Will there be a sewing machine simulator to coincide with its launch?
Terrible peripheral for immersion.
No, but I hear they're planning a cat-riding-Roomba simulator. : D
I'm sure it can't be any worse for immersion than the Xbox controller that Oculus is shipping with its headsets. The real draw of something like this is that it frees up your hands for more immersive VR inputs, such as hand-tracking or firearm-style controllers, while leaving your leg movements to be controlled by your legs, albeit in a somewhat abstracted way.
The price of this unit seems a bit high for what it is though. There's little reason it should cost much more than a regular gamepad, aside from being a niche device sold to early adopters.
Give me the walking frame thing so I can full immerse in FPS games and I'm sold if it's not too expensive. It looks much better.
The Virtuix Omni looks like it could be cool, but it's also $700. Additionally, it seems like the Omni requires a fair amount of setup before you get into a game, since you need to put on special low-friction shoes and strap yourself into a multi-point safety harness, in addition to preparing your other VR gear. And of course, you're locked into the thing, so if, for example, you need to get something from across the room, you'll first need to spend another couple minutes removing all of this equipment. Also, since you're literally running around in games, you could easily get worn out from playing a high-intensity game for just a short while, so you might not want to play in an FPS for too long. On the other hand, you're bound to get a workout. : P
Another possible option would be to make something like a cross between the two. A low-friction surface like the Omni designed for use while seated in a chair. That way, one could slide their feet in a way roughly similar to walking, without needing to strap into a harness and lock yourself into an immobilizing device. You would still get some exercise, though it would likely make longer play sessions less tiring. It could also be far more compact and portable, so you wouldn't need to dedicate a corner of a room to the device. The smaller size and lack of any need for a heavy-duty frame and harness system could also allow it to be much lower-priced. Socks could even be used in place of dedicated shoes to help lower the price further. I suspect we'll see something like that before long, maybe even from Virtuix themselves.
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