Natural Movement When Playing Games - This May Be It

• Campylobacter jejuni wrote on 2013-06-08 04:18
  Just follow this link.
  
  :cheer:
  
  And holy fuck, look at that funding success.
• Cho wrote on 2013-06-08 04:26
  Exercise while gaming. Dang.
• RicochetOrange wrote on 2013-06-08 06:08
  What about if you want to play like... Mirror's Edge or something. Its not really immersive if you can't actually grab onto ledges and do rolls and flying kicks. :1
  
  Or swimming in a game. You can't swim with that big thing around you.
• RB2temp wrote on 2013-06-08 06:16

  Shoes - The shoe sole will be plastic injection molded. The stainless steel plunger pin is off-the-shelf. We plan to use an existing upper shoe mold and have the specialized shoe sole mechanically attached to this upper shoe. This approach enables us to cover the full range of whole shoe sizes up to men's size 15.

  
  UGH. My feet hardly fit into size 17 shoes. Other than the fact that I'll probably never be able to use it for that reason, I'm excited for it... ;__;
  
  Usually these things are kinda silly and gimmicky to me, but this one has the potential to be great.
• Campylobacter jejuni wrote on 2013-06-08 09:04

  Quote from RicochetOrange;1102912:

  What about if you want to play like... Mirror's Edge or something. Its not really immersive if you can't actually grab onto ledges and do rolls and flying kicks. :1
  
  Or swimming in a game. You can't swim with that big thing around you.

  
  Well, if you want magical can-do-all devices, you probably shouldn't look for them in the real world. In the meanwhile you can acknowledge that this is a major breakthrough in virtual reality, affordable even to middle income households, or low income frugal savers. TrackIR has nothing on this, except in flight simulators.
  

  Quote from RB2temp;1102916:

  UGH. My feet hardly fit into size 17 shoes. Other than the fact that I'll probably never be able to use it for that reason, I'm excited for it... ;__;
  
  Usually these things are kinda silly and gimmicky to me, but this one has the potential to be great.

  
  

  FAQ
  [..]
  What do I do if I have specific shoe needs?
  
  In case you have specific shoe needs, please let us know – we will work with you to get you set up appropriately.

• Jedo wrote on 2013-06-08 10:11
  I don't know if they said the price yet, but do they have any idea on what it might be?
  
  This looks like a lot of fun and would be exciting to have. I think one point in the video he said you could play any game with a keyboard and a mouse? Does this mean I could play mabinogi with this? ;-;
• psyal wrote on 2013-06-08 10:35
  While it's nice that people are trying to make physically immersive VR equipment, this still seems rather gimmicky. Maybe if you're only playing shooters, and don't mind underperforming compared to similarly skilled keyboarders, it should be fine.
  Problems I see so far:
  Turning will be a bit annoying
  Only standing position
  Needs a waist harness
  Some foot movements will be hindered
  Plus all those wear and age issues
  
  I just can't see this being anything other than another gimmicky VR console that'll be just as swiftly forgotten.
• Campylobacter jejuni wrote on 2013-06-08 11:29

  Quote from Jedo;1102981:

  I don't know if they said the price yet, but do they have any idea on what it might be?
  
  This looks like a lot of fun and would be exciting to have. I think one point in the video he said you could play any game with a keyboard and a mouse? Does this mean I could play mabinogi with this? ;-;

  
  

  The retail price of the Omni post-Kickstarter is projected to be in the $499-$599 range.

  
  You should be able to, but it wouldnt immerse you very much I guess. But you would move a whole lot more compared to before and that's healthy, so I guess it's still good to buy.
  

  Quote from psyal;1102984:

  While it's nice that people are trying to make physically immersive VR equipment, this still seems rather gimmicky. Maybe if you're only playing shooters, and don't mind underperforming compared to similarly skilled keyboarders, it should be fine.
  Problems I see so far:
  Turning will be a bit annoying
  Only standing position
  Needs a waist harness
  Some foot movements will be hindered
  Plus all those wear and age issues
  
  I just can't see this being anything other than another gimmicky VR console that'll be just as swiftly forgotten.

  
  Well those are some good points. The increaed latency from having to take a step before it notices you moving should only be of concern in high-skill competitive MP I think. Watching the dude play TF2 did look like watching your grandma play PC for the first time, but that may just be due to the readjustment period - obviously remaining in movement at all times is something that does not come naturally when playing PC games. Or maybe it's a developer who doesn't actually play FPS. Hard to tell yet.
  
  Why will turning be annoying? You'll probably get used to it after the first 2 hours anyway. Obviously there'll have to be some adjustment.
  
  Whch foot movements will be hindered?
  
  If this is correct:
  

  The Omni surface and shoes are not coated, but are made of a solid low-friction material. Therefore, there is minimal surface wear-n-tear. On the contrary, use of the Omni surface and shoes create micro-grooves that improve the low-friction characteristic of the Omni.

  
  Then wear and tear may not prove to be a noteworthy problem.
  
  I don't see how standing position and waist harness are issues that would prevent this from going beyond gimmicky.
• Osayidan wrote on 2013-06-08 12:53
  One thing I always had trouble to understand with these is how hotkeys will work unless you bring a keyboard with you into the thing.
  For some games just a toy gun like in the video may be fine, but what about MMOs or RPGs that have 9001 hotkeys, even a console-style controller wouldn't be enough.
• Campylobacter jejuni wrote on 2013-06-08 13:07

  Quote from Osayidan;1103010:

  One thing I always had trouble to understand with these is how hotkeys will work unless you bring a keyboard with you into the thing.
  For some games just a toy gun like in the video may be fine, but what about MMOs or RPGs that have 9001 hotkeys, even a console-style controller wouldn't be enough.

