IGN’s Lucy O’Brien traveled to Japan’s Shinjuku VR Zone, Bandai Namco’s newly opened VR arcade featuring bespoke VR games from top properties including Dragon Ball, Gundam, Evangelion, and yes, Mario Kart.
O’Brien is seen on video describing her experience with Mario Kart Arcade GP VR, an officially licensed title made by Bandai Namco, available only at VR Zone. Four players sit in motion racing seats and don HTC Vive headsets with Vive Trackers attached to their hands. From a first-person view, players drive the karts and can reach up into the air with their hands to pick up floating items like shells and hammers to use against opponents in typical Mario Kart fashion.
O’Brien is clearly a bit flustered after her experience which she called her “favorite by far,” out of the available games at VR Zone, and said that “the actual thrill of the experience is just so ridiculously high.” If that wasn’t enough praise, she rounded out her impressions by saying it was “honestly one of the most incredible Mario Kart experiences I’ve ever had, I’m still kind of shaking from it.”
Part of the fun was the motion racing seats which offer several forms of feedback to immerse players: motion-based rumble and tilting, force-feedback from the steering wheel, and even fans to simulate speed, flying, and other effects.
You can get another glimpse of the gameplay and excitement here from Engadget:
How do you explain virtual reality to somebody who has never tried it?
To anybody who has tried high end virtual reality (VR) on an HTC Vive or Oculus Rift and has then tried to explain it to a friend or person, you will know the frustration of trying to realistically describe the experience. You’re mostly confronted with a pained expression of confusion, a cocking of the head and you can visually see the gears in their head trying to work out what you’re describing to them.
You’ve probably spoken to people who have ‘tried’ VR with cardboard headsets for certain newspaper experiences such as The New York TimesorThe Guardian. Or people mention 360 degree videos they see on Facebook and YouTube, and although that technically is VR it does not enable you to physically move around in that space or doesn’t have tracking. The Samsung Gear VR is a step up and allows for a lot more, but it still isn’t that same high end VR experience you’re trying to describe to your friends and family. Now it’s not like you can carry around a high end headset, there’s too many things you need to run it. A high end VR ready PC or laptop, and when it comes to the HTC Vive you need quite a bit of space and be prepared to have wires strewn everywhere. That’s almost impossible in many cases, especially when you live in the city.
So how can you share VR with your friends?
Two words: VR Arcades.
They have started to crop up across Asia, America and Europe with huge success. VR Arcades could potentially also be training the next generation of VR e-sports players. Nina Salomons explains the importance of VR Arcades in the current state of VR and what you should be looking for when going to a VR Arcade.
So in the video I said I would compile a list but going to VRNISH website may be a lot easier. Simply type in your location. You might be surprised by the number of VR Arcades available and keep cropping up, there are even some in Africa. Let us know your thoughts on VR Arcades in the comments below!
Nach dem Startschuss in Düsseldorf am 12. November 2016 expandiert das Holocafé in zwei weitere deutsche Städte: Am Freitag, den 11. August ist Troisdorf dran, einen Tag später eröffnet die VR-Arcade in Aachen. Zur Feier der Eröffnung gibt es Einführungspreise mit einem leichten Rabatt. Beide Hallen bieten sowohl Einzelspielern, wie auch mehreren Spielern Spaß in der virtuellen Realität mit der HTC Vive.
Holocafé in Aachen und Troisdorf: Die Multiplayer-Spiele
Das Konzept ist offensichtlich aufgegangen: Das Holocafé in Düsseldorf bekommt Verwandte in Aachen und Troisdorf. Für alte Hasen mit eigener HTC Vive ist das Angebot an Titeln für Einzelspieler zwar nicht geeignet, denn das Holocafé bietet in dem Bereich keine Eigenentwicklungen oder Exklusivtitel an. Dafür erhalten VR-Interessierte ohne eigenes Equipment eine gute Gelegenheit, in die virtuelle Realität beispielsweise mit The Lab oder Tilt Brush hineinzuschnuppern.
