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Up and Coming
April 9, 2013

Virtuix Omni - Omni treadmill for use with the Rift

Hi all,

Wanted to introduce our Omni project to the game developers and Rift enthusiasts on this forum. With the advent of the Rift, it becomes apparent that a traditional keyboard / mouse / game pad is not conducive to great VR. Especially with the Rift, you no longer want to just sit down. At the very least, you want to be standing up. What if, instead of using a game pad to move around (with the possibility of getting motion sick while doing so), you could walk naturally and freely in the virtual world?

We have been working on the Omni for more than a year now. The Omni is the first omni treadmill focused on consumer use: affordable, compact, and enabling a user to move naturally in virtual environments such as games. Feel free to check out our website and Skyrim demo below: (note: this demo is with our old and clunky prototype :) )

http://www.virtuix.com




I believe there is a huge opportunity for game developers to create fascinating VR content. VR is a new medium that needs dedicated content, and the “killer game” that makes VR a “must-have” for a large audience. Good news: the canvas is vast and empty. I can’t wait to see what developers come up with!

We want to learn as much as possible from the input and creativity of this community, so please let us know your feedback! Let us know what you would like to change, have implemented, what questions you may have, etc.!

Best regards,

Jan

    77 replies

    Up and Coming
    May 23, 2013
    they just updated their website www.virtuix.com
    kickstarter is launching on June 4 :mrgreen:
    May 23, 2013
    Heh, posted one day too soon. I'll look forward to seeing what they run in a couple weeks then.
    Inspiring
    May 23, 2013
    This is looking better and better. Can't wait for this to launch.
    AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | MSI X370 Titanium | G.Skill 16GB DDR4 3200 | EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 | Corsair Hydro H110i Gigabyte RX Vega 64 x2 | Samsung 960 Evo M.2 500GB | Seagate FireCuda SSHD 2TB | Phanteks ENTHOO EVOLV
    janAuthor
    Up and Coming
    May 24, 2013
    Hi Cyber, thanks! I've posted our trailer video below:


    Up and Coming
    May 24, 2013
    As one who will kickstart the Omni,,,

    What is that Gun accessory shown in the demo?
    How will it support the Hydra?
    What is the price for KS backers?
    What is the timeframe for KS backers to receive their units?
    When will the commercial version be available?
    What are the incompatibilities with the Oculus Rift?
    What are the incompatibilities' with standard FPSs?
    What is the warranty / repair scheme?

    I have more questions but will wait until you answer the above...

    Peejle
    janAuthor
    Up and Coming
    May 24, 2013
    Hi Peejle, thank you for your questions!

    The gun is the Cabela's Top Shot Elite - you can buy it on Amazon.
    Hydra is supported.
    Price, timeline etc. will be kept under wraps until the Kickstarter launch.
    No imcompatibilities with the Rift or FPS; the Omni software generates key strokes that work, out of the box, with any game that uses keyboard input.
    No warranty / repair scheme determined yet. After all, we are launching a Kickstarter campaign.

    Let me know if I can answer anything else.

    Best regards,
    Jan
    Up and Coming
    May 24, 2013
    sounds nice but i cant imagine that thing coming cheap.
    Up and Coming
    May 26, 2013
    "MrGeddings" wrote:
    sounds nice but i cant imagine that thing coming cheap.


    I agree. As one who will support the KS, above $500 will be a lot for a sub nitch of a nitch product. They don't want to lose $ on the KS, but they shouldn't be planning on a profit from the KS beyond future development funds. I hope they take that into consideration, especially if the first gen is a developer / prototype version...

    Peejle

    EDIT:
    Showed the Omni vids to a couple nephews today. They begged me to buy one and i don't even have my Rift yet...
    Up and Coming
    May 26, 2013
    It seems that you need special shoes for the treadmill, right? (I couldn't see it clearly in your videos)
    I don't like the idea of sharing shoes. And there wouldn't be one size to fit all feet.
    Would it be possible to design some kind of over-shoes?
    janAuthor
    Up and Coming
    May 26, 2013
    Hi Peelje, we indeed don't plan to make much if any money on the Kickstarter. We want to get as many Omnis as possible to VR and gaming enthusiasts, and to developers, so that fascinating applications can be built. Our Kickstarter rewards will come at a significant discount to the price afterwards.

    Conz, over-shoes are an option for the future, but they have the risk of working less well (depending on what shoes you use). With full shoes, we maintain full control over the functionality. Also note that in some cultures, people do not wear any shoes in-house, so just providing over-shoes would not make as much sense. We will be sure to provide a wide range of shoe sizes, and you can order as many additional pairs as you'd like.