China-based virtual reality company StepVR has just launched a brand new “omnidirectional motion system” for VR. Before now the company has been known for a string of VR Entertainment centres scattered within China. The newest addition by StepVR is the hardware called “Gates 01”, a system that can be described as the “VR Gates to the metaverse.” It’s that hardware that gives players the opportunity to have the metaverse experience at home.
The company says it’s one system that generates omnidirectional motion, along with accompanying equipment that gives users the ability to utilise their five senses in the virtual world. This device is useful in the fields of sports, work, entertainment, or education. According to reports, this new system is described as the daddy gadget of gadgets. It’s a fully immersive VR that can be present in our homes. And, the whole idea is for users to not get motion sickness from using it.
StepVR has described itself as the world’s first company to offer massively multiplayer online games (MMO) in the VR world. The company also disclosed that it has “taken the lead in launching software and hardware systems that enter the metaverse.” The company believes its tech offering surpasses tech from companies like Meta.
Gates01 is developed to cover an area of approximately 3m2. The deck can be used to run freely and achieve instant stopping movements. In addition, Gates01 can also restore the sense of vestibular balance in the virtual world. What this means is that users can have that genuine immersive experience, by pairing movement, haptics, VR displays, and motion capture gloves without getting motion sickness, in a small and convenient space.
Before Gates01 was developed, StepVR was the company responsible for a massive shed for playing games in Beijing that covers an area of 1,000 square meters. In these games, players can roam freely in virtual reality, use virtual doorknobs to open doors, and press elevator buttons, explore life-like sight, touch, smell, and hearing abilities. Players have said that the authenticity is not one that can be compared with the VR goggles, as it provides one that’s way wilder than that.
The game played is called Future Battle. It is a large-scale VR e-sports game under StepVR. Players can roam as they act out the game in the shed. The game Future Battle has been reported to have an impressive success rate with over 1 million customers and no sign of slowing down.
StepVR was founded in 2013 by Dr Guo Cheng, who obtained a doctorate degree at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The company has worked on the research and development of laser positioning technology alongside virtual human motion capture technology. In 2019, the company launched the VR esports brand, Future Battle and in the space of a year, 140 other stores offering VR experience in the game opened up in China. Future Battle has been popular in China for the past 3 years despite the outbreak of Covid-19 in China, the product remains popular. According to reports, another 60 stores are set to open up to deliver the same VR experiences.
With 1 million users and counting, the esports brand is probably the brand that has the most VR users in the world. The latest release of the company, Gates01, is an attempt by Step VR to break in and cater for the at-home consumer market. The new product will cost about $2,000-$2,500 and will be sold later this year in Korea, Japan, Singapore, the Middle East, North America, and Europe.
Olagoke Ajibola is a creative writer and content producer with an eye for details and excellence. He has a demonstrated history of telling stories for TV, Film and Online. Aside from being fascinated by the power of imagination, his other interest are travel, sport, reading and meeting people.
