Virtuix Omni is a Step Toward True Virtual Reality Gaming (Video)

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Virtuix Omni is a Step Toward True Virtual Reality Gaming (Video)

Posted by Roblimo on Thursday December 19, 2013 @08:21AM from the let's-meet-on-the-holodeck-at-2100 dept.

The Virtuix Omni "is an omnidirectional treadmill video game peripheral for virtual reality games currently in development by Virtuix," says Wikipedia. With this device and an Oculus Rift, Razer Hydra or a similar "immersive" headset, you can play games equipped to use these devices with your whole body moving in any direction you choose. If you think you saw this product on the Shark Tank TV show or a pitch for it at Kickstarter.com, you're right. You did. The Virtuix Omni people have been pushing their product hard, everywhere they can. Tim ran into their product manager, Colton Jacobs, at the recent AppsWorld conference in London. This video is Tim's record of their conversation.

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Comment removed by account_deleted · 2013-12-19 08:26 · Score: 3, Funny

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Ouch by bob_super · 2013-12-19 08:26 · Score: 1

And you thought that Dos Santos being a huge playground was a good thing?
Old news / dupe by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · 2013-12-19 08:31 · Score: 1

Already mentioned here.

--
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
1. Re:Old news / dupe by ArcadeMan · 2013-12-19 09:16 · Score: 1
  
  What do you mean, "old news / dupe"? It's normal around here! Welcome to Slashdot my friend!
  
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  Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
2. Re: Old news / dupe by iamhassi · 2013-12-19 11:49 · Score: 1
  
  Yep and it says it was fully funded over 8 months ago so where is it? Or is this an ad for vaporware?
  
  --
  my karma will be here long after I'm gone
Transcript is where? by chuckugly · 2013-12-19 08:33 · Score: 1

This comment is me not watching a video while waiting for a damn transcript.
1. Re:Transcript is where? by i+kan+reed · 2013-12-19 08:35 · Score: 1
  
  Never watch slashdot videos. That's just a rule. It's going to be an advertisment.
  In this particular case, I can't engage in my usual "boycott the advertisers" rule, because I already ordered one of these on the kickstarter.
2. Re:Transcript is where? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-19 08:40 · Score: 1
  
  Becoming literate, look below video see Show/Hide transcript, clicking that. Literacy hooray!
3. Re:Transcript is where? by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · 2013-12-19 08:40 · Score: 0
  
  In this particular case, I can't engage in my usual "boycott the advertisers" rule, because I already ordered one of these on the kickstarter.
  So what you're saying if that you have principles, but they take a back seat when they go against your interests.
  Some morals...
  
  --
  "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
4. Re:Transcript is where? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-19 08:41 · Score: 0
  
  There's a link for the transcript under the video. Read much, moron?
5. Re: Transcript is where? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-19 08:58 · Score: 0
  
  It could be worse. He could be judging random strangers on the interwebs.
6. Re:Transcript is where? by i+kan+reed · 2013-12-19 08:58 · Score: 2
  
  No, it's that I can't retroactively change my actions to comply with my principals. That's a very different thing.
Re:Slashdot by PaddyM · 2013-12-19 08:38 · Score: 4, Funny

"A deja vu is usually a glitch in the Matrix. It happens when they change something."
Ya uhuh by easyTree · 2013-12-19 08:43 · Score: 1

"With this device and an Oculus Rift, Razer Hydra or a similar "immersive" headset, you can play games equipped to use these devices with your whole body moving in any direction you choose"
e.g. left or right on the sofa ^_^

--
Requiem for the American Dream
dumbest thing i've ever seen by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-19 08:43 · Score: 0

the demo videos all look like the presenter is winded and contorted uncomfortably after about 1 minute.
not to mention it's not even a "treadmill"... just a sloped surface that makes you wear special slippery socks. it's dumb. very dumb. i said dumb. i did.
1. Re:dumbest thing i've ever seen by weilawei · 2013-12-19 08:58 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Notice how little force they need and how easily their feet slip. This is a good thing. The problem with a treadmill is that you need to move this bulky rubber band around underneath you. It weighs a lot, as well. If you power a treadmill and use sensors to avoid using human power to move it, your power budget just went through the roof. Not to mention the need to spin the treadmill so the player doesn't walk off of it. Additionally, you're looking at moving parts subject to high wear and tear, versus this, which is mostly solid-state. I'd say this is a pretty inventive way of tackling the problem domain.
2. Re:dumbest thing i've ever seen by MrBigInThePants · 2013-12-19 10:43 · Score: 2
  
