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Video gaming treadmill?

UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
edited November 2009 in Help / Advice Forum
Just something I keep thinking about and thought I'd ask.

Has anyone come across a gaming treadmill? By which I mean, a treadmill (or bike) that has room for a full keyboard and mouse in front of you (and/or game controller). Actually a game controller might be pretty easy, if you can lean forward and hold it off the front. I don't have a lot of experience with exercise equipment and don't know if that's possible.

Searches online just led me to dumb projects where you have to keep pedaling or the power is cut! or you have to run on the treadmill to run in the game! All I want is a way to move while I do whatever.

I hope that the natural head movement wouldn't be too detrimental to playing. I could stick to turn based stuff maybe?

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    twmjrtwmjr Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    UncleSporky wrote: »
    Just something I keep thinking about and thought I'd ask.

    Has anyone come across a gaming treadmill? By which I mean, a treadmill (or bike) that has room for a full keyboard and mouse in front of you (and/or game controller). Actually a game controller might be pretty easy, if you can lean forward and hold it off the front. I don't have a lot of experience with exercise equipment and don't know if that's possible.

    Searches online just led me to dumb projects where you have to keep pedaling or the power is cut! or you have to run on the treadmill to run in the game! All I want is a way to move while I do whatever.

    I hope that the natural head movement wouldn't be too detrimental to playing. I could stick to turn based stuff maybe?

    Just from personal experience with a treadmill, this would be very hard to do while going at any speed which would provide a workout for you. Your best bet is to stick with non-interactive media -- music or video, and they do sell treadmills with/addons for treadmills that are DVD players/screens. It's just something that's not sold, as far as I know, because it isn't practical.

    twmjr on
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    DHS OdiumDHS Odium Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I was able to play games with a controller on a treadmill, it wasn't any special kind, just had a front bar area I could lean on.

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    MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I could see maybe a bike, but that'd take some pretty serious coordination. I think a treadmill wil make you dizy with the head movement - although would certainly add to the immersion.

    Cool idea, but like twmjr said, probably best to focus on one or the other. I guess if you wanted a workout game, there's always DDR, or get a Nike+ or GPS fitness watch to track stats to combine exercise & tech.

    MichaelLC on
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    RUNN1NGMANRUNN1NGMAN Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    If you're just looking to walk, lots of treadmills have a spot to rest a magazine or book, so there's no reason you couldn't rest a wireless keyboard in the same spot. And you could just hold a gamepad while you walk without much of a problem.

    If you're looking to do anything faster than a walk, I think the combined effect of the relative forward movement on the treadmill and the perceived movement from controller input and display would give you vertigo and you'd end up stepping off the side of the treadmill and breaking an ankle. And if that didn't happen you'd probably get motion-sick pretty quickly.

    RUNN1NGMAN on
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    CoJoeTheLawyerCoJoeTheLawyer Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    UncleSporky wrote: »
    Just something I keep thinking about and thought I'd ask.

    Has anyone come across a gaming treadmill? By which I mean, a treadmill (or bike) that has room for a full keyboard and mouse in front of you (and/or game controller). Actually a game controller might be pretty easy, if you can lean forward and hold it off the front. I don't have a lot of experience with exercise equipment and don't know if that's possible.

    Searches online just led me to dumb projects where you have to keep pedaling or the power is cut! or you have to run on the treadmill to run in the game! All I want is a way to move while I do whatever.

    I hope that the natural head movement wouldn't be too detrimental to playing. I could stick to turn based stuff maybe?

    I baiscally just set up a treadmill, tv and playstation with a wireless controller in the basement. I didn't think the movement was detrimental to playing, though I kept mainly to turn-based RPGs like Final Fantasy series. Just make sure that you go at a good pace and you'll be fine.

    CoJoeTheLawyer on

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    UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Alright, thanks for your input. Like I said, just something that keeps popping up in my head.

    UncleSporky on
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    ChanusChanus Harbinger of the Spicy Rooster Apocalypse The Flames of a Thousand Collapsed StarsRegistered User regular
    edited November 2009
    There are exercise bike pedals that fit under your desk.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000X0XJU

    My mom uses one while at work and says it works pretty well.

    Chanus on
    Allegedly a voice of reason.
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    RUNN1NGMANRUNN1NGMAN Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Something else to consider is simply standing while you play games. You'll burn about 100 extra calories an hour just by standing up rather than sitting on the couch.

    RUNN1NGMAN on
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    SlagmireSlagmire Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I have a recumbent exercise bike set up in my bedroom with a Retro Duo hooked up right in front of it to the television on my dresser. It's a fairly simple rig and feels perfect - I just lean back, bike for a while and play an NES or SNES game for a while. Shit, recently I almost beat Duck Tales in one sitting - when I saw how long it took, I found I was on the bike for almost 45 minutes. It's tough to keep a real fast, steady pace, but when you put in that kind of time and don't realize it at all and you don't stop moving, it's a nice benefit.

    Slagmire on
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    The Black HunterThe Black Hunter The key is a minimum of compromise, and a simple, unimpeachable reason to existRegistered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Or just eat a little better and go a for a jog

    The Black Hunter on
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    DogDog Registered User, Administrator, Vanilla Staff admin
    edited November 2009
    I remember my school's gym having a super nintendo exercise bike, with a couple biking games.

    Mountain Bike Rally I think.

    Unknown User on
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    GanluanGanluan Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I think this idea will be stolen by Nintendo.

    Wii Fit - Bike Edition!

    Ganluan on
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    RUNN1NGMANRUNN1NGMAN Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Ganluan wrote: »
    I think this idea will be stolen by Nintendo.

    Wii Fit - Bike Edition!

    You mean this?

    RUNN1NGMAN on
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    DogDog Registered User, Administrator, Vanilla Staff admin
    edited November 2009
    This.

    Unknown User on
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    GanluanGanluan Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    RUNN1NGMAN wrote: »
    Ganluan wrote: »
    I think this idea will be stolen by Nintendo.

    Wii Fit - Bike Edition!

    You mean this?

    Good god.

    Ganluan on
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    Coleo20Coleo20 Registered User new member
    I could actually really go in for a treadmill where movement on the treadmill/bike/whatever dictated movement in the game. I'd probably get a pretty good work out just walkin' all over my own personal Minecraft world.

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