The Kickstarter-funded Virtuix Omni treadmill will begin shipping its first retail units as early as July, Gamespot confirms. Customers that have already pre-ordered the device will be among those with angry and exhausted delivery men waiting at their doors this July, but if you put your order in today you may be waiting until at least September.
The Omni treadmill is currently accepting pre-orders for two packages: The first offers a single Omni device, the harness and tracking hardware you’ll need, a pair of custom shoes designed to move on the Omni’s surface, and the necessary software. The second package offers two Omni devices, all the necessary additions including software, and three pairs of shoes. The first package will run you $499, while the second costs $1,019. Shipping costs are estimated in the $60-$90 range for U.S. residents. International shipping costs will be painful – the prototype is currently estimated to weigh around 75 lbs.
Before you put away your checkbook, you’ll also need an Oculus Rift to experience the full virtual world. Virtuix confirmed that the system can accept any virtual reality headset, in theory, but it was designed in conjunction with the Oculus VR’s headset. The Oculus Rift is sold separately though, and the upcoming second generation developer kit will run you $350. There’s been no word of a release date for the Rift consumer model or what the price might be.
We’ve tried out the Omni a handful of times, including CES earlier this year, and again at GDC. The version we’ve tried, however, is the prototype. Virtuix CEO Jan Goetgeluk recently told us that the retail model will debut around E3, although he didn’t have an exact date. It won’t be a radical reinvention of the Omni as it looks now, but it will add things like adjustable height for the harness and use different, sturdier materials in its manufacturing.
