Freeaim VR Shoes update: new features, improvements and more gameplay!

[@finallyfunctional]

Glad to be part of the team! Using and working on the VR shoes has been incredible.

[@christiangalvan265]

Was wondering why you have been so quiet these last few months. Turns out out a company snagged the "hobbyst" eh? Can't wait to see more progress!

[@finallyfunctional]

@@christiangalvan265 Yeah I've been quiet, but ironically I work on VR locomotion stuff more than ever now. It was very much my choice to join, nobody pressured me. I'm very glad I did.

[@RedSlashAce]

Awesome work!!!

[@retroreminder6139]

I'm glad to see you've teamed up with this project. I've watched your other videos so it made me smile to see you in this one :)

[@alteredcarbon3853]

Man I can't wait anymore when can we expect to be able to buy this marvel?

[@goldenshatter]

I've been waiting month for you to post again love to see it

[@FreeaimVR]

Thanks for waiting. We will be putting out more regular content. We just had to get some technical work out of the way.

[@BrennenHogen]

Glad I could be your test dummy 😊. Awesome to see what you’re working on man. Keep it up. 👍

[@lathander9123]

This is so awesome, I am very glad you guys work in it together on this high potential product

[@1kuhny]

Great idea! Making the shoe the "treadmill". Would feel so much more natural than sliding your feet.

[@Osail98]

@TheMysticle @ThrillSeekerVR You guys need to see this!

[@Subfightr]

Oh wow. That position correcting system is pretty interesting. Congrats! I am impatiently waiting.

[@a.p.8913]

AWESOME CONCEPT !!!

[@a.p.8913]

Hope to be added side steps!

[@a.p.8913]

Ah!!! I’ve seen another video and…. They have side-steps !!! Coool

[@gravity_mxk5663]

Yay! That is so cool!

[@kyleirelandtech]

These look really interesting.

[@RealFolkFashionandHealth]

This is exactly what I was looking for. I had actually implemented the concept into the VR focused books I'm working on though the rotating tracks was not something I had thought of and seems very intuitive. I imagine VR shoes such as these overtaking the movement VR environment as they are cheaper and easier to store than say a Kat walk. Can't wait till you bring these shoes to the mass market.

[@PocketProjects]

In earlier vids there seemed to a be an abrupt stop at the end of each step, almost as though there was no momentum. However, now the forward travel seems more naturalistic which is a massive improvement. Am i correct in thinking you've worked on this?

[@FreeaimVR]

Yes, we implement new algorithms for walking, which makes the experience much smoother. However, the mobile app interface made a huge difference, which allows us to change settings on the fly. There is a simple UI both on the mobile app and in VR too. Advanced settings will be accessible, but there will be an easy default setup for beginners along with tutorials, etc.

[@axphin]

Looking forward to seeing what solutions you come up with regarding the support frames. Or if you can find a way to combine the shoes with the Exit Suit or something like it, that would be awesome. Also congrats on joining Freeaim!

[@JaXuun]

Zuckerrberg should invest in this.

[@tituss_]

Any news on when the kickstarter might go live?

[@FreeaimVR]

Hi, our aim was late 2023, but with a bit more time and more funding, we think that in early 2024, we will be better placed to offer an even better campaign. Thanks

[@tituss_]

@@FreeaimVR i will definitely buy a pair! Any idea on the pricing yet?

[@FreeaimVR]

@tituss_ It's hard to say because the price of parts and materials and foreign exchange, etc, varies a lot. All I can say is that we're aiming for around 1k usd (excl tax) for the consumer version, which is still very competitive when compared to VR treadmills and omni directional treadmills, and there is likely to be some discounted pledges if you're quick. We're offering a technology that is better than (or at least as good as) an omnidirectional treadmill like the infinadeck, which costs 50 to 60k usd, for a tiny fraction of the cost and so much more convenient. The price will be similar to VR treadmills like the katwalk, especially when you factor in shipping costs because VR treadmills cost $200-300 to ship.

[@tituss_]

@@FreeaimVR Looking forward to the launch!

[@lathander9123]

@FreeaimVR your product is the most anticipated VR hardware for me. I am ready to be a backer

[@LoreliaDeMildiane]

Looks even better than before. My questions are the current weight and battery life of your prototypes and their estimated values for the finished product.

[@FreeaimVR]

Weight is about 1kg (1.25 with battery), battery life: minimum of 1hr if walking constantly (if using for exercise), but for typical gameplay: 1.5 to 2hrs. It also depends on user weight. Batteries can be swapped very quickly without turning off VR. I just replied to another person about pricing. This information is for prototypes, and final hardware will be improved.

[@LoreliaDeMildiane]

@@FreeaimVR thank you very much ! keep up the good work :)

[@lifeofasimrigmestizo6910]

I am ready

[@beatsaberaddict9027]

10/10 take my money

[@engineeredaf1920]

love to see it alex and ash!

