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

Posted by Roblimo on 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.

8 of 87 comments (clear)

  1. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 3, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  2. Re:Slashdot by PaddyM · · Score: 4, Funny

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

  3. Exercise... eh by stewsters · · Score: 4, Funny

    And you thought Skyrim was big before...

  4. Yeah... by mythosaz · · 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 · · 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 · · 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
  5. Re:dumbest thing i've ever seen by weilawei · · 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.

  6. Re:Slashdot by ArcadeMan · · Score: 4, Funny

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

    --
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