  "I'm dumb. very dumb. i said dumb. i did."
  FTFY
Exercise... eh by stewsters · 2013-12-19 08:50 · Score: 4, Funny

And you thought Skyrim was big before...
Yeah... by mythosaz · 2013-12-19 08:56 · Score: 3

It's not that it's dumb, it's that we're all way, way, way too lazy.
Dance Dance Revolution died out a while ago. The Wii was amusing for a while, but we just sit and flick now. The Kinect is pretty awesome, but we mostly just want to yell "GRENADE!" at it while slumping and playing shoot-'em-ups. The kids still jump around, but the novelty wears off them quickly too.
These would be cool in the party bus that entertains kids birthday parties, but that's about it.
1. Re:Yeah... by jeffmflanagan · 2013-12-19 09:07 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  You speak only for the stereotypical overweight gamer. Some of us keep fit and look for opportunities to be active while gaming.
  
  Going for a serious hike while playing a PC game would be an excellent next step beyond what the Wii and 360+Kinect offer. You miss out on how great it can feel to simply be alive and healthy if you let your body go like so many foolish people do.
2. Re:Yeah... by Tom · 2013-12-19 09:12 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  You speak only for the stereotypical overweight gamer. Some of us keep fit and look for opportunities to be active while gaming.
  
  Or, you know, just want to have fun.
  I still play tennis on my Wii with full-motion swings, because it's a lot more fun that way. And I play for fun, not to win (winning is fun, so it's a secondary path, but not the primary goal).
  I would absolutely love to run through Skyrim. Maybe not every morning, but just for the cool factor. Also, I do own a Unity 3D engine. Being able to build your own environment to run around in and stuff? Wow.
  And then... when I go really crazy, I'm imagining playing pen & paper roleplaying games and having something prepared for this for the hacker who goes into the matrix, or the shaman who goes on a dream journey or whatever...
  
  --
  Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
3. Re:Yeah... by mythosaz · 2013-12-19 09:30 · Score: 2
  
  There's interactive workout machines at the gym. There's a whole interactive world out there. It's neat. I've been there (once or twice).
  I'd love for the next-gen Tour de France machine at the gym to include some sort of Oculus setup, but this slippery-not-a-treadmill is destined to become junk in a living room.
  [As a side note, I have already realized my lifelong goal of having as my Tour de France victories as Lance Armstrong.]
4. Re:Yeah... by Immerman · 2013-12-19 09:47 · Score: 2
  
  Speak for yourself. I play Wii games with as much physicality as possible - that's kind of the whole point. If I just wanted to sit and mash buttons I'd be on the PC.
  And I think you're missing one of the big points here - people are lazy in large part because for a few generations now we've been discouraging children from actually going outside and playing, especially within cities. Couple that with the rise in popularity of TV and video games that make some of the most short-term compelling experiences sedentary and you get many people grow up without ever learning to appreciate the pleasure of physical exertion, instead associating it only with that nasty four-letter word "work". Not to mention that exertion is one of those things that makes your physical health really obvious - if you've let your health slide because you so rarely do anything that benefits from it you'll find leisurely running a few miles to be a rather horrid experience instead of just something that gets the heart rate up.
  So, fast forward a few years to where kids grow up running around in VR games instead of button-mashing on the couch, and you've potentially had a dramatic effect on our culture - for one they'll be healthier because they're actually getting exercise on a regular basis, and they'll have built a happier association with the physical responses to exertion. Still not as healthy as actually getting outside and playing, but at this point I don't expect that to catch on again in less than a few generations, because Germs! Pedophiles! Things beyond Mom's control!
  
  --
  --- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
5. Re:Yeah... by mythosaz · 2013-12-19 10:20 · Score: 1
  
  For all the reasons you mention in your post, this thing will be a flop.
  Aside: We don't believe in the boogeyman. We send our kids out until the street lights come on, the way the FSM intended.
6. Re:Yeah... by jeffmflanagan · 2013-12-19 10:32 · Score: 2
  
  Many of us have no desire to pay for and go to a gym, prefering solitary workouts, so something like this at home is much better for us than something at a gym.
  
