Virtuix to Launch Its VR Treadmill in September

Big news in the world of VR motion peripherals today! Just an hour after Roto VR introduced its $799 spinning game chair, Virtuix has announced that its much-anticipated Omni One VR treadmill will finally launch on September 10. If you feel like you’ve been hearing about this treadmill forever, you’re not alone—it’s been over a decade in the making, with a price tag of $2,595 plus shipping.

You might recall the last update we provided on this treadmill had the headline: “A decade later, this VR treadmill is finally ready to ship.” That was back on April 3 of the previous year. It’s curious how technology can seem to zoom ahead at dizzying speeds while other times it crawls along at a snail’s pace. Hardware startups often find themselves in the slow lane of this peculiar tech highway.

Over the years, Virtuix has drawn quite a bit of interest, and that’s no surprise. In VR, locomotion is a challenge that no one’s fully cracked yet. Convincing your brain you’re moving while you’re actually stationary can lead to some less than pleasant experiences, like dizziness or nausea.

In tandem with Virtuix’s decade-long journey, there’s been a growing fascination with mixed reality, driven by the likes of Oculus/Meta, HTC, and now Apple. Virtuix has managed to gather $40 million through venture capital and individual backers. Plus, the Omni One had a major moment in the spotlight, serving as the model for a similar tech in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of “Ready Player One.”

On the surface, the Omni One looks fairly straightforward. Instead of using a traditional mechanical treadmill, it operates passively. Users strap on specialized footwear and mimic walking by gliding in place on a concave platform.

As CEO Jan Goetgeluk expressed in a release, “With the official launch date set for September 10, we’re eager to welcome gamers into the Omni One community. The overwhelmingly positive reactions from our beta users have fueled our excitement, and we can’t wait to launch Omni One and transform the gaming experience for players of all ages.”

So far, Virtuix has sold 3,000 units during the Omni One’s preorder phase.