The Cyberith Virtualizer is an omnidirectional VR treadmill which allows players to navigate infinitely large virtual spaces without leaving the device. With a low friction base and a ring around the waist, players are free to run in place in any direction; they can also crouch and jump. The company is running a Kickstarter campaign in which it has reached 87% of its $250,000 goal in just one week.
PrioVR is an affordable full-body motion capture suit from YEI Technology that completed a successful Kickstarter back in March. The suit places IMUs at strategic points around the body to capture movement of the head, torso limbs, hands, and feet. The resulting skeletal data can be utilized for real time input into a game, allowing players to have their entire body inside of virtual reality.
See Also: Hands-on With the First PrioVR Prototype and YEI’s 3-Space Sensors (video)
Today, Cyberith released a video (above) of the Virtualizer being used in conjunction with PrioVR for a full body VR experience which uses YEI Technology’s forthcoming zombie demo level. In the video, the user is able to run around the map and use their entire body to interact with the game world. Tuncay Cakmak, founder of Cyberith describes the ability to look in one direction, move in another direction and shoot in yet another direction as “..the most experience I’ve ever had”. It does look incredibly cool we must admit.
While the Virtualizer alone uses optical sensors in the base to track the movement of your feet, it can’t account for the rest of your body without additional input devices. Adding PrioVR to the mix offers a much more immersive experience than a single gun prop.