While in Las Vegas for CES, UploadVR visited The VOID’s location in The Venetian for Ralph Breaks VR.
There’s a range of dimensions to visit from Utah-based The VOID, including Ghostbusters and Star Wars. Four people at a time can don VR headsets and backpacks to become ghostbusters or stormtroopers at locations in some big cities like New York, London or Los Angeles. Last year The VOID partnered with Ninja Theory, which was bought by Microsoft, to create Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment. I met that startling monster in a previous VOID trip and, if you get the chance, it’s a terrifying journey that incites fear to an incredible degree.
In contrast, Ralph Breaks VR is easily The VOID’s friendliest dimension families can visit.
Ralph Breaks VR For Families
Highlights of Ralph Breaks VR include, of course, up close encounters with Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz from Ralph Breaks The Internet. There’s also a food fight and a virtual game reminiscent of Space Invaders. The VOID employs Leap Motion hand tracking during part of the experience to help with the embodiment of colorful “Netizens.” This allows players to swat virtual bugs with bare hands and press buttons on the wall. A gun accessory used to catch ghosts and shoot stormtroopers in other VOID dimensions only fires sweets in this one.
The VOID’s site lists tickets for Ralph at California locations in Anaheim, Santa Monica and Glendale, Las Vegas in Nevada, Orlando in Florida, West Plano in Texas, and Edmonton and Toronto in Canada. The company also lists guidelines for kids at age 10+ and 48 inches tall. Parents should know the backpack and helmet are still relatively big and heavy, but if your child meets the height guideline it is probably manageable. My child meets the height requirement and, of all four VOID dimensions I’ve tried, Ralph Breaks VR would be the first one I’d let her visit.
For me, though, this was also the least memorable of the VOID trips I’ve taken. Maybe that’s because I haven’t seen Ralph Breaks The Internet yet? The more kid-friendly design of this dimension also left out some of the fear which made for some of the most indelible memories in other visits. At one point I inched my way over to the edge of a platform and leaned carefully over the ledge to shoot at incoming enemies coming up from far below — the “riskiest” and most memorable moment in the overall experience for me.
Throughout 2019 we expect The VOID to roll out more experiences from partner Disney starting with an unnamed Marvel property from ILMxLab. 2019 could be a record-breaker at the box office for Disney with Captain Marvel, Avengers and Spider-Man films lined up one after another. The films will draw a global audience alongside other highly anticipated animated sequels, including Toy Story 4 and Frozen 2. We don’t know what The VOID’s next dimensions will be, but there’s a list of enormously popular properties for Disney and its subsidiaries to explore with location-based VR attractions in the coming years.
The VOID seems to offer software development partners a set of physical tools to build interactive effects around. They have rooms with doors which can open and close at pre-defined points in the software-driven narrative to keep players moving along. This system allow for stories to unfold in a predictable way, with different interactions mapped onto specific rooms — like pressing buttons on walls or firing a gun at enemies — to keep players entertained and surprised. All of it is enhanced by heat, smell, wind and other haptic effects in certain areas to engineer surprising and memorable moments.
Four players at a time can strap into The VOID gear for a trip to another dimension. We tried out Ralph Breaks VR during CES 2019.
Ralph Breaks VR is still the full VOID experience complete with all the interactive elements mentioned in the previous paragraph, even if it is less memorable or exhilarating compared with scarier parts of other attractions. Any parents with a kid pushing the age guidelines for VR should find Ralph Breaks VR to have fewer surprises or scary elements — and that’s a good thing for families.
We’ll be curious to see where ILMxLAB takes its next location-based VR attraction.
Last week was CES 2019 – as if you didn’t know already – the biggest technology event in the world, held in Las Vegas every year. It’s a week where companies from around the globe showcase their latest wares, from early prototypes to products that’ll be available over the course of the next year. VRFocus was there to check out the very latest in virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) gadgets and gizmo’s, so here’s a little round up of what was on display.
For those who say VR is a dead gimmick then they’ve obviously not been to CES and its dedicated VR & Gaming area in the South Hall. The place was packed with interesting innovations, from new headsets, to tracking solutions and much much more. There was also the Sands Convention, playing host to even more booths, with the Eureka Park area, in particular, a bewildering array of small booths showcasing a myriad of different ideas, like being in the beating heart of the tech industry.
