacking in my opinion.

      --
      RUGBYRUGBYRUGBY
  3. Now how to fool you inner accelerometer? by Vintermann · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Very cool, but your inner ear is going to break the illusion - just as your retinal muscles are going to remind you that it isn't quite depth you're seeing with that stereoscopic headset.

    Progress of technology - new ways of getting motion sickness!

    --
    xkcd is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.