VR Treadmills - Going For A Virtual Run
The world of Virtual Reality continues to stride forwards one pixel at a time. Things are definitely looking brighter on the horizon for everything Virtual reality. I previously mentioned in a post that a number of OEM phone manufacturers will be partnering with Qualcomm and network providers to bring portable VR powered by phones to the masses. It would appear that firms still believe that there is an untapped market for the immersive virtual world and companies have continued to research and develop their products with this mass market in mind over the years. Personally, my enjoyment in VR comes from great software and tracking, if mobile sets can reach a level of parity, regardless of graphical fidelity, I will definitely be interested.
Another piece of new that I have been following with interest revolves around VR treadmill technology. Running around videogames or just an open world using my legs instead of controllers would definitely be chasing the Read Player One experience. There are a number of VR treadmill solutions, the Omni by Virtuix is a 360 degree treadmill solution that lets people run around safely in all directions. It’s very cool, yet not everybody can enjoy this for extended periods and in a time where most businesses involve gatherings, sales are sure to be dwindling for a while yet in the commercial sector. The KatWalk from KATVR is another solution that has a number of outings. Their latest announcement of the KAT walk C is a new version that is designed to be compact and geared towards the wider consumer market. Any solution that is compact and viable for home use is a move in the right direction.
There are a number of interesting features in this package that promise to let consumers enjoy VR in one spot without having to make use of a room. The adaptable harness system is supposed to provide a seamless experience that will players walk, run and even sprint with a natural gait. Adjustable friction shoes will also be included (1 pair) to provide the right level of grip for players to enjoy all kinds of manoeuvrability in a virtual environment. VR still isn’t cheap and this is probably aimed at the existing VR crowd, it weighs in just shy of $700 and will plug in to a number of existing HMD units. I am quite exciting to see home harness products develop for the VR market and it might be the next bit of virtual exercise that we will all enjoy in a battle of VR Warzone in years to come.
Check out the short teaser here:
