While virtual reality is likely to be one of the biggest areas of development when it comes to consumer tech in the near future, there currently aren't too many ways to safely and easily move around in a virtual world.
Most virtual reality applications require users to either use a controller that is similar to what would be found on a console, or actually move around a room. A Kickstarter campaign has been started for something that's a mixture of these two methods. The device is called the VRGO chair, and Joe Ryan, its developer, aims to make $31,000 through the Kickstarter drive, with the device having raised $23,114 at the time of this writing, with 28 days to go.
The idea behind the device is that users can control the movement of their character in the virtual reality world through their movement on the chair. Lean forward, and the character will walk forward, for example, in its tilt-to-move set up. The chair is equipped with a gyroscope, accelerometer, and manometer. It also connects to a computer, gaming console or mobile phone, and connects as a Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, or joypad.
When used along with a Leap Motion controller, the VRGO chair becomes even more useful because of the fact that users can interact with the virtual reality world hands-free.
The chair weighs 4 kilos, about 8.8 pounds, and its 1,000 mAh battery is enough for about five hours of gaming. It can be charged through a micro-USB port found at the front of the chair. Users can even store their VR headset and other controllers inside the chair, which is weighted at the bottom for more stability.
Those interested in buying the device for themselves will need to shell out $270 on Kickstarter for the early birds, and once those have sold out, the chair will cost $309. Pledges range up to $2,469, which will get the user 10 VRGO chairs. Estimated shipping for the device is May 2016.
Via: The Next Web
