It's amazing that over a decade into its existence, the modern iteration of VR still feels like a futuristic technology—something simmering with potential that only the greatest devs working in the field have achieved. From 360-degree vision to the 1:1 thrill of throwing fists or firing guns with 6DoF controls, even a veteran VR owner like myself still gets a giddy thrill each time they strap on the headset.
But one frontier that the medium hasn't quite figured out is movement. Most VR games give players the choice between immersion-breaking teleportation and unsatisfying (and potentially nauseating) analog stick movement, while you remain rooted with your knees locked.
You've probably seen videos of those hardcore VR setups, where people strap themselves into treadmill-like machinery and run in place, holding their controllers up like guns, as if they were soldiers training for some Skynet-style future war (fun fact: the Omni One can also be used for military planning). If you have seen hardware like this, you were probably looking at the Virtuix Omni Pro, the first iteration of Virtuix's VR treadmill that was successfully Kickstarted way back in 2013.
Now Virtuix is back with the new model, the Omni One—slicker, more compact, and more responsive than the original. Bundling the new, improved treadmill with the PICO 4 Ultra headset, Omni One is looking to be an all-in-one VR gaming platform that solves VR's longstanding movement puzzle, keeping you fit and healthy in the process. Because why would you want to stare glaze-eyed at a timer ticking up on a gym cross-trainer when you can get your cardio by fighting dragons in fantasy worlds or running and gunning through a zombie apocalypse?
The Omni One improves on its predecessor in several ways. First, the harness is attached to a flexible, rotating aluminum arm instead of propping you up by your waist. This massively expands the player's freedom of movement, allowing for not only unobstructed running but also crouching, kneeling, strafing, and even jumping. The arm acts as a support too, helping you out in those quad-activating transitions between crouching and standing. With built-in wheels and a compact 4' diameter, it's easy to move around and hide away in your home. Already invested in a VR headset? You can use it with the Omni One Core. You've got options.
It's kind of amazing to see the Omni One in action, with the harness smoothly circling around the dish-like treadmill, responding to your every turn and walking arc, while the curved, low-friction surface naturally resets your feet with every step to create an uncanny simulation of moving through space. Like VR itself, Omni One is a "you don't quite get it until you experience it" kind of device. By combining VR with movement, Omni One provides a truly heart-pumping, multisensory simulation.
But what of the games? First up, Omni has its own dedicated games store, with games running directly off the PICO 4 Ultra headset. The ever-growing roster includes VR classics such as Arizona Sunshine and Sniper Elite VR. I'm personally delighted to see compelling rogue-lite dungeon crawler Ancient Dungeon VR in there, and excellent indie boomer shooter pioneer Amid Evil VR is coming soon.
The dozens of games in the Omni One Store have been fine-tuned for use with the Omni One, though, of course, you'll be able to switch between different movement modes to suit your vibe in a given session.
Naturally, PC VR players will be looking at this and dreaming of scaling Skyrim's mountains with full movement or strolling unfettered around Half-Life: Alyx's fantastic envisioning of City 17. Well, Omni's got you. Using Omni Connect, you can connect the Omni One to your PC via Bluetooth, translating your physical movement into game input. Then it's just a case of streaming games from your PC using something like Steam Link, Virtual Desktop, or PICO Connect, and you're live, playing those heavyweight PCVR experiences with unprecedented ambulatory freedom.
Where the Virtuix Omni Pro was an impressive device that could've been consigned to gaming history books as a great big "What if?", the Omni One shows that the tech is here not only to stay, but to evolve. Whether you want to run around in game worlds from the comfort of your living room, garage, or (lucky you) dedicated VR space, Omni One is your gateway into full VR immersion. Head over to the Omni One site to see pricing, upcoming games, and everything else the pioneering platform has to offer.
