Cybershoes, VR’s Quirkiest Locomotion Device, Closes Its Doors Forever

Oh boy, where do I even start with Cybershoes? Okay, so picture this: a company making these weird roller-shoe things for VR. Yep, Cybershoes. They’re supposed to help you walk in VR without, like, actually walking. Sounds cool, right? Well, turns out, they’ve just closed down. Closure of the weird foot gadgets chapter, officially done.

Antony ‘Skarred Ghost’ Vitillo was the first to spill the beans. Apparently, Cybershoes stopped making stuff two years ago, even before folding up their Austria-based HQ in April 2025. I wonder if they saw it coming or it just happened overnight like a sudden rainstorm that soaks you before you find an umbrella.

Anyway, MIXED also pointed out that Igor Mitric Lavovski, one of the big brains behind Cybershoes, admitted on LinkedIn—yep, social media confessions are the thing—that the company officially shut down a month ago. But hush-hush on the actual nitty-gritty like bankruptcy filings. Seriously, it’s like closing a book but without reading the last page.

And here’s something interesting: in Austria, if companies owe money or go overboard with debts, they’re supposed to throw in the towel within 60 days. I guess we might hear more as the story unfolds. Or not. Who knows.

So, how did these things even work? Unlike those treadmills that make you feel like a hamster in VR, Cybershoes let you sit and play, rolling with foot-mounted gizmos tracking your every move. Seriously, rolling around while sitting down. Lazy or genius? Maybe both.

Now backtracking a bit—2018 was their kickoff. No major investors, just good old crowdfunding. They raised over €200,000 on Kickstarter, moving from mere prototypes to proper tech toys. Crazy, right? Then in 2019, another crowd-wooing stunt on IndieGogo got them another €140,000 from a supportive bunch. Talk about tapping into the VR fanbase.

By November 2020, they tried wooing Quest users with a new Kickstarter. Didn’t go as planned, though. Only pulled in $98,000. Guess the VR crowd didn’t bite as hard that time.

Oh, and in case you’re trying to snag a pair now, good luck! They’re gone—like socks disappearing in the wash. Amazon and their official store are as bare as my fridge on a lazy grocery week. Apparently, the last stock vanished by late 2024. And if you’re curious, Vitillo did a review of that Quest version. Might be worth a peek.

So, there you have it. The tale of Cybershoes. A roller-ride straight into closure-ville.