  Who says it goes in the living room? I have a space at the back of my home-theater that would be perfect for a VR area. Obviously this isn't for everyone, and I don't expect anything like this to catch on with console gaming any time soon, but it's something that many of us have been waiting for.
7. Re:Yeah... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-19 11:33 · Score: 1
  
  I'm assuming you cheated less to get them as well
  well done!
8. Re:Yeah... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-19 12:15 · Score: 0
  
  I used to run through Skyrim. Then I took an arrow to the knee.
9. Re:Yeah... by Windwraith · 2013-12-19 14:16 · Score: 1
  
  Unity3D custom environment with all the pizzaz? TTRPGs with "special features"? Playing for fun?
  You, sir, are cool.
10. Re:Yeah... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-19 20:02 · Score: 0
  
  I exercise to stay fit but I like doing so outside, I don't enjoy being a hermit. I play video games to relax and for the story.
11. Re:Yeah... by Tom · 2013-12-19 21:12 · Score: 1
  
  It's obviously always a matter of amount of work vs. amount of fun gained, but I regularily spice up my pen&paper RPG sessions with gimmicks. Once made a section of a dwarven mine in Unity 3D and put it up on the video beamer as the group entered and then let them move around in it.
  There's only so much you can do with words when you describe a dark place lit only by the torches the group carries, and the impact to actually have it in front of them - to move forward cautiously as more of the cavern or tunnel slowly enters light range - is so much more powerful.
  
  --
  Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
Oculus rift could very well make people myopic by a4r6 · 2013-12-19 09:04 · Score: 1

There is a strong correlation between time spent indoors and rates of myopia. It's not just a genetic thing that you need glasses. The only thing that's not clear is whether:
a) eyes' ability to focus on distant objects is atrophying from lack of use, e.g. actually looking at things far away
or b) low light levels indoors or other properties of artificial light are causing damage
My preferred explanation is A - an eye physically changes its focus as you look at objects nearer or further. Being in one configuration all the time only looking at nearby objects basically means a lack of exercise for those muscles and it seems to follow intuitively that they would stop working as well. This kind of stuff is likely really unhealthy and I don't get why no one is talking about that... Our eyes evolved to work *outside*
1. Re:Oculus rift could very well make people myopic by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-19 09:14 · Score: 0
  
  yes, but maybe people with bad vision tend to stay in doors as a result of not being able to see well ? (even if it's a subtle unconscious thing like elderly folks driving slower as a result of their reaction times)
2. Re:Oculus rift could very well make people myopic by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-19 09:22 · Score: 0
  
  or
  c) people who don't see well tend to stay indoors more because
  1) the blurry distance in discomforting
  2) the beauty of the outdoors is lost on them as they can't see it
  its also possible that nearsighted people are introverted thinkers because the outside world is less distracting.
  I'm not completely dissagreeing with your assumption, but you post implied that a and b were the only options.
3. Re:Oculus rift could very well make people myopic by Immerman · 2013-12-19 09:50 · Score: 1
  
  I think in that case the Oculus could actually result in a a lessening of nearsightedness. If I recall correctly the optics in the Dev kit are calibrated so that your eyes can relax and focus at 80 feet. When is the last time most people, especially gamers, spent much time focused on anything that far away? Certainly not often when indoors. In fact it might even end up going to the other extreme and promoting far-sightedness among heavy users as the muscles needed to focus up close atrophy. In practice I suspect it'll probably be a non-issue since pretty much everything else people do tends to require focus at arms length
  
  --
  --- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
4. Re: Oculus rift could very well make people myopic by a4r6 · 2013-12-19 10:05 · Score: 1
  
  Your eyes "focus" at 80 feet only in the parralax sense, not in terms of the actual optics of your eye. There is no actual way to simulate different depths in this way, other than with a physical lens.
5. Re: Oculus rift could very well make people myopic by a4r6 · 2013-12-19 10:09 · Score: 2
  
  http://m.scmp.com/news/world/article/1334213/scientists-blame-surging-asian-myopia-rates-too-much-time-spent-indoors The relationship is believed to be causal in the direction I implied.
6. Re: Oculus rift could very well make people myopic by jeffmflanagan · 2013-12-19 10:19 · Score: 1
  
  Assuming that it works similarly to Sony's HMD, it will use lenses to actually make your eyes feel like they're focusing on a distant object. I wish they didn't, since this means I have to wear glasses under the HMD, when normally I just need glasses for driving.
7. Re: Oculus rift could very well make people myopic by a4r6 · 2013-12-19 10:21 · Score: 1
  
