Meet OBE
If you’ve ever found yourself thinking that VR isn’t reality-like enough, OBE by Machina — where OBE is short for Out of Body Experience — might just have the answer. The company has found a way to blend the digital and physical worlds to create an immersive gaming experience. The company’s first product enables users to feel and control virtual reality worlds. The jacket seamlessly integrates motion sensors, directional control and full-body haptic feedback into a single garment. In short, it’s some truly sexy shit, and Samsung seems to think so, too; they ordered 500 of the OBE jackets for trialling and demoing in its retail stores.
I think OBE solves a problem I can’t really relate to; yes, haptic feedback seems like something that should exist, but I can’t really say it’s something that’s been missing from my life. They’re hoping to pair the experience with entry-level VR experiences like Samsung Gear or Google Cardboard, and I just can’t really see how there’s a need in this market for something like OBE — but, having said that, it’s cool enough that I’d be delighted to be proven wrong.
via TechCrunch