Virtuix Announces Kickstarter Stretch Goal for Exclusive Omni Game, Q&A With CEO

1

travr virtuix omni vr treadmill game

The Virtuix Omni Kickstarter launched back at the beginning of June and is now 5 days from completion. The project recently crossed the $1 million mark (congrats!). As the Kickstarter for this omni-directional VR treadmill comes to a close, Virtuix has announced the retail price for the Omni and a last-minute stretch goal for an exclusive Omni game called TRAVR. We also have a brief Q&A with Virtuix CEO Jan Goetgeluk about the future of the VR treadmill.

Road to VR Passes a Milestone — Celebrate With VR Swag!

15

road to vr logoHey there VR fans. A bit of meta news today — the Road to VR Facebook page just ticked up to four digits, we’ve officially got 1000 ‘likes.’ To celebrate, we’ve got some VR swag for you.

Independent blogging is tough work, but it’s made a bit easier when you are passionate about your topic. My colleague Paul and I have been pouring our personal time and resources into Road to VR — we think virtual reality is a topic well worth writing about. And while 1000 likes on Facebook might not mean too much to a passerby, each like feels as a personal thumbs up from someone that appreciates what we do.

So we want to say thank you for supporting us — when you help spread the word, it really benefits us! And of course, thanks to Palmer Luckey, Oculus, and other folks who are making all the great stuff and doing all of the important research that we get to write about!

If you are a new member of our site who wants to stay up to date through social channels, you can find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Now, before I bore you to tears… there’s something for you!

Get Some VR Swag

914074_637211559627455_1045109966_o

We’ve still got some VR paraphernalia from GDC 2013, courtesy of the good folks at Oculus, and we’d like to pass it on to you.

Here’s how to get some:

  1. If you haven’t already, give us a Like on our Facebook page! (not actually a requirement for getting some swag, but really, it helps us out!)
  2. Leave a comment below linking to your favorite Road to VR article. Please tell us what you like about it!

We wish we had some for everyone, but this will be first-come-first serve. We’ll contact you at the email address with which you registered to comment so keep your eyes peeled!

And to take us on a little trip down memory lane, here’s our 5 most popular articles:

  1. Exclusive: Sneak Peek and Interview — Wicked Paradise, The World’s First Erotic VR Game (video: NSFW)
  2. GDC 2013: Michael Abrash on “Why VR is Hard (and where it might be going)”
  3. Virtuix Omni VR Treadmill Kickstarter is Live, Early Bird Prices Start at $249
  4. Guide: Build Your Own Oculus Rift VR Headset
  5. VorpX Driver Preview: Skyrim, Fallout 3, BioShock, and More with the Oculus Rift — Unlock the VR in Your Games Library (videos)

How to Measure Your IPD and Create a VR Player Profile with the New Oculus Configuration Utility

11

oculus rift configuration utility ipd measurementOculus VR Inc is making steady improvements to the Oculus Rift SDK; the company recently launched version 2.3. Along with some other changes comes the Oculus Rift Configuration Utility which lets players measure IPD, input height, and create a profile to bring those settings into Oculus Rift games.

New VirtuaView video released — 7 Days Left to Back the Project

2

VirtuaView, the promising Multiplayer Virtual Cinema and Meeting project, is coming to the end of it’s IndieGogo campaign. Its author Christer-Andre Fagerslett (aka Namielus) has released a new video highlighting the project’s potential.

Video of 2 Year-old Using the Oculus Rift Raises Some Interesting Questions [Update: Video Removed]

10

2 year old oculus rift video

Beyond the question of safety (Oculus’ official recommendation is that children under 10 not use the Oculus Rift) and the fact that the child’s IPD is probably too low to properly see through the Rift, one has to wonder what psychological impact virtual reality might have when used from an early age.