  It is believed that the relationship is causal, meaning that spending too much time indoors is creating myopia, not the other way around. Do some googling with search terms like "Asian myopia indoors"
8. Re: Oculus rift could very well make people myopic by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-19 10:40 · Score: 0
  
  There's 3 different lenses that come with the dev-kit. Don't worry.
9. Re: Oculus rift could very well make people myopic by Immerman · 2013-12-19 10:55 · Score: 1
  
  Not at all - I'm not discussing the stereoscopic depth effects at all - just the optical pathway between the screen and your eye. As I understand it the lens system in the dev kit requires your eye to focus at 80' at all times in order to bring the screen into focus. If you think about it it's pretty obvious that this thing must be possible - the screen is actually only a couple inches from your eye, closer than most people can focus comfortably, if at all. If it weren't possible to artificially increase the focal distance then nobody would be impressed at all, the eye strain would be excruciating.
  Eyeglasses do something similar - if you're farsighted your eyes may only be able to focus no closer than a few yards away, glasses change this by distorting the focal path so that when your eye is in a state that would normally bring into focus something several feet away, it instead combines with the lens distortion to bring into focus something only inches away.
  
  --
  --- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
10. Re: Oculus rift could very well make people myopic by Immerman · 2013-12-19 10:57 · Score: 1
  
  That is to say. yes, you are absolutely correct, but your point has no bearing on my own.
  
  --
  --- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
11. Re: Oculus rift could very well make people myopic by a4r6 · 2013-12-19 12:32 · Score: 1
  
  Oh, well now I sorta want one.
  I'm ashamed it never occurred to me they would have lenses like that. Or that I didn't bother to read how they worked before assuming you'd be focusing a few inches from your face...
12. Re: Oculus rift could very well make people myopic by a4r6 · 2013-12-19 13:54 · Score: 1
  
  sorry for the redundant posts - I was having a hard time with the mobile site.
13. Re: Oculus rift could very well make people myopic by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-19 18:28 · Score: 0
  
  Your eyes "focus" at 80 feet only in the parralax sense, not in terms of the actual optics of your eye.
  There is no actual way to simulate different depths in this way, other than with a physical lens.
  The dev kits have a lens (well, one for each eye)...
imho by strack · 2013-12-19 09:07 · Score: 1

The Virtuix Omni is a gimmick that is trying to ride the coattails of the Oculus Rifts success. Dont let cheesy crap like this distract from the Oculus. Really the only addon I can see being actually useful for the Rift would be positional controls, like the STEM. But even thats in doubt if Oculus vr release positional controls of their own beside the release of the consumer rift.
1. Re:imho by weilawei · 2013-12-19 09:23 · Score: 1
  
  Cheesy gimmick crap? This is a heck of a complement to VR headsets--a crucial, previously missing piece, IMHO.
2. Re:imho by MrBigInThePants · 2013-12-19 10:00 · Score: 1
  
  I cannot think of a better addition to it save for a 3d pointing device. (for guns/swords/light sabers etc)
  The immersion factor alone would be worthwhile in of itself but it is not the only benefit.
  It would also turn gaming into a sedentary activity into an exercise regime. For me that would be the primary reason for purchasing this rig.
  Anything that gets people up and moving about is a good thing in the first world and if you can get them waving their arms about to boot it will literally save lives.
  And once you are tired from that you can simply turn it off and go back to sitting or just "standing" mode as you please.
  And remember that this is only the first generation. There is more to come for both this, the Oculus and all the other addons that will be made for it. Once the market is established expect an entire genre of games, peripherals and (the best part) new gaming styles and genres.
  Exciting times...
3. Re:imho by Immerman · 2013-12-19 10:09 · Score: 1
  
  On the one hand I'm inclined to agree - certainly it's not something that would see much demand without a VR headset, and it seems like the control system is extremely crude at present.
  On the other hand once you have a decent VR headset then the control system becomes the "bottleneck" on immersiveness. Walking around the virtual world would certainly seem to be a far more immersive experience than diddling a joystick. Certainly I want to at least try it. And it does seem like these folks have come up with a pretty good solution to the need for a hands-free omni-directional "treadmill", with no moving parts to fail.
  There's also a parallel market to consider, though they're don't seem to be targetting it yet - exercise equipment. How many people spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a treadmill? And how many of those do you suppose might prefer taking a strenuous free-direction hike in an exotic virtual locale, or running around in a FPS, or, or, or, instead of staring at the wall/TV/book while getting their morning run in?
  
