Tech n Gadgets Blog: Adidas Virtual Footwear Wall pictures and hands-on

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Adidas Virtual Footwear Wall pictures and hands-on

Want Messi's boots?
Adidas Virtual Footwear Wall pictures and hands-on. Sport Fitness, Adidas Adizero f50, Adidas 0

Back in March Pocket-lint told you all about the Adidas Virtual Footwear Wall after it had caught our eye when it went on show over in Germany at CeBIT.

And now we've had a chance to get up close and personal, and all touchy-feely, with the real thing as the system has gone live at the sports giant's Oxford Street store in London.

Dubbed a "world's first" by the German company, the VFW has been installed to celebrate the launch of the new Adidas adiZero f50 miCoach football boots - the boots that Pocket-lint was lucky enough to get some game time in back in September.

The fully touchscreen wall incorporates eight 46-inch HD displays, all powered by an Intel i7 chip and an AMD Radeon 6990 GPU.

The idea is an interactive shopping experience for potential boot buyers. After touching the boot they fancy (the f50s come in a number of styles) they can then order (or pre-order at present the boot) without any need for a sales assistant, or they can request a fitting. If that's the case an Adidas employee is informed via a linked up tablet.

But it isn't just a simple case of cutting out the middle man, the display - powered by the Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation and a DirectX based game engine - is intuitive, allowing for a 3D rendering of the boom that can be rotated for a better look, or zoomed into or out of for a different view.

There is also plenty of info on the boot's brain; the miCoach Speed Cell, as well as videos featuring the likes of Lionel Messi. Plus, there's a social media aspect to the wall, with an integrated Twitter feed of comments from Adidas fans.

The boots themselves are available from 14 November, priced at ?225 along with the Speed Cell and miCoach dongle. However, the first 250 customers to pre-order at the store will also receive a ?25 discount, along with the fame of having their name published on the VFW.

Plus, they'll receive a limited edition glowing boot model which alerts you when new, exclusive, online content is available and they'll also get an invite down to a big launch event where they'll be presented their boots by a top Premier League player.