h+ Magazine

For those of you who are tired of button-mashing and are looking to take your gaming experience to a whole new level, or merely looking to add a little spice to your typical workout, welcome Virtusphere, Inc.

After 45 man-years, they have developed a functional, easy-to-assemble plastic sphere and base platform that fits inside a large living room. Just put on goggles and climb into the sphere, and you’re interacting in the virtual world.

Because you’re in a movable sphere, you can jump, run, crouch, look around, and walk without having to worry about banging into the couch or being bitten in the crotch by your excitable pet. There are currently eighteen of these spheres up and running in government and academic locations such as the Office of Naval Research, the Moscow Government and Olympic Bid Committee, the A.S. Popov Central Museum of Communications, St. Petersburg State University of Telecommunications and the University of Washington.

Virtusphere is currently being used for tourism, architectural design, and training for dangerous professions, but it is an attractive invention for the avid gamer looking to really get their game on. And for those of us who are shy at the gym, the Virtusphere opens up the doors for us to have a virtual personal trainer in our homes. Or imagine going for a run on the beach or on top of the Great Wall of China. Select the correct program and let your imagination — and your legs — run wild.