It was in these hallowed halls that VRFocus came across companies like Ximmerse and its AR headset, or better known Pimax with its 5K Plus and 8K head-mounted displays (HMDs). FinchShift was proudly demoing its new wireless 6DoF controllers, and Qualcomm had its prototype headset on display. AntiLatency is a company working on positional tracking that can be attached to a range of devices, while 3dRudder was at the show to demo its new foot controller for PlayStation VR.
On the AstroReality booth the company displayed its new AR education tech for learning about the solar system, then we had a play with Orqa’s upcoming FPV.One headset designed for drones. Away from the show VRFocus went hands-on with The VOID and Ralph Breaks VRand saw the Hurricane 360 VR ride. Pico was on hand with is new enterprise-focused G2 4K standalone headset, and Blueprint Reality displayed its latest MR video making software MixCast Moments.
Image Credit: ILMxLAB
There’s even more than that so check out the video below for VRFocus’ recap. We will be bringing more in-depth write-ups of the tech on display, so check back every day for more exciting VR and AR news.
Videogame tie-ins with movies have always been a dicey proposition, sometimes succeeding whilst a lot fail terribly. Location-based entertainment (LBE) company The VOID has seemingly attacked this problem head on by offering virtual reality (VR) experiences that aim to truly immerse players in their content. Having previously released Ghostbusters: Dimensions and then Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, the company has collaborated once again with ILMxLAB as well as Walt Disney Animation Studios for Ralph Breaks VR, complimenting movie Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Released towards the end of 2018, The VOID invited the VRFocus team to experience Ralph Breaks VR whilst at CES 2019 last week – making for a welcome break from the conference chaos. Another four-player adventure – there was only three of us so four isn’t essential – Ralph Breaks VR is a much more light-hearted affair when compared to Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, offering rich cartoon aesthetics, with bold colours that really help to transport you into Wreck-It Ralph’s world.
If you’ve ever been to any of The VOID’s experiences before then you’ll know the setup, for those that haven’t The VOID has a nice streamlined system from start to finish. It always starts with a video introduction – this time with Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz – detailing the story and what you’ll need to do. After that it’s time to suit up, donning PC backpacks and connected headsets. The experience does cater for most people and sizes, so if you’re slightly larger (like me) then there are additional straps to keep the whole backpack PC in place.
Ralph Breaks VR is much more hands-on than Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, with an opening couple of puzzles properly using the environment. In one puzzle two walls suddenly light up with green ticks and red crosses, the task begins to place your hands on as many green symbols as possible. The task works great as a warm-up whilst helping new players understand that they can interact with the environment.
Next up was a classic game of Space Invaders, with the group split in two, we were tasked with shooting the wall of aliens from either side. Once again this was about using the environment rather than a gun peripheral, with a console providing arrow keys and a fire button to aim and shoot a cannon. This is where you could employ some teamwork with each player controlling different aspects of the cannon.
What really made Ralph Breaks VR standout, and thusly competitive was the scoring – located on a digital watch. Once the VRFocus team had found this feature everything changed because someone would get the bragging rights of being declared the winner. Going from what we thought was a team experience to a winner takes all scoring challenge suddenly upped the excitement even further, perfect for the next stage.
And this was where the guns came in (sort of). Not the normal bullet holding kind, instead these were food throwers, more precisely pancake and ice-cream launchers. Heading inside the Pancake Milkshake Diner it was time to shoot some kitties and bunnies, trying to max out the score with a well-aimed shot. This became even trickier in the next area with flying cars dropping coins to shoot, as well as drones and a few other items.
All the set, interactive pieces were fast and energetic, ideal for younger VR players – The VOID does have a minimum height of 48 inches (1.20 m) tall and visitors must be at least 10 years old – but to be honest Ralph Breaks VR is great fun whatever the age. In fact, VRFocus enjoyed it that much we’d recommend it over Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire. As always though, the time just flies by and it’s over before you know it. If you’re a VR fan that’s not tried any LBE content yet, now that The VOID has built a better roster of original content it’s certainly worth checking out.
We’re at the point now where it typically takes a lot to really ‘Wow!’ me with VR. After covering the industry heavily for almost three years, I’ve seen and played a lot. But after I took off the headset and became reacquainted with the real world around me, one thing was clear: Nomadic made me literally say “Wow!” after it was over. I haven’t been this impressed with anything in VR since the first time I tried the technology via roomscale experiences years ago.
