Today the newest branch of The Void, an immersive location-based VR experience center, opened in San Francisco, CA.
This newest location for The Void debuts with two of the company’s most popular attractions in the form of Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire and Ralph Breaks VR. Secrets of the Empire is featured outside of both Disneyland and Disney World and was created in partnership by Lucasfilm and ILMxLAB as an official part of Star Wars lore. We tried it and really enjoyed it.
Ralph Breaks VR uses a very similar physical space layout but takes place in the Wreck-it-Ralph universe and is a great option of families with younger children. We liked it too for what it was.
There is no word yet on if this location will also get Ghostbusters or Nicodemus, but some of the new, upcoming experiences yet to be revealed for this year and next are likely safe bets. We’re expecting to likely see more Marvel and Disney experiences for sure based on past announcements.
In related news, we’ve been big fans of the work Nomadic is doing as well and they’re expanding to multiple new locations too. Their Arizona Sunshine zombie experience was very impressive with lots of physical object interaction.
The Void’s San Francisco location is on the 4th floor of the Westfield Mall, just off the escalator, at 865 Market St. They’re open every day from 10AM – 9PM and you can buy tickets for either Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire or Ralph Breaks VR, the two experiences on offer at this location, on the official website.
Out-of-home VR attraction chain The VOID may soon reach a city near you. The company recently announced plans to introduce 25 new locations through 2022, more than doubling its current footprint.
Just a week prior to the July 25th announcement, the company announced that it had officially opened three new entertainment center locations in Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Washington D.C., totalling in 13 ‘premium’ locations (out of 16 permanent locations) now open to the public.
The Void offers multi-user VR experiences where players wear headsets and backpacks while physically walking around a ‘stage’ which is layered with the virtual reality experience. Real haptics like shaking floors, gusts of wind, and even smells are used to increase immersion.
The result of a new partnership with major commercial real estate company Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), The Void will launch 25 new permanent locations through 2022.
“The Void aims to elevate the perception of how consumers currently see and interact with virtual reality,” states The Void Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Curtis Hickman, in the company’s announcement.
The Void currently operates 16 locations in 11 states across the US, and one location in Dubai. The upcoming locations are slated to begin appearing across California, Illinois, New Jersey, and parts of Europe. Not all 25 upcoming locations have been announced yet, but more information is available on the company’s ‘locations’ page.
“Locations opening this summer mark the beginning of rapid growth and continued expansion for The Void,” the company’s official release statement continues. “The locations will be launching with Star WarsTM: Secrets of the Empire, the award-winning experience by ILMxLAB and Lucasfilm and Ralph Breaks VR by ILMxLAB created in collaboration with Walt Disney Animation Studios.”
While initially beginning operations in 2015 at a testing facility in Pleasant Grove, Utah, It seems as though the company’s original plan for a ‘flagship’ location in the same city has yet to pull through. Given the recent announcements and fresh partnership, however, the public may finally see that development reach finality.
Star Wars, Ralph Breaks VR and other attractions are on their way to 25 new locations with a partnership between shopping center operator URW (Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield) and VR attraction operator The VOID.
The VOID’s loading area features a backpack PC and VR headset visitors wear before heading onto the VR stage.
The partnership will see four temporary “pop-up” locations for The VOID attractions opening in August and September at the Westfield World Trade Center in New York, Westfield San Francisco Centre, Westfield Santa Anita in the Los Angeles area and Westfield UTC in San Diego. Those pop-ups will eventually be replaced by permanent locations, according to an announcement, with additional permanent spots planned for URW centers in Paris, London, Amsterdam, Chicago, Copenhagen, Oberhausen, San Jose, Stockholm and Vienna.
For those unfamiliar, The VOID is a Utah-based company which produced a series of VR-based adventures employing powerful haptic effects, smells, sights and sounds together for memorable visits. The company debuted with Ghostbusters and they’ve since added horror story Nicodemus as well as Star Wars and others.
We’ve been waiting for The VOID to announce its next set of experiences. Late last year the company teased new Marvel-based content coming this year. The latest announcement mentions partnerships between The VOID and both Disney and Sony, so we’ll be curious to see what comes of those agreements. The VOID’s footprint seems to be expanding globally pretty quickly and dding a slate of fresh content could bring back a lot of repeat visits to The VOID.
Due to the healthy growth of the virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) industries, there are a plethora of job roles out there to suit most skills and needs. It’s how VRFocus manages to provide a veritable mix of vacancies every week, and today is no exception.
