Virtuix, the makers of the Omni virtual reality treadmill, have completed a $3 million round of funding to help expand production of the Omni. The money is described as “seed money,” and comes from several different investors.
“Virtual reality technology has finally caught up to the vision consumers have had for decades,” Virtuix CEO Jan Goetgeluk said in the company’s press release. “The Omni transforms seated virtual reality into a fully immersive, active experience. These funds ensure that we can deliver a great virtual reality platform to our passionate existing community as well as to new audiences and markets that are emerging every day.”
Earlier this month Virtuix announced that the first generation of the Omni would begin to ship as early as July; those that are just now putting in their pre-orders may have to wait until September or later though. For the price of $499 you receive the treadmill itself, the harness that holds you in, the software you’ll need to run it all, and a pair of custom shoes. The Omni is designed to work with the Oculus Rift and other VR headsets, but they are sold separately.
Before the Omni ships though, Virtuix is first planning on introducing the new, official retail model. It will be similar to the prototype, but there will be a few changes. We should be seeing more on that around E3.
The new round of funding should help speed up the manufacturing and production timeline of this new retail model. The Omni originally began as a Kickstarter product in 2013, where it went on to raise $1.1 million. In order to raise this new round of capital, Virtuix looked to SeedInvest, an equity crowdfunding platform where investors are brought together with company’s seeking funding.
So far to date, the Omni has pre-sold over 3,000 units.