[@tecnui]

Sign me up!! This is exactly what I’m looking for. I was looking at potentially getting a katwalk treadmill, but this walking looks a lot more natural. How much movement in miles / kilometers can you expect the motors and drive belts to last for?

[@metalsphere4109]

Nice

[@evanolszewski6441]

It's great to see the progress, keep it up

[@Iscariot_Gaming]

That seems like such a great idea, love it!

[@betteru2997]

Will this work with Q2 stand alone?

[@FreeaimVR]

This is important to us as well, so yes, we plan to support standalone headsets including Quest series and we have a plan for this, but will require quite a lot of effort, so our 1st priority is to perfect PCVR,

[@tasosm7x]

Hi I love it! When we will have a release date and a price? Sorry if it's on the video those details but I'm working

[@IFalling_CHERRY_BOY]

How natural would you say is walking with one of those? I always hear that vr treadmills feels like ice skating or something but I never tried them myself.

[@RoyHoy]

Amazing!

[@Kamsy]

This looks incredible, youve essentially taken the massive infinadeck and attached the system to your feet. GREAT IDEA! I love it haha. Im currently looking at getting a Kat walk but this looks like itll hopefully be a great upgrade once you finish everything up and sort everything out, maybe make more improvements of course too.

[@FreeaimVR]

Thanks, if your experience with the vr treadmill is lackluster then hopefully the VR shoes will be more immersive and fun.

[@FreeaimVR]

Just remember that the infinadeck is reported to cost 50k to 60k USD, so to offer the same capability for around 1k USD is a 98%+ reduction in price.

[@Kamsy]

@@FreeaimVR hahah yeah exactly, it makes it a much better way of acheiving it, My only concern is that with the motors in the shoes and weight thats constantly going to be on them, how durable they'd be if you were thinking of the possibility of making jumping possible in future, i would be concerned on durability of all the parts, they would have to manage alot of force being put on them without causing any issues for people. Might be something to think about, that is, if you arent already!

[@4ng31088]

This is definitely the best innovation to happen in VR since many years, but tbh I think it will need a machine learning algorithm to control the wheels in a "natural" way... You need to have a camera constantly looking at your full figure to be able to adjust to every pose and movement, since the centre of gravity keeps changing during motion and that's what you want to force in a fixed spot, not the waist or chest or whatever... Anyway keep up the awesome work!

[@FreeaimVR]

Great comment, and we are looking into ML for the near future, which may result in better control. Cameras are problematic for us because of data and privacy , but we have the option to take tracking data from other inside-out trackers in addition to our own suite of sensors.

[@TheGameChallenger]

Awesome!

[@lorcis1]

what about the floor, what kind of surface would we need, would you be able to provide a suitable flooring for these shoes, do they need hard floor, would carpet work? i look forward to hearing more about this original ( to me ) concept

[@BigAnalogSquirrel]

That support frame looks amazing! I have a kat loco locomotion system and was looking at a support frame carpet slider shoes setup, do you plan on selling that frame separately at all? Because that seems so immensely useful for a lot of VR setups and looks so easy to store.

[@FreeaimVR]

Thanks, we plan to offer the support frame as an accessory, so it should be possible to buy the frame separately.

[@NerChick]

Hi! Very interesting concept and I would love to try them in the future but one issue I see rn is that your walking is jittery when switching legs during walking , it looks pretty strange, but other than that looks great. Good Luck!

[@Azz-q3v]

I have been following freeaim for a long time and i wondered Is running a permenant limitation with this form factor or would a potential v2 version be more capable in this regards down the line.

[@FreeaimVR]

I don't think running is a permanent limitation however It depends on how fast exactly, running like an athlete is probably a no, but a fast jog / slow run is definitely possible, and we've already been doing that. The issues come down to how much experience the user has (for stability) and safety, so with some practice and a support frame, the user could try running. Running without a support frame would be st the user's own risk.

[@Azz-q3v]

@FreeaimVR appreciate the quick response. I was thinking more along the lines of quick but infrequent bursts of sprints during game from cover to cover, or a casual but longer duration jog to cover longer distances. Does having a larger playspace make this more achievable by enabling you to be bought back to the centre?

[@FreeaimVR]

@user-kc2lq5qe8c Yes, the VR shoes are better suited to short sprints rather than long runs. The VR shoes increase immersion but in large open world games, like skyrim / no mans sky. You might still use a bit of teleportation to get up higher or cover large distances, it could take a while to walk around a planet 😉

[@lorcis1]

interesting, how do you think it might affect balance in older individuals? do you think this would work in a wide range of games and not just the fast combat type games, most games have some movement required. cybershoes seems great but they only have a very limited number of games available

[@hanif72muhammad]

Cool, this one I can see being used daily, easy to use, not much part needed

[@StonebrickStudios]

have you considered making them flexible instead of rigid? I imagine they'd feel much more natural if they would bend smoothly together with the feet when taking steps.