What makes Nomadic so special is how interactive everything is. The experience I played was based on Arizona Sunshine, one of the most popular VR games to date that pits you against hordes of zombies. It took place inside a series of small rooms that were arranged like a maze in the real world, but skinned to resemble things like trains, helicopters, elevators, and more inside VR. It’s the closest I’ve come yet to truly tricking my brain.
To be clear, this is old test footage. The actual experience and sets are far more elaborate now.
Nomadic is a VR experiences company founded by people that have a history of work in Hollywood at companies like ILMxLAB on Star Wars films. What sets Nomadic apart from its competitors, such as The Void, is that it’s designed to be much more modular and adaptable. While the bulk of what makes Nomadic so special resides in its interactivity and physicality, the real brains of it all is on the software side.
Nomadic locations are setup so that dozens of people can move through experiences simultaneously without ever interfering with one another. If you try an experience with The Void, you might have to queue up and wait for the next group to finish, but with Nomadic it’s all seamless. While you’re inside the experience a group can be ahead of and behind you and the game will adapt to the pacing in real-time to make sure you don’t run into each other.
What’s more is that it’s not only a multiplayer experience, but the setups are adaptable as well. Environments can be re-skinned and used in novel, new ways without rearranging the props at all. And if they want to do a total overhaul, in a matter of hours they can remap the room using the modular wall system that functions a lot like cubicles.
From a tech perspective Nomadic uses Oculus Rifts with backpack PCs all tracked via OptiTrack’s robust camera system. The actual pieces of the set itself were installed with gyros to track movement and some surfaces could even vibrate and move in sync with their VR counterparts. For example, there was one section where I walked across a plank that actually existed in real life and moved around inside the game when I touched it, or the filing cabinet drawer I opened up with an actual yellow ducky inside.
In my demo I was tasked with seeking out a doctor in a refinery that was holed up in his office theoretically with the cure to the zombie plague. I had to fight my way across the refinery to him and hopefully get there in time to save him and the cure. The game started in a train car.
The back door of the train was open and we were speeding along the tracks at a high-speed. When I poked my head out of the door I could feel the rush of wind on my hands and face. Hanging next to the door was a rifle peripheral that was mapped to match the in-game gun I was carrying perfectly.
Moment-to-moment gameplay was pretty simple: I just shot a bunch of zombies. To make things more intense I ran through the whole experience solo, but it’s designed to be enjoyed by a group as well.
I’ve done The Void’s Star Wars experience, I’ve tried Sandbox VR, and I did the Dead and Buried Arena on Oculus Quest at OC5, among other location-based experiences, but none of those are as interactive as what Nomadic is doing. The way that they’re technology works it really opens up doors to do some incredibly unique and groundbreaking stuff.
It’s difficult to overstate just how powerful it is to see something in VR, reach out with your real hand, see your hand tracked inside the digital world, touch the object, and then have it feel like you’d expect it to in real life. It’s mind-blowing.
And I know, once again, that The Void has done some of this already, but their sets are nowhere near this elaborate. Every small detail from the metal chain links on the fence texture to the moving plank or the platform I sat on at the end, riding a helicopter, with wind in my face, and vibrating movements to simulate flying, really and truly sold me on the illusion.
A mock-up of a Nomadic experience inside of VR.
Nomadic just recently opened their flagship location in Orlando, FL. Reportedly tickets cost $30 per person and there are two versions of the experience — one with lots of gore (age 17+) and one that’s a bit more tame (age 13+). You can check out the official website for more details.
After the success of Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, The VOID and ILMxLAB are back again with another virtual reality (VR) movie collaboration, Ralph Breaks VR. Created in collaboration with Walt Disney Animation Studios, the new hyper-reality experience is based around upcoming film Ralph Breaks the Internet, with pre-sale tickets now available ahead of next weeks rollout.
Just like the Star Wars experience, Ralph Breaks VR is a four-player adventure, with guests joining Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz disguised as characters from the film called Netizens to play the newest, coolest videogame.