Interessanter sind die Arenen für mehrere Spieler, die Eigengewächse des Holocafés sind. Ihnen gemein ist, dass sie auf den Coop-Modus setzen und sich auf maximal vier Teilnehmer beschränken. In Holo Arena muss man sich mit Pfeil und Bogen, Plasmablitzen und Feuerbällen gegen angreifende Drohnen verteidigen. Der Clou: Mitspieler kann man mit seinem Schild Deckungsschutz bieten. In Chaos Commando lehnt sich das Holocafé an den erfolgreichen Titel Star Trek Bridge Crew von Ubisoft an. In einem maroden Raumschiff muss gemeinsam allerhand repariert werden, damit die KLapperkiste nicht auseinanderfällt. Kommt einem bekannt vor? Eine ähnliche Idee verfolgte beispielsweise das Smartphone-Spiel Spaceteam. Dadurch, dass ein Spieler dem anderen Anweisungen geben muss, erfordert Chaos Commando mindestens zwei Teilnehmer.
Auf der Webseite noch in Bau: Der Lasertag-Bereich in Aachen
Wem das alles zu hektisch ist, kann sich allein oder im Team in Carpe Lucem den Kopf zerbrechen. Im Puzzle muss man Spiegel und Prismen ausrichten, um einen Lichtstrahl zu lenken und mechanische Blumen zum Blühen zu bringen.
Der reguläre Preis im Holocafé liegt bei einer 20-minütigen Session bei 14 Euro, gegen Aufpreis kann man eine Multiplayer-Fläche auch allein belegen. Zur Einführung gewährt das Holocafè einen Rabatt von 2 Euro. Die (unterschiedlichen) Öffnungszeiten sowie weitere Informationen findet man auf den Seiten für Aachen, Düsseldorf und Troisdorf.
The VOID, a company specializing in bespoke VR experiences that go beyond what you can achieve with in-home VR hardware, previously announced the development of the Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire VR experience in collaboration with Disney, Lucasfilm, and ILM’s xLab. The Disney Springs location opened December 22nd, while the Downtown Disney at Disneyland Resort location opens today.
Update (01/05/18): The VOID co-founder James Jensen recently tweeted out news that the Downtown Disney Location is opening today.
Original Article (08/03/17): The VOID today announced that they’re applying VR attraction expertise to a new “hyper-reality” experience dubbed Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire. Due to debut at two new VOID venues in Downtown Disney at Disneyland Resort & Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort beginning this holiday season, the announcement is a big win for the company thanks to the involvement of the massively important Star Wars intellectual property, and collaboration with Disney, Lucasfilm, and ILM’s xLab.
Using specialized equipment like customized VR headsets, VR backpack PC’s, and commercial tracking technology, The VOID calls the VR experiences they deliver, “hyper-reality,” to signify that it goes above and beyond the sort of room-scale VR experience you can have at home with high-end consumer equipment.
“At The VOID, we combine the magic of illusions, advanced technology and virtual reality to create fully immersive social experiences that take guests to new worlds,” said Curtis Hickman, co-founder and chief creative officer at The VOID. “A truly transformative experience is so much more than what you see with your eyes; it’s what you hear, feel, touch, and even smell. Through the power of The VOID, guests who step into StarWars: Secrets of the Empire won’t just see this world, they’ll know that they are part of this amazing story.”
More specifically, The VOID allows multiple players to roam around large, physical, movie set-like environments which are overlaid with matching virtual reality scenes. We stepped inside the company’s Ghostbusters: Dimensions experience in New York City; this trailer gives an idea of the kind of experience The VOID delivers:
So far there’s little detail about what the Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire experience will entail, but if The VOID’s prior work is anything to go by, we’ll be expecting something polished and highly immersive.
