VR headsets are a lot of fun, but is it possible for an experience to get even more immersive? The developers behind the Yaw2 smart chair certainly think so, and its recent Kickstarter fundraiser has blown past its original goal.
What Is the Yaw2?
The Yaw2 is, as you might expect, the successor to the Yaw gaming chair. The original Yaw also went through the trials and tribulations of Kickstarter fundraising and came out the other end with its goal met.
Now, the company Yaw VR is giving the platform another try for its new project, the Yaw2. Well, we say “try,” but the truth is… it’s already funded. And way past its goal, too.
You can check out all the details on the official Yaw2 Kickstarter page. The chair has a motion range of 40 degrees and can pitch up to 70 degrees. If you add the Yaw Platform to the chair, you’ll also get full 360-degree rotation, too.
As you might expect from a project like this, it’s perfect for adding immersion to games. You can use it either with a VR headset or with a screen, and the chair features vibration to make it feel like you’re really there.
However, the Yaw2 also has an additional, perhaps not-so-obvious benefit. People often complain about motion sickness when using VR, because their eyes declare that movement in VR is happening in real-time, while the body is perfectly still.
VR headsets and game developers have tweaked how players play games in VR to reduce nausea, from changing the framerate to darkening the borders of the player’s vision when they move. However, what if the player actually moves along with the motion in-game?
This is where the Yaw2 comes in. Because it can move the player alongside what they do in the game, it can hopefully tackle the big issue of feeling sick while in VR.
If this sounds like something you’re interested in, you can currently pledge $1,090 for a Yaw2 motion simulator. It’s worth noting that the chair and platform aren’t included in the base pledge; you’ll need to pay an extra $100 and $380 respectively for those.
You can also pay less for some Yaw2 shirts and hoodies, but you need not feel pressured to pledge to get the project off of the ground. At the time of writing, the project had $700,000+ pledged with 44 days to go, over seven times its original $100,000 goal.
Bringing More of Virtual Reality Into Reality
If a VR headset is not enough for your immersion, why not give the Yaw2 a shot? It’s already funded and ready to go, but you can still get yours by pledging $1,090 for the base equipment.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an accessory that tries to replicate VR movements in real life. We recently reviewed the 3DRudder, a VR controller that uses your feet to move around.