[@FreeaimVR]

Thanks for suggestion, the VR shoes already have a flexible hinge just behind the front part of the foot. It can't be completely flexible because the rotating omnidirectional modules need the front and back to be more rigid to work, but the shoe does bend naturally with your foot.

[@Myrdraall]

Is there a way to strafe?

[@notzero5855]

Thanks for the update, you don't know how much I am anticipating this. I need this or I am going to die.

[@july172]

tthank god for being a barber. i just got a cat c2 core

[@FreeaimVR]

Do you like the Kat C core? Is the sliding feet movement good for you? Are you able to walk in a straight line? Let us know...

[@seandroid88]

I had a question. It seems like these shoes are like roller skates is there any possibility of of losing balance and completely falling on your face?

[@FreeaimVR]

Hey, so these not roller skates obviously, none of the wheels can spin freely, so it's more like a gym treadmill where the motors make you move, and for that we've put a lot of effort into making it safe and reliable. More importantly we will privide a simple fold away support frame which especially useful for beginners, or more energetic play styles.

[@beaconofwierd1883]

Feels like the start could use some improvement, looks very akward :/ I imagine that in order to get actually natural walking with threadmil shoes you have to allow for some forward movement. Basically the body feels the acceleration, so you have to let the body accelerate in the first step or two (though maybe not at 100%) and once you are up to normal walking speed (and hence no longer accelerating) the shoes can start moving the player back towards the center again without the player noticing anything. Same thing when stopping, your body will assume that there will be an acceleration/force from the ground when you stop moving, but it looks like you have implemented that somewhat in the video, though the stop looks jerky too. Haven’t actually tried this out, would love to hear if this is something you have tried to incorporate to make the walking more natural.

[@Gaze73]

Will sidestepping work? FPS games need that.

[@FreeaimVR]

You can sidestep as much as your playspace allows and turn at the hips and walk, but continuous strafing isn't supported at this time. We've just implemented hip based movement so the user moves in the direction of their hips regardless of where their head is facing, which should help. You can see a list of supported and unsupported movements here: www.freeaim.com/faqs#supported-movements

[@MrGillb]

why not use an upper body harness as a support frame?

[@FreeaimVR]

We have a foldable support frame that acts as a 360deg handrail. You could attach a harness if you wanted to, but we think that would restrict movement too much and breaks immersion.

[@soggyfishh]

what about running?

[@FreeaimVR]

The current prototypes support a fast walk / slow jogging run. This can be scaled up in game which is more important, so it can feel like you're going much faster, so a casual jog can feel like a fast sprint; this doesn't break immersion, it's safer and doesn't tire you out out so much.

[@soggyfishh]

thanks that really helps, i can't wait until these release!@@FreeaimVR

[@GeneralCondom]

Can it work on carpet?

[@FreeaimVR]

They work the best on a hard surface. Very thin carpet might be okay, but we'd recommend using a hard office chair mat on top of the carpet.

[@terencepetrichor4154]

Price point?

[@FreeaimVR]

Hi! For the Pro Developer Edition of the VR shoes (for business), please fill out the business contact form and we will contact you with pricing information. For the consumer version, we have not set price yet. We expect to announce one in 2024. We are targeting a price that is competitive or cheaper than existing consumer VR locomotion solutions. www.freeaim.com/faqs#price-of-vr-shoes

[@GeneralCondom]

how can i be a tester ?

[@FreeaimVR]

If you're near London, UK, or Wisconsin, US, let us know and we may be able to meet to do some testing.

[@GeneralCondom]

@@FreeaimVR wow, yeah I'm in the Madison area in Wisconsin 😃

[@FreeaimVR]

@GeneralCondom Hi, would you mind email [e-mail] and providing some basic info about yourself, including size and weight etc, many thanks.

[@Hakeem597]

can you run?

[@FreeaimVR]

At the moment, the VR shoes support a Jogging speed, or a slow paced run, but we're always working on improvements, and there are a lot of trade offs to consider. What's more importance is that you can scale the speed to go much faster in VR, so a fast walk IRL feels like a sprint in VR, this is safer and feels like having super powers.

[@Justlivin00]

I hope these turn out well. But just like omnidirectional pads, I would never buy these in their current state. Good luck to the team though.

[@FreeaimVR]

We're showing prototypes, so hopefully the final polished product would be more appealing; we're openly showing our development and letting more and more people try and give feedback.

[@lathander9123]

what is the omnidirectional pads?

[@roccowyatt2473]

'Promo SM' 😓