Davon können wir nur träumen: Bandai Namco hat im April in Shinjuku, Tokio, die Arcade-Halle VR Zone eröffnet, die mit etlichen bekannten Brands Spieler in VR-Welten entführt. Mit dabei sind beispielsweise Mario Kart Arcade GPVR, Dragon Ball VR, Evangelion VR, Ghost in the Shell: Arise Stealth Hounds und Gundam VR. Wir werfen einen Blick auf alle derzeit verfügbaren Virtual-Reality-Erfahrungen.
Alle zwölf Spiele für VR ZONE von Bandai Namco im Überblick
In der VR Zone von Bandai Namco ziehen sich die Spieler eine HTC Vive über. Die Immersion der virtuellen Erfahrung steigern bei fast bei jedem Titel speziell entwickelte Eingabegeräte. Im Tagesticketpreis von 4400 Yen, umgerechnet rund 34 Euro, darf man maximal vier aus zwölf Erfahrungen auswählen, wobei Besucher allerdings nicht völlig frei auswählen können, sondern sich auf Kategorien festlegen müssen.
Mario Kart Arcade GP VR
Zum Vier-Spieler-Titel Mario Kart muss man nicht viel erklären: Der Nintendo-Franchaise ist wohl das beliebteste Rennspiel überhaupt und enthält auch in der VR-Fassung die üblichen Elemente.
Dragonball VR Dragonball konnte auch in Deutschland eine größere Fan-Gemeinde finden. Wie der japanische Manga setzen auch die Videospielumsetzungen auf Kämpfe. Bis zu vier Spieler können die Arena betreten. Da bleibt nur zu sagen: Kamehameha!
Ghost in the Shell: Arise Stealth Hounds
Noch kein Video gibt es zu Ghost in the Shell, das erst ab August verfügbar sein wird. Bei Ghost in the Shell: Arise Stealth Hounds werden zwei Viererteams gegeneinander antreten. Die Kämpfe finden in einem 20 x 12 Meter großen Areal statt. Die bekannte Vorlage von Masamune Shirow dürfte also lediglich das Design des VR-Spiels beeinflusst haben.
Evangelion VR
Auch Evangelion basiert auf einem Manga, bei uns konnte die Serie Neon Genesis Evangelion aber vor allem als Anime treue Fans finden. Im Spiel besteigen bis zu drei Spieler gewaltige Mechs, um den 10. Engel von der Zerstörung der Welt abzuhalten.
Gundam VR
Ebenfalls ein Mechspektakel, hier ziehen jedoch Einzelspieler in den Kampf der Stahlgiganten.
Argyle Shift
Und abermals steuert der Einzelspieler einen überdimensionierten Kampfroboter. Argyle Shift kann zwar keinen großen Namen bieten wie die vorherigen Titel, setzt aber auf weibliche Anime-Reize. Zumindest bei der Hauptfigur. Wie sich das Spiel steuern lässt, bleibt noch offen, denn der Titel trägt den Zusatz „Interactive Cinema“. Dadurch dürften die Interaktionsmöglichkeiten ziemlich beschränkt sein.
VR-AT-Simulator
Noch nicht genug Kampfroboter? Nummer vier im Bunde ist der VR-AT-Simulator, in denen man sogenannte Scope Dogs steuert. Zwei Kämpfer treten gegeneinander an.
Jungle of Despair
Nach einem Flugzeugabsturz rollern bis zu vier Spieler auf einer Art Segway im „verbotenen Dschungel“. Die Aufgabe: Überlebende suchen. Denn die Gefahr im Urwald lauert in Form von hungrigen Dinosauriern.
Fishing VR
Wer sich nach so viel Action etwas entspannen will, kann es beim Angeln etwas ruhiger angehen. In Fishing VR fischen zwei Angler um die Wette, wer am Ende am meisten Fische im Netz hat, gewinnt.
Steep Downhill Ski Simulator – Ski Rodeo
Wir bleiben an der frischen Luft und stürzen uns in Ski Rodeo wagemutig den Berghang hinab. Hoffentlich unfallfrei, denn der Einzelspieler muss beispielsweise bei 100 k/mh Felsen und Bäumen ausweichen.
