geemupoddoThe game pods VM  


OTHER PODS

The regular VM pod comes with a limited set of ultrasound sensors to keep track of the pilot's position. Some people uses them to play with reflex-piloted VMs, but there are dedicated reflex chambers on which the pilot wears a jumpsuit with tracking mirrors in the articulations.

Also, while you could seat two people into a pod, it's doubtful the VRcade staff would allow you to do so. There ARE twin seat pods around for that kind of things.

The regular pod moves really little. For the true adrenaline junkies, there are cardan-mounted pods that spin the full 360 deegres around.

And, last but not least, there are pods with real leather seats...


 

 

 

 

 podfront.gif
The frontish view is the sketch for the pod. The ring around the pod pit is 8 feet diameter, and opened up it's just over six feet high from the floor around the outside. The controls in this model pod are three configurable touch-screens, two foot pedals, and two joysticks, each with a hat switch
 

 

 

 

 Control Layout
and three buttons, and either or both of which can be swapped out for third party controllers. Naturally, it also has a connection for VR helmet and gloves, the biggest benefit of which is that you can add more "virtual controls" wherever you like in the cockpit space, and you can set the MFDs for use as more controls instead of needing to use some or one of them for data display.

 

 

 

 

 podback.gif
Going from the floor of the pit up, there's the X axis slide (3 rails, positive X is left) the Y axis slide (three rails, which are really shabby in the sketch that shows them, positive Y is backwards) the Z (vertical) axis turntable, the lever for Z axis slideing (positive Z is down) whic has the fore/aft movement of the lever canceled by adjustment of the X and Y slides on the go, the Y axis gimbal joint, and the X axis gimbal joint. The reason that the positive axii of movement are backwards from normal use is that the base does not actually move the way the VM being piloted moves, instead it goes a little bit the opposite way when a motion is started and back again when the motion is completed. This combined with the screens (one-way active, that is, they are screens from inside and windows from outside) showing the "sensor feed" from the VM fools the pilot's inner ear into THINKING that it's actually moving around wildly, when the actual rig only moves up to 18 inches or 30 degrees along anyone axis.

Control Layout
Side view of the seat, showing the left side pedal and control stick and the main MDF
Front view of the pod hatch opened, showing the control sticks and the safety rig
 

 

 

 

 Control Layout

 

 

 

 

 Real Life (Tm) VR pod
All in all, the VR game pods of the VM world are not all that diferent from real-life, 1990's, VR pods like this one; it seats two and comes with real F-1 seats, steering wheel and safety belts. Even the pilot's position sensors aren't all that much diferent from those of the 2001 "Police 24/7" pistol-firing slot machine game by Konami - just a tad more sofisticated.

There is available more info about the functioning of the VM machines and programing language.
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