Any crowd-funding campaign can be a gamble, some massively succeeding while others struggle from the outset. KAT VR has launched several Kickstarter campaigns over the years and its latest, for its KAT Walk C omnidirectional treadmill has already become one of the company’s most successful.
The goal was to reach $100,000 USD in 40 days, offering the KAT Walk C at a starting price of $699 for early bird backers. There was obviously a lot of interest from the virtual reality (VR) gaming community for a more compact omnidirectional treadmill as the target has been smashed.
That initial goal was hit within seconds claims an update on KAT Walk C’s Kickstarter page, and 24 hours after it went live the funding currently sits at $1,020,489 (£824,849 GBP). The success means that all the early bird tiers have sold out, leaving only the standard (non-limited) Kickstarter Special priced at $999 currently available.
However, if you did want one you may want to hold off ordering at the moment. It seems that such was the influx of orders that there were issues processing payments and trying to get one of the super early bird offers was more of a lottery. To that end, KAT VR issued this statement: “Because of your feedback, and the fact that you all decided to join the campaign regardless of the early-bird rewards selling out so quickly, after an urgent meeting with the team, we finally decided to provide another shot at the early-bird rewards that you deserve!”
An update is expected in the next few days detailing how this will work. Whether it’ll just be open to new customers or could those that bought a higher-priced tier get a discount?
Because the Kickstarter has done so well KAT VR has hit most of the stretch goals, achieving 4 out of 5 of them, the last being a haptic feedback module in the base should the campaign hit $1.5 million.
The KAT Walk C is the smallest omnidirectional treadmill the company has made, designed for those spaces too small for roomscale VR or ideal for those looking for a natural VR locomotion system. As the campaign progresses and more updates released, VRFocus will let you know.
Source: https://www.vrfocus.com/2020/06/kat-walk-c-soars-past-funding-goal-hits-1m-in-24hrs/
