You won't have to pledge any money to this bad boy because it's already been funded. Yep, with a $150,000 goal on Kickstarter, the Omni from Virtuix Studios managed to rack up $344,000 after going live on Kickstarter earlier today, with 48 days to go. We're looking at another OUYA on our hands here people.
As reported on Forbes, the Omni is a next-generation virtual reality treadmill or movement pad (I think it fits the latter description better). It allows users to move in 360 rotational directions thanks to the indented pad that makes use of special shoe soles and allows you to walk, run and jump. It's a neat looking device and based on the Kickstarter video it actually appears to work.
What's more is that the Omni works in conjunction with other motion-devices, including the highly awaited Oculus Rift and Microsoft's infamous Xbox Kinect. This could also make for a great way to motion-capture movement using something like Kinect and iPi Soft without having to use a large studio for movement capture.
The possibilities for this thing are almost endless and it certainly opens up a large opportunity for the future of interactivity. As showcased in the video, could you imagine playing DayZ: Standalone with the Oculus Rift and the Omni? How crazy would that be? Trying to run for an hour away from zombies would be insane. Heck, they even mention in the video that this could work well as an exercise device.
I'm glad this thing was Kickstarted so quickly as it's the true next generation of video game interactivity. The Omni is scheduled to release next winter in January, 2014. You can learn more by paying a kind visit to the project's official Kickstarter page.
What do you think guys? Looks pretty impressive to me. And since it has no motor, it should be relatively light weight and not too crazy expensive.
Of course you'll need the Ocular Rift head set to make it complete and a decent enough computer to run these games. But maybe some consoles will start to support this.
06-05-2013, 04:32 PM
KitsuneNight
...yeah no
from the looks of it it wil be stupidly expensive
will take up a lot of space and you wil look even more stupid using it then you do when flailing around with the wii mote
this is probably a niche piece of hardware like most of these things are
and i cant say it appeals much to me
06-05-2013, 04:36 PM
Saturn Fan
Sounds like a neat concept....for gaming purposes that is. But i know they won't be able to resist marketing it to lazy asses for "fitness" purposes.
Eh at least it appears to have more potential than the crappy wii-fit.
06-05-2013, 04:39 PM
NeoVamp
To me this appeals in ways you can not imagine! I would totally buy this.
It's like.. the fucking holodeck, in mah living room!
I'd be all like PEW PEW PEW TAKE THAT ZOMBIES! then runrunrunrunrun
06-05-2013, 04:58 PM
mrbigreddog
Quote:
Originally Posted by KitsuneNight
from the looks of it it wil. be stupidly expensive...will take up a lot of space
$400-500 range is what they said I believe.
And damn sure takes up a lot less space than this thing!
But ever since watching Lawnmower man, I really wanted that concept of Virtual Reality to be real. And in the 90's it sure seemed like it was going to happen. This looks like it's going to be as close as possible, and even relatively economical. Takes up less space than playing with the Xbox Kinect! That's fore sure!
Feck me, I read the thread title as the Orbi Virtual Reality Treadmill for a sec then...
Thing looks alright. I'd like to see how they handle running in a game, I can't help but think that be a little.. troublesome to do.
06-05-2013, 07:41 PM
mrbigreddog
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Jackal
Thing looks alright. I'd like to see how they handle running in a game, I can't help but think that be a little.. troublesome to do.
I couldn't embed the Kickstarter video, check it out! It shows the guy running, and leans down to duck and jumps! Pretty cool! They say it a learning curve at 1st, but once you're use to it, it's quite nice!
06-05-2013, 07:46 PM
TheSonicRetard
Quote:
Originally Posted by xelement5x
I wonder how much shipping will be...
$0
Virtuix hq is within walking distance of my house. I already ok'd it with the guys, when mine is ready I can just go pick it up in person.
06-05-2013, 07:54 PM
TmEE
^ That is cool !
06-05-2013, 08:25 PM
The Jackal
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrbigreddog
I couldn't embed the Kickstarter video, check it out! It shows the guy running, and leans down to duck and jumps! Pretty cool! They say it a learning curve at 1st, but once you're use to it, it's quite nice!
Ah, awesome.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSonicRetard
$0
Virtuix hq is within walking distance of my house. I already ok'd it with the guys, when mine is ready I can just go pick it up in person.
You lucky SOB.
06-05-2013, 08:27 PM
TheSonicRetard
Quote:
Originally Posted by TmEE
^ That is cool !
Yeah, I feel like I'm getting a pretty awesome deal on this, because they said the retail model will likely be above $400 and I don't have to pay for shipping at all. For the kickstarted model, since the thing is 150 lbs, shipping within the US to your doorstep will likely be about $200. It'll be well over $500 to the rest of the world. To combat this, Virtuix plans on setting up distribution centers in key cities around the world where people can drive to pick theirs up if they don't feel like paying for shipping. Houston will obviously be one, but I don't even have to drive to get it. I can stand from my balcony and honestly see where they're headquartered.
I want to go over there and visit their company, but considering that an office visit is an actual reward for a $10,000 donation, I don't think they'd be cool with me showing up. I would love to see their office, though, because I admire their work, and especially the Oculus people (who are in California).
06-05-2013, 08:40 PM
MaxWar
Holy crap!! Ever since i had watched that lawnmower man movie as a kid, I kept trying to imagine ideas of how to properly implement full body movement in games.
This solution is pretty simple and looks like it kind of would be interesting. I would totally want to buy something like that.
However I cannot help but imagine you would need something larger to accommodate natural movement and true lifelike experience.
So far my best idea of this that is not totally crazy is the Giant trackball design.
When you move, walk, run, jump, The system detects your movement and the ball moves to accommodate you. You could be sprinting inside and motors would move the ball to give you the illusion of moving but you would be staying in place. You would wear a special suit that would detect all of your movements and also protects you if you fall and stuff. Inside you wear a VR visor and you could have various accessories you can usedepending on the scenario ( game ) you are in. ( gun, baseball bat, sword. ) . The body suit you wear could also be able to apply resistance to your movement to simulate things like climbing a ladder or opening a door.
Only this would be huge, probably insanely expensive and probably dangerous, hahaha. Maybe this could be implemented in theme parks or amusement centers first. With supervision ( I cant really imagine people using this alone at home, at least not in the beginning)
Could be the return of the arcades!
But back to this current kickstarter project, i will totally be following this!
06-05-2013, 09:42 PM
mrbigreddog
@MaxWar - I've seen something like that before. And I think they show it a little in their Kickstarter video. But obviously the problem would be size, weight, and expense. As where we are getting something very similar, but in the comfort of our homes, and doesn't take up much more space than a small exercise trampoline. I'm excited, only thing missing is having the gun response in FPS, rather than follow your head movements. And actually Wii remote adapter for a gun preferial. And motion plus takes care of the aiming without the need for the IR sensor.
