Virtuix VR跑步机取消非美国订单，运输成本已经提高三倍

在进入VR时代的2016年，我们的手和眼睛已经逐渐可以通过VR手柄和头显得到满足，但是消费者的欲望毕竟是无穷的，在游戏中我们还希望将自己的运动、姿态、方向，甚至是手中的武器都通过一个入口加入VR世界，但这需要多样的设备和庞大的资金，同时还需要VR设备厂商和游戏开发商的合作，在这个时候Virtuix通过跑步机、枪模和运动鞋给了我们一个重要的参考。如果他们能够在市场上生存，成功抢占先机不说，在未来几年可能会改写我们游戏的面貌。

但是昨天Virtuix向参与预订的非美国消费者发送了一封邮件表示他们无法向海外消费者兑现他们的诺言，换句话说，美国之外的Virtuix VR跑步机消费者的除了全额退款之外已经没有其他选择，这对于Virtuix来说是一次重大挫折，这家VR外围设备厂商近几年是行业内的明星公司，和早期的Oculus一样，Virtuix一开始也是在著名众筹网站Kickstarter筹集资金，在当时成功出售3249套Virtuix VR体感套装，筹集110万美元，从数字上看已经是最成功的VR外围设备众筹，即时在遥远的中国，也有相当多的玩家看过头图这台VR跑步机的GIF图。

Virtuix VR跑步机并不便宜，在Kickstarter众筹时需要349美元，而面对零售用户的预订价更是达到699美元。而现在看上去致命的是众筹期间的诺言：“Ship Anywhere in The World”，背后的运费更是高昂，美国本土的运费在60-90美元级别，而西欧地区需要250美元的运费，中东和南非地区需要600美元的运费，不过现在只有美国消费者才是幸运儿。

关于砍单的原因，Virtuix的解释是运输的成本高昂，根据公司官方的解释，全线VR体感设备的生产成本已经达到筹资时的三倍之多，相对的物流成本自然水涨船高。

Roadtovr已经将Virtuix发至消费者的邮件弄到手，我们这个转载在下面：

Hello,

When we launched our Omni Kickstarter campaign in June 2013, our dream was to ship Omnis to our passionate VR community all over the world. At that time, the Omni was still in the form of a wooden prototype made in our garage. Over the last three years and with your support, we converted the Omni to a final product that can be produced and shipped in large quantities. The Omni has become a beautiful and robust device that has all the functionality we deemed essential: accommodating players safely and comfortably up to 285lbs (130kg) and with a variable height of up to 6’ 5” (195cm), easy assembly of the product with an updated one-piece base, and fully de-coupled locomotion tracking thanks to integrated sensors in the Omni shoes and ring.

As we focused on product quality and user-friendliness, the Omni transformed from a simple prototype to a complex machine with more than 200 custom parts, several printed circuit boards, an intricate height adjustment mechanism, and a durable form factor that increased the weight of the Omni to 175 pounds (80kg). The Omni’s production cost grew to more than three times our initial estimate. Logistics became equally complicated. The Omni ships in a large 48” x 43” box (123cm x 110cm) on a wooden pallet and comes with additional packages for Omni shoes and other accessories. The hardest part of fulfilment is not the initial delivery of the Omni and various accessories (albeit costly and complicated), but complying with international regulations and the global shipping and storing of replacement parts necessary to effectively support a range of geographically diverse customers.

In the last few months we have explored cost effective options to get the Omni distributed and serviced worldwide, which has become increasingly difficult and expensive given the Omni’s transformation to a high-end entertainment device. After much internal debate and soul-searching, we have concluded that as a small U.S. based startup, we unfortunately do not have the resources to deliver and service units in every country. Our dream of shipping the Omni to customers all over the world has proven naive and unfeasible. Therefore, we have made the difficult decision to only deliver units to our U.S. home market and issue refunds to our customers outside of the U.S. Internationally, our goal is to work with distributors for commercial markets such as VR arcades and family entertainment centers where logistics and customer support channels are more established.

We regret to inform you that we will not be able to deliver your Omni unit to you at this time, and that we will offer you a full refund of your pre-order plus an interest amount of 3% per year, compounded monthly. We realize this offers little consolation after you committed financially and emotionally to the Omni for several years. No words can adequately express our appreciation for your generous and long-standing support, without which we would not be here today. We assure you that we have not given up on our dream. We will continue our efforts to expand our distribution markets, and we hope one day to be able to deliver an Omni to you. However, we do not deem it appropriate to hold on to your funds until that time. Along with our refund, please accept our sincere apologies.

To process your refund including interest, we require the email address that is linked to your PayPal account (PayPal is currently the only way we can refund). Please reply to this message with your PayPal account’s email address. We will then process your refund right away. Because we have a long list to work through, the refund process will take several weeks to complete. Please keep in mind that we may not be able to get back to you for a while should you have any questions.

Our process from Kickstarter campaign to delivering a hardware product has been very humbling. At the start of any journey it’s not always exactly clear where you might end up. We’d like to thank you for embarking on this journey with us and for all your support along the way. We are working hard to bring the Omni to your country, and we hope to see you again in the future.

Best regards,

The Virtuix Team

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