Hot on the heels of an initial press tour to display the power of their new equipment, the talented team at VirZoom, had invited the GamersPack crew to come check out all of the new improvements that the company has made to the stationary bike.
The VirZoom was designed as a means to get gamers interacting with virtual worlds in a whole new way. The combination of a smart stationary bike with VR headsets, creates a unique experience that may change the way the world views gamers. The updates that were shown during their time in Los Angeles include an all new design for the handlebar controllers, adjustable tension settings for the bike, and multiplayer abilities.
The new handle bars feature trigger inputs for each hand, in addition to a thicker handle that accommodates three new button inputs, and a joystick for each hand. The multiplayer, on the other hand, has taken competitive eSports in an all new direction.
The initial launch of proprietary games still include Stampede, Go Fast Car and Pegaso simulators, 2 other titles, and the new multiplayer component. Friends can now race against each other to get the fastest time, lasso the most cowboys or collect coins atop a flying Pegasus without touching the ground.
With the advent of VirZoom technology, gaming competitions will no longer be based purely on finger dexterity. Instead the community of gamers that grow around the stationary bike will consist of people who are motivated to build muscle, and stamina in order to compete against each other in the virtual world.
One of the key features to eSports are the new tension levels that control the amount of pressure it takes to pedal. The technology not only separates players in a manor similar to ranked gameplay in traditional eSports titles, while also giving players goals to achieve that they can take with them in the real world.
In addition to the newest features, the developers at VirZoom have also been hard at work for a new health monitoring software that tracks progress over time. The subscription based service will have multiple levels of membership based on monthly or yearly services, and runs at a cost of $9.99 a month.
The data creates a progress report that can help gamers stay physically active and healthy for less than the cost of a gym membership. The subscription service offers “Online Multiplayer functionality, Data Tracking (Fitness: Heart rate monitoring, calories, distance etc. over time), continuously updated and evolving gameplay for current games, new games on a regular basis.” according to the press release.
The incredibly stable software behind the Virzoom is matched only by its flexibility between hardware. The bike is just as easy to connect and use with a PC running the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, as it is on the PS4 with PlayStation VR.
The VirZoom was built with universal accessibility in mind, which is why the developers have decided to release the software developer kit, encouraging the device’s growth across third party games as well.
The virtual revolution is quickly approaching as 2016 draws nearer. The VirZoom Stationary bike however, is placing their launch ahead of the curve. The bike will run for $249.95 together with 5 games, but the first 300 bikes that are pre-ordered will receive an early access discount. Early bird gamers pay $199.95 for their VirZoom bike, and will receive them in the first half of 2016.
You can pre-order the VirZoom through the official website here.