  
  

  Does the Omni support the Hydra, Delta Six and other controllers?
  
  Yes, the Omni is compatible with the Hydra and Delta Six. Ask us about any other controllers you may have!

  
  You can ask them if regular controllers work too, but why not?
  
  Good point though... Maybe this will be just a gimmick for simulator freaks after all. But mayb businesses will pop up and create periphery specifically tailored to playing different games on the Omni. Imagine a wizard staff...
  I mean there is obviously a huge demand, judging from how the funding is blasting through the roof. I dunno. We'll see. But I'm looking forward to its market introduction anyway!
• Aubog007 wrote on 2013-06-08 19:26
  Iunno,.
  VR stuff is kinda iffy, reminds me of paintball and stuff and i was horrible at that, slap a controller in my hand and i am good2go.
• psyal wrote on 2013-06-08 23:29

  Quote from Campylobacter jejuni;1102989:

  Well those are some good points. The increaed latency from having to take a step before it notices you moving should only be of concern in high-skill competitive MP I think. Watching the dude play TF2 did look like watching your grandma play PC for the first time, but that may just be due to the readjustment period - obviously remaining in movement at all times is something that does not come naturally when playing PC games. Or maybe it's a developer who doesn't actually play FPS. Hard to tell yet.
  
  Why will turning be annoying? You'll probably get used to it after the first 2 hours anyway. Obviously there'll have to be some adjustment.
  
  Whch foot movements will be hindered?
  
  If this is correct:
  
  Then wear and tear may not prove to be a noteworthy problem.
  
  I don't see how standing position and waist harness are issues that would prevent this from going beyond gimmicky.

  
  
  Consider the following:
  While playing an FPS, you will be moving, looking around, and occasionally shooting, tossing grenades, etc.
  For every movement the person on an Omni would make, the keyboarder has a much simpler and shorter movement.
  Also, while the keyboarder will only need to hold a button to move, the Omni person will need to walk/run.
  Due to the amount of movement necessary in even one round, the Omni person will likely tire out swiftly.
  Once tired, the Omni person's performance will drop even further.
  As so, the keyboarder can do much more using much less energy for a much longer time.
  
  In most games, you do a lot of turning. As your hands will most likely be unavailable to assist, you'll have to turn solely with your feet.
  To get a comparison, try standing on a slippery patch of ice. Turn around, then back, and do this for five minutes. Try not to slip.
  You can do it, it just takes longer than a person can slide a mouse. Plus it'll be tiring.
  
  Well, the Omni features those tracks to keep your feet going in one direction. Which means that you sacrifice any perpendicular movement in those areas.
  
  I said wear and age. It has minimized wear as long as nothing they don't cover in those terms happens.
  I'm more speaking about the shoes though. For one, you're going to be doing a lot of movement in those shoes, it's almost inevitable that they're going to become sweaty and fall apart. I'm going to guess at the shoes not being that inexpensive to replace.
  
  Going by my past experience with things like that harness, I'm going to guess that it's going to be annoying after a while, not to mention detracting from your immersive VR experience.
  As for the standing position, well, I would think it'd add to the amount of things that's going to exaust you. However, that's not my main point.
  How many games do you play where you're always standing upright? There's crouching, rolling, jumping, sitting, flying, etc.
  As this is supposed to 'immerse' you in a game, it loses worth when you can't do any of these to trigger the ingame equivalent.
  
  Well, anyways, without mentioning any other questionable things, I am going to guess that the people funding this will get their Omni, try it out for a week or two, then maybe put it away and forget about it.
• Gintoki wrote on 2013-06-09 04:33
  The Omni seems to rely heavily on the Oculus Rift for some of its features. From the videos they have on the kickstarter the omni seems to recognize left right movement from the position of the body but the Oculus rift detects up down movement for the camera.
  
  [video=youtube;qpHWJMytx5I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpHWJMytx5I#![/video]
  
  With that said. . .
  

  Is the VR headset included?
  No, the Oculus Rift or other VR headset is not included.

  
  Add 300 dollars for the dev kit.
  
  Another problem I see with this is that the consumer version of the Oculus Rift and the Omni shipping dates isn't the same. It could be really bad for the project if the Omni actually relies on the Rift for vertical camera movment.
  
  [SPOILER="Spoiler"]

  When will the consumer version of the Oculus Rift ship?
  
  We haven’t announced an exact date or quarter for the consumer product’s release, but we promise we’re working tirelessly to make it available as soon as possible.

  
  
  

  Phase 5: Shipping - Scheduled start Jan 2014

  
  
  

  When will the consumer version of the Oculus Rift ship?
  
  We haven’t announced an exact date or quarter for the consumer product’s release, but we promise we’re working tirelessly to make it available as soon as possible.

  [/SPOILER]
• Aubog007 wrote on 2013-06-09 07:56
  Yeah, can't really say this will be for people who actually want to be good at their FPS's due to the competitive nature.
  
  Single player games though... Could see a use for it.
• Campylobacter jejuni wrote on 2013-06-09 12:40
  Well it's primarily for immersion after all.
  
  But you two ruined my excitement as a gamer. My excitement for the technology is still there though.
  and yes, probably very useful for SP or Coop. Thinking about ArmA2. Would be so cool.
  
  But quite frankly if it came down to it I woud choose enjoyment over KDR, and if the Omni would turn out to make me enjoy all FPS more, then I'd use it in MP too - that is if I ever have the funds to not feel bad about buying this.
  
  Also it doesn't rely on the rift, they just use it because it's apparently their favourite and they're in a partnership. You can use other VR goggles.