Hanechari – Winged Bicycle
Ein bis vier Spieler können mit fliegenden Fahrrädern durch die Luft radeln. Dabei tritt man nicht nur in die echte Pedale, eine laut Bandai Namco speziell entwickelte Maschine soll dem Radler zudem den Wind spüren lassen.
Big Fear of Heights Experience
Es geht weiter hoch hinaus, nämlich 200 Meter. Über eine Planke balancierend müssen zwei Spieler hoch über der Stadt ein verirrtes Haustier retten. Wie der Titel schon andeutet, setzt die VR-Erfahrung auf Höhenangst und ihre Überwindung. Namco Bandai warnt: Die Erfahrung endet, sobald man einen Fuß neben die Planke setzt. Auch in dem Fall, dass man sich keinen Schritt vorwärts traut, wird kein Geld erstattet.
Hospital Escape Terror
Beim letzten Spiel bleiben wir beim Thema Horror: Auf der Flucht aus einem morbiden Krankenhaus beteiligen sich zwei bis vier Spieler. Brutale Szenen und blutige Schockelemente sollen allen Beteiligten das Fürchten lehren.
Bandai Namco announced last month that the company would be opening its first VR ZONE arcade in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Promising branded VR content playing on HTC Vive, the now publicly open arcade features some big names like Nintendo’s Mario Kart Arcade GP VR, Dragon Ball VR, and Gundam VR—most of which uses special motion platforms and other ‘4D’ sense-fooling gadgetry to beguile would-be VR first-timers. Here, we take a look at all 12 demos available—including trailers—in the company’s 2-story facility.
Mario Kart Arcade GP VR
4 players: The globally popular Mario Kart Arcade GP has been reborn at the VR ZONE with the kind of thrill-packed action that could only come from a VR activity! Enter the Mario Kart universe you know and love and race to the finish line. The course is filled with the well-known Mario Kart traps and tricks. Dodge giant Piranha Plants and Thwomps, leap over huge ravines, and watch out for Koopa as he tries to get in your way.
Dragon Ball VR
2-4 players: An unprecedented Kamehameha experience! Enter the world of Dragonball with our innovative new VR technology and equipment, and experience firsthand what its really like to generate a Kamehameha. Feel your body shake from the intensity! Train with Goku himself and learn to generate your own Kamehameha! Test your Kamehameha in battle with friends! Generate more power than the others and blow them all away!
4 players: A plane has crash-landed in a forbidden jungle where dinosaurs are said to be still alive. You have been sent to make your way through the darkness and search for survivors. You speed through the jungle, riding on a standing scooter. Shadows lurk everywhere and all around, you can hear your companions screaming. Your battery is running low.
Can you retain your sanity in an abyss of despair and make it back to base in one piece?
Hanechari (Winged Bicycle)
1-4 players: Pedal with your legs and experience the thrill and exhilaration of free-flying through magnificent natural scenery on a winged bicycle! With our specially developed sensory machine, you’ll feel the wind and experience the true thrill of flight. Feel the excitement and tension as you fly over mountain surfaces and plunge through waterfalls, dodging rocky cliffs along the way.
Evangelion VR
1-3 players: Pilot an EVA for the first time in VR history. The future is in your hands. The wonders of VR technology have fully recreated the cockpit, aka “Throne of Souls”, inside the EVA Entry Plug. Board a specialized sensory machine and pilot your EVA in a VR world of massive scale. The 10th Angel is attacking Tokyo-3! Defeat it with the help of two other companions on EVAs, before your operational time limit runs out!
Experience firsthand the thrill of the EVA activation sequence, including LCL immersion, A10 nerve synchronization, and sync ratio measurement, as you prepare for an intense battle with the 10th Angel.
Fishing VR
2 players: Go lure fishing in the wild with this VR activity! There’s wild fish to your right, to your left, some even jumping and wriggling in the air. You’ll feel like you’re really there! Don’t lose concentration, even for a second, until they’re in your net. How many can you catch? Compete with your friends and enjoy a head-to-head battle of skill with fish in the wild.
