VR’s Unique Locomotion Device ‘Cybershoes’ Closes Permanently

Ah, Cybershoes… what a ride, huh? Or walk? Anyway, let’s dive into this swirl of news that I’m still trying to wrap my head around. So, this company, which, let’s face it, made a pretty funky VR gadget, has shut its doors. Bam. Closed up shop.

First caught this on Antony ‘Skarred Ghost’ Vitillo’s blog. Apparently, they’d quit cranking out anything new way back—like two years ago?—yup, missed that memo. Fast forward to 2024 or something, one part of the company bites the dust, and by April 2025, the whole shebang in Austria is donezo. Wow. Goes out with a whimper, not a bang, I guess.

Oh, and just in case anyone was wondering about the nitty-gritty financial stuff (I wasn’t, TBH, but maybe you are): Austrian law’s got this thing where companies have 60 days to file for insolvency if they’re in the red. Fun, huh? Vienna’s law whiz Andreas Howadt might unravel this later, or not. We’ll see.

Alright, quick history lesson. Unlike your typical VR treadmills that look like something from a sci-fi flick, Cybershoes let you simulate a jog from your precious gaming chair. Shoe-mounted rollers with these fancy IMUs that track your foot… makes my head spin just thinking about it.

Founded back in 2018, they rolled through Kickstarter with over €200,000! That’s a spicy meatball. It helped them polish off those 3D-printed trials into something you’d actually want to strap to your feet. By 2019, they had an IndieGogo run too, pulling in another €140,000. Gotta admire the hustle.

Then, November 2020 rolls around (pun intended?), and they try again with a Quest-compatible version. Didn’t quite hit the same numbers—$98,000 from 470 backers. Ouch. Maybe folks were kinda over it? Technology’s weird like that.

Now, as of today, nada left in their stores or on Amazon. Last of the Quest-versions went AWOL sometime in late 2024, according to CamelCamelCamel (yup, that’s a real site name—I checked).

So, what’s left? Vitillo’s got his review of the gadgets if you’re feeling nostalgic. Or curious. Or both. Anyway, that wraps up this quirky slice of tech history, folks.