Don’t forget, if there wasn’t anything that took your fancy this week there’s always last week’s listings on The VR Job Hubto check as well.
If you are an employer looking for someone to fill an immersive technology related role – regardless of the industry – don’t forget you can send us the lowdown on the position and we’ll be sure to feature it in that following week’s feature. Details should be sent to Peter Graham (pgraham@vrfocus.com).
We’ll see you next week on VRFocus at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the world.
Location-based entertainment (LBE) company The VOID has some of the most well known virtual reality (VR) arcade franchises at its worldwide locations including Star Wars: Secrets of the Empireand Ralph Breaks VR. And it looks like the company is going from strength to strength, as it’s recently been reported James Murdoch, son of billionaire media magnate Rupert Murdoch has recently invested $20 million USD.
Both Variety and Bloomberg both confirm Murdoch made the investment bid through his Lupa Systems fund which he set up thanks to the $1 billion proceeds from the sale of 21st Century Fox to Disney this year. Murdoch now joins previous investors including Qualcomm Ventures, Fidelity Management, and Walt Disney Co.
The VOID hasn’t yet released an official statement regarding the funding but it should help the company produce more in-house content like Nicodemus,a scary Victorian-themed puzzle experience. Expansion plans may also be on the cards as The VOID currently runs 11 locations worldwide, with six in the US, three in Canada, one in Malaysia and one in the UAE. To pop up locations appeared in London, UK last year, but as yet there have been no confirmations of a permanent European location opening soon.
Recently there has been a bit of a reshuffle at The VOID, with Chief Financial Officer Jeff Ruggels planning to leave and Craig Watson taking over from Cliff Plumer as chief executive officer (CEO), the latter leaving last year.
Unlike smaller third-party VR arcades which may run headsets like Oculus Rift or HTC Vive/Vive Pro using licensed software (SUPERHOT VR Arcade Edition) from platforms such as Steam or VR content management platform Synthesis VR, The VOID is a completely standalone experience. You can’t play any of its content anywhere else, thanks to partnerships with Disney and Lucasfilm’s ILMxLab on some of the videogames previously mentioned.
The VOID does have some more locations in the pipeline, however, these are all US-based, in cities like San Francisco and Washington DC. VRFocus will continue its coverage of The VOID, reporting back with new locations and content updates.
As all Star Wars fans know May 4th is the annual celebration of the franchise and to mark the occasion location-based entertainment (LBE) company The VOID will be holding a special discount for one day only.
Dubbed Star Wars Day, next Saturday The VOID will offer customers exclusive 4 for 3 pricing on Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire. Only available in select locations, the tickets can be purchased in-person or online via The VOID.com with promo code VOIDMAY4.
The select locations are:
Santa Monica, California.
Glendale Galleria, Glendale, California.
Grand Canal Shoppes in The Venetian and The Palazzo Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Downtown Disney, Anaheim, California.
Disney Springs, Orlando, Florida.
Cinemark West Plano, Texas.
Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire up to four players take on a unique story in the Star Wars universe. Following orders from the rebellion, players travel to the molten planet of Mustafar and sneak onto an Imperial Base. Disguised as stormtroopers, they’ll have to use blasters, solve puzzles, encounter familiar Star Wars characters, and work together to succeed.
VRFocus went hands-on with Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire when it was available in London, finding that: “To say that Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire is a premium VR experience is putting it mildly.” Going on to add: “For those that have never tried even a basic VR setup Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire will certainly amaze. There were plenty of big smiles from the other groups finishing their session.”
The VOID has a range of VR experiences on offer, not just Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire. While you are there (and depending on the location) why not check out Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment, a horror title set in Chicago during the 19th Century. Or for something a little lighter and colourful then there’s Ralph Breaks VR, created to complement movie Ralph Breaks the Internet.
There’s also Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Seriesto look forward to. Originally an Oculus Quest exclusive, the interactive experience has been confirmed for Oculus Rift and Rift S, arriving after the launch of Quest. For further updates on Star Wars VR content, keep reading VRFocus.
Quite often VRFocus’ jobs section is full of vacancies for Unreal Engine developers, engineers and so forth, basically, people who know how to make videogames, preferably with some virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) experience. While this week still has those jobs, because we’ve looked at location-based entertainment (LBE) providers this time they’re also on the lookout for people who can run these centres as well.
