KAT walk C 2+ VR treadmill: walk, run, crouch, fly! | first 2 hours of use | BEFORE YOU BUY REVIEW
Thanks to @KAT VR team which hosted me and gave me an opportunity to try out their latest VR Treadmill / Slidemill Kat Walk C2 plus, featuring seated module (foldable chair), platform vibration, shoes with optical sensors etc.
https://www.kat-vr.com/products/kat-w...
All in all, it was a great fun and it is indeed a great toy for all of us - VR geeks and extremely invested VR players which always seek for a next level immersion.
This treadmill allows for a wide range of moves: walking, running, crouching, not so much for going prone (though it's possible with setting the floor offset higher than a platform itself), sidestepping, contnuous strafe to the side while looking and shooting forward, walking backwards, decoupled aiming, jumping and even FLYING! (be cautious with the last one though).
With the consideration that I tried 360 VR treadmill for the first time in my life and my thoughts are my subjective consideration, my recommendations to @KAT VR team would be to further work on following points:
1. Develop "Cloud sharing of KAT VR settings' profiles, which were created by community, on per-game basis". Something like Steam has with its controller's settings or Steam Deck (per-game) settings, where users can upvote the best profiles and therefore it becomes more of a "Plug&Play" solution.
2. While going backwards, allow for tilting back support more, so player would actually be able to step backwards without falling off the platform (with bigger steps). Going backwards is indeed possible now, but it's not the most comfortable as of now.
3. I like to squat/crouch very low, so for me the the squatting wasn't the most comfortable. Going down on one knee is perfect, but usually I'm just squatting almost down to the ground, so having an OPTIONAL HARNESS (screenshot is in the video) "bouldering-like" pants would definitely make long squatting more comfortable. Please note, that foldable seat (seating module) is comfortable when going on-off transportation, but it's not fast enough (and not immersive enough) when you need to squat & camp while playing Onward/Pavlov/Contractors.
4. If there's any cheap way to reduce the plastic platform echo caused by steps (like sticking more of a soundproof foam on the inside part of the walking platform) - that would definitely be welcome. I would care much less about the reduced platform vibration if that would make my steps quieter (and therefore my family - happier).
Please note that my suggestions ARE NOT DEALBREAKING. This treadmill is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! And I'm providing my considerations only from the perspective of making a good product even better.
00:00 - VR jump, backwards, lean, strafe, fly, CQB!
02:29 - Walk+Seat module
03:22 - Intro
04:00 - First steps (no headset)
05:47 - Crouch walk
06:27 - Prone / Fly
07:32 - Seat
07:49 - Pavlov (killhouse, strafe, run, sit)
15:35 - Suggestion 1: Tilt to backpedal
17:03 - HL Alyx (Gunman Contracts)
18:27 - Leaning
19:08 - "Max Payne jump"
20:44 - Practicing Strafe
23:11 - Suggestion 2: Cloud "community settings" profiles
25:15 - Decoupled aiming
25:49 - Suggestion 3: "harness pants" for quick & comfy crouching
27:05 - Seated Module - Alyx run
30:00 - Aiming while walking
30:26 - Neo jump (2)
31:30 - Skyrim. Running
32:19 - Seat module + Horses (vehicle modes & vibro)
34:58 - Shoes close-up
35:07 - Vibrating steps
37:30 - Seat module + vehicle modes
39:33 - Beat Saber. Restricted space gaming
42:57 - Pavlov. More action
44:54 - Clearing corners (Pavlov)
48:02 - KNIFE RUN!
48:43 - Conclusions (it's great!)
#vr #treadmill #360 #katvr #katwalk #movement #review #technology