this is the Omni one. It's a full-body VR rig that includes a headset, controllers, body support vest, and this dislike treadmill. It's meant to make games and other VR experiences more immersive by allowing you to walk, run, crouch, and jump in real time as you play. I've been testing out the Omni one for a few weeks now, including getting a bunch of my co-workers to try it out. It's a ton of fun but definitely takes some getting used to. Let me tell you all about it. The Omni one is developed by Virtuix, the company behind Omni Arena, a location-based VR arcade-like experience where you and a group of friends can play games together in real time. Omni one is their new consumer product designed for the home. It's a single-player device but allows for online multiplayer, so you can play with others. It works by wearing these shoe covers that have sensors near the front. These sensors need to be charged with the included USBC cable. Under the shoes, there are two friction settings, a green one for more friction.

that is used when not on the Omni one, and a gray setting that decreases friction for when you're playing with these shoes on. You step onto the very slippery semicircular disc and strap yourself into the support vest. This feels like wearing a large hiking backpack. Pressing this button near your left shoulder will unlock the system, allowing it to rotate freely. There's a dial on the support arm that will adjust how much resistance or support it provides for stabilization. The treadmill's disc is curved up because you're basically sliding back into place repeatedly in order to move continuously, so it's not actually like a treadmill with a rotating tread, but more like staying in place by trying to walk on very slippery ice. And let me tell you, it's not easy when you first try it out. The backpack pulls on you, so it feels a bit like you're dragging something behind you. This is important though, since it needs to stabilize you from falling because you tend to lean much more forward to walk in-game than you

would normally you also need to lift your feet up higher than you'd expect in order for the feet trackers to properly register movement. This exaggerated movement makes it feel kind of similar to walking in snowshoes. The Omni One supports heights of 4 ft 4 in up to 6 ft 4 in and a player weight maximum of 250 lb. The support vest has a max weight circumference of 46 in. The treadmill has a footprint measuring 48 x 60 in and is around 48 in tall. It weighs 150 lb but luckily it features wheels at the back so you can tip it and roll it with ease. There's also a little cubby located under the footstep for storing some accessories like the shoes. Luckily it supports video casting so you can wirelessly connect it to a TV for others to see what you're experiencing. This is great for when you have some friends over and they can be included in the fun. I'm too scared while the headset can be adjusted for different head sizes by

use of this strap and tightening wheel at the back. The shoes are a different story. They come in three sizes, with medium being the one sent to me, and you can't use the Omni one without them. Inviting some friends over for a VR evening gets difficult if you have people with vastly different feet sizes. It would be great if these could somehow accommodate different shoe sizes, like how the headset can with different-sized heads. Vertx does sell extra shoes separately, but they're a whopping $100 per pair. It's worth noting that you can use the headset and controllers to play games without the treadmill, so that opens up some options, but it's nowhere near as exciting, right? The headset is a customized Pico 4E headset with an 8-core Qualcomm XR2 CPU and 256 GB of storage. It has a resolution of 2160 X 2160 per eye, which results in 1200 pixels per inch, a 105° field of view with pancake lenses. It supports eye and inside tracking with full-color pass.

through at first, the Omni one feels incredibly unnatural to use. It has a steep learning curve, but I assure you that with some time and tweaking things like how much support you'd like from the dial on the arm, it becomes a lot more intuitive. But does it actually feel immersive? There are fleeting moments where everything lines up nicely, and you feel like you're actually there, but for the most part, it feels like you're awkwardly walking or running your way through a video game. The Omni one also definitely has an exercise focus as well, since that vest is causing resistance, and your walking is going natural. Using the Omni one is kind of a workout, but that's also one of the downsides. Putting on the shoes, getting strapped in, loading up a game, all takes a bit of time, so you're probably not going to just jump into this for short 15-minute gaming sessions. But using it for a while will get you pretty worked up and sweaty. In fact, I tend to set up a fan pointed directly at me when playing to help cool

me down the user interface. Even tracks how many steps you've taken and calories burned. It's clear that exercise is a key component to the Omni one. Now I'm not someone who shies away from a workout, but if I'm in a gaming mood, factoring in a shower afterwards is a bit much and that adds to the amount of time I need to set aside. So unfortunately, there's kind of a downside to using this for short and long periods of time. The other downside, and this is kind of the deal breaker, is that the game library just isn't there. Verx has a storefront to purchase games, but at the time of this recording, there's only about 18 to choose from. However, they are advertising another 31 titles coming soon. I play video games for a living, and I haven't heard of most of these titles, and the VR games I'm familiar with aren't available for the omni1. Now Virtuix does advertise that the omni1 headset can be used with Steam VR to expand your

library. Although, keep in mind, you won't be able to use the treadmill for those ones. I didn't end up testing this out because, unfortunately, to play those games, you need to install an emulation software package. From there, settings will have to be adjusted on a per-game basis, and even then, quote, many games will not offer a good locomotion experience. Now, the big question: how much does it all cost? The Omni One retails for $2,600 plus shipping, which is definitely a lot of money, but there's also nothing else really like this. Considering the most popular VR headset, Meta's Quest 3 lineup, retails around $300 to $400, depending on which model you get, you're paying over $2,000 for the treadmill attachment, and unfortunately, you have access to a much smaller game library. What I love about the Omni One is how unique and cool of an experience this is. When you get your friends together and show them this, everyone wants to try it. VR already is a bit of a goofy gaming platform, and this just adds to that.

excitement and fun, and if getting some exercise with your video games is a goal, then this will definitely help you break a sweat. What I don't love is how limited the game selection is and how it doesn't easily let me access Steam VR or other VR libraries. It also doesn't really feel like natural walking, and as a result, I'm not feeling fully immersed all that often. With all that, it becomes a pretty hard sell next to that high price point. The Omni One feels like a major first step in where the future of VR could be heading, but it's still just an early look at this point. As of right now, it's more of a fun add-on, but I couldn't see myself using it as my main VR gaming experience. It needs more games and a more seamless locomotion experience where I don't get so sweaty by the end of it. I would love to somehow get the same level of stability but feel like I'm walking normally. But what do you think? Do you think this is a major

stepping stone for the future of VR. Let me know in the comments, and thanks for watching.

Omni One VR Gaming Treadmill Review

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