The Oculus Quest platform is all about wireless freedom to move and interact in virtual worlds as you would in real life. But that’s not always possible, maybe due to location or physical limitations. Which is why Cybershoes has announced plans to bring its product to the platform by way of a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign this year.
Cybershoes are a locomotion system designed for natural movement in virtual reality (VR). Sat down, you slip on the shoes and start walking, with a roller underneath allowing you move forward and backwards. The original Cybershoes launched last year after a 2018 Kickstarter, only compatible with tethered headsets.
Now the team wants to create a wireless version for Oculus Quest and Quest 2, with the Cybershoes connecting to a headset via Bluetooth receiver attached to the front of the headset.
“Movement and locomotion has been a consistent issue in VR gaming. The main movement mechanics available today – smooth movement via joystick or teleportation – can be jarring and lead to motion sickness,” said Michael Bieglmayer, CEO of Cybershoes in a statement. “By translating natural movement to in-game motion, Cybershoes addresses motion sickness while increasing immersion, activity, and enjoyment.”
The company plans on launching the Kickstarter at some point this year, although details regarding how much Cybershoes wants to raise and what the funding tiers will cost have yet to be released. Ahead of that, a software development kit (SDK) is now available for developers to integrate Cybershoes into their videogames. One of the latest to do so is Arizona Sunshine by Vertigo Games.
“It is one of our core values to allow players to fully customize their preferred way to play,” said Richard Stitselaar, Managing Director at Vertigo Games. “We have a few people in our office who are sensitive to motion sickness so we take comfort very seriously. Arizona Sunshine already supports a wide range of comfort options and Cybershoes provides an intuitive way to bring the player’s physical motion into the game, allowing our players to experience VR however they like.”
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Cybershoes, reporting back with further Kickstarter updates.
Source: https://www.vrfocus.com/2020/10/oculus-quest-to-get-its-own-cybershoes/