  --
  --- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
4. Re:imho by vadim_t · 2013-12-19 12:00 · Score: 1
  
  No, this kind of thing will be needed.
  The Oculus, as awesome as it is, only works well with linear movement. It's great for space, mech, plane and car sims. Basically any game where you're in a cabin. Once you want to walk around like a real person you find out that you can't turn around, and moving the camera out of sync with the head is disorienting.
  I considered getting an Omni, but in the end decided not to because: it's very heavy and would cost a fortune to ship, it takes a lot of space that I don't have, and I'm not sold on the whole slippery surface with special shoes thing.
  But I do absolutely think that an omnidirectional treadmill would be a great addition. Just probably not this particular one.
5. Re:imho by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-19 13:58 · Score: 0
  
  > I cannot think of a better addition to it save for a 3d pointing device. (for guns/swords/light sabers etc)
  Can't you already do that with Kinect and/or Wiimote?
6. Re:imho by MrBigInThePants · 2013-12-19 22:50 · Score: 1
  
  I know that problem is solved and you are correct those are some of the solutions.
  I meant that those devices would be the first choice addon over the treadmill rather than not existing.
  Several of the videos show him using a rifle and kinect on this thing with the RIFT.
7. Re:imho by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 01:05 · Score: 0
  
  Ah, okay, I see what you mean. More a question of priority than need.
  Still, I get a chuckle when I imagine players on this thing whacking the waist ring and its supports repeatedly with a Wii "sword." :)
8. Re:imho by MrBigInThePants · 2013-12-20 10:30 · Score: 1
  
  I had wondered about that also and also the cables that run to the Rift when you can free move in 360 degrees.
  Guns are easy but melee weapons might be a problem - especially when you cannot see what you are doing.
  But there are two things to this:
  1) You don't actually need your sword to be full length or even any length for it to be used in game.
  2) It can be made of any material.
  I am sure using a properly weighted foam sword (similar to what the LARPers use) would be the most immersive.
hur hur hur by Immerman · 2013-12-19 09:14 · Score: 2

The whole point of this thing is to let you get off the couch and moving while gaming, drawing in game motion from real-world treadmill running rather than button mashing from on the couch.
Smart ass remark score: 0

--
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
1. Re:hur hur hur by sgt+scrub · 2013-12-19 12:11 · Score: 1
  
  But my beer is on the end table and my... um sig.. is on the coffee table. I don't see a cup holder or an ash tray.
  
  --
  Having to work for a living is the root of all evil.
Re:Slashdot by ArcadeMan · 2013-12-19 09:15 · Score: 4, Funny

"A déjà vu is usually a glitch in the Matrix. It happens when they change something."

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Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
Finally! by Phusion · 2013-12-19 09:20 · Score: 1

In the coming years gamers won't have a reputation for being fat, instead they will all be athletic mounds of muscle after chasing down enemy soldiers and dodging alien laser fire.

--
640k ought to be enough for anyone.
1. Re:Finally! by MrBigInThePants · 2013-12-19 10:46 · Score: 1
  
  Sorry to ruin your daydream but I think you should really look at examples of the physique of the typical marathon runner...
  If you want "mounds of muscle" you are going to have to lift weights.
  Of course I am not saying that being thin and wiry is not a vast improvement on fat and doughy....
2. Re:Finally! by drkim · 2013-12-19 17:56 · Score: 1
  
  ...If you want "mounds of muscle" you are going to have to lift weights...
  No reason you couldn't hang progressively larger weights on you hand controller.
3. Re:Finally! by MrBigInThePants · 2013-12-19 22:43 · Score: 1
  
  yeah....because that is how weight lifting works (NB: I have 10+ years xp at it)
  silly me....
Uh didn't we see this about 10 years ago? by Otaku-GenX · 2013-12-19 09:24 · Score: 2

Wasn't this basically the same as the VR systems they had 10 or so years ago. The large head mounted displays, the circular "area". Think 'Hackers", or this : http://weburbanist.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Virtual-Reality.gif

--
I am me, I am the anomaly in the machine.
1. Re:Uh didn't we see this about 10 years ago? by jeffmflanagan · 2013-12-19 10:23 · Score: 2
  
  Yes, but the technology is just now catching up to the dream so we can have 1080p large field-of-view head-mounted-displays without excessive motion lag.
2. Re:Uh didn't we see this about 10 years ago? by MrBigInThePants · 2013-12-19 10:38 · Score: 1
  
