Slashdot exposure & more computer exercise
16th January 2003 by Simon
It really is amazing the amount of traffic that arrives if you’re mentioned on SlashDot. I had written a piece about video games controlled by an exercise bike. I had over 17k hits on that day alone and it wasn’t even featured on the front page.
The discussion threw up some more similar products from the past and the present.
In 1995, Life Gear, Inc released the Time Ryder VR Sports exercise bike. The Exertainment Interactive Fitness System came with a built in screen for watching TV or playing SNES originally priced at $4,895. I assume this was around the same period as it uses the SNES. A posting from yo303 revealed that they had worked on 1994 SNES release of Mountain Bike Rally.
The arcade versions covered are the Prop Cycle and Downhill Bikers, which I now remember playing and finding pretty good fun.
I would have thought this version would be pretty hard to it has a joypad rather than rigid bars to push against. They have however written their own games, the most bizare one being solitare. Other types of games are detailed at here and here.
More recently and I think the best and possibly cheapest solution so far is GameBike from CatEye which enables you to connect your own bike to some rollers on the rear wheel, and interestingly, the front wheel is used for steering which is obviously more natural than pressing keys. I’m not sure how ‘real’ this product is as there isn’t a huge amount of detail about it and it is copyrighted 2001.
I guess the next stage of realism would be to build some vibration a la current game console joysticks.
- Possibly related posts -
- VCR IP incompatibility problems
- Slashdot now covers video games
- The price of exposure
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
RSS Feed
Prop Cycle, along with Out Run and Time Crisis, are my all-time favourite arcade games. Since they all feature non-typical control systems, it must be that aspect that appeals.
Vibration? Urgh, no - force feedback is far more preferable. The stiffening of a steering wheel as you turn into a tight corner is a better experience than a ‘rumble’
Incidentally I found you via The Register. You get around, don’t you?
Saw your comments on fitness/gaming systems and your mention of GAMEbike. I built the first device as an inexpensive way to work out and have fun. I was already riding 30 - 40 minutes a day on my bike on a stationary rear wheel roller stand and using the TV to avoid boredom. The ability to control video games made a huge difference. It was so effective that I imagined there might be others who would want the same, so I patented the idea and shopped it around to various game, fitness and bike companies. I ended up selling the rights to produce the device to a company called CatEye. They have a 20 year history of making electronic accessories for bikes (speedometers, lights, etc). In Oct. 2002, they released the device for retail sales through their established bike shop distribution lines, and it is selling well in the narrow market of bicyclists who are familiar with riding their bikes on rear wheel trainers. It is only compatable with PlayStation2, and there are about 20 games that it really works well with (see CatEye’s website for a partial list). I know of two similar devices that have hit the market since I first showed my device at the E3 tradeshow in Los Angeles in 2000: Game Ryder (cyclefx) and cyber rider (reebok).
Sincerely,
Ted
realradix - You completely right about the feedback - it would be much better.
Ted - Well ahead of your time. Often ideas before their time end up making no money for the originator, so it’s good to hear that it worked out for you.
Well done on the patenting it - does that over all pedal-powered machines linked to computers?
I was wondering if the distraction that the game playing provides fades after a using it on a daily basis for a long period.
BTW - I put a link to CycleFX into your comment.
Hi Simon,
Sorry for not responding earlier…
To answer your questions, the patent only covers the concept of using a bicycle (not a stationary bike) to control a computer (for any reason) provided rear wheel speed and front wheel steering are used as inputs. This is why CycleFX was able to patent their “direct control” model which requires removal of the front wheel (ie. technically does not use front wheel steering).
It is true that one gets bored with a given game after a few months of riding, but fortunately, the PS2 is going strong and new games (with better and faster graphics, etc) are released all the time.
As far as the money goes, at this point it hasn’t made me a millionaire by any stretch of the imagination, but it was fun to learn about the patent process and to nurse an idea from the drawingboard to the store shelf.
Thanks for your kind words, I really enjoyed the links you provided to the other forms of interactive exercise.
Ted
Just wanna say hi to you after reading your blog.
Please post more comments, I will visit this site again soon.
Very quiet in this thread lately. More comments please.
Interesting to hear about the new ideas!! And bicycle’s?? - What more could you ask for? GREAT!! =)
Ted I suggest you have words with cat eye and get them to fill in the details on the website. I would like to know more but the info isn’t there. On the information I have found I’m pretty sure it isn’t the thing I’m looking for but I wish you lots of luck with the serious cyclists
Great comments guys. Peter FDA
Yeah - interesting to hear from the gamebike patenter. Amazing that it only came out in 2002. Where’s the force feedback situation now, like changing load when you’re going up hill, momentum etc.
Also, are there (bike) games written specifically for the gamebike, since they should also be calculating power, taking heartrates and doing what a computer is made for - calculations.
Cheers