Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Put your mechanical bull on Craigslist and get this VR motion simulator

Add as a preferred source on Google

Virtual reality startup Futuretown announced the upcoming launch of Totalmotion, a body-controlled platform interface that can be adapted to suit a variety of VR experiences and simulations in conjunction with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets.

Futuretown demonstrates several of the device’s potential applications in the trailer above, giving an early glimpse at VR motocross, snowboarding, and horseback riding scenarios that employ Totalmotion technology.

Recommended Videos

Designed for amusement parks and stand-alone VR attractions, the Totalmotion is a modular platform that players either straddle or stand upon, depending on the simulated experience. The base of the platform moves and rotates with player input, resulting in fluid controls and movement within a VR space.

To further enhance player immersion, the Totalmotion can be upgraded with a number of bolt-on accessories, including handlebars and customized seating. Futuretown demonstrated several in-development applications during its showcase event at Tokyo Game Show this week, including the games Whiteout: Ski VR, Infinity Rider: Motorcycle VR, Wave Breaker: Surf VR, and Stallion Adventures: Horse Riding VR.

 

“Our vision is that virtual reality technology will transform people’s lives and change the way they perceive and interact with the world,” Futuretown Honorary Chairman Peter Chou told VR Focus. “Futuretown has been an early pioneer of virtual reality and an innovator with cross-platform and digital content creation. We are excited to deliver the world’s most advanced and immersive virtual reality experience for everyone to enjoy and make our vision a reality.”

Futuretown previously produced the popular HTC Vive application Cloudlands: VR Minigolf, along with the virtual reality shooters Jeeboman and A-10 VR.

“The Totalmotion platform opens up new opportunities for developers to create virtual reality experiences that were not possible before,” Futuretown CEO Johan Yang said. “With the modular design of the Totalmotion platform, we can more easily expand and build new virtual reality experiences suitable for all ages.”

A launch date for the Totalmotion platform has not been announced.

Danny Cowan
Former Contributor
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
Cornell researchers found a way to spot future hits before they become popular
Early downloads can now call a research paper's fame years before it happens.
man doing research

Ever wonder if a research paper is destined to be a big deal long before it actually becomes one? Researchers at Cornell University think they have figured out how to tell, and it comes down to something as simple as downloads.

The team published new datasets pulled from arXiv, the go-to repository for unreviewed research papers, and GitHub, the platform coders use to store and share their projects. The goal is to test "lead-lag forecasting," a method that uses early engagement, including views, downloads, and likes, to predict which papers or projects will matter years down the line.

Read more
The U.S. needs air traffic controllers, and it’s turning to gamers for help
Secretary Sean Duffy says gamer recruitment is helping the FAA reach its hiring goals.
Airport, Aircraft, Airplane

Perhaps all those hours spent playing Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, or StarCraft II could finally prove useful outside your gaming setup. The U.S. Department of Transportation has been recruiting gamers to become air traffic controllers, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the unusual approach is already helping the Federal Aviation Administration make progress toward its hiring target.

The FAA says its gamer recruitment push is working

Read more
After Google, Apple may quietly turn iCloud+ into a tiered AI subscription
iOS 27 beta 5 reveals that Apple Intelligence feature limits now scale with your iCloud+ storage tier.
apple-icloud+

iOS 27's fifth beta quietly shows something Apple only hinted at during its last earnings call: paying for a higher iCloud+ tier unlocks more access to Apple Intelligence features, starting with your smart home cameras.

So how is this actually showing up right now?

Read more