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Freeaim VR Shoes FAQs

The omnidirectional Freeaim VR Shoes have powerful motors that keeps a user within a small play space (recommended space is 2m by 2m) by negating the user's motion. The VR shoes connect with other devices, such as a PC, via Bluetooth. We've written a Steam VR driver that allows the VR shoes to be used with any Steam VR game or app that supports smooth locomotion.

Currently the first version of the Freeaim VR Shoes can support up to a slow jog/fast walk, and you can see what that looks like here. Note that the max speed of the VR shoes will depend upon the user's weight. We may eventually release a version suitable for running.

The Freeaim VR Shoes are stable during use, similar to walking on a normal gym treadmill. The innovative technology allows users to have a natural walking experience.

Safety in the Freeaim VR Shoes is one of our top priorities. We have safety checks in both the software and hardware. We have developed an optional walking support frame for those who want more reassurance. We plan on providing a training frame, as shown here, for the user to use the first time they wear the VR shoes, but shouldn't be needed after that.

 

We've found that users need about the same amount of awareness when using the VR shoes as they do when using regular roomscale VR. Just as with roomscale VR, the user should remain aware of their surroundings and rely on the guardian. 

Walking on slidemills has been described as an 'ice skating feeling' and 'confined in a dish and pushing awkwardly against it' due to the feet sliding in any direction which would not occur with normal walking. Struggle against the harness which keeps the user in place gives an unnatural feeling.

The Freeaim VR Shoes utilise powerful motors ensuring the user remains in position. This gives a user the most real way of natural walking. You can see what this walking looks like by viewing our video gallery.

The Freeaim VR Shoes are to be used on a hard floor surface. For carpet use, there will be an option to purchase a floor mat.

Testing is still underway at this stage. Our target is to ensure all weights are represented up to 120kg. 

Current images are based on the prototype but they are already very comfortable. The shoes feel like wearing a boot or leather shoes. You are able to bend your foot and no movement is restricted. 

The commercial version of the shoes will be ergonomic and comfortable, with a range of adult sizes available. 

Our goal is to have the Freeaim VR Shoes as affordable as possible for everyone to be able to have the most realistic and immersive walking experience possible. At this stage we are unable to provide prices but we are aiming for them to be comparable or cheaper than existing consumer systems, like slidemills. 

We will announce the Freeaim VR Shoes release as soon as we can. Please subscribe to our newsletter if you would like to be kept up to date.

We are also going to offer a separate pro version of the VR shoes for business use.

Demos are only currently open to selected media, businesses and investors at this stage. Please follow us on our social media, links are on the contact page, to learn what expos we'll be at to see and try the Freeaim VR shoes.

Here is a video showing the movements the VR shoes support.

Supported movements are

  • Walking

  • Walking and turning

  • Turning in place

  • Slow jog/fast walk

  • Side stepping

  • Crouching

The shoes will do gradual position correction during all of these movements to keep the user in the center of their playspace.

Unsupported movements are

  • Walking backwards, but this will be supported in the future

  • Fast run/sprinting

  • Jumping

  • Continuous sidestepping (strafing), but may be supported in the future

Currently only Steam VR is supported. Most Steam VR games that support smooth locomotion should be able to work with the VR shoes. In the future we want to support other platforms, such as Meta Quest and PSVR.

Note that if you are part of a business that is developed an in-house application using Unity or Unreal Engine, you should be able to run that app through Steam VR and use the VR shoes.

We've found that some users will put the VR shoes on and be able to use them within a few minutes, whereas other users may take longer but normally be able to walk with them within 20 minutes.

We've created a guide for total beginners to use when taking their first steps with the VR shoes. You can view that video to get an idea an idea what it's like to use them for the first time.

For the Pro Developer Edition of the VR shoes (for business), please fill out the business contact form and we will contact you with pricing information.

For the consumer version, we have not set price yet. We expect to announce one in 2024. We are targeting a price that is competitive or cheaper than existing consumer VR locomotion solutions. 

Currently, for most users the shoes will last 1.5-2 hours, but this can vary depending on the user's weight and playstyle. The batteries can be quickly (under a minute) swapped without having to reset the VR game/application.

You can hear the noise of the VR shoes here. Note that this is with an older version of the VR shoes and the noise with newer versions has been reduced.

It's hard to convey how loud they are over a video, so for further clarification we've tried slidemills (Virtuix Omni and Kat Walk C) and find the VR shoes to be much quieter. Especially quitter than when the haptics in the Kat Walk C is turned on.

At public expos, such as AWE, and during live demos we've given to customers, the noise has not been brought up as a concern. If you can make it to an expo or sign up to be a tester, we encourage you to give us feedback.

Headphones or earbuds obviously help, but are not required. In the future if you'd like us to make videos where we play the sound of the VR shoes and then play a sound where you know how loud it is in real life, contact us with the idea.

how do they work can you run
are they safe
compare to slidemills
weight limit comfort
how to buy or get demo
supported movements
supported platforms
getting used to them
price-of-vr-shoes
battery-duration
noise
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