VR-AT Simulator
2 players: You too can be the lowest of the low (Votoms)! The world’s first VR-AT simulator allows you to ride the scopedog and experience a real one-on-one battle. Experience the realism of the cockpit where reckless ‘iron troopers’ commit their bodies.
Argyle Shift
1 player: Enter the cockpit of a giant robot with your android. Take the attacking conspiracy head on! Our specialized sensory machine creates a shockingly realistic sensation allowing you to live out the ambition of riding in a giant robot to fight in battle!
Gundam VR
1 player: Grab hold of Gundam’s hand, and experience the impact of the life-sized mobile suit in battle. You will feel the utter powerlessness of humans. The threat of Zeon attacks the life-sized Gundam in Odaiba! Feel the impact of the two giants colliding, the intense rumblings of the earth, the heat gushing before your eyes! Experience the realness as if you are right there, through multiple sensations created by the specialized sensory machine!
The Big Fear of Heights Experience
2 players: People can’t help turning back midway! It’s an extreme test of courage 200 meters above the ground! Even if you are unable to take even one step out of fear a refund will not be issued.Please be aware that the experience will end as soon as your foot steps off the plank.
Hospital Escape Terror
4 players: In this haunted house, you really get attacked! It’s a horrifying experience unlike ever before pioneered by VR! Escape from this cursed abandoned hospital with your friend! Two to four people can take part at the same time. However, participants may not always be able to take part together. Please be warned there are violent scenes and grotesque expressions included in the experience.
Ski Rodeo
1 player: Ski down the sharp slopes of the vast snowy mountain with its sheer drops at tremendous speed! Fight for control of the wild skis! The specialized sensory machine creates a shockingly real experience with the response of the skis and intense vibrations. There are several different routes that will take you to the goal. Aim to reach it as fast as you can.
Ghost in the Shell: Arise Stealth Hounds
image courtesy Bandai Namco
An 8-person VR experience is said to launch sometime in August featuring the Ghost in the Shell IP. The experience is a 4 vs 4 team battle in a room-scale space measuring 20m X 12m featuring a “highly sophisticated multi-person full body tracking system.”
We’ll have our eye on VR ZONE Shinjuku in the coming month’s to see how one of the biggest VR arcades fares.
Bandai Namco's VR Zone virtual reality arcade is set to open its doors in a few days, and one of the big games expected to help draw in the crowds is Mario Kart VR. Here's our first look at the gameplay.
There’s some weird and wild things showcasing at Bandai Namco’s VR Arcade VR Zone in Shinjuku, Tokyo. To get a better look,Japan-based YouTube channel VJump goes hands-on with Dragon Ball Z VR, giving us a peek into the 40,000 square feet, 2-floor VR arcade and showing just how awesome going Super Saiyan in VR can be.
In the video, Vjump starts out at a training sequence that allows between 2-4 players to experience it simultaneously. Led by Goku, the series’ protagonist, you then teleport to on an iconic, barren field where he executes a Kamehameha, made more immersive by an open-hand custom device using Vive Trackers. That’s when the battle begins, and you’re positioned at different intervals, using your training mates as target practice.
image courtesy Bandai Namco
Bandai Namco, veterans of the arcade gaming industry from days of yore, have freshened up their image by opening dedicated VR Arcades, complete with seated motion platforms and HTC Vive virtual reality powered experiences.
Experience include big name Japanese franchises too, like Gundam, Nintendo’s Mario Kart, and Neon Genesis Evangelion.
If you aren’t already wowed by the time you walk through the door, there’s something wrong.
The Walt Disney Company has announced participants in its 2017 incubator Disney Accelerator, a program intended for early and venture-backed tech startups working in media and entertainment. Among the 11 picked for the company’s 2017 Accelerator is location-based VR arcade The Void and Unreal Engine creator Epic Games.
