Kickstarter Project Widerun combines Virtual Reality with Your Usual Cycling Workout

A team in Italy has invented a virtual reality device which is used on your normal bicycle and when you use it with Oculus Rift, it will change the environment surround you into a computer simulated environment including the feeling of it. Another good thing is that you do not need to buy another stationary bicycle; you can use your existing bike. The product is named Widerun.

To use it, you need to fit your bike into Widerun’s docking station. The docking station uses an embedded microcontroller to simulate steering, speed and resistance effects corresponding to your virtual environment. There are a few virtual environments that you can choose from, from the city center to a secluded mountain.  It also allows you to sweat without even leaving your home.  Therefore, if it is raining outside, you can still do your usual cycling habit indoors.

Apart from using Oculus Rift, the product also works well with Samsung Gear VR. However, if you do not want to use something on your eyes when you are exercising then you can connect it to your widescreen television. On top of that, you also can purchase a variety of biking environments. Therefore, it is really something that worth to consider especially for cyclist out there.

The Kickstarter funding goal targets about $44,000 with each device costs about $400. If everything goes as planned, the delivery expected in April 2016.

Kickstarter Project Widerun combines Virtual Reality with Your Usual Cycling Workout

Samsung is developing Oculus Rift-like VR headsets for Galaxy devices: Report

Samsung could announce the Oculus Rift competitor this year in an effort to beat Facebook’s Oculus Rift and Sony’s Project Morpheus in the virtual world. Given Samsung’s propensity to compete in every conceivable product category, this isn’t too surprising.

The  virtual reality based headset will reportedly be used with Samsung’s Galaxy devices, much like its Gear smartwatches. Samsung has even shipped prototypes of the device to some developers already, according to a report in Engadget. Rather than being a PC or game console peripheral, Samsung’s headset links to a Galaxy phone to create its virtual environment. It’s a demanding device, though: The consumer version will require the power of next-generation flagship processors, the report states.

So far, there are no photos of the alleged prototype headset, but the report has a few details.It is said to feature an OLED display that is “as good or better” than the 1080p OLED in the latest Oculus Rift. The headset won’t run Tizen, the OS in the new Gear watches. Engadget predicts it will use a wired, rather than wireless, connection to minimize things like lag.It will likely have a wired rather than wireless connection to Samsung’s current smartphones and tablets

The virtual reality handset will also be used for Android gaming, but we’ve got no details right now on just what games would qualify as handset-compatible. What we do know, surprisingly, is that Samsung looks to price its virtual reality handset competitively in order to win customers. The company has taken a somewhat premium pricing scheme with its Gear smartwatches and its Gear Fit fitness band, Sony’s Morpheus project looks to be priced around $500 – and Samsung may price its virtual reality handset anywhere from $250-$400 in order to make inroads in the mobile virtual reality platform.

Samsung is developing Oculus Rift-like VR headsets for Galaxy devices: Report