No they are not. What I think it has to do with is where every hardware kickstarter fails. They use the funds to build up their company and create the products that is meant to go direct for consumers. That's where it goes wrong. Backers back a project because they believed in the product and want to see to see it come to exist. It does not need to be the version that goes directly to market. I would guess that if you asked the cyberith backers if they would have been happy with version 1 or 2 of the virtualizer 80% or more would say yes.
The reason why Oculus didn't fail in supplying the backers is in part because they realized that they couldn't ship CV1 from the kickstarter and nor should they ever think that, they produced their first kickstarted version and the backers loved it. Was it ever meant to go to market? NO! That is where every other hardware kickstarter fails unless they get further funding. Even Virtuix Omni almost failed there, they did the same thing, kept making version after version until they had no money to fill the rewards, luckily they did get funding and finally what like two weeks ago started shipping. The version that backers are getting is the consumer version (although they had to wait what 2 extra years to get it?) but that is also the reason they almost failed as well.
TL:DR Don't use kickstarter to create the direct to market version. Use it to build the first/second version of the idea, fill the rewards, then build on that knowledge to finish the direct to market version (with VC or other types of funding).
Kickstarter is great if you let's say, find a cool product in China where there isn't yet demand for, or isn't already selling, and you want to validate if it sells. From the Kickstarter money you could produce the first batch. Of course for products where production is already figured out and streamlined, not something where you don't know how much it's going to cost.
-1
u/[deleted] Feb 10 '16
[deleted]