- Feb 14, 2004
- 48,013
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VirZOOM is a new VR accessory in the form of an exercise bike: (video is a bit NSFL, I'd skip it)
http://www.virzoom.com/
Quick video demonstration:
https://twitter.com/VirZOOM/status/646054215924715524/video/1
In summary:
* Core idea: pedal to move in the game
* $200 pre-order price (plus $50 shipping); regular price $250
* Ships in Q1 2016 (I'm guessing April though)
* Works with the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Playstation VR (PC & PS4 support)
* Controls include button, lean, and speed
* $10/mo for multi-player, access to games, etc. (basically a digital gym membership). First 1,000 pre-orders get a lifetime subscription.
Basically, VirZOOM took a standard Chinese-manufactured compact exercise bike (8 resistance levels with distance, calorie, and heart rate tracking) and added some electronics to it. You get three kinds of controls:
1. The pedals have a sensor for speed
2. The VR equpiment's head position tracking for leaning (for example, their car racing game uses leaning for steering)
3. Buttons on the hand rails
The design is extremely compact; it folds up for easy storage (under 40 pounds, 24" x 26" footprint). It looks really similar to the Wirk Bike, which is a similar concept, but adds a tray to put your laptop or other device. I actually got a Wirk Bike for my mom for Christmas & it is very comfortable to use. Same price ($200) & I was surprised it didn't sell for $600 like a normal exercise bike. Photo of it in action:
http://www.activenable.com/assets/images/asp852-stamina-wirk-bike-demo-1w.jpg
The Wirk Bike is extremely well-designed & really easy to use, definitely not a cheap, crappy design at all. Folds up easy, extends easily, etc. Since the designs are so similar, I'm assuming the VirZOOM bike will be of similar quality & ease-of-use.
As far as applications go, there's no mention of Steam integration; they have a few game demos available already, however (racing game, horse game, etc.). Strava integration is a must, of course. I can think of a handful of games right off the bat that would be really fun:
1. Tour de France
2. Zombie Run (the running app), but on a bike and with actual zombies you can see. Basically HIIT cardio. It would be fun if it was World War Z-style with fast zombies! Talk about workout motivation
3. Paperboy 3D
4. Flight sims (X-plan, Microsoft Flight Sim, multi-player dogfights)
5. Tony Hawk games (X-Games BMX biking without the risk of injury would be rad!)
6. Steampunk mech game (think Robo Jox or Pacific Rim, but with pedal-power like a strandbeest). Lots of options here...ever want to pilot Howl's Moving Castle? hahahaha
7. Flintstones racing game (a la Mario Kart, yaba daba do!). Lots of options here...racing, multi-player attack racing, stuff like Twisted Metal, soapbox pedal racing, etc.
8. Mario in 3D
9. A HIIT-focused (high/low/break) game similar in structure to Resident Evil, where you have the scene & poke around in it (so it keeps it interesting but breaks up the rate of pedaling). Also games like Time Crisis where the movement is handled for you - you could control the speed of the scene via the pedaling.
10. Couch to 5K training program (but for bikes)
11. Virtual spinning classes (with a digital coach)
12. Pedalbike tours (captured with a 3D camera setup for 360 VR & speed-controlled by you) of famous cities
13. Pedal-powered landscape aerial flight tours (as if you were in an ultralight or something)
14. Tron & Tron Legacy biking game (with laser bikes)
15. Spaceship/car games with obstacles like Star Fox or F-Zero
16. Running games like Far Cry & Mirror's Edge, where you're bolting through a forest or doing parkour
17. Short multi-player party games like Fusion Frenzy 2's Turbine Jumper
18. That one car game with all of the crazy ramps, I think it's called Flatout
I think this is a super awesome concept. I wanted something like this when I was a kid, but the technology didn't exist. We've had a lot of mediocre entries into fitness entertainment systems (Wii Fit board, Rock Band drums, etc.), but nothing that has ever really taken off. If they do a really good job with making entertaining games, I think that this literally has the potential to help curb America's obesity issue. Everyone knows they should exercise, but no one wants to do it because it's not fun. Cardio is like the most boring thing on the planet unless you happen to love running or having a biking group or something. Having some kind of interactive game that removes the pain of boringness & having to work would really revolutionize fitness. Plus if your character or vehicle quits moving because you're not pedaling, that will motivate kids to exercise a lot more than playing Minecraft on their tablet on the couch for hours every day. Also, the original Wii never really took off because the game selection was always crap, so I hope this can do better! Some early reviews:
Engadget
The Verge
Game Informer
beard's Twitter account has a lot of great retweets if you want to keep up on the news:
https://twitter.com/beardfistmcfist
This is a first-gen product & VR is just barely about to hit consumers over the next few months, so I'm not expecting perfect, but it already seems good enough for me...built on a solid exercise bike (which is conveniently compact to store away as a gaming accessory), pedal-power detection, etc. Very excited to get mine in & try it out!
http://www.virzoom.com/
Quick video demonstration:
https://twitter.com/VirZOOM/status/646054215924715524/video/1
In summary:
* Core idea: pedal to move in the game
* $200 pre-order price (plus $50 shipping); regular price $250
* Ships in Q1 2016 (I'm guessing April though)
* Works with the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Playstation VR (PC & PS4 support)
* Controls include button, lean, and speed
* $10/mo for multi-player, access to games, etc. (basically a digital gym membership). First 1,000 pre-orders get a lifetime subscription.
