Originally starting out in motion capture (mocap), hardware and software solution specialist then turned its attention to virtual reality (VR) and location-based entertainment (LBE). Offering a range of solutions for VR arcade owners, this culminated in the Vicon Origin system which launched in 2018. At the recent VR Days Europe event in Amsterdam, Vicon was in attendance to showcase its latest top-of-the-line camera, the ViperX. Vicon’s Product Manager Tim Massey was on hand to explain more.
During the two-day expo in November Vicon had the biggest presence of any individual company with a massive play area in partnership with VR Arcade, designed for up to four players to team up and fight waves of zombie hordes. In combination with the ViperX tracking system, the setup used mobile backpack PC’s, Oculus Rift’s, and gun controllers for that added feel of realism.
Obviously the main showcase was the new ViperX camera system which has been designed for larger-scale VR locations. The Viper series has been designed with VR in mind, with the original Viper camera featuring a 2.2 MP resolution, a visible coverage range of 8 meters and a latency time of 3.2ms. The new ViperX keeps the same low latency time whilst upping these other features. Offering an improved 6.3 MP resolution, the big gain is in its visible active marker range, now up to 18 meters.
The LBE industry has seen massive gains over the past few, with more locations appearing and bigger franchises getting involved. Recently Dave & Buster’s location in the US saw the arrival of Terminator: Guardian of Fate in addition to Star Trek: Dark Remnant and Men in Black: Galactic Getaway. While The VOID has now launched Jumanji: Reverse the Curse. Here in the UK Bandai Namco Entertainment has brought Godzilla VR over from Japan.
Massey notes how Vicon has witnessed this growth, seeing its Origin system expand from one customer with seven sites to eight customers running 51 sites worldwide, all in the space of 12 months.
Check out the full interview with Vicon at VR Days Europe 2019 below. And for further updates on the LBE industry and its latest innovations, keep reading VRFocus.