Don’t forget, if there wasn’t anything that took your fancy this week there’s always last week’s listings on The VR Job Hubto check as well.
If you are an employer looking for someone to fill an immersive technology related role – regardless of the industry – don’t forget you can send us the lowdown on the position and we’ll be sure to feature it in that following week’s feature. Details should be sent to Peter Graham (pgraham@vrfocus.com).
We’ll see you next week on VRFocus at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the world.
Universal Studios filed a patent application for a system for handling many VR users in a location based environment. Combined with previous patents, this could be a hint that the company plans on competing with The VOID location based VR experience.
The patent describes a system of “tracks” in the ceiling which VR headset cables are attached to. This would allow the users to traverse a large space without bumping into eachother. To be clear this isn’t a free roaming solution- the tracks guide the user along pre-determined paths.
An automated gateway entry system is depicted where the customer can enter the track and put on the headset in a queue.
At certain points along the track the bogie which the cable is attached is described as locking in place. This could be used for cutscene-like sections of the attraction, or to prevent users going backwards and colliding. Interestingly in one listed embodiment the VR headset is wireless- which seemingly would render the system pointless.
This isn’t the first VR patent application from Universal. In 2017 the company applied for a patent for the use of an augmented reality headset for a theme park ride. In 2018 it applied for a patent for a control system for a “virtual reality mobile pod”.
In late 2018 Orlando Rising reported that Universal has plans for a large land expansion. While this could be intended for a VR section, patent applications simply aren’t enough evidence to say conclusively. But if Universal Studios does add VR to their parks, it would be a welcome boost of confidence for the entire location based VR market.
If you ever find yourself in Seattle sometime soon, you ought to take time to visit the Pacific Science Center. It’s got a lot of VR and AR exhibits right now, not least of which is the beta for Wonderfall: Tale of Two Realms.
Wonderfall is currently the main project for the Science Center’s startup-in-residence, Hyperspace XR. It’s been operating since July of 2017 with the goal of creating “an immersive, multi-person VR adventure,” with a team that’s grown from three to 25 staffers over the course of the last year and a half.
This past weekend at the regular Seattle VR meetup, Wonderfall was on display on a first-come, first-served basis. Those who waited in line got to strap on backpack-mounted HP Omen computers, linked with Samsung Odyssey headsets with extra batteries mounted on the sides to explore a 15-minute demo of the forthcoming project.
Without a headset, Wonderfall is, at time of writing, a small maze of unfinished wood, various props, speakers, heaters, and doors. With the headset, you set foot into a small, quaint Victorian-era village, where you happen across a scene outside a magic shop. A young woman, Elena, has just inadvertently destroyed a cart with an unwise experiment. It’s got an engine on its back that’s venting a strange pink mist, represented in the real world by a dryer; step in front of it, and you can feel a warm breeze across your face. The fence in front of you that’s separating you from the woman is a real fence, which you can rest your hands on in both the real and virtual worlds.
A few minutes later, after an incident involving a freak tornado, you’re exploring Elena’s uncle’s shop. The books are real objects that you can touch and feel, with additional effects attached when you do so in VR. One glows suddenly when you move near it, before revealing an illusion of a dragon that zips around your head. There’s a “puffball,” a little magical creature, hiding in the shelves overhead, and a secret door hidden behind a nearby bookcase.
The left is what players see in VR and the right is what the environment actually looks like | Source: Hyperspace XR
All the while, you can listen in on a conversation about the world you’re in, the situation you’ve ended up in, and what’s going to happen next. As it turns out, Elena has a knack for doing this kind of thing, as she’s starting to outgrow the village in which she’s grown up, and the “accident” you walked in on was just a symptom of something much bigger.
Your hands are visible in front of you as you walk around the maze, and you can interact with various objects by reaching out for them without any need for gloves or controllers — similar in practice to how Nomadic tracks objects in their environments. After an event a couple of minutes into the level you also gain the ability to hold your hands up, palms out, to cast spells and move distant objects around. Also, perhaps most crucially, it lets you pet virtual cats.
What it reminded me of, more than anything, is Myst. Wonderfall plays with perspective and reality a lot, complete with at least one sudden transition into a totally new virtual environment. There’s a bit where you walk through a doorway that’s still partially occupied by a ghostly bookshelf. The additional tactile element that had been in play up until then, where I could reach out and grab almost anything I saw in the game’s world, meant that I expected to smack my face directly into a physical object right up until I didn’t, and was able to move through it.
