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[Foxy Fox 39]

Able to recap some of the stuff they said?

I certainly like the idea of an omni-treadmill too... but I've repeatedly stated in threads about the stuff that it's for a very niche market. Even when VR becomes a big thing, the treadmill still has some considerble barriers to overcome for some slight benefits.

The main thing the omni treadmill (of any sort) has going for it, is it seems to be the intuitive answer for providing full body motion controls.

But that's only because no one's bothered to properly integrate a good camera based full body motion system into VR yet - the trick is to get virtual feet synced up with the up and down motion of your own feet accurately. But that would require a game's movement to be designed from the ground up for VR.

Basically what you said and:

Gamers don't want to exercise (I agree and disagree. Wii fit and Wii Sports are examples of where it can work but is that the type of gamer to buy the omni?)

Your product is useless without the Occulus, so you'd have to tap into that market (and the creators even admitted to wanting to grab only 5 percent or something of the Occulus' Market and the Omni would be a success

Wives don't want to see this in their house (I don't know how accurate this is)

Great idea but like you said extremely niche.

Mark started the series of questions around the Occulus. I dont think the other sharks even knew it wasn't part of the Omni. lol.

 

[King Mac of Furry Frog]

I'd imagine a lot of people will realize how weak their legs are when they continually crouch on a game like future soldier.........

 

[PG2G]

But that's only because no one's bothered to properly integrate a good camera based full body motion system into VR yet - the trick is to get virtual feet synced up with the up and down motion of your own feet accurately. But that would require a game's movement to be designed from the ground up for VR.

I don't think such a camera system would work. You need something in place to restrict people's movement. I don't think walking in place is a viable solution either, if people are immersed enough they'll end up walking naturally.

 

[Zaptruder]

Basically what you said and:

Gamers don't want to exercise (I agree and disagree. Wii fit and Wii Sports are examples of where it can work but is that the type of gamer to buy the omni?)

I think if we could get such a system working well - full body immersion would be the new status quo. Some games can and will be explicitly designed around not operating around full body motion... but the immersion AND health benefits of this (i.e. makes it a system designed to encourage prolonged low-motive, low-impact exercise by coupling that with all the cognitively attractive things that games present) will be so overwhelming that it'll bring non-gamers into the gaming fold as a result.

And I don't mean in a Wii Sports, that's a nice gimmick kind of way. I mean a - the technoolgy has finally arrived, this is a legitimate form of enabling a wide variety of recreational past times - kind of way.

I don't think such a camera system would work. You need something in place to restrict people's movement. I don't think walking in place is a viable solution either, if people are immersed enough they'll end up walking naturally.

Not true.

The software can restrict the bounds of player movement - i.e. move outside of this small circle and the software pauses and prompts you to step back within the 'safe zone'.

Similarly, it can show you obstacles if they get close to you while you're immersed (either cameras mounted to the HMD showing an external view overlay, or the kinect POV camera showing things getting close to you on an overlay).

Couple on the spot movement with using an analog stick to indicate directionality and you have something that immersively engages the proprioceptive tactile system of the body, providing most of the benefits of an omni-treadmill sans the hip swing of a forward stride - without a large bulky amount of plastic that would be space and cost prohibitive in many homes.

 

[Sails]

They may not be able to get this further funded and in peoples homes, but perhaps it can be something they wheel around to conventions and charge for timed use. If it winds up popular enough, it could start to be rented to businesses such as theme parks. Six Flags New England used to have a really old virtual reality game involving what I believe was Star Wars, for instance.

 

[Alucrid]

Basically what you said and:

Gamers don't want to exercise (I agree and disagree. Wii fit and Wii Sports are examples of where it can work but is that the type of gamer to buy the omni?)

Your product is useless without the Occulus, so you'd have to tap into that market (and the creators even admitted to wanting to grab only 5 percent or something of the Occulus' Market and the Omni would be a success

Wives don't want to see this in their house (I don't know how accurate this is)

Great idea but like you said extremely niche.

Mark started the series of questions around the Occulus. I dont think the other sharks even knew it wasn't part of the Omni. lol.

No one wants a big piece plastic in their house that will sit useless after the first few tries. Remember how tired everyone got of plastic instruments? This seems way harder to hide in the closet. I don't even see it as that great of an idea. It's a gimped version of 'total' immersion, he said that we didn't have the technology for and it looks like we still don't.

 

[GuardianE]

But how can I sex with it?