Regular reality is just so, uh, real. That’s why virtual reality, or VR, devices have ignited our imaginations in the past couple of years. It seems that ever since Google dropped their Glass VR eyewear device, along with the infamous Oculus Rift, the race to create the coolest VR-enabled gadget is on. Speaking of the Rift, we’ve already seen a treadmill-like device called Virtuix Omni that paired up with Oculus’s baby to create a truly immersive VR experience. Now it has some real competition in the form of the Virtualizer VR Treadmill. Free market economy, eat your heart out!
This tech-heavy treadmill was conceived of by a team of researchers in Vienna. These creators seemingly don’t even of the existence of the Omni, so don’t be trying to claim idea thievery. Having said that, however, the ideas are rather similar. You strap on the Rift, strap your body in the treadmill and then game with full body control over your avatar. Finally, getting your afternoon walk in can be fun instead of horribly boring and derivative. Thanks technology!
One cool feature the Virtualizer brings to the table is an adjustable harness height. This not only means that the device will fit gamers of all sizes, but it also means that crouching can now translate into an in-game action. Now when you hide like a coward in a first person shooter, you can hide like a coward in real life too.
The team has yet to announce a price or release date. The Omni is set to launch at around $499, so we can’t imagine the Virtualizer would be too much more. We’ll let you know when a release date is set. In the meantime, check out this video.
http://wearabletech.io/oculus-rift-vr-helmet-omnidirectional-treadmill-star-treks-holodeck/
