Omnidirectional treadmills are improving how deeply we get dunked into immersive games and how VR enthusiasts move around virtual worlds and get heart healthy cardio. Say bye to cramped gameplay in room scale, Wizdish has a second model for their ROVR treadmills called ROVR2. Made for fitness buffs, people who are committed to walking more, and those that suffer from VR motion sickness, ROVR2 is a space saver, lightweight, and can be used with VR and PC games.
Walking and Roaming with ROVR
The Wizdish ROVR is an omnidirectional treadmill that is used with virtual reality headsets like the Vive, Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, Samsung Gear, and Pixel-View to walk around and move freely in games. Think limitless walking and running (with foot sliding) in a 360-degree space while you’re at the office, home, tech-friendly gym, or in an arcade or family fun center hanging out.
To begin, Wizdish has 2 models: ROVR1 and ROVR2.
ROVR2 is pretty much the same setup as the original ROVR, except with a few design changes. Both models have the locomotion platform, the containment frame, specialized slick shoes, connectivity jack, and downloadable vorpX and Steam compatibility. The difference is that the ROVR1 weighs 33 pounds, whereas the ROVR2 is heavier at 62 pounds because of the stainless steel frame. Both do not require a power outlet, which saves money to run it.
To check out the background behind the original ROVR1 go here to our Wizdish ROVR 1 Review.
When players around the world step into ROVR2 they slip on wider and larger ROVR shoes on top of their street or work shoes. They look like a cross between Crocs and Adidas sandals with the straps, you know the ones. Players step onto the Wizdish and lower the security bar. Once inside, players strap into the VR headset and use the controllers of their choice to interact and walk unhindered in PC and VR games.
How they turn WASD keys into forward and backward, and side to side movement in VR is something that I’m unable to describe. All I know is that they are compatible with Steam and vorpX supported games like Assassin’s Creed (I-III, plus others), Bioshock (1-Infinite), Minecraft, Call of Duty (many titles), and other popular AAA games.
We know that ROVR 2 is lightweight and takes up space of only 92 cm or about 36 inches wide for the base and security railing 95 cm or about 37 inches high. Which means it can be stored away in a corner of a room or off to the side when it’s not in use. And, its perfect for anyone that can push or move up to 28 kg or 62 pounds comfortably.
Watch this video of a person playing Minecraft in VR with a Samsung Gear headset and ROVR ODT…
Movement and Motion Sickness
ROVR1 and ROVR2 do not need or use harnesses or special suits to use their VR walking dish. This removes obstacles like chafing and limited movement like not being able to crouch comfortably. Our only critique is that the ODT is wide but doesn’t look like its wide enough for dashing motions or full side lunges, which are standard movements in VR fitness games.
Although this may be a drawback to the device, having no harness allows players to freely move in a natural stride that makes it worth it as a purchase when you’re trying to lose weight or get in better shape. Physical therapists and trainers that work alongside patients that need a harness will want to consider that it doesn’t come with one.
Moving around in a game by teleporting, click turning, and free movement with a joystick makes many people, including developers, feel dizzy, clammy, and nauseated in VR. This is called VR motion sickness. True leg locomotion and a good frame rate and low lag time from your PC and VR headset should provide visual and physical signals of balance to the vestibular and proprioceptive systems so that nausea will fade.
Want to know how it looks when you move around? Watch this video to see how an FPS game would look from the outside…
Fitness and Posture Benefits
Walking for 30 minutes a day has real health and emotional benefits. Shape magazine says, walking for a half-hour makes us more relaxed, improves muscle tone, aids in digestion, and motivates us to exercise even more. Looking svelte or less chunky and being able to do things outside our comfort zones helps boost our self-confidence too!
Taking a stroll in VR or even running towards where all the action is going down is a low effort and low impact exercise. Readers that are committed to more activity in their lives for health reasons and hardcore gym rats that are bored of routine can use ROVR as the main exercise or as a supplement to other activity. ROVR’s locomotion treadmill is said to promote better posture and balance in its users, but is also credited for helping disabled children in Australia to walk, TechSPARK.co reports.
Where To Find Them
Interested buyers of the Wizdish ROVR1 and ROVR2 can find them on the company’s online shop for around $654 to about $916. To keep updated on everything Wizdish visit their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube pages.