“Shoot retro alien spaceships, squash pixel bugs, and fend off hordes of bunnies and kitties in the Pancake Milkshake Diner while you team up with Ralph and Vanellope in a race against time to see who can rack up the highest score! It’s all fun and games until an evil security system shows up and threatens to take you and your new buddies offline…permanently,” The VOID’s synopsis explains
Ralph Breaks VR introduces two brand new locations, Dunderdome and Pancake Milkshake Diner, and a new antagonist, B.E.V. voiced by Pamela Ribon, which stands for “Built to Eradicate Viruses.”
“It’s incredible to work on an experience like Ralph Breaks VR that lets you live inside a film you’ve spent years creating,” said Ribon, Co-Writer for Ralph Breaks the Internet and Writer for Ralph Breaks VR. “ILMxLAB and The VOID have built a world where Ralph and Vanellope really come alive around you.”
“Designing the elements that pull you irresistibly into the unique world of Ralph and Vanellope has been an incredibly fun process,” said Curtis Hickman, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder of The VOID. “What we’ve created together with ILMxLAB is an astounding adventure that allows people to experience a unique extension of Wreck-It Ralph’s detailed characters, environments and stories. With this new experience we are able to truly showcase the capabilities of The VOID, allowing guests to once more step beyond reality.”
Ralph Breaks VR will launch next Wednesday, 21st November at four locations in the US. These are the Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, CA; the Glendale Galleria, Glendale, CA, the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV; and Disney Springs in Orlando, FL. For further details and ticket info head to the official website. As always, keep reading VRFocus for the latest updates.
Ralph Breaks VR – Neue VR-Erfahrung zu Wreck-It Ralph startet in VR-Arcades von The Void
In Ralph Breaks VR tauchen die Besucher und Besucherinnen in die Welt des Franchises ein, um gemeinsam mit Ralph und Vanellope von Schweetz die Weiten des Internets zu erforschen. Auf der Suche nach dem coolsten Videospiel Allerzeiten durchforstet ihr das virtuelle World Wide Web und dürft schließlich selbst in den Spielen antreten. Dabei feuert ihr auf Alienraumschiffe im Retrostil, zerschlagt pixelige Käfer und feuert im Wave-Shooter-Stil auf Tierchen. Zur Belohnung winken Punkte für einen Highscore. Außerdem dürft ihr die ikonische Umgebung des Pancake Milkshake Diners besuchen und euch dort eine amüsante Essensschlacht liefern.
Die neue VR-Erfahrung wurde in Zusammenarbeit zwischen ILMxLAB, The Void und Walt Disney Animation entwickelt. Das Setting findet im Rahmen des zweiten Kinofilms Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) statt.
Zur besseren Immersion dürfen sich die Spieler/innen frei und kabellos in der Arcade bewegen. Eure gesamte virtuelle Umgebung ist dabei auf euer reales Umfeld abgestimmt. So könnt ihr echte Objekte berühren und verschieben, was teilweise auch für die Rätsel im Spiel nötig ist. Entsprechend müsst ihr mit euren Mitspielern kommunizieren, um euch für bestimmte Aufgaben aufeinander abzustimmen. Zusätzlich sorgen Spezialeffekte, wie Hitze und Nebel für ein noch realistischeres Erlebnis.
Ralph Breaks VR ist ab dem 21. November vorerst nur in vier amerikanischen Arcades von The Void zugänglich. Dazu zählen die Einrichtungen in Anaheim, Glendale, Las Vegas und Orlando. Wann das neue Erlebnis auch in Europa veröffentlicht wird, steht derzeit noch nicht fest.
The VOID out-of-home VR company is adding an official Wreck-It Ralph experience to four of their locations. It is named ‘Ralph Breaks VR’ and officially opens on the 21st of November (next Wednesday). The VOID describes the experience as:
Shoot retro alien spaceships, squash pixel bugs, and fend off hordes of bunnies and kitties in the Pancake Milkshake Diner while you team up with Ralph and Vanellope in a race against time to see who can rack up the highest score! It’s all fun and games until an evil security system shows up and threatens to take you and your new buddies offline…permanently.
The experience was jointly developed by Walt Disney Animation Studios and ILMxLAB (also owned by Disney). It was originally announced in September alongside an unnamed Marvel experience, which is expected in 2019.
