Apple may have found its $3.5k Vision Pro headset to be a hard sell, but for those of us ready to completely plug in, there are several companies making VR furniture — and it ain’t cheap.
That’s real furniture for use with VR, BTW, not digital furniture you’d buy for use in the metaverse. Honestly, aren’t you glad we don’t have to talk about NFTs all the time anymore?
… VR headsets are great for 360-degree visual and audio environments, but you can’t physically move through them without bashing into your sofa. Startups are trying to change that.
Virtuix launches its ~$2.6k Omni One VR treadmill — a large disc that moves with players as they walk, run, jump, and crouch — next month, per TechCrunch.
It works with Omni’s own third-party single-player games, while Omni’s $14/month subscription allows for online multiplayer sessions.
Roto VR is now accepting preorders for Explorer, an ~$800 spinning, vibrating VR chair made for Meta. It turns with users in VR (like this) to increase immersion and reduce motion sickness.
Well, 3k people have already preordered the Omni One. But even if most home gamers don’t have the cash — or the space — the tech does make sense for arcades, theme parks, and other venues that rely on unique experiences to sell tickets.
Omni has several “arenas” across the US equipped with its treadmills, while Birdly VR, which lets users lie down with their arms spread to “fly” like a bird, is in several museums.
Disney Imagineer Lanny Smoot developed HoloTile, a floor covered in small discs that spin and pivot, allowing someone to walk endlessly in any direction. Watch this, then tell me you wouldn’t pay good money to moonwalk on one of these babies.