CROUCH FUNCTION is easy, and not expensive, only a little modification of the harness

san2salim

why dont create harnes that has= rubber + fix length of belt + crouch sensor

www.kickstarter.com/projects/1663270989/project-perception-neuron
only need 1 of this chip below the harness, and 1 at the ring, and it is not so expensive

we can make OMNI has CROUCH function
most of game need crouch in it

=======

also can we use socks and not using the shoes..or maybe ballet shoes?
i see bolts in omni base joint, can it be smoothen, so socks will not teardown by sharp angle of the bolt
because socks is really for many people, can be used to guest family and friends, to play together

i do like omni design, then the competitor, its saving place

san2salim

crouch an sitting in omni is not so different, anly a matter of moving foot
but supposely there is sensor/can integrate bluetooth/timed weigh sensor or something..

san2salim

also kids cant use omni thou, to tall

sutekiB

Welcome to the forum @san2salim! This is a good idea, and it has been suggested before. Crouching is already possible by leaning forward, so I think the challenge is really to lower your hips without the support ring getting in the way of your arms. Regarding socks, I am not convinced that's the most comfortable way to play. I would much prefer to wear shoes - they allow for lower friction than socks, especially as socks would start to get damp. Shoes also allow for "extended, action packed gameplay!" without your feet getting sore
Don't worry, kids can use the Omni too - the height of the support can be adjusted to suit players from 4'8" to 6'5" tall, and shoes are available in a wide range of sizes.

san2salim

dont agree with the shoe part, we should see this shoe as an obstacle to a more market

1. omni can replacing many or can be an additional to fitness center, and shoe is not for everybody
2. nowdays, many cinema in few country has gaming center builtin next to popcorn booth, so people could rent, and again socks make it not possible
3. in the future, property developer will make people can move around in their future project, and socks is the most acceptable, specially when in exhibition, and the venue are open to property investors
4. i really wish to invite family and friends playing in my house, but my shoes is different then theirs
5. what about my kids, and their friends..?
6. renting omni to game centre/opening game centre/replacing airsoftgun battleground (where you can skirmish, without mesh and pain bruises) also nice, but then again shoe..
7. more more more

i personally aim omni for business purposes

Dev_Guy_Robert

Hey @san2salim - good comments. Excited to hear you business interests. The first version of the Omni will help us determine where the future lies for walking in VR. We understand your desire to enable players to easily get on and off the Omni with little resistance. It's a fine balance between creating the optimal VR experience and ease of access. We will defnitely keep your comments in mind.

OmniPlayerOne

@san2salim‌ You are absolutely correct that some changes are needed to optimize the Omni for an arcade type of experience. Our focus when developing the Omni is to ensure that the experience is as great as it can possibly be. The focus has not been on how to get users in and out as fast as possible. While the Omni Shoes may deter some commercial users for now, the shoes do provide the best walking and running experience that we can offer.

Are there any other changes you can see for your purposes?

san2salim

hi @omniPlayerOne, so sorry i talk to much(im only nobody but fans),
since you ask, hope my view could contribute some ideas
from my glance view=

+ omni already had best design, and realy looks elite, sturdy, eye catching, the design itself is already seen as an invitation, "to try me, and this is fun and very userfriendly" AWSOME,
people will less asking on how to use or how to wear, or how to put in, most important less maintenance
+ omni price (today pricing) really is VERY AFFORDABLE even to a developed country and 3th world country
(even thou shipping could be a really big problem, no clue on how to solve shipping problem) (i compare to Indonesia currency and people affordability to buy, ONLY without shipping price)
+ omni compact, and even kids can assemble and store it away, awsome (i already seen it looks adorable in a gift wrapping)

(+-) omni had parabolic base
i personally seen this as a BIG PLUS, because will made the user less tired, i thought i see flat base had so much drag, and looks need stamina as if moonwalking (flat base = maybe must fully trusting the ring)
in the long term, people will see parabolic base is best user experience
but not hurt either to made several omni-package as a replaceable knockdown, with flat base which is VALUE and silent version

- omni maybe need to figure out how to reduce the stepping noise on the base(when running/walk), maybe its because below the base there is hollow air room
this may not big problem for some people because treadmill also produce noice, but for some specific market, some people like the quiet version
- omni new design which is almost similar to Cybertith (competitor), is easy seen as many additional cost(expensive), and not compact, and so many parts looks easy broken/need replace expensive parts overtime/rusty
(expensive = invitation to many competitors to compete your product in more sale price)

? i do had a little worry, seeing omni ring had big black box made of iron on the sides, that potentially hurt small persons/asia people -> elbow (when someone using VR and playing intensively, they will forgot safety, there is worried that when scared/jumpy/bulet dodge, make their elbow/hand push back and could endup in dislocated elbow/hospitalized)
if only this ring can be made more further back (i wonder if it still provide stable harnessing)

