VirtuGo, early beta impressions & thoughts

A light bike doesn't replace good fitness.

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Shrike
Posts: 2019
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 5:08 pm

by Shrike

They came up for air at the TDU last month which piqued my curiosity. Posted some footage of pros smashing some KOMs in game. Think even Sagan lent his mug for selfie. Figured they'd be further off from a working demo but seems that they've made solid progress. Got a response from Michael Rogers (he's a founder at VirtuGo) on their beta forum about training and it seems like these guys are on top of the game in terms of their direction. Basically they've said that they want to be something between Zwift and TrainerRoad, so I pressed them on that point and yes, they will be taking training seriously - they have a team of sport scientists there and want to take professional training techniques to their end user.

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Which is great news for us because Zwift is pants for training plans. Personally I was running TrainerRoad with Zwift, and that's pretty common now (you even see guys with TrainerRoad next to their name in game on Zwift). Two subs, two apps, two devices to get a workout in. Clearly not the most elegant solution. It's also costly, especially if you have more than one person in the house doing this (like us).

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Had a go at the VirtuGo beta tonight, seems to be running well with the Neo, great connectivity, no drop outs, plug and play. Lots of crappy rubberbanding of the avatar but it's early days, I'm sure the netcode will be great soon enough.

What's most noticeable already is that VirtuGo is built on a better engine compared to Zwift. Clearly it's something much more powerful. They can cram in detail when they want, and they've showcased that on the bikes. At the moment a Factor and a Scott Foil. You can change the gruppo (Campag on there already), bar tape, wheels, pedals, etc. Even the avatar customisation has features Zwift stiff hasn't got today. Makes Zwift look like it was drawn by school kids.

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In terms of potential, VirtuGo is looking legit. I know RoadGrandTours is about to announce a change of direction, so won't pass judgement on them yet, but if I was hanging my hat on a Zwift competitor, I'd go with VG. Long way to go though, Zwift has big capital and their only real weakness is that they lack proper structured training for the more serious end user. They're busy expanding and being a business to impress investors. If Eric Min (Zwift CEO) gets clued in and starts taking training seriously, then it's probably impossible to catch Zwift for a very long time to come, unless you can draw some big capital and run a loss for years with a lower sub fee. There just isn't any other real gap that you can build a niche around. Most people don't prioritise the graphics, they'll head to where is popular and well, better marketed.

VirtGo beta:
http://virtugo.com

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
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robertbb
Posts: 2179
Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:35 am

by robertbb

They (or zwift) should do as the big boys do. Just buy TrainerRoad, and integrate it.

Shrike
Posts: 2019
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 5:08 pm

by Shrike

Said that to the VirtuGo team on their forum, but both Mick and one of their sports scientists replied that they have their own take on training and want to implement it their way. They are very complimentary about TrainerRoad though, said they're fans. So whatever they come up with I reckon will be pretty close to that.

it's just the amount of time it's going to take to do. TrainerRoad have pretty much everything for everyone there, nice and neat.

That does leave Zwift though. They have the capital to buy TR, if they haven't spent it already. But they could raise another round of capital and do it. At the very least they should partner up and offer TR's plans as a paid for unlock. End of story, everyone's happy. Especially now that TR are about to put out a new release that lets you sync both ways from Strava so your outdoor rides will automatically feed back into your TR account. They're also redoing the interface etc, making it all smarter. They've got good stuff happening, just missing a virtual cycling partner..

tomee
Posts: 220
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2014 8:52 am
Location: AUS

by tomee

im behind 1500 other people in the wait list.

saw some videos posted up on the FB page where the rider looked like he was floating on the road and not much detail in the landscape as well as bushes and trees just popping up. the in game graphics still need a lot of work but understandable it is still beta

Shrike
Posts: 2019
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 5:08 pm

by Shrike

Don't stress about the wait list. Just use the download link for the app, install it, log in and you should be able to go. I had some email saying I would be invited soon but never heard anything more than that. I went digging for the links myself and was able to create and account and login fine.

PC Launcher 0.2.0.1 Link - https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/v ... 0.1.exe307

OSX Launcher 0.2.0.1 Link - https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/v ... .2.0.1.dmg

tomee
Posts: 220
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2014 8:52 am
Location: AUS

by tomee

Shrike wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 6:43 pm
Don't stress about the wait list. Just use the download link for the app, install it, log in and you should be able to go. I had some email saying I would be invited soon but never heard anything more than that. I went digging for the links myself and was able to create and account and login fine.

PC Launcher 0.2.0.1 Link - https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/v ... 0.1.exe307

OSX Launcher 0.2.0.1 Link - https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/v ... .2.0.1.dmg
:beerchug: thanks!
will give it a shot this weekend

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



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hfx
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2017 1:03 pm

by hfx

Any update on how VirtuGo is doing? Initial posts showed potential.

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