I’ve been skateboarding for longer than I care mention, and I still had to hold onto the damn railings. I’m going to blame it on the screwy sense of orientation one experiences in virtual reality, but it probably owes just as much to my fear of falling off a mechanical skateboard simulator in the middle of the crowded E3 show floor.
The exhibit was created by D-Box to promote Samsung’s Gear VR headset, utilizing the Canada hardware company’s mechanical system to simulate a downhill longboard experience.
“Basically what you have underneath are electromechanical actuators that are synced with content that give you all of the texture of the road, all the curves,” D-Box’s VP Sales Yannick Gemme told TechCrunch. “All of those cues are being generated by D-Box in real time to make you part of the action.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6nNClthEHc
It’s hard feeling fully immersed on the floor of a show like E3, but the company did a good job matching the video to the interactive experience, right down to the vibrating bumps of the gravel road. It’s an impressive experience, but one still cost prohibitive for those of us who don’t, say, own a fleet of cars, private jet, or have a line of steaks named after us.
“D-Box is working on bringing a product to the consumer level,” adds Gemme. “With the introduction of VR into the living room, having a D-Box makes sense, whether you’re watching a movie or playing a game. You throw on your headset and become part of your own world.”
In the meantime, you’ll have to go to an amusement or show like E3 to experience it for yourself.
