Cyberith Goes To Skyrim With Virtualizer Omnidirectional Treadmill

[Andy Chalk]

Cyberith Goes To Skyrim With Virtualizer Omnidirectional Treadmill

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The Cyberith Virtualizer omnidirectional treadmill, combined with Oculus Rift and a Wii Remote, makes causing trouble in Skyrim a whole new experience.

The Oculus Rift promises a big step forward in game world immersion, but game world interaction, Kinect and Move notwithstanding, remains firmly rooted in the old control schemes we know and, sometimes, love: mouse, keyboard and controller. But this Cyberith Virtualizer video offers a glimpse of what a more thoroughly-virtualized future might have in store.

Similar to the Virtuix Omni VR Treadmill we saw last year [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123418-VR-Omni-Directional-Treadmill-Lets-Players-Run-and-Gun], the Virtualizer uses a ring to hold the player in place while he or she "walks" or runs in any direction. It also allows for walking backwards, jumping, crouching and even sitting, according to the Cyberith website, and operates "steplessly," making it possible to move at the same speed in-game as in the real world.

There's a long way to go before this sort of thing becomes a practical method of game control, but I won't pretend that I wouldn't love to try it myself - it looks like a blast. Cyberith says videos for games including Battlefield 4, Left 4 Dead 2, Call of Duty: Ghosts and Crysis 3 are in the works, and in the meantime you can find out more about the Virtualizer at Cyberith.com [http://www.cyberith.com/en].


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[Aerosteam]

It's fine using this kind of stuff for shooters or something, but this is best for horror games. I want to see people scream in terror while running on one of those treadmills!

 

[FogHornG36]

that seems fun for a while, but i have this feeling that in game i would look down at a chair and want to sit down for a bit only to be reminded that i am locked into a standing position...

 

[martyrdrebel27]

Why use a Wii mote instead of a Kinect? Doesn't make sense. Would probably improve.some of the bad hand syncini noticed.

 

[Fasckira]

Why use a Wii mote instead of a Kinect? Doesn't make sense. Would probably improve.some of the bad hand syncini noticed.

I guess you'd need at least two kinects working together then to capture his motion properly (one in 'front' and one 'behind', loose terms since he can move 360). When you start thinking about it, the wii-mote makes more sense for now!

 

[Xan Krieger]

So where's the part of it that breaks your legs after you fall off a mountain?

Also I can't believe he ran at the spiders, I always run away from them as fast as I can. I do want it though, it's the workout of a treadmill but entertaining so it'd finally get me in shape.

 

[JaceArveduin]

Looks intriguing, though I'm sure it'd be a pain to get certain functions to work.

 

[thisbymaster]

It didn't look correctly integrated. He put his hands down and his weapons were still out. Also you need to able to crouch to sneak.

 

[VanQ]

I've had the chance to try out the rift while playing Skyrim and while it was very interesting, it made for some very weird combat mechanics. Also, when my friend tried it, while looking down over the edge of a cliff, I gave her a little "push" from behind in real life, she twitched and pushed the trigger forward and ended up falling over the edge. She actually screamed and ended up feeling sick from the sensation of vertigo she got from the fall.

VR is still in its infancy, but it looks to be a whole other level of immersion when it's perfected.

 

[Hawkeye21]

Yeah, as much as I like the idea of this, I'd never be able to get over how retarded I would look.

 

[Clovus]

So this seems to work with a low friction surface to walk on. So the walking/running seemed ok, but a little awkward. You can see how he sort of pushes against the restraints. The real problem is watching his legs/feet closely when he's just turning around in a circle. He slips several times since he's on a slippery surface. That seems like a problem.

I'm sure stuff like this will be figured out soon enough though. I think the VR thing will become a "disruptive" technology sometime in the next five years. Sure, VR is already looking good for gaming, but once it is really working it can be applied to a huge range of things.

Hearing about someone watching a movie through Occulus Rift was enlightening. The program created a theatre and gave the illusion of watching a big screen. Even better, it was able to show that movie in "3D" without the normal dimness you get from wearing those awful glasses. You could literally get a better "movie theatre" experience out of good VR goggles than an actual movie theatre.