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Virtuix said it is shipping Omni One virtual reality treadmills to its investor community in preparation for a wider consumer launch later this year. It is also raising more money through a crowdfunding campaign.
The company said it will launch the consumer version of the Omni One later this year. It will be an omnidirectional treadmill that will allow players to walk or run in any direction through video games and other virtual environments.
Austin, Texas-based Virtuix said it has a waiting list for Omni One of more than 35,000 subscribers who applied online.
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Omni One is a VR entertainment system that currently ships with a Pico Neo 3 Pro headset and works right out of the box without the need for a PC or other peripherals, providing a seamless user experience.
Virtuix worked closely with Pico to customize the headset system for Omni One. The Neo 3 Pro headset, which has the same processor and resolution as Meta’s popular Quest 2 but offers a wider field of view, comes with Omni One’s operating software, including social features and its own game store targeting 30 titles at launch .
Inspired by the popular Omni Pro, a commercial version of the Omni available at over 500 entertainment venues in 45 countries, Omni One is designed to fit into a living room or other area of your home. Compared to Omni Pro, Omni One is lighter, more compact (4 feet in diameter), easy to fold or move, and offers players unparalleled freedom of movement, including crouching, kneeling, and jumping.
“We are excited about Omni One,” said Jan Goetgeluk, founder and CEO of Virtuix. “After a long and challenging development process spanning Covid-19 and supply chain shortages, Omni One has turned out to be a great product that fulfills our company’s original vision of an active VR home entertainment system. Our commercial products have been played more than 3 million times in entertainment venues around the world, and we have built an avid player community of over 300,000 registered players. We can’t wait to bring our popular gaming experience to the homes of our many players and fans.”
Omni One’s introductory price is $2,595 plus shipping. Omni One prices include both the treadmill and the high-end Pico headset ($699 market value).
With Omni One, you can walk or run in video games or other virtual worlds, in any direction, at any time
speed, while taking up only a small amount of floor space. It allows for unrestricted full-body movements, including crouching, kneeling, and jumping.
It has safety features that prevent you from falling or hitting walls or other people.
“Omni One isn’t just a next-level gaming device,” added Goetgeluk. “It also keeps you in shape by burning calories while gaming! Think of Omni One as an exercise bike for gamers, or for parents who want to get their kids off the couch.”
The complete system with all accessories weighs approximately 70 kg. It can accommodate users 4 feet, 4 inches to 6 feet, 4 inches tall (132 to 192 cm), and up to 250 pounds (113 kg).
Goetgeluk said pent-up demand from fans has prompted the company to launch a home product in addition to the commercial product.
“Given our success in the out-of-home market, we are uniquely positioned to bring our popular full-body VR experience to millions of homes around the world,” said Goetgeluk.
Virtuix’s first Omni One customer, Dale Western, described what drives consumers like him
Buy OmniOne.
“I decided to buy Omni One because I was looking for a more immersive VR experience rather than sitting on a couch and pretending to be in virtual reality,” Western said in a statement. “I wanted to feel it physically. It’s everything I hoped it would be. The ability to move really makes you feel like you’re in the game. And I’m going to lose some weight with Omni One. That is amazing.”
Investors also share this enthusiasm for Omni One. Goetgeluk said more than 900 of Virtuix’s equity crowdfunding investors have signed up to buy beta units, and the company is extending the beta program through the end of 2023. Goetgeluk added that the quantities available to beta customers will start small and gradually increase. will increase as the program progresses.
Backed by major investors, Virtuix has raised $35 million to date and shipped more than $16 million worth of products, including more than 4,000 Omni Pro systems in 45 countries and more than 70 Omni Arena systems ($174,000 retail price) to American entertainment venues such as Dave & Buster’s. Virtuix’s commercial content platform, Omniverse, has over 3 million plays.
Before bringing Omni One to the mass market, Virtuix will raise awareness of Omni One among consumers, gamers and the investment community by running a Reg CF campaign as part of its Series B funding round (https://invest.virtuix. com). Investors can skip the line to pre-order Omni One before the general public and receive a discount on Omni One of 30% ($780 value) or more.
In 2013, after two years of research, experimentation and prototyping, Goetgeluk left his finance job and founded Virtuix to market his “Omni” concept. Today, Virtuix, led by a management team and advisory board with more than 100 combined years of gaming and hardware industry experience, has built an IP portfolio of 19 issued patents and eight pending patents related to Omni’s mechanical design, motion tracking and game integration.
Virtuix has a growing and dedicated player base of over 300,000 registered Omni players in commercial locations. This large player community, along with an installed base of thousands of commercial Omni Pro systems worldwide, provides a direct and low-cost sales channel for Omni One.
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