? if only there is height adjustment on the upper ring/standing stand, then omni will be easy entering asia market and kids, because as you can see in the picture,
female and kids of asia people have height of mostly female 160cm-MAX 175cm male

Vespaman

I really think shoes is going to be the preferred method. Without shoes sanitation is a big issue. The other issue is socks always moving and sliding on your feet when u move around in them. Then you have to worry about pain in your feet due to the lack of support. The holy grail would be a surface that any old shoe could run on requiring no special shoes at all.

reptilexcq

How about a special glasses that you can walk on with your socks.

sutekiB

Hey @reptilexcq, I'm not sure what you mean by 'special glasses'?

naguito1990

It had been suggested but I can't stay put without saying it. Crouching or sitting is a very important factor in almost every game this days. It adds that extra sense of reality. That you're actually crouching. I don't mean the press of a button but actually crouching. It has already been implemented in other VR design. So it shouldn't be too hard to make some modifications to make it possbible. That's the only factor stopping me from ordering right now

sutekiB

Welcome to the forum @naguito1990! These are good points, and I gave this a lot of consideration too. While I'm still interested in seeing this feature, I don't feel we're missing out on much. I mean, I don't mind kneeling if it's not for too long but getting up again is tough on the knees. Crouching on the other hand is cool; it allows you to get closer to an object you're inspecting, gives you a different perspective, and 'interact' with your environment more realistically (for instance, ducking down to move through a passage that has less clearance). Fortunately, with today's positional head tracking you can do that. Even with legacy games where you normally have to press a button to activate 'crouch walk', it's possible to set a height measure which, once your head moves below this it triggers a crouch in game. Lifting your head up again will make your character stand up. I've tried that using VorpX and it's great - adds an extra sense of reality, as you say. As for sitting, you can also do this in the Omni, as the harness can take your weight. I have tried an alternative product that has more vertical movement - it wasn't very comfortable, and walking was less stable than the Omni. I don't feel it makes sense at this stage to over-complicate the design to allow kneeling and a deeper seated position if it adds cost, reduces stability, and takes up more space. Maybe future iterations could have that, but I believe this is the motion platform the world needs now to bring movement back to VR.

acvirtuix

Great to see the rollout of new features. Happy to have been a part of this even if my investment goes nowhere..

Yes, I had this question - in a game like Grand Theft, you're going to sit in a vehicle at some point. How do we enable that? Good thoughts..

xxann5

I for one am perfectly fine with not crouching, at least for now.

If you want to know why, play a game, just about any recent FPS will do(you really need a controller to do this). Start by standing and then mimic the position of your character as you play. What I mean by this is if they kneel you kneel, if they go prone you go prone(well as best you can and still play), If they hunch over you hunch over. How long you think you will be able to play for? I would be willing to bet not long, and its not because your not in shape. The issue is your knees. Getting up and down like that or even just walking in a crouched manner is absolutely murder on your knees. Doing that quickly becomes not fun.

You could argue that this adds an new unique challenge, and i would agree with you. Limiting your crouching and other things based on what you can physically do adds some new strategic elements. however games are not made like that yet. Many games have the protagonist crouching almost constantly.

Perhaps once dev's get a feel for what works in VR and how best to create full AAA VR games with re-balanced mechanics and difficulties that are better suited for VR we will see a new version of the Omni with a crouching function or better yet a support ring upgrade/replacement that enables crouching/kneeling.

Ascensi

This is a little late down the road sharing this but it had to be done. There are the type of socks that are anti bacterial, anti fungal and tear resistant... this one may not be tear resistant but has the other specs. I would be looking for an Arcade solution like this, but if the Omni shoes are anti fungal, anti bacterial then that is good enough for me.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ca/en/sealskinz-road-thin-mid-socks-w-hydrostop-aw16/rp-prod152630?gs=1&gclid=CPjWxfvl79ACFZBKDQodq1QFOg&gclsrc=aw.ds

xxann5

it even color matches! LOL

DanteM

Ascensi said:

This is a little late down the road sharing this but it had to be done. There are the type of socks that are anti bacterial, anti fungal and tear resistant... this one may not be tear resistant but has the other specs. I would be looking for an Arcade solution like this, but if the Omni shoes are anti fungal, anti bacterial then that is good enough for me.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ca/en/sealskinz-road-thin-mid-socks-w-hydrostop-aw16/rp-prod152630?gs=1&gclid=CPjWxfvl79ACFZBKDQodq1QFOg&gclsrc=aw.ds

No joke if/when my Omni arrives I'm a buy me a pair of these haha!

Ascensi

xxann5 said:

it even color matches! LOL

I know! that's why I definitely had to post them!