Category: VR Arcade

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VRcade Arena is a New ‘Warehouse-Scale’ VR Arcade System Offering 8-Person Multiplayer

When laser tag came into arcades and theme parks around the world in the 80s and 90s, a new industry of custom, commercial-grade laser tag hardware was born—coincidentally the same point in time when VR experienced its first massive hype cycle and went back into proverbial hybernation. Now that VR is back, location-based entertainment (LBE) facilities are eyeing virtual reality as ‘the next laser tag’, a place where a group of friends could go and experience something unique together. Enter VRstudios.

VRstudios, the Seattle-based global provider of VR arcade equipment, today announced the release of a new system called VRcade Arena which bills itself as a wireless ‘warehouse-scale’ VR platform that can provide multiplayer games and experiences for up to eight simultaneous users. Offered as a turnkey VR solution for businesses, VRcade Arena is built on the company’s proprietary Attraction Management Platform (AMP) that provides content, user analytics, and software/hardware integration of 1st and 3rd party equipment.

image courtesy VRStudios

Designed for amusement parks, family entertainment centers, cinemas and casinos, VRcade Arena was created to make setting up and maintaining a multiplayer VR installation an easy task for businesses that otherwise would have to cobble together consumer-grade equipment. To boot, the company also offers users a fully wireless experience together with custom VR headset, and peripherals like pistols and motion controllers.

Dave Ruddell, VRstudios’ cofounder and Chief Architect, says that the company currently operates more than 40 VRcade systems around the world, and that the new VRcade Arena system “enables an exciting new level of immersive out-of-home experiences for everyone, from casual VR enthusiasts to serious eSports competitors.”

image courtesy VRstudios

The company’s VR system runs on a hardware-agnostic platform, and currently features a number of multiplayer titles including; Time Zombies, Barking Irons, planktOs: Crystal Guardians, and VRcade Drone Storm with the promise of more to come.

The new eight-person, multiplayer system is said to ship with content specifically designed to leverage the unique features that can only be experienced in a location-based ‘arena-scale’ system.

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The Void: Ghostbusters in VR kommt nach Kanada, vielleicht London

Die bereits erwartete Expansion des Erlebnisparks The Void beginnt. Die VR-Erfahrung Ghostbusters: Dimension wird in The Rec Room in Toronto installiert. Das auffällige Gebäude mischt Arcade-Erlebnisse mit Gastronomie und bietet sich als Event-Location an, ein