The prototype of the KAT Walk mini! Credit to: KAT VR

The KAT Walk mini is a consumer and business-friendly omnidirectional treadmill and locomotion platform that translates walking and jogging in real life to virtual worlds, experiences, and games. Businesses, retailers, and importers that are interested in acquiring the KAT VR Kat Walk mini for distribution have until the end of October to put in their orders with perks attached.

KAT VR Background

2015 Kickstarter Version. Credit to: KAT Walk VR

KAT VR recently began shipping the KAT Walk mini to their early supporters in July 2018 after a short run with Kickstarter early this year and one way back in 2015 for a different model. The early bird purchase offer lasted just a few weeks but had lots of support from enthusiasts, industry players, and businesses looking for better movement options for VR.

Distribution of VR Treadmills for Industry Growth

In a blog post by KAT VR, the company discusses the benefits of becoming a distributor of their ODT’s, writing: “Diverse pricing privileges, giveaways, promotion opportunities and other benefits await distributors from all over the world. Just till the end of October, KAT VR is expected to double the number of its official partners and reach new markets on all continents.”

KAT VR’s locomotion treadmills have application potential in gaming, esports, game and app development, fitness and health, safety training, retail, and more. In a growing industry that is expected to reach $35 billion (USD) for software, $45 billion for hardware, and even more across the board until 2025, it makes sense that their team of 100 wants to expand which sectors are buying and using their platform.

As one of the leading VR treadmills available, KAT Walk mini’s six-degrees of freedom or 6 DOF system, remove the guardian walls of Oculus or the chaperone system of the Vive. With the treadmill, a game’s players and developers, a gym’s clients, or a business’ customers aren’t bound to the controller or limited play area when they exercise, buy and try, or create an app. Everything is in one place. The KAT Walk mini is a 360-degree and full body experience that allows its users to move limitlessly throughout VR games and experiences.

See the KAT Walk mini in use with games like Gorn, Skyrim, and Fallout…

https://youtu.be/pbgzTeF3s9w

A major selling point for distributors, retailers, and importers is that the KAT Walk mini is lighter in weight and size, and takes up less space for use and storage. It has a safety belt system that keeps its users stabilized on the platform but unhindered so they won’t walk or run off the concave plate mid-event. The platform’s users are free to stroll, run for their lives or towards all the action, move side to side to parry punches, crouch away from an incoming attack or get accurate foot tracking when walking around a virtual storefront.

Businesses like Avatar VR from Missouri, function as a leading-edge virtual arcade that also offers KAT VR omnidirectional treadmills for purchase as a distributor. Guests step into a VR game in room scale and then jump in and run through a game with KAT Walk treadmills. After seeing the difference between room scale and locomotion, some users decide to go for another round or more in VR while players and business owners throw down money for the newest KAT Walk mini or older models. The arcade serves as a multi-faceted try before you buy space for VR that also spurs engagement and return visits.

Until the end of October, KAT VR is rolling out the exclusive terms for distribution for partners all over the world. These partners are said to benefit from KAT VR’s dealer-support policy with giveaways (who doesn’t like free stuff?), pricing and shipment privileges, online and live promotion opportunities, K-coins awards, exhibitor benefits, and more.

Things to Keep in Mind

As a hardware device, KAT Walk mini has compatibility with Vive, Vive Pro, Oculus, PS VR, Pimax and Steam VR games and applications. It can be played with VR games with free locomotion and games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR, Fallout 4 VR, PAYDAY 2, and Doom VFR. It even has simulations like a firefighter, traffic, and railway training, as examples of what the platform can do with life-saving training content.

The only restrictions that the hardware has is that it can hold a person that with a weight of up to 220 pounds that is no less than 4’11’’ and no more than 6’3’’ in height. The weight restriction makes sense since the weight of the machine itself is no more than 187 pounds and the dimensions of it go 4’9’’ in length to 4’9’’ width to 5’1’’ in height. So distributors will want to keep these factors in mind when hosting try and buys, making sales, or for developers creating applications that pair with the KAT Walk mini.

Where to Find KAT VR

You can find KAT VR and the KAT Walk mini on their website, Discord, Twitter, and Facebook pages.