The 4 locations Ralph Breaks VR will be available at are:
Anaheim, California
Glendale, California
Las Vegas, Nevada
Orlando, Florida
With Star Wars, Wreck it Ralph, Ghostbusters, and a future Marvel experience, the VOID now has an impressive lineup up content for their VR theme parks. It seems that major entertainment companies consider the ability to physically move around a large space (“warehouse scale VR”) to be a compelling case for bringing their content to VR.
The out-of-home VR destination The VOID is rolling out its next big multiplayer VR experience next week, this time transporting you into the world of Wreck-It Ralph’s latest sequel film Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Called Ralph Breaks VR, you join Wreck-It Ralph and his snarky sidekick Vanellope von Schweetz in a unique multiplayer VR adventure that will have you and your friends breaking into the Internet to play what The Void calls “the newest, coolest video game ever.”
Here’s The Void’s description of what action to expect:
Shoot retro alien spaceships, squash pixel bugs, and fend off hordes of bunnies and kitties in the Pancake Milkshake Diner while you team up with Ralph and Vanellope in a race against time to see who can rack up the highest score! It’s all fun and games until an evil security system shows up and threatens to take you and your new buddies offline…permanently.
The Void offers users a unique experience that fuses physical and virtual reality environments to create an even greater sense of immersion. Donning a VR headset hooked up to a backpack-based computer, you’re given free roam to explore the large-scale space, communicate with your fellow players, and coordinate attacks and solve virtual puzzles together, replete with physical counterparts.
Ralph Breaks VR is available starting November 21st at four US locations; The Disney District in Anaheim, the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, The Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian in Las Vegas, and at Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida. Check out ticketing info here.
Image courtesy ILMxLab, The Void, Disney
Ralph Breaks VR was created by ILMxLAB, The Void, and Walt Disney Animation Studios; if the trailer tells us anything, it’s bound to be another highly polished experience designed to fit alongside The Void’s other large-scale, free roaming VR experiences such as Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire and Ghostbusters Dimension.
There are all kinds of awards out there – mainly because most everything has some organisation quantifying who are the best in what they do. Now we’re in the fourth quarter of the year it’s only natural that we end up seeing more awards ceremonies to reveal the high achievers of 2018.
Earlier this week VRFocus hit the red carpet for the VR Awards 2018, which once again celebrated the field of virtual reality (VR).
“The VR Awards is at the centre of recognition and celebration of outstanding achievement in VR.” Says the organisation, “Combined with year-round international initiatives, the VR Awards brings together a night of red carpet highlights, the celebration of excellence and unique access to the world’s most influential names in immersive technology.”
A media partner for the event, Nina Salomons and Kevin Joyce were both in attendance and even helped dish out the awards during the evening. You can find a list of the winners below, as well as some footage of the event and interviews with several of the victors.
Industry specialist Kevin Williams of KWP, concludes his report on the latest developments shaping the digital out-of-home entertainment (DOE) sector and all things to do with Commercial virtual reality (VR) deployment seen internationally. In this final part we see the drive for new investment and the realities and speculation on the market’s true worth.
With this final part of our coverage and we rush from Germany, to the Czech-Republic, and a major event in the country’s capital, underlined the influence that this new commercial entertainment utopia is having on the investment community. Held at the beginning of September, Future Port Prague was a two-day gathering of innovative technology trends and influential speakers on the subject. Along with dedicated conference events there was a showcase arena that comprised demonstrations of the latest tech-trends, ranging from Drone racing, electric-automobiles, smart home appliances and 3D printing to just name some of the exhibits. As part of this, local Czech developers were also promoting their influence on the scene, and VR made a big showing.
Future Port Prague 2018 – A packed outdoor festival conference stage. (Credit: KWP)
We have already mentioned in part one of this feature Beat Games; the Czech-based company had a version of the Beat Saber VR arcade setup demonstrating to attendees in the VR Zone of the event. It was interesting to see that unlike normal VR arcade deployments of the game, this enclosure used the latest technology from new industry start-up LIV. The green-screen enclosure and specially tracked virtual camera, placed the player in the centre of the action, superimposing them into the virtual environment – but not only creating a great audience element, the LIV system has been developed to offer a unique takeaway, with the player able to download a video of their ‘performance’, with appropriate social media hooks. The company looking to deploy this platform at several VR arcades.
