The two most popular approaches to VR locomotion at the moment—teleportation and continuous locomotion—both leave something to be desired. The former breaks immersion, while the latter can cause confusion and disorientation.
Now, one Singapore-based VR startup, Megadodo Simulation Games, announced that its alternative to current VR locomotion methods had generated over $350,000 after selling over 6,000 units.
Called the DecaMove, the new hip-based solution to one of VR’s biggest problems promises to free your head to spectate around and your hands to interact with virtual objects.
“Hip-based navigation is natural; it brings immersion to the next level and also helps to reduce motion sickness,” explain Megadodo Simulation Games in their press kit. “It contributes to the overall posture of your in-game character and will send haptic feedback when you get hit.”
When you clip the DecaMove to your belt and pair it with an included Bluetooth dongle, it starts capturing your movements, allowing you to navigate virtual worlds with your body. It can also send haptic feedback when you receive damage or bump into a virtual object, just to give two examples.
You can preorder the DecaMove as a standalone product for $59, and the device is compatible with all SteamVR headsets, including Valve Index, Oculus Rift S, Oculus Quest (via Link), HP Reverb G2, HTC Vive/Pro, HTC Cosmos, Samsung Odyssey.
Alternatively, you will soon be able to get it in a bundle with DecaGear 1, a VR headset created by Megadodo Simulation Games for VRChat, Pavlov VR, Star Trek: Bridge Crew, and other multiplayer games.
First units should start shipping to consumers in June 2021. When DecaMove goes on direct sale in January 2022, it will be priced at $69.