Microsoft Illumiroom Immersive Gaming System — New Video and Research Paper

5

microsoft illumiroom video and research paperBack in January, Microsoft Research revealed an interesting project called Illumiroom. The system, which uses a Kinect and commodity projector, scans the environment around your TV and uses the info collected to intelligently project extra info around the TV with the goal of creating a more immersive gaming experience. Back then we only got a teaser of the tech — now Microsoft has made public a more detailed account of the system’s capabilities and a full paper detailing the techniques.

LG Announces World’s Thinnest 5.2-inch Full HD Display — Good News for Oculus

2

lg worlds thinnest 1080p display oculus rift panel 2Yesterday, LG Display announced the world’s thinnest 5.2-inch full HD display. As more panel makers announce full HD displays of this size, it means more choices and lower costs for the forthcoming Oculus Rift consumer version.

Crashland is an Atmospheric FPS Oculus Rift Demo with Razer Hydra Support (video)

2

crashland oculus rift demo

The creator of the Ocean Rift demo is hard at work on an atmospheric FPS for the Oculus Rift that looks wickedly fun. The game affords full avatar embodiment with arms controlled by the Razer Hydra. So far the developer has released a few teaser videos and plans a public demo release in the near future.

Oculus: “Hawken VR is coming — Stay tuned”

5

oculus rift hawken wallpaper small

If you’ve been following the Oculus Rift saga since the beginning, you’ll recall that Hawken (2012, Meteor/Adhesive) was said by the developers to have Oculus Rift support as of the open beta launch on December 12, 2012 — even before the Oculus Rift would start shipping to Kickstarter backers. Many months later, the VR community was left wondering what happened to the project when it failed to materialize. Now, Oculus tells Road to VR that the project is still in the works, and reveals the unfortunate reason for its delay.

Quake gets Rifted! Back Through the Slipgate with the Oculus Rift (video)

1

Gamers of a certain age rejoice! The first ‘true’ 3D First Person Shooter that spawned a generation of FPS nuts, Quake (id Software, 1996), has been given the Oculus Rift treatment. We take a quick look back at the Quake legend and it’s future, in VR.

CloudHead Games’ Denny Unger: Mini Q&A Talks About The Gallery and Kickstarter Success

0

denny-unger

You’ve read our article on the VIP Preview of The Gallery: Six Elements, now read the Mini Q&A. We catch up with Denny Unger, Creative Director at Cloudhead Games,  to find out about what development life is like post-kickstarter.

The Gallery: Six Elements — Early Alpha Sneak Peek with the ‘VIP Preview’

0

thegallery-enter

We take an early look at one of the most hotly anticipated titles in VR Gaming. CloudHead games were kind enough to give us access to an early alpha of The Gallery: Six Elements.

Lunar Flight with Oculus Rift Support in Beta — More Fun and More Challenge than Coin-op Classic

0
See Also: Lunar Flight with Oculus Rift Support in Beta — More Fun and More Challenge than Coin-op Classic

lunar flight oculus rift support

Lunar Flight is an independently produced PC game by developer Shovsoft which challenges the player to master to nuances of low gravity flight. With Oculus Rift support on the way, Lunar Flight is set to become one of the most full-featured Rift experiences to date.

Racing with the Oculus Rift and a $60,000 Racing Simulator [video]

3

oculus rift cxc simulator racing helmet

CXC Simulations knows a thing or two about racing simulators — they build some of the best in the world. And now they’re testing their premium racing simulation system with the Oculus Rift.

Interview with Sensics CEO Yuval Boger

9
Sensics CEO Yuval Boger. Photo credit - Baltimore Sun
Sensics CEO Yuval Boger. Photo credit - Baltimore Sun
Sensics CEO Yuval Boger (left). Photo credit – Baltimore Sun

Yuval Boger is the CEO of Sensics, a company focused on the professional HMD market — used for research, military training, and high-end simulation. Recently I spoke with Boger about the state of virtual reality and the interplay between the consumer and professional fields of head mounted displays.

39,929FansLike
13,574FollowersFollow
66,541FollowersFollow
27,800SubscribersSubscribe

Latest Headlines

Features & Reviews