Oculus Rift And Omnidirectional Treadmill Show The Future Of Gaming

Combine the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset with the Virtuix Omni omnidirectional treadmill and you have access to a fully immersive gaming experience. In a video released by Virtuix, a former marine uses both the Omni and the Rift to play Team Fortress 2. The demonstration shows how using the Omni and Rift can make playing games much more entertaining and much more intense.

Not only does the Rift and Omni make you feel like you're actually part of the action, it lets you kill two birds with one stone by letting you play your favorite games in virtual reality while also giving you a good workout. With the Omni, you can walk, run, or step into any direction and your feedback will be captured by the game. As of right now, your movement is tracked by Microsoft's Kinect, however, in the future, Virtuix plans on integrating a tracking solution inside of the Omni.

Another factor that is currently be worked on with the Omni is running speed. The speed at which you run on the treadmill does not match your speed in-game. Omni says that that feature "will come in due time." Goetgeluk says that playing Team Fortress 2 with the Rift and Omni felt so real that it makes the game much more entertaining and intense. He says,

"The action feels like real running. The immersion is intense. I had a former Marine try HL2 yesterday, and he was slightly shaking."

The Rift and the Omni have gamers all around excited for the products to launch. These two new pieces of equipment shows off "the future of gaming", and the video was more than enough to convince consumers to purchase these products when they become available. Team Fortress 2 will be the Oculus Rift's first virtual reality game, but there will be plenty more on their way. Get ready to play your favorite games how you've always wanted to play them.

[via Road to VR]