The rapid advancements in motion-capture technology over the past decade have been nothing less than astounding when applied to film, television, and games. Looking at something like Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, it’s miraculous to think how impossible it would’ve been to attempt such a project only a few years earlier. (And forgoing motion-capture on such a project only made things worse.) And now, it has evolved to the point where motion-capture suits are finally close to affordable on a mass scale. Mashable reports a Danish development team has created a mass-market motion-capture suit for only $700, meaning you, too, will soon be able to put on a skin-tight outfit and look absolutely ridiculous for the sake of clumsily moving around a pile of pixels on a screen.
Salto is a full-body mo-cap suit that reproduces your movements in VR, meaning all those hours you spent acting like a dipshit in front of the mirror, pretending you were in a lightsaber battle, will finally come to fruition. For only twice the cost of your average game system, you can purchase one of these suits through the team’s Kickstarter page, which has already met its funding goal but is still accepting orders for suits. The page trumpets the potential use of this technology for not only indie filmmakers and VR game players, but also basic sport and medical analysis on a widespread scale. The basic suit comes with 19 sensors—far less than the Hollywood-style getup, but more than enough to accurately reproduce the fundamental movements of, say, fighting some Imperial stormtroopers. (Not that there’s a recurring theme to our thoughts about this.) It includes an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, and some other words with more than two syllables. Also, if you’re intent on being truly committed, pricier versions of the suit include up to 132 sensors, which, easy there, Andy Serkis.
So that you’re not just standing around your apartment in a motion-capture suit, looking like a jackass, the Salto folks are also offering a game called Reptilicus VR, which “allows you to play the role of a giant, city-destroying lizard.” Plus, you won’t get your suit until April 2016, which means there’s at least a small chance another game will be developed for the suit by then, sparing you the indignity of having to pretend you’ve got other uses for your $700 suit.