So the current worldwide situation has made normal social actions almost impossible – or at least advised against – which has had a massive knock-on effect for pubs, restaurants and location-based entertainment (LBE) providers like virtual reality (VR) arcades. This will affect the roll-out of VirtuaActions’ new LBE offering, Cyberaction Arena.
Originally introduced back in February, the Cyberaction Arena system utilises Oculus Quest’s so there’s no bulky backpack PC’s to worry about. Supporting up to 10 players split into two teams, arenas can be set up via the use of giant QR codes for the headsets to track, varying from 200 to 500 square metres. The headsets connect to Cyberaction Arena’s remote online server which can then be controlled by an operator via devices such as a tablet or smartphone.
The current version offers three types of battlefield, a Western theme with cowboys, a sci-fi theme with space paratroopers and one where players are special forces against terrorists. Like an advanced version of laser tag, teams start at specific points on the map where they can select from a variety of weapons depending on preference. These range from rifles and pistols to shotguns, machine guns, sniper rifles, and even assault shields. Players have full autonomy to duel-wield if they wish whilst being able to freely jump, kneel, squat and crawl for the best strategic advantage.
Cyberaction Arena also offers two gameplay modes for these maps, a Team Battle where upon death you can respawn at the original start point and the objective is to get as many kills as possible. The second is a little more tactical, whereby if a player is eliminated they’ll have to wait until the opposing team is destroyed before being able to rejoin.
As there’s no need for external cameras or other tracking hardware Cyberaction Arena should offer those wishing to create an LBE VR arena a far more cost-effective option with the only hardware being Oculus Quest. Setup should also be easier as well allowing for a greater choice of locations to host the arena.
It might not be the ideal time to start an LBE venture but when everyone is allowed out they’ll want something to do, so VirtuaActions’ Cyberaction Arena could provide some much-needed escapism. For further updates on the LBE VR industry, keep reading VRFocus.