  In much the same way the original cathode ray tube "monitors" were 3x3 pixels and could be used to play tic tac toe.
  Seriously dude - catch up with the modern world...
3. Re:Uh didn't we see this about 10 years ago? by Tom · 2013-12-19 11:43 · Score: 1
  
  This. When the first announcement about Occulus Rift was made, I went through the usual Oh-wow-cool-I-want-to-have-one-oh-wait-crappy-resolution-shit-forget-it cycle that I've been through two dozen times over the past 15 years. But then they upgraded the resolution and it's actually starting to be a really interesting option.
  
  --
  Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
Crouch and Prone? by Bodhammer · 2013-12-19 09:30 · Score: 2

Most of the games they are aimed at have crouch and prone as integral movements. The lack of this in the Omni seems like a deal killer for me. Am I missing something?
From the FAQ:
"What movements can you perform on the Omni?

Besides walking, the Omni allows for running, jumping, and strafing (sideways stepping) in 360 degrees. The Omni software provides gesture recognition that translates movements to mouse and key strokes that steer the avatar in the virtual environment."

--
"I say we take off, nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
1. Re:Crouch and Prone? by RevWaldo · 2013-12-19 09:48 · Score: 2
  
  In the TED demo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1niFHFIbD0M) the founder specifically mentions crouching as one of the motions. But yeah, nothing about lying down.
  I was more curious of simulating uphill/downhill motion, like climbing stairs.
  
  .
  
  --
  Prisencolinensinainciusol. Ol Rait!
2. Re:Crouch and Prone? by Immerman · 2013-12-19 11:25 · Score: 1
  
  Oog, now that will be a tough one. I suspect the raw sensory input of the Omni is very much like walking around the world in a giant gerbil ball, and I don't see it getting much better any time soon - at least not in a budget-minded system like this. If instead of a slippery surface you had something like a variable-friction caster plate on hydraulics you could at least give a sense of slope without people sliding of the low side, but stairs? Other than some sort of programmable surface I don't see it happening short of the sort of full-body haptic systems that tend to have you suspended in a giant gyroscope.
  Though say, didn't we see a tabletop sized programmable surface just recently? I wonder how expensive it would be to build a treadmill sized version that could lift people, and how many people would want to chop a hole into their basement for all the actuators.
  Incidently, is it me, or does Half Life seem a little strange as a demo choice for a TED talk?
  
  --
  --- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
3. Re:Crouch and Prone? by drkim · 2013-12-19 18:05 · Score: 1
  
  Oog, now that will be a tough one. I suspect the raw sensory input of the Omni is very much like walking around the world in a giant gerbil ball...
  They've actually had the 'giant gerbil ball' game system for a while now:
  http://www.virtusphere.com/
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VirtuSphere
  I saw this at NextFest a few years ago.
4. Re:Crouch and Prone? by drkim · 2013-12-19 18:09 · Score: 1
  
  In the TED demo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1niFHFIbD0M) the founder specifically mentions crouching as one of the motions. But yeah, nothing about lying down.
  I was more curious of simulating uphill/downhill motion, like climbing stairs.
  I don't imagine uphill/downhill would be that hard. The Omni could just have three leg/pistons that raise/lower to tilt the platform depending on the direction you're facing.
  There are already treadmills that raise and lower the front end to create more incline.
  I doubt the Omni could simulate stairs as currently designed, though.
Feet on a "frictionless" surface by msobkow · 2013-12-19 09:56 · Score: 1

That's just begging for someone to lose their footing, fall down, and take out half their teeth on the waistband component. Or worse.
I have a hell of a time finding shoes that fit properly, thanks to "duck" feet (wide forefoot, narrow heel.) Somehow I doubt there are going to be all that many fitting options for the "special shoes" required by this device.
Ah well, until the lawsuits roll in from the broken teeth and they get banned from the market for all the injuries I'm sure they'll prove quite popular.

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I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
1. Re:Feet on a "frictionless" surface by MrBigInThePants · 2013-12-19 10:41 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe some research first before assuming you are soooo much smarter than everybody else that you can think of an (stupidly) obvious flaw in 5 mins and that the creators who have spent years developing and testing this have not already solved it.
  Because of course they have.
  Making your comment a moronic troll.
2. Re:Feet on a "frictionless" surface by msobkow · 2013-12-19 11:35 · Score: 1
  
  I watched the video. I saw nothing to suggest they've addressed the problem.
  
