The Oscar-winning creative studio Framestore revealed earlier this week that it had partnered with the technology and motion capture specialists Noitom to work for Volkswagen Group China Import on developing the world’s first live virtual reality (VR) test drive experience. Released to the press and a crowd of VIPs in Zhuhai, China, the Hyper Reality Test Drive is an experience befitting for the all-new, technology-fulled Touareg.
Seated as a passenger in the all-new Touareg on a real-life stuck track, and equipped with a bespoke customised Oculus headset, guests are taken on an exhilarating high velocity chase through other-worldly lands, as the vehicle comes under extraterrestrial fire – with only its in-built technology to help out. Thanks to leveraging both the physical and virtual worlds, the experience offers users with an immersive encounter unlike anything they may have seen before.
Framestore scripted the experience, plotting a hero’s journey across a four-act structure that shines light on the Touareg’s advanced inbuilt technology. Central to the script are the Touareg’s next level features, which offer a heroic escape from the narrative’s tumult of dangers. Strategically placed throughout the experience, the features create suspense and thrill, and form critical 4D touchpoints between the virtual and physical worlds.
The physical experience covers acreage akin to a football pitch; the script’s journey was mapped, and 4D elements plotted to create action highlights. Thanks to a custom trigger system that ensures total synchronicity between in-game and real world moments for all six of the vehicles running the test drive at any one time. This is all made the much more exciting thanks to the bespoke soundtrack by Goldstein, engineered by GCVRS, as well as Mandarin and English voiceover to ensure that guests are fully immersed within the experience in their preferred language.
The experience, which is planned to be shown to media and investors in Zhuhai until the end of the moment before heading out on four regional roadshows around China, culminating in Beijing later this year. Those who are able to get to try out the experience will want to buckle up as the adventure will be sure to be thrilling ride. VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on the Hyper Reality Test Drive in the future, so stay tuned for more.
The motion capture specialists have been hard at work developing a number of other projects for use in animation and film, robotics, MedTech applications as well as being used in videogames. With one in particular being of note – Noitom’s mocap hardware Perception Neuron. Version 2.0 of which was 
“We are always looking toward the future and thinking about what our audience might need next,” Noitom International’s President, Roch Nakajima, said in a statement. “Perception Neuron PRO is aimed at creators seeking to capture intense motions for big-budget productions. PN PRO is designed to be a straightforward option for professional-level motion capture recording. Without optical cameras to set up, and without any limits to space and light, directors and animators can expect clean and accurate results that will match the scale of their project while saving on time and costs.”
The selection of titles Kenzan Studios are currently working on for various VR formats and head-mounted displays (HMDs) cover a wide range of demographics. Holiday Break VR is a simple, inoffensive shooting videogame designed for children. Armed with a watergun, the player must shoot chickens, eggs, balloons and more in order to achieve a high-score. It’s a simple but effective introduction to VR, as is Starpirates VR, which is effectively a wave-based shooter with the emphasis on reward over challenge. However, there’s more interesting innovations happening at Kenzan Studios.
EnigmAttic VR
The Lost Pit
