Omni: Taking Virtual Reality to the Next Step

by Justin Baillargeon June 8, 2013 @ 4:46 pm

Omni

If you’ve been following the Oculus Rift development lately you would realize while the product is the first step in the right direction for fully immersive gameplay, there’s something missing. What the Oculus Rift lacks, the Omni provides. While using the Oculus Rift players have full range of motion with their head, but the rest of their body remains motionless with a controller in their hands. The Omni hopes to bring the rest of your body into the virtual reality space with its 360 degree movement platform.

Simply known as Omni, the device holds a player upright in a bowl-like platform. The player is able to, with the help of specially-designed shoes, to move in any direction while remaining in the same physical spot. It uses absolutely zero motors in its construction, allowing for a relatively small footprint unlike current 360-degree treadmill platforms.

In order to track a players movement, a Kinect is also required for the setup. The Omni is currently way-past its Kickstarter goal with still 44 days left. If you wish to back the project and receive a working Omni, you’d have to shell out at least $429.

Check past the break for the full Kickstarter video

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