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  I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
3. Re:Feet on a "frictionless" surface by msobkow · 2013-12-19 11:41 · Score: 1
  
  The only trolling I see is yours. You mention nothing about what they've done for this "research" you mention. You don't point out any scenes in the video to support your theory that they've addressed the concern.
  Instead you just dive right on in to the insults and name calling.
  
  --
  I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
4. Re:Feet on a "frictionless" surface by MrBigInThePants · 2013-12-19 22:46 · Score: 1
  
  There is a belt/harness that prevents you from falling down. You would see that in any of the videos if you paid attention.
  So as I was saying....
  NB: I was not referring to his mutant feet problem - unfortunately you are on your own getting custom shoes made as per usual.
5. Re:Feet on a "frictionless" surface by MrBigInThePants · 2013-12-19 22:47 · Score: 1
  
  There is a belt/harness that prevents you from falling down. You would see that in any of the videos if you paid attention.
  So as I was saying....
  NB: I was not referring to your mutant feet problem - unfortunately you are on your own getting custom shoes made as per usual.
Recreating reality too faithfully by marciot · 2013-12-19 10:01 · Score: 1

Although I am excited to see all these VR technologies, there is a certain irony in taking VR realism to the level in which it reproduces all the annoyances of actual reality, such as having to get up of the couch and physically moving through space in order to get somewhere you want to go.
Will the first VR video game blockbuster be a virtual gym that you can go to after spending the day at a virtual desk at a virtual workplace?
1. Re:Recreating reality too faithfully by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-19 10:40 · Score: 1
  
  >all the annoyances of actual reality, such as having to get up of the couch and physically moving through space in order to get somewhere you want to go.
  
  You've raised laziness to a new level!
Re:Slashdot by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-19 10:15 · Score: 0

They changed the Hydra to be a headset!!! OMG! RUN!
WOW! by legont · 2013-12-19 10:38 · Score: 1

I quit gaming back in late 80's. If this thing really works, I am back. Anybody tried it?
Kilobyte by Notabadguy · 2013-12-19 10:57 · Score: 1

Piers Anthony wrote Killobyte in 1993.
His description of VR is a 3-D fully immersive sensory experience. Users wear a full body suit and have full body tactile feedback. When VR gets there, people will get on board.
Until then, you have a treadmill with an ultra-close T.V.
1. Re:Kilobyte by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-19 14:05 · Score: 0
  
  Piers Anthony wrote Killobyte in 1993.
  His description of VR is a 3-D fully immersive sensory experience. Users wear a full body suit and have full body tactile feedback. When VR gets there, people will get on board.
  The idea goes back a lot farther than that. See Brainstorm. Or, if you want to go waaaaaaay back, read Descartes.
Note to wife: by PopeRatzo · 2013-12-19 11:07 · Score: 2

Honey, I decided what I want for Christmas...
Well, you said I should get more exercise, and it'll fit great in your "sewing room" that you haven't used since 1998.

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You are welcome on my lawn.
1. Re:Note to wife: by jimshatt · 2013-12-19 11:55 · Score: 1
  
  Oh, she's been "sewing" in that room all right... (Don't cha just love quote signs?)
Why is a HMD required? by Lanforod · 2013-12-19 12:00 · Score: 1

Been reading up on these ODT. Sounds cool. While I understand the benefit of adding an Oculus Rift etc., why is that considered a requirement? I'd rather play a FPS using this in front of several screens going nearly 360 degrees, so that I can do true aiming with a gun controller. Shouldn't the HMD be optional? Better yet, come up with an included holo-display that moves with the player.
Hop, skip, and jump by sgt+scrub · 2013-12-19 12:43 · Score: 1

I built something like this at home except I used a large ball on rollers. I like their design better. I was never able to get a reliable way to do crouching and jumping and none of their videos show someone doing it. Are they stuck in the same place I gave up? Anyone see a video with a jump or crouch?

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Having to work for a living is the root of all evil.
1. Re: Hop, skip, and jump by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-19 13:26 · Score: 0
  
  pics? I want to see your virtual hamster ball
Minecraft is Minecraft by arisvega · 2013-12-19 13:18 · Score: 1

Why would I want to actually run around in real life to play Minecraft?

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The three laws of thermodynamics:(1) You can't win. (2) You can't break even. (3) You can't even quit.