Basically, VirZOOM took a standard Chinese-manufactured compact exercise bike (8 resistance levels with distance, calorie, and heart rate tracking) and added some electronics to it. You get three kinds of controls:
1. The pedals have a sensor for speed
2. The VR equpiment's head position tracking for leaning (for example, their car racing game uses leaning for steering)
3. Buttons on the hand rails
The design is extremely compact; it folds up for easy storage (under 40 pounds, 24" x 26" footprint). It looks really similar to the Wirk Bike, which is a similar concept, but adds a tray to put your laptop or other device. I actually got a Wirk Bike for my mom for Christmas & it is very comfortable to use. Same price ($200) & I was surprised it didn't sell for $600 like a normal exercise bike. Photo of it in action:
http://www.activenable.com/assets/images/asp852-stamina-wirk-bike-demo-1w.jpg
The Wirk Bike is extremely well-designed & really easy to use, definitely not a cheap, crappy design at all. Folds up easy, extends easily, etc. Since the designs are so similar, I'm assuming the VirZOOM bike will be of similar quality & ease-of-use.
As far as applications go, there's no mention of Steam integration; they have a few game demos available already, however (racing game, horse game, etc.). Strava integration is a must, of course. I can think of a handful of games right off the bat that would be really fun:
1. Tour de France
2. Zombie Run (the running app), but on a bike and with actual zombies you can see. Basically HIIT cardio. It would be fun if it was World War Z-style with fast zombies! Talk about workout motivation
3. Paperboy 3D
4. Flight sims (X-plan, Microsoft Flight Sim, multi-player dogfights)
5. Tony Hawk games (X-Games BMX biking without the risk of injury would be rad!)
6. Steampunk mech game (think Robo Jox or Pacific Rim, but with pedal-power like a strandbeest). Lots of options here...ever want to pilot Howl's Moving Castle? hahahaha
7. Flintstones racing game (a la Mario Kart, yaba daba do!). Lots of options here...racing, multi-player attack racing, stuff like Twisted Metal, soapbox pedal racing, etc.
8. Mario in 3D
9. A HIIT-focused (high/low/break) game similar in structure to Resident Evil, where you have the scene & poke around in it (so it keeps it interesting but breaks up the rate of pedaling). Also games like Time Crisis where the movement is handled for you - you could control the speed of the scene via the pedaling.
10. Couch to 5K training program (but for bikes)
11. Virtual spinning classes (with a digital coach)
12. Pedalbike tours (captured with a 3D camera setup for 360 VR & speed-controlled by you) of famous cities
13. Pedal-powered landscape aerial flight tours (as if you were in an ultralight or something)
14. Tron & Tron Legacy biking game (with laser bikes)
15. Spaceship/car games with obstacles like Star Fox or F-Zero
16. Running games like Far Cry & Mirror's Edge, where you're bolting through a forest or doing parkour
17. Short multi-player party games like Fusion Frenzy 2's Turbine Jumper
18. That one car game with all of the crazy ramps, I think it's called Flatout
I think this is a super awesome concept. I wanted something like this when I was a kid, but the technology didn't exist. We've had a lot of mediocre entries into fitness entertainment systems (Wii Fit board, Rock Band drums, etc.), but nothing that has ever really taken off. If they do a really good job with making entertaining games, I think that this literally has the potential to help curb America's obesity issue. Everyone knows they should exercise, but no one wants to do it because it's not fun. Cardio is like the most boring thing on the planet unless you happen to love running or having a biking group or something. Having some kind of interactive game that removes the pain of boringness & having to work would really revolutionize fitness. Plus if your character or vehicle quits moving because you're not pedaling, that will motivate kids to exercise a lot more than playing Minecraft on their tablet on the couch for hours every day. Also, the original Wii never really took off because the game selection was always crap, so I hope this can do better! Some early reviews:
Engadget
The Verge
Game Informer
beard's Twitter account has a lot of great retweets if you want to keep up on the news:
https://twitter.com/beardfistmcfist
This is a first-gen product & VR is just barely about to hit consumers over the next few months, so I'm not expecting perfect, but it already seems good enough for me...built on a solid exercise bike (which is conveniently compact to store away as a gaming accessory), pedal-power detection, etc. Very excited to get mine in & try it out!
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