Totalmotion: New Modular Platform for Virtual Reality

Virtual reality needs to meet what we generally call feedback. Physical responses, objects that feel real, and other functions at that level. Ironically, part of the key to solving this puzzle lies in the old arcade machines that let us race motorcycles or ski. That is how the folks at Futuretown have presented Totalmotion, a modular platform on which it will be possible to ride a horse, surf, and everything its accessories allow.

According to the official page of the Tokyo Game Show 2016, today access is enabled for companies and specialized press, but we can already find some news, and as expected, virtual reality will have a privileged place. The real competition is not about “Vive vs. Rift”, but about who is better prepared to surprise the market with more impactful and complete experiences. My opinion is that the software still needs a lot of work, but there is another possibility to consider: maybe it needs help through accessories or special platforms. Tracking the head, body, hands, and fingers in a virtual environment is not something to be taken lightly. Now, if we talk about skiing, surfing, flying, motorcycle racing, or even horseback riding… an option would be Totalmotion.

Totalmotion is a creation of Futuretown, a company better known for its game Cloudlands: VR Minigolf, which currently occupies 30 percent of the market on the HTC Vive. Futuretown also has the backing of Peter Chou, ex CEO of HTC, so its relationship with virtual reality is more than obvious. Besides the Vive, Totalmotion’s support extends to the Oculus Rift and another virtual headset developed in China called 3Glasses. Transforming a virtual experience into a physical simulation requires a high degree of modularity, and the Totalmotion has that aspect covered, although the hardware is not in final version by any means, and it will need several additional adjustments to polish its design.

This brings us to the big question about Totalmotion, which is its price. In short: Radio silence. While similar solutions exist in the Asian market, Futuretown assures that Totalmotion will sit well above the rest once it has its official debut. Another important question is whether the end user will be willing to invest more money. The economic bar of virtual reality is still very high...

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