November 23, 2020 – Cybershoes, creators of an accessory (of the same name) for walking and running in virtual reality (VR), has today announced that its Kickstarter campaign for the wireless version of its Oculus Quest product has surpassed its crowdfunding goal on its first day. At the time of publication of this article, a total of EUR €214,263 had been pledged, greatly surpassing the EUR €30,000 goal.
The company states that it is now on track to hit its next stretch goal – development of a Cybershoes App to emulate the Quest’s touch controllers and make a large number of games accessible with one step.
“Increasing fitness through active gaming and reducing motion sickness have always been key motivators for us, but the success of this campaign so far really puts a skip in our step,” said Michael Bieglmayer, CEO of Cybershoes. “We look forward to strapping more Cybershoes on people’s feet around the world.”
Cybershoes previously completed successful Kickstarter (2018) and Indiegogo (2019) campaigns for the original version of its product, which worked with PC-tethered VR systems. According to the company, it went on to ship to thousands of VR gamers and was honored by the CES Innovation Awards earlier this year.
Cybershoes for Oculus Quest connects wirelessly via the CyQuest Bluetooth receiver and translates natural, real-world movement into in-game locomotion, allowing VR gamers to walk, run, and jump whilst using the Quest device. Owners of the original Cybershoes are also able to use them simply by obtaining a CyQuest module to upgrade for Quest. Cybershoes added that some games – such as The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners – have been tested to work with Cybershoes, though not natively integrated. More information regarding legacy compatibility is available on the Kickstarter campaign page.
Cybershoes on the Oculus Quest come with the following features:
- Untethered locomotion using the natural movement of a user’s feet;
- Natively integrated games, such as Arizona Sunshine in partnership with Vertigo Games;
- Easy setup – users simply strap on their Cybershoes, boot up their headset, and select the in-game Cybershoes locomotion option;
- Cybershoes translate players’ natural feet movement to in-game locomotion, addressing the problem of motion sickness while increasing immersion and activity.
- Cybershoes help to provide a low impact experience that has the benefits of exercise while having fun;
- SteamVR Compatibility – While the wireless CyQuest Bluetooth module is required for Quest compatibility, Cybershoes will work with any SteamVR application (via Oculus Link) that supports touchpads, motion controllers, and treadmills;
- Directional Tracking – a player’s vision is independent of their walking direction, allowing for full observation of surroundings while they walk, duck, or bend to pick up objects thanks to the device’s accurate motion trackers;
- Cybershoes can also be used for training, physical rehab programs, virtual previews and walkthroughs, and more, according to the company.
Developers interested in integrating Cybershoes into their Oculus Quest games are encouraged to get in touch with the Cybershoes team at dev@cybershoes.io. For more information on Cybershoes, please visit the company’s website.
Video credit: Cybershoes / YouTube
Related Posts
About the author
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.