Wizdish makes a version of an omnidirectional gaming treadmill that converts the movement of your feet into a command to make your avatar walk forward in game. For now, it just sends key presses of the W key. Also, technically it’s not actually walking, it’s more of a shuffling motion.
Hey! Wait! Come back here!
The wizdish uses a low friction surface, with low friction overshoes that allow you to slide your feet back and forth and use them as an input in a game for continual forward motion. Once you get used to the motion of the game, as far as your brain is concerned, you are “walking”. This allows you to “walk” continuously in games, rather than being limited by the size of the room. For me, this adds a lot more movement to my gaming, allowing me to burn more calories. And:
No. More. Hitting. My. Walls.
Sometimes in VR games, you get immersed enough that you don’t realize which way you are facing. Yes, both Oculus and Steam have systems that warn when either the HMD or the controllers are getting close to outside of the play area. However, if you make sudden motions over a range, such as trying to hit a supermutant with a super sledge in Fallout 4 VR, by the time you see the warning your hand and controller have already impacted the wall.
Yes, that was oddly specific. There may or may not be a mark on my wall. Luckily there is no hole.
The Wizdish ROVR 2 has a big steel ring that makes up the majority of it’s structure. It has no effect on whether the shoes and actual dish work. It does serve the important job of helping the user maintain their balance while their vision is obscured by the headset.
And keeping in the middle of the room so I don’t hit walls.
Also, importantly… it is actually purchasable by the consumer. The other “competitors” I’ve been watching online (Virtuix Omni, Cyberith Virtualizer, and Infinideck) are not generally available for purchase by consumers, their sites direct to business or commercial inquiries.
For those who are interested, I’ve begun keeping a list of games that work with the Wizdish from my own experience. Sadly, this is a short list so far.
Technomancer's Sanctum 