Category: Amber Sky 2088

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Sandbox VR Teams up With Vicon for 40 new VR Rooms

Location-based entertainment (LBE) specialist Sandbox VR has managed to grow from a single location in Hong Kong to seven locations worldwide. In January the company announced a successful investment round securing $68 million USD. Today, Sandbox VR has laid out plans for the future, with more locations planned and a new partnership with motion capture specialist Vicon.

Sandbox VR wants to use Vicon’s cameras and its location-based VR (LBVR) software Evoke to help transport up to six players into its latest VR experience Amber Sky 2088. Having previously used its own tracking solution for its first videogames and venues, Sandbox VR wanted an even more accurate system for its free-roam environments.

“Sandbox VR is expanding, and we needed a partner that can work closely with our product team,” said Steve Zhao, Sandbox VR CEO in a statement. “Being able to have quality and reliable tracking is important, but even more important is the ability for a vendor to be our partner and develop tools for us as we grow. Vicon is that company for us.”

Using Vicon’s Origin LBVR platform, Sandbox VR aims to bring Amber Sky 2088 to 12 new locations across the globe, including Austin, Macau, New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Hangzhou by the end of the year, for a total of 40 new VR rooms.

Sandbox VR duo

“The Sandbox VR team deeply understand VR technology, but they also understand the story experience comes first,” said Alex Muir, Vicon’s Asia-Pacific Sales Manager. “If the technology takes you out of the story for one second the whole experience is ruined. I experienced this first hand in Amber Sky 2088, ultimately gripping my revolver right to the very end.”

Taking place as the 21st century draws to a close, Amber Sky 2088 is set in futuristic Hong Kong, when humanity suddenly encounters an alien invasion. Placed inside android bodies, players need to fight off the invasion using superhuman strength and skills, able to dodge bullets whilst trying to protect a mysterious package on a space elevator.

As Sandbox VR continues its expansion VRFocus will be there to bring you the latest updates.

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Location-based Entertainment Startup Sandbox VR Secures $68 Million Investment

Virtual reality (VR) location-based entertainment (LBE) can be a tricky business. Companies like The VOID and Zero Latency have seen success further expanding their global presence, while others such as IMAX VR have had to shutter operations. Sandbox VR, a Hong Kong-based provider also looks to be on the up and up, recently announcing a successful investment round securing $68 million USD.

Sandbox VR duo

The series A funding round was led by Andreessen Horowitz reports Business Insider, with Mike Maples from Floodgate, Stanford University, TriplePoint Capital, CRCM, and Alibaba also participating.

Founded in 2016 by CEO Steve Zhao, Sandbox VR developed its own hardware and software solutions to create an out-of-home VR experience that can be fitted in shopping centres and other locations. “When we first opened in Hong Kong in 2017, when we opened the location, for the next 60 days we were sold out from morning until night,” Zhao said.

Since then Sandbox VR has managed to expand its presence to more locations in Asia as well as North America including Bangkok, Singapore, Los Angeles and San Francisco. With the new investment, the company plans further expansion, not only adding new locations but also developing new in-house experiences you can’t get anywhere else.

“We have locations planned for LA, Austin, New York, and Chicago, and we’ve inked multiple deals with Westfield malls across the country,” Zhao adds.

Sandbox VR - Amber Sky

Sandbox VR has a number of unique VR experiences for guests to try, including; The Curse of Davy Jones where players are on the hunt for the infamous treasure of Davy Jones, Deadwood Mansion, a survival title where players have to fend off the experiments inside and find a way out. And the most recent release, Amber Sky 2088. Set in a futuristic Hong Kong, players need to escort a mysterious package via a space elevator, saving humanity from an alien invasion.

You can book a Sandbox VR experience via its official website, with each booking accepting parties from 2 to 6 people, costing $40 per person. All the videogames are completely free-roaming, with players donning backpack PC’s and supplied with gun peripherals.

As Sandbox VR continues its expansion, VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest announcements.