The Virtue Sphere: A Revolutionary Virtual Reality Experience

While I was at PAX East, I had the incredible opportunity to try out the Virtue sphere, which is essentially a giant hamster ball that allows you to walk freely in a game environment. The device is not unlike the Virtuix Omni treadmill, which I previously reviewed at PAX Prime, but with some key differences in design and functionality.

As soon as I stepped inside the Virtue sphere, it began to orbit around me, with an Oculus Rift headset positioned in the center. A handrail that moved on a wheel also ensured that I didn't become disoriented during my experience. Although there was no way to record the actual game I was playing, this demonstration was primarily about showcasing the device itself.

The Virtue sphere is undoubtedly daunting, and there are several concepts that you need to get accustomed to that don't translate directly from the real world. One of the most striking aspects of the device is its momentum, which causes it to continue moving in a particular direction if you start walking that way. This phenomenon is reminiscent of what happens when hamsters run on a wheel – they can sometimes lose control due to the sheer force of their movements. However, the Virtue sphere works precisely according to its concept, where your movement dictates the action within the game.

My experience inside the sphere was truly indescribable. Even attempting to put it into words is challenging. The sensation of walking in a virtual environment, which is not an accurate representation of how humans actually walk, was both fascinating and disorienting. The device's size and weight make it difficult to turn or make minute adjustments while inside the sphere; I was constantly told to take "baby steps," but this wasn't natural motion by any means.

Despite these challenges, my experience walking in the Virtue sphere was absolutely mind-blowing. Being able to truly capture the motion of being inside a game combined with the Oculus Rift's virtual reality capabilities resulted in something uniquely interesting and enjoyable. I would eagerly try it out again if given the opportunity, and while we may not see these devices in living rooms anytime soon, I can definitely envision them as an attraction in an arcade or premium exhibit.

It is worth noting that the Virtue sphere is fundamentally different from the Omni treadmill at its core level. The two devices have distinct mechanics, principles, and approaches to virtual reality. While I couldn't definitively say which one is better, it's clear that the Omni has a greater likelihood of becoming a common household item in the near future.

However, when compared to our current understanding of virtual reality as the gold standard, these devices are still somewhat far off. Nonetheless, they offer an exciting and immersive experience that I would highly recommend trying out for those interested in exploring new frontiers in VR technology.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhile I was at PAX East I got the awesome opportunity to try out the virtu sphere which is basically a giant hamster ball that allows you to walk freely in a game environment if you recall at PAX Prime I did a video on the virtuix Omni treadmill which is basically the same principle although executed in a different manner do this The Virtue sphere acts as much as you'd expect with you stepping inside and walking around to have the entire device orbit around you there is an Oculus Rift in the center as well as a handrail that moves around on Wheel to make sure that you don't disorient yourself CP oh my God now there was no way to record the actual game that I was playing but this demonstration isn't about the game itself and more about the device The Virtue sphere is daunting and there are many Concepts that you have to get used to that aren't translated in the real world number one there is momentum so if you start walking in a direction the sphere wants to keep going that way that's why when you see hamsters on a hamster wheel they can sometimes lose control but that's just an exaggeration to show a point the virt sphere Works to its concept if you walk in a direction you will go that direction in the game and that is what we are trying to accomplish with virtual reality so since I couldn't stop babbling like an idiot inside the sphere I have to now describe the experience while I'm outside the sphere however it's impossible to put into words what it was like to walk while inside that hamster ball number one it was walking inside a game number two that was not an accurate representation of how humans walk the versus spere is a big heavy ball and when a big heavy ball is spinning it's hard to turn and make minute adjustments yes they constantly told me to make baby steps but that is not natural motion that being said it was an absolutely amazing experience it blew my mind that I was actually walking inside the game combine the Oculus Rift which is already a virtual reality device with another device that allows you to truly capture the motion of being in the game and you get something that is a unique and interesting experience that I would try again if I ever got the opportunity and while we may not see these in living rooms anytime soon I could definitely see this in an arcade or as a premium experience in some exhibit I would do this again a million times over now I know you guys probably want me to compare this to the Omni but at the basic level they are totally different devices they have different mechanics they have different principles and they approach virtual reality the same way I can't say one is better than the other although I will say that the Omni is more likely to be in your living room in the near future however compared to the golden standard of virtual reality as we all understand it today they are not quite there they are fun and I would recommend giving them a try but they are not perfect so thank you all so much for watching and I thank the Developers for giving me a chance to their devices thank you everybody bye-bye oh my God didwhile I was at PAX East I got the awesome opportunity to try out the virtu sphere which is basically a giant hamster ball that allows you to walk freely in a game environment if you recall at PAX Prime I did a video on the virtuix Omni treadmill which is basically the same principle although executed in a different manner do this The Virtue sphere acts as much as you'd expect with you stepping inside and walking around to have the entire device orbit around you there is an Oculus Rift in the center as well as a handrail that moves around on Wheel to make sure that you don't disorient yourself CP oh my God now there was no way to record the actual game that I was playing but this demonstration isn't about the game itself and more about the device The Virtue sphere is daunting and there are many Concepts that you have to get used to that aren't translated in the real world number one there is momentum so if you start walking in a direction the sphere wants to keep going that way that's why when you see hamsters on a hamster wheel they can sometimes lose control but that's just an exaggeration to show a point the virt sphere Works to its concept if you walk in a direction you will go that direction in the game and that is what we are trying to accomplish with virtual reality so since I couldn't stop babbling like an idiot inside the sphere I have to now describe the experience while I'm outside the sphere however it's impossible to put into words what it was like to walk while inside that hamster ball number one it was walking inside a game number two that was not an accurate representation of how humans walk the versus spere is a big heavy ball and when a big heavy ball is spinning it's hard to turn and make minute adjustments yes they constantly told me to make baby steps but that is not natural motion that being said it was an absolutely amazing experience it blew my mind that I was actually walking inside the game combine the Oculus Rift which is already a virtual reality device with another device that allows you to truly capture the motion of being in the game and you get something that is a unique and interesting experience that I would try again if I ever got the opportunity and while we may not see these in living rooms anytime soon I could definitely see this in an arcade or as a premium experience in some exhibit I would do this again a million times over now I know you guys probably want me to compare this to the Omni but at the basic level they are totally different devices they have different mechanics they have different principles and they approach virtual reality the same way I can't say one is better than the other although I will say that the Omni is more likely to be in your living room in the near future however compared to the golden standard of virtual reality as we all understand it today they are not quite there they are fun and I would recommend giving them a try but they are not perfect so thank you all so much for watching and I thank the Developers for giving me a chance to their devices thank you everybody bye-bye oh my God did\n"