Omni VR Treadmill Gets $3M In Seed Funding

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Holy cow! Someone actually gave these guys three million bucks? :eek:

Virtuix received $3 million to "expand production and distribution of the Omni," the $500 platform that has players strapping in to a harness and wearing special shoes to run, walk and jump using their real-life legs in games. The seed investment round was led by Tekton Ventures and Maveron.
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I thought the idea was cool when I first saw it, but now, every time I see this thing in use, it just looks awkward for the people that are using it.
Maybe it's a bit better when you're actually using it, but it looks like it would be uncomfortable to use for more than half an hour.
Good on them though, maybe the next iteration will be better.
 
They took this thing on that show where you present your idea to some investors and they offer something like 50k seed money..or some such. They got dismissed...even though I think whoever threw 3 mil at this is a complete idiot..whos laughing now?
 
Always thought that thing was dumb. It will not make it to mainstream (or even enthusiast) consumer markets. Ever.
 
The only way this thing sells is if the feeling of walking on it is absolutely amazing and completely indiscernible from walking on a real floor. I dont imagine this thing has any other practical uses than to be paired with VR, and I'm not convinced people are interested in simulations that actually run them out of breath.
 
I really wish this succeeds. The concept just seems so cool. I'd also have a reason to work out! Can't get out of this one, if I get it.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
They took this thing on that show where you present your idea to some investors and they offer something like 50k seed money..or some such. They got dismissed...even though I think whoever threw 3 mil at this is a complete idiot..whos laughing now?
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Shark Tank. IIRC they dismissed it because none of the Sharks were into gaming so it wasn't something they wanted to invest in.
 
Spidey329 said:
Shark Tank. IIRC they dismissed it because none of the Sharks were into gaming so it wasn't something they wanted to invest in.
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Also, worth mentioning that they went on with the Oculus and the sharks were disappointed when they found out that wasn't included in it. Haha.
 
McFry said:
The only way this thing sells is if the feeling of walking on it is absolutely amazing and completely indiscernible from walking on a real floor. I dont imagine this thing has any other practical uses than to be paired with VR, and I'm not convinced people are interested in simulations that actually run them out of breath.
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I agree to an extent. Im actually hoping for the re-rise of the arcade. Its the perfect time for it. The reason's the first arcades got started is so normal people could have access to expensive, powerful games that wouldnt fit in homes. This faded when the consoles came out and there games were almost as good.
NOTE:(very long note apparently) essentially someone realized that most of the cabinets had similar processors, and just minor changes for different sound/ect to set them apart. so they decided to put the basic guts in a box and the firmware on a second board that could be swapped out.

The arcades fought back by having more interactive games with cool peripherals. (guns/racing games/ motorcycles/Holograms and even VR)

so now the arcades had the advantage of being relatively cheap, (much easier to ask for $5 from mom for the arcade instead of $200+ for a console) They had cool interactive stuff, and better graphics than consoles.

consoles shot back with heavy advertising, peripherals of their own (lightguns, fightersticks, steering wheels, power mats, power gloves, and robots). In addition, they were many more people learning programming and game design because they grew up on arcades and around computers that included manuals for BASIC. These people flocked to the console companies because they were able to produce games more quickly because they didnt have to design the hardware.

The games started pouring out for the consoles, The arcades couldnt keep up, They also couldnt keep up with the graphics, as it was getting much more expensive to beat the consoles graphics. As more people had consoles with multiple games in their home, and people could rent games from video stores for only $3. Games became about trading with friends and inviting friends over instead of going to the arcade and spending all day there. This was compounded by the rise of fear about kids and child molesters/abductors. People wouldnt drop their kids off at the mall anymore.
As time went on, Arcades became less about awesome game experience, and instead became a midway at a fair.


VR is a great reason to have new arcades. Maybe have arcades with multiple omnis (10+) and hold tournaments. In the same arcade, have motion simulators with full cockpits in VR. The motorcycle games in VR would be cool as well. (hmm I wonder how much those old motorcycles are going for on ebay)

There was a pretty cool one I played 12 years ago at NASA. It was a parachuting game with a VR headset. It had a full body harness, full motion tracking VR, (a pretty good viewing angle too but I was a kid). and the coolest part, when you jumped out of the plane, The floor fell away so you were hanging in the harness. You had to pull your chute, then steer with your harness. The game itself was 3d but cell shaded. I Actually found a picture of it hidden in a PDF, The first 2 pics are what the level I used looked like, the third with "arcade version" under it is the one I used.

http://www.parasim.com/pdf/AIAA2061.pdf
 
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