It has long been recognised that the virtual reality (VR) industry owes a great deal to the classic 1980s sci-fi movie Tron. Now one of the special effects experts who worked on that legendary film is seeking crowdfunding for a VR-related project that seeks to change how users interact with the virtual world.
The Stadeon concept seeks to eliminate the need for bulky and isolating VR headsets and offer a different method of immersion. Driving the relatively recent concept of curved TV screens to a logical conclusion, the Stadeon ‘pods’ offers users a screen that curves all the way around them, offering a method of immersion that doesn’t need a screen directly in front of your eyes.
Videogame developer Mark Lowe and special effects expert Richard W Taylor have teamed up to work on this project, which is seeking $231,000 (USD) in Kickstarter funding. A prototype of the Stadeon pod is already available, though Taylor and Lowe say more work needs to be done on the software development kit and on screen formatting.
Funding tiers range from $25 for a five ticket pack to a Stadeon venue upon opening, along with a vote on what US city the first venue should open in, and what videogame they wish to play first on Stadeon hardware. Higher reward tiers are offering limited edition exclusives related to famous film properties that Taylor worked on, such as a Tron light cycle poster, or a Star Trek Enterprise blueprint from Taylor’s work on Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
The Kickstarter campaign is due to end on 13th September, 2017. If successful, Taylor and Lowe hope to be opening the first Stadeon venue in April 2018.
Further information can be found on the Kickstarter page.
VRFocus will continue to report on Stadeon and other VR-related Kickstarter projects.
via Mint VR