Forget teleporting, Cybershoes are here to 'extend the borders of your living room'

Have you ever been enjoying a nice stroll in your open world Oculus Quest 2 game and been rudely interrupted by running into your wall? Well, leave the domestic dangers of virtual reality behind with the latest, greatest must-have gaming footwear… Cybershoes!

Yes, just in time for the holiday season, Cybershoes is showing off their latest gaming kicks on Kickstarter. The wireless shoes attach to any size foot using snowboard-like bindings (sans the actual snow, though virtual snow is available) and sync up seamlessly with Oculus Quest and Quest 2 headsets. They’re also compatible with PC VR headsets via SteamVR and a gaming PC. 

Just plop yourself down on the included swivelling stool and slide your Cybershoes forward and back. Then magically –– without fear of running into walls, lamps, or valuable (and often sharp) collectibles ––  you’ll be controlling your direction and speed with your own movement in VR games. And, bonus, you’ll also create deeper immersion and burn more calories while you’re at it.

According to the Kickstarter: “As legs move, the chair is forgotten in no time. What counts is that you’re active and this –– sort of –– tricks the brain. With Cybershoes you extend the borders of your living room.”

Back in 2018 Cybershoes raised some 214k Euros in a successful Kickstarter that allowed them to ship more than 3,000 units for wired headsets on SteamVR. But the latest greatest version kicks the wires to the curb and kicks it new school with the Oculus Quest and Quest 2. The shoes connect with the headset via Bluetooth, and create an inside-out tracking system.

Backers can look forward to contributing to production and distribution, as well as helping to “fuel the number of games that natively integrate Cybershoes and general awareness to drive adoption.” They eventually hope to offer native integration for Onward, Afterlife, Rec Room, VR Chat, Contractors, and After the Fall. Meanwhile a slew of games have also been tested to “work well” without native integration.

As of today, you’re already late to the game, because with 37 days left to go, the team has already outkicked its $30,000 goal by some $17k. But these shoes were meant for walking in place, so there’s still time to upgrade your virtual footwear over at Cybershoes’ Kickstarter.  For a pledge of $279 (as opposed to $399 retail), you’ll get the early-bird special and be one of the first to get your Cybershoes for Oculus as well as a Cyberchair, "CyQuest" Receiver, Cybercarpet, USB cables, all of which will hopefully arrive in April 2021.