LIV offers an added element to the Beat Saber experience. (Credit: KWP)
Another local Czech-based developer is DIVR Labs – the company famous for a local Prague tourist attraction that is seeing phenomenal business. Golem VR (not to be confused with the otherGolem), the attraction is one of the largest free-roaming virtual experiences operating. The basement of the local Prague Hamleys toy store transformed to accommodate a backpack-based VR experience using Oculus CV1’s. Groups of up to four guests traverse the virtual environment – in an experience that sees them transported through time to the 16th century, to discover the mythical Golem and its creator in an interpretation of the story. DIVR has partnered with Hamleys to develop this first free-roaming VR adventure that has no weapons or shooting (one of the first of its kind). The company in negotiations to open additional venues.
A view of the Golem VR experience at Hamleys in the city centre. (Credit: KWP)(Credit: KWP)
Returning to Future Port Prague, and another Czech-based developer, VRgineers took an exhibition space to offer the first public demonstrations of their XTAL head-mounted display (HMD). This system offers what the company calls an Enterprise-ready solution with a world’s first AutoEye system, offering automatically aligned lenses to the user’s eyes as well as an incredible wide field of view. The system has already been taken up by the local automotive industry, and the company is now in the process of receiving additional investment towards offering the platform too interested location-based VR developers. The company running at the event the ability to fly in a networked aerial combat using the visual fidelity achieved with the XTAL.
The XTAL headset in action. (Credit: KWP)
The next phase of high-end VR headsets has seen a shift in focus towards Enterprise opportunities (a sector prepared to pay for a technological lead). Most recently Kickstarter-funded Pimax demonstrated in Europe the production version of the Pimax 8K wide-field of view system, but also at the same time revealed a cost-reduced version. We saw at the Chinese Amusement trade conference in March one of the first Chinese attraction developers experimenting with the Pimax dev-kit on their robotic arm motion platform, and there are reports of at least one major VR park developer looking to deploy this at their site.
VR Enlightenment – Up in the air in a Pimax back at the Asia Amusement & Attractions (AAA) Expo 2018. (Credit: KWP)
The consideration to a wholly focused Enterprise initiative was also seen from StarVR, the company’s Vice Chairman Jerry Kao reported as saying the company was shifting its operational focus to high-end enterprise applications, with the location-based entertainment market to aerospace and automotive. This was reported following the companies unveiling of the StarVR One HMD during SIGGRAPH in Canada. The new headset offering what the company calls a “100% human viewing angle” is clearly packaged to address a DOE centric business model; building on previous associations with IMAX, SEGA and the VRPark in Dubai, as well as through VR attraction projects with Starbreeze
This year’s SIGGRAPH saw a major push towards location-based VR application of the latest high-end graphics and computer power – many exhibitors showing a shift towards this new business dimension. Leading tracking specialists OptiTrack, introduced their new Active Puck Mini at the event, offering a cost effective and 40% reduced option. The company confirmed that along with conventional motion capture business the system had Location-Based entertainment offerings squarely in their sites. The company has been deployed in many of the leading free-roaming VR installations, and OptiTrak has partnered with Dreamscape Immersive, offering their tracking solution, as well as working in conjunction with several other developers.
Dreamscape Immersive, have been in the news for the tests of their own free-roaming Alien Zoo concept – and the company partnered with movie theatre chain AMC Entertainment late last year, the deal coming after closing some $20 million (USD) of their Series B funding. It is this drive by the movie theatre business to embrace the opportunities of LBE VR that has seen momentous developments in recent weeks. One of the biggest was the announcement that Canadian cinema giants Cineplex had signed a strategic partnership with VRstudios (famous for their VRcade platform and VR experiences). The deal saw Cineplex strategically invest in their VR business, with at least 40 multiplex and location-based entertainment centres planned in the Canada territory by 2021.