Currently, Wonderfall lets multiple players go on the adventure together, but they can’t interact with one another or cooperate on objectives. Other players are visible in VR as white floating balls wearing sunglasses. (That got a little creepy at the start of the map, as backup headsets were hung on the wall behind the starting point. In VR, it looked like the developers had put up a couple of trophy heads.) In the final version, there are meant to be puzzles to solve, using your spells to manipulate elements within the game’s world.
The first scene is set in a single area in Building 4 of the Pacific Science Center, with work underway on the site of the second scene, in a 1,500-square-foot area directly behind it. When the whole thing’s done, it’s intended to be a full-scale ticketed attraction to the Center, meant to bring in tourists and regulars. What’s there now is already a popular exhibit in the Center’s AR/VR room.
VRFocus loves a good virtual reality (VR) scare, it’s almost as if the technology was purposefully designed for horror videogames, immersing players in dark, dank locations, with ghastly creatures seemingly hiding in every shadowy corner. So when The VOID invited the team to play one of its latest experiences, Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment, in Las Vegas during CES 2019, we naturally jumped at the chance to test this new horror title.
Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment spoilers ahead
Having already tried the delightfully cute and colourful Ralph Breaks VR earlier in the week, flinging pancakes and ice creams at cats and bunnies, Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment offered an entirely different experience, one definitely not designed for all ages.
Just as before the same process applied to getting ready – by now VRFocus was well versed in getting strapped into the gear – with staff giving each of us the option to pick from one of six character cards, which would be our avatar in the videogame – I chose ‘The Magician’ who had a rather awesome moustache and top hat.
Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment is a dark tale set in Chicago during the 19th Century, with the city holding a massive exposition. However, during the event one of the attractions malfunctions and takes a dark turn, releasing evil into the world. People start to go missing so the entire area is closed down. Fast forward to present day and VRFocus seems to be in a team being sent back in time to investigate what happened and hopefully gain some answers.
Up to four players can be part of the experience – there were three of us so it still worked – with Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment instantly splitting the group in half. Our colleague Kevin then went off by himself while I and video producer Nina wandered through the videogame together. Straight away Nicodemus presents an experience with a lot more atmosphere than Ralph Breaks VR, with Ninja Theory creating a richly detailed environment that you want to (hesitantly) explore.
There were no guns this time around, instead, there were a series of rooms with puzzles to solve. Pleasantly surprising was the interactivity of the puzzles, fuses needed to be changed in a machine which you could physically pick up and place, or massive wheels on valves which had to be turned precisely in order to get the correct alignment. Just like all The VOID experiences, this is a linear set by step process, and to keep things flowing even if you don’t solve the puzzle the way will eventually open up.
If you don’t like horror titles – especially ones with jump scares – then Nicodemus isn’t for you. The entire experience is full of little jump scares, look into a mirror and suddenly there’s a creature looking back, a small puppet suddenly starts sprouting maggots from its eyes and mouth, or the main creature itself starts clawing at you through metal elevator railings. If there were any criticisms to be had then it comes down to two things; the scare factor starts to wane towards the end as the jump scares become more apparent, and even with effects like spatial sound there were times when the both of us felt we’d missed something – Nina, for example, didn’t see the mirror scare.
As per usual it all feels like it’s over way too quickly. Yet Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment has a unique card to play, a secondary ending. Like most experiences with multiple endings the trick isn’t playing the game over and over, but performing a certain set of specific tasks. Now VRFocus didn’t go through a second time to try this, but here’s a hint; on The VOID’s website is the full PDF story to read, make sure you do before playing.
Once again The VOID has created a VR experience that’s difficult not to recommend. It certainly doesn’t feature the classic first-person shooter (FPS) action of Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire or Ralph Breaks VR but we don’t mind as it offers something different. Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment offers the richest narrative yet for fans of The VOID, and the best reason for a second playthrough.
There were no guns this time around, instead, there were a series of rooms with puzzles to solve. Pleasantly surprising was the interactivity of the puzzles, fuses needed to be changed in a machine which you could physically pick up and place, or massive wheels on valves which had to be turned precisely in order to get the correct alignment. Just like all The VOID experiences, this is a linear set by step process, and to keep things flowing even if you don’t solve the puzzle the way will eventually open up.