NeoRacer and Island Worlds
The NeoRacer pedal controller has been upgraded since my previous roundup and now can interact with just about anything: Xbox, GameCube, Playstation, PS2 or PC.
What is it? A compact, portable exercise bike controller (with adjustable magnetic resistance) which you can use to control forward motion in your favorite videogame while you use a standard joystick to control everything else.
In addition to letting you play games such as Crazy Taxi, what else can you do with this sort of controller? 3D Innovations is developing a "cyber-fitness" PC application called Island Worlds. Ahem:
Island Worlds is a cyber-fitness software application that runs on your PC. With Island Worlds you can
- Explore 3D worlds alone using a stationary bike, treadmill, stair-stepper or any other form of stationary fitness equipment.
- Explore worlds with others over the internet. This requires interactive fitness equipment. Presently the NeoRacer, GameBike, GameBike Pro and Recumbent GameBike Pro interact with Island Worlds. The GameRunner will be supported in the near future.
- Directly speak with your cyber fitness partners using voice chat.
- Create and customize your own worlds in minutes using our World Editor.
- Add your own music to your worlds.
The initial screenshots don't wow me but it's still in beta and they seem to be hoping for a flood of user-generated content to make the space compelling. Good luck with that. Meanwhile, you can get the controller here for $209.
(Or $129 if you don't need to control a videogame and just want to use it as a standalone exercise bike, but where's the fun in that?)
UPDATE: I overstated the price; Fixed.
posted by Glen at 1:01 AM
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3 Comments:
Actually the price for the NeoRacer is between $129 and $219.
Island Worlds comes with 100's of 3D objects, images and sounds (new content is added each month). It also comes with precreated 3D worlds. The editor was added as a result of input from our alpha testers.
Kevin Colburn
kevin@3dinnovations.com
3D Innovations
I verified and updated the price, thanks! I must have been looking at an older site. (It's odd that you don't show up in Froogle at all.)
If I were a PC guy I'd sign up for your beta, but lately I'm on a Mac kick; I don't even have a working PC around at home.
I forgot to point out that all three GameBike models directly interact with Island Worlds. They can be found at www.gamecycles.com.
The GameRunner and iFit treadmills will also be supported.
Thanks for the feedback on froogle. We haven't yet submitted our products to them. They should show up next week.
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