Group of players start their progress through VRcade’s Terminal 17 at IAAPA 2017. (Credit: KWP)
This undertaking is mirrored by other cinema chains taking the plunge. The VOID’s “hyper-reality” location-based entertainment (LBE) operation, announced the first “In-Theatre” VR installation in the States – following the signing of an exclusive expansion agreement with leading entertainment and media company Cinemark. This development also saw The VOID LBE VR venues opening across Canada. This news follows on from continuing developments in the movie-theatre sector to embrace the opportunity of VR attractions tailored for their unique audience mix. With the expansion of the operation The VOID was also linked to brand new game content building on influential Intellectual Properties (IPs) – a joint venture of ILMxLAB, a division of Lucasfilm, and The VOID, will see a “one-of-a-kind, original adventure” based in the Wreck-it Ralph films’ unique world (tentatively called Ralph Breaks VR). This is the first of several immersive virtual reality properties from the developer, based on film licenses, building on previous Ghostbusters and Star Wars experiences.
Investing into the cinema scene has gained momentum as the theatre business has seen in the US a 16% decline in ticket sales, attributed to a need for a more diverse offering for the “millennially-minded” audience hoping to be attracted to their locations. Following a spate of mergers and acquisitions in this sector the market has fixated on finding an entertainment-mix to incorporate as a “in-theatre” offering. As we reported in our coverage from the LBE VR summit, manufacturers such as D-BOX Technologies had invested in their own D-BOX Cinematic VR Experience which launched earlier in the year at an Ottawa theatre.
D-BOX’s cinema seat put through its paces with the latest VR experiences created for this sector. (Credit: KWP)
This also brings us to developer Nomadic, who have been developing their own location-based adventure-based, tactile VR experiences – the company has promoted heavily in the cinema industry (presenting at the 2017 CinemaCon, and reportedly raising some $6 million in seed funding). Focused initially on a in-theatre approach, the company recently announced they had partnered with Vertigo Games to deploy a turn-key, modular-based VR platform based on Arizona Sunshine LB Elite. The first installations schedule to open fall this year. How much this space will mirror the wireless VR experience seen at Gamescom, in Germany recently has yet to be revealed. But this nicely takes us full circle from where this coverage began.
Arizona Sunshine LBE at Gamescom 2018. (Via HTC)
In just a matter of months and we have seen a level of investment in immersive entertainment focusing on developing virtual reality – far surpassing the previously wild speculation of the consumer VR sector. We have seen colourful analysis on the worth of the Commercial Entertainment or LBE VR market – most notably the SuperData chart that looked at a $995 million valuation of Location-Based entertainment by 2021. And we have seen other charts rise the gambit as high as $12 Billion by 2023 (Greenlight Insights), hopeful speculation to be sure – but based on a growing hunger to maximise the aspirations of the audience, to the abilities of this sectors technology, where the consumer equivalent has failed to deliver (for whatever reasons).
LBE Market Forecast via SuperData
It is important to understand that the VR arcades scene is still at a very early stage of development and has by no means established itself as a dependable business model. One such example of this is the IMAX pilot scheme to establish their concept of IMAX VR LBE operations. News recently broke that two of the seven opened sites had been closed (one in New York and one in Shanghai). The IMAX board had already revealed at the beginning of the year in an investor call that the sites were not all operating at the expected financial level, and there was no real surprise that the roll out was being reversed.
On a recent visit to the only European IMAX VR location in Manchester, the site was seen to be closed off for a private party – and while claimed to still be popular, it was revealed that the adjacent Odeon cinema had been giving away vouchers for free VR experiences, with the purchase of movie tickets; in a hope to drive some business. We have also heard reports of major reshufflings of executive teams and complete management replacements at some of the early LBE VR manufacturers and operators, The VOID saw the departure of their CTO and CEO, while other operations in pivoting towards a commercial entertainment business model have had to drastically restructure their executive team, unable to fathom the realities of the DOE business.
But we have not seen anything yet, and one of Europe’s largest amusement and attraction conventions is about to take place in a matter of weeks – already sources have revealed a record number of new VR attractions about to be launched. While the UK amusement trade will hold their Autumn Coin-Op Show (ACOS), taking place at Olympia London during October, and will include the first London Future of Immersive Leisure (FOIL) seminar run alongside ACOS, focusing on the business opportunities presented by immersive technology to the UK’s out-of-home entertainment industry (this event hosted by our consultancy KWP) – look out on VRFocus for the latest developments from these events in the days and weeks to come.
“The VR Awards is at the centre of recognition and celebration of outstanding achievement in VR.” Says the organisation, “Combined with year-round international initiatives, the VR Awards brings together a night of red carpet highlights, the celebration of excellence and unique access to the world’s most influential names in immersive technology.”
