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Omni: The "Oculus Rift" of 3D Treadmills

kickstarter.com

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Re: Omni: The "Oculus Rift" of 3D Treadmills

#71

Post by spazmaster »

mdigi wrote: post #66
sean-duffy wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While running backwards is a popular tactic in FPS games, it's one that is obviously completely unrealistic. I think given that this is a virtual reality device, it's more likely to be used for more realistic games that wouldn't require backwards running.

If by realistic games You mean "Jogging In The Park Simulator 2013" then i guess it's perfect. This could be a nice device to try out on some gaming expo but i think most gamers will be disappointed with the lack of actions they can perform in it.

Yeah, strafing and walking backwards at least you can do. How would you crouch and go prone for example? And I wonder how good you would be able to aim with Omni, that's gonna be a deciding factor.

Re: Omni: The "Oculus Rift" of 3D Treadmills

#72

Post by mtgx »

zw123456 wrote: post #59

I think there may also be a market for it in health clubs as well, they are constantly looking for new gizmos to entice new members in. Also, I see people at the gym try to do lateral movement on the treadmill by going sideways on it so I think people are looking for more than the boring 1D experience of a simple treadmill.

I could see how in the future instead of "going to gym", we simply "play games" to exercise, and it's a lot more fun to do it, too!

Re: Omni: The "Oculus Rift" of 3D Treadmills

#73

Post by kybernetikos »

Looks fun, but seems a bit gimmicky to me. Why would you use something that is extra physical effort to use and makes you worse at gaming? I presume people will only really play games against other people using these, which means that the community will be very small.

On the other hand, I could imagine these or something like these making the gym more fun as a fitness thing rather than a gaming thing.

Re: Omni: The "Oculus Rift" of 3D Treadmills

#74

Post by TillE »

I'm really looking forward to the next generation of consumer gaming VR once all the kinks have been worked out.

With any luck, the problems and shortcomings of the Oculus Rift and the Omni will be solved within a couple years, and we'll be able to buy a fully usable VR rig for something like $1500 (glasses, treadmill, handheld controller). And we'll have games designed specifically for it.

Re: Omni: The "Oculus Rift" of 3D Treadmills

#75

Post by frobozz »

mtgx wrote: post #72
zw123456 wrote: post #59

I think there may also be a market for it in health clubs as well, they are constantly looking for new gizmos to entice new members in. Also, I see people at the gym try to do lateral movement on the treadmill by going sideways on it so I think people are looking for more than the boring 1D experience of a simple treadmill.

I could see how in the future instead of "going to gym", we simply "play games" to exercise, and it's a lot more fun to do it, too!

Isn't that how most people have exercised for years?

Re: Omni: The "Oculus Rift" of 3D Treadmills

#76

Post by nickik »

kybernetikos wrote: post #73

Looks fun, but seems a bit gimmicky to me. Why would you use something that is extra physical effort to use and makes you worse at gaming? I presume people will only really play games against other people using these, which means that the community will be very small. On the other hand, I could imagine these or something like these making the gym more fun as a fitness thing rather than a gaming thing.

Also lots of people only play single player games.

Re: Omni: The "Oculus Rift" of 3D Treadmills

#77

Post by joosters »

bcoates wrote: post #8
rickdale wrote: post #4

On the omni website it says, "Order on Kickstarter", but isn't kickstarter trying to remind people that it isn't necessarily a store? And so if you order one on kickstarter is it a guarantee that you will get one or is there a chance that it won't happen?

Another red flag is that the "Risks and Challenges" Kickstarter mandated doesn't actually disclose any risks or challenges, just generic statement that could apply to literally any manufactured product and a bunch of puffery about how great they are.

Too true...

I've yet to see a decent and honest 'risks and challenges' section for a project, they all end up talking about how great everything is.

They are far removed from the 'risks' section of a financial prospectus (which still get ignored!) and yet kickstarter backers have fewer rights and safeguards than a real financial investor.

Re: Omni: The "Oculus Rift" of 3D Treadmills

#78

Post by joosters »

rickdale wrote: post #4

On the omni website it says, "Order on Kickstarter", but isn't kickstarter trying to remind people that it isn't necessarily a store? And so if you order one on kickstarter is it a guarantee that you will get one or is there a chance that it won't happen?

And on the kickstarter updates they state 'We have now sold close to 2,000 Omnis'. Kickstarter pledges aren't sales. They should not be describing them as such.

Re: Omni: The "Oculus Rift" of 3D Treadmills

#79

Post by tinco »

joosters wrote: post #77
bcoates wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another red flag is that the "Risks and Challenges" Kickstarter mandated doesn't actually disclose any risks or challenges, just generic statement that could apply to literally any manufactured product and a bunch of puffery about how great they are.

Too true... I've yet to see a decent and honest 'risks and challenges' section for a project, they all end up talking about how great everything is. They are far removed from the 'risks' section of a financial prospectus (which still get ignored!) and yet kickstarter backers have fewer rights and safeguards than a real financial investor.

They also invest much less. I'm not sure why you would need a safeguard for investing $429. Clearly you can miss the money since the starter clearly states you won't get the project until its done, and that's a minimum of 6 months away.

If the project never gets done and no one receives their reward, what's the harm done?

Re: Omni: The "Oculus Rift" of 3D Treadmills

#80

Post by tinco »

kristiandupont wrote: post #70
eugenesia wrote: post #31

It seems that the grooves pointing towards the centre of the platform make for an unnatural walking gait. At the start of a step, the foot will move inwards towards the line of travel. As the foot crosses the torso, it will move outwards again. Whereas in a natural gait, each foot moves parallel to the line of travel. See 2:10 of the video for how the shoes fit into the grooves using plunger pins, and how they move o…

I thought about that too. I can imagine a whole new category of back and knee problems in the teens who grow up with this or similar devices.

Note that at no point in the movement the torso moves up or down, so the forces on the joints/back are much lighter. So wouldn't that make the movement a light unnatural movement like swimming is? Do people get many knee injuries from swimming? (I had a knee injury that flared up when swimming, but I don't think it caused it)
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