Virtuix, the creator of the upcoming virtual reality treadmill Virtuix Omni, announced today that it has raised $3 million in venture capital funding to help the product progress toward a commercial release.
The seed investment round was led by Tekton Ventures and Maveron, as well as Scentan Ventures, billionaire Mark Cuban's Radical Investments, Scout Ventures, StarCaps Ventures, and a group of private investors.
Using virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift, the omni-directional VR treadmill lets users walk, run, and jump within a 360-degree virtual environment. Virtuix says this allows for an "unprecedented sense of immersion and presence" and that this tech stands to affect industries like gaming, fitness, and tourism.
The Virtuix Omni appeared on ABC's Shark Tank, and Cuban--a panelist on the show--declined to invest in the product at that time. Now he's changed his mind. Perhaps his change of heart comes down to Facebook's purchase of Oculus Rift company Oculus VR.
"Virtual reality technology has finally caught up to the vision consumers have had for decades," Virtuix CEO Jan Goetgeluk said in a statement. "The Omni transforms seated virtual reality into a fully immersiv e, active experience. These funds ensure that we can deliver a great virtual reality platform to our passionate existing community as well as to new audiences and markets that are emerging every day."
The Virtuix Omni originally came to life through a successful Kickstarter campaign last year, where it attracted $1.1 million from over 3,000 backers. The company says it has already pre-sold over 3,000 units and will begin to deliver them this summer. You can preorder a unit today from the Virtuix Omni website for $500.
| Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @EddieMakuch |
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