douglaspaul

I can tell you we share that view - we're looking forward to growing out more games in the future, however we aim to make the launch time compelling to users of all ages, and that means getting the story absolutely right. There were definitely jokes in the team early on about licensing Mortal Kombat to up the ante of the fights!

Yes! Great to hear you've found something that effectively distracts you from getting fit! For me it has always been adventure sport - I grew up having to distract myself with skateboards, climbing, mountain bikes, surfing, etc to keep myself healthy, because just running for the sake of it was awful!

Our take on this is that - like your experience with VR - there is a way to make exercise fun, and therefore distract you from the work you're having to do during it.

Out of interest do you own a VR headset currently?

At some point absolutely! The technology isn't where we want it to be yet though, so we've moved towards the existing market.

Good question. From our research into this possible direction early in Quell's journey, we deduced the risk with existing VR tech was unappetising. If the game lags by a few hundreds of a second, you could punch when the bag is in a slightly different position to your VR perception of it...which could lead to broken bones, sprains and torn ligaments. It will absolutely happen when the tech catches up!

Great comment, thanks for the suggestion. Fightcamp are actually another former YC company - they started as Hykso punch trackers before pivoting to Fightcamp more recently. They are approaching the more conventional fitness market - like Peloton but with boxing, and their prices and model reflect this.

With Quell we're more focused on the immersive gamification - using combat fitness alongside a compelling story to engage users who find existing fitness gamification falls short of what they need to motivate themselves.

We would love to add sensor pads for kicks - Check out our stretch goal for it on the Kickstarter page!

Ah a Les Mills fan! I have several friends who love the training too, although I haven't heard much about the on-demand stuff until now. Thanks for sharing it!

How has the community element of LM translated to their app? Do you still have ways of engaging or competing?

We're coming as fast as we can! If you're unsure about shipping for now, you're very welcome to join our Discord server, where our community are chatting about all things gaming and fitness.

Thanks for the feedback, and you've raised some great points.

We're absolutely on-board with the idea of multiple games - we have the launch title being developed (that you've seen in our current artwork), and others in mind. Out of interest, what would be your preferred style of game for combat fitness? We've had some good discussions around this in our Discord server.

To your concerns re: body posture and movement; you couldn't be more right about the importance of getting these aspects right. We have experience both within our team and our advisers covering everything from international boxing to prosthetic design - we are taking the ergonomics and science very seriously for this exactly reason.

Thanks, great to hear you like it!

Great feedback, thanks for sharing!

As for the haptics, check our stretch goals on Kickstarter! It's something we're very interested in...

Thanks for the feedback, it's really helpful for us to hear you raise these points. The workouts are designed to meet your personal fitness level - the resistance bands can be swapped out easily, and different parts of the game focus on strength and cardio, meaning you can set the workouts to the goals you're chasing.

As for the story - you say you want to fight other players - what does that game look like to you? We're always interested in these ideas for future game titles we can bring into the platform. If you'd like to join our Discord channel I'd be happy to chat about this further in there.

This feedback is great, thank you so much for sharing!

I agree about the rhythm section and some of the menu downtime. As for the sweating, any game in the fitness space needs to recognise this! We're making sure the Gauntlet can be washed just like any fitness kit should be for this exact reason!

Can see where you're coming from - VR's key USP is often touted as'immersion'.

For us, it's about building something that is exciting enough to distract you from the workout you're doing - the gaming takes over from the awareness of your exercise in your mind. There are a number of ways to do this, some would include VR. For now we've opted against it as our users found VR fitness too sweaty and uncomfortable in its present form.

Where do you stand on VR? Do you have any of the headsets currently?

Thanks! We decided against VR at launch because test users found VR fitness too sweaty and uncomfortable. However, we are working on building VR experiences for when the headsets get lighter and more breathable. There’s also no reason you can’t buy the system and wear the Gauntlet while playing VR today!

Beat Saber is amazing, I can't wait to try the new Linkin Park tracklist! We've actually had some fun playing it with wristweights (and even the Gauntlet prototypes) to see how much more of a workout we can make it. First time you add wrist weights is a weird sensation - you go to move your hand in the game, and it's just so much slower!