Starting in 2014, Disney’s Accelerator backs around 10 companies each year, offering financial investment and a three-month mentorship with access to the co-working space at Disney’s creative campus in LA. Companies to come out of Disney’s Accelerator include the toy company Sphero, 360 streaming platform Littlestar, 360 video production studio Jaunt and modular electronics producer littleBits.
image courtesy The Walt Disney Company
The Void is a location-based VR company that delivers a warehouse-scale experience unlike any other currently. Employing interactive sets, real-time effects, and backpack-mounted, tether-less VR headsets allowed for what Road to VR‘s Chris Madsen said ultimately helped him ‘achieve and maintain long moments of presence’ when he visited the Void in 2015.
…the sense of Presence built as I reached out to touch a stack of crates in front of me, the image becoming real as my hands were greeted with a real wooden surface. Intrigued by the merging of worlds, I dragged my hands across the surface, leaning my weight into it, and pulled myself up to peek over the ledge at the space beyond. The prop felt to be an exact match to what I was seeing through the lenses of the VR headset.
In a visit last year to The Void’s Ghostbusters: Dimensionexperience at Madame Tussaud’s in New York, Road to VR writer said the weight of the VR equipment didn’t distract him at all from his virtual surroundings—an old hotel room populated by a host of relatively benign pink ghosts.
The Void now operates four VR centers globally; at Madame Tussauds in New York, The Rec Room in Toronto, The Beach in Dubai, and their headquarters outside of Salt Lake City.
“As a veteran of the entertainment industry, I can say that the integrity, innovation, and magic of The Walt Disney Company is unparalleled. I’ve had the pleasure of working for Lucasfilm and ILM in the past, and my time there has greatly influenced my career. As we look back at all that we’ve accomplished in such a short time at THE VOID, and towards the future and the incredible potential to bring a new form of location-based entertainment to audiences across the globe, we know that the power of The Walt Disney Company will help us get there,” said The Void’s CEO Cliff Plumer.
While not strictly ‘VR news’, Epic Games’ Unreal Engine is one of the pillars of VR-capable game engines, and has been most recently an integral part in bringing ILMxLab’s Star Wars demo to life via Unreal Engine VR Editor. Its not certain exactly what Disney’s Accelerator will accomplish for Epic Games at this time however.
Epic Games Founder and CEO Tim Sweeney said, “Over the past few years, we’ve had great collaborations with The Walt Disney Company, contributing Unreal Engine technology to everything from theme park rides to Star Wars movies, and we look forward to participating in the Disney Accelerator.”
Though more and more people are discovering what it is like to spend time immersed in virtual reality (VR), the full high-end experience of VR is still out of reach for many, due to price or space or other issues. Out-of-home VR experiences can make up for this, such as the new VR arcade being set up by Augmentality Labs in Durham, North Carolina.
The Augmentality Labs VR Arcade has set up six high-end VR workstations equipped with HTC Vive headsets to allows customers to get the full experience of VR without having to pay large amounts of money for their own VR device. Each one of the VR stations offers 10 ft by 10 ft of walking space for room-scale VR, as well as a TV monitor to allow for friends and family to watch what is going on the in the VR world.
The VR Arcade is encouraging groups of people to come and experience VR together, whether that involves a group of friends all donning VR headsets to roam the VR landscape together, or if people take it in turns while watching the action on a monitor. The Augmentality Labs facility is offering group bookings as well as solo play.
The Augmentality Labs Arcade is scheduled to open on 22nd July, 2017. Bookings are already being taken on the official website. Pre-booked sessions will last for 30 mins each, with shorter ‘taster’ sessions for walk-in customers will also be available at 10 minutes.
Only one title has been confirmed as being available so far, with that being Space Pirate Trainer, a retro-inspired wave shooter. A trailer for Space Pirate Trainer can be viewed below. The staff have confirmed that other titles will be coming to the arcade based on recommendations and performance during testing.
VRFocus will bring you further information on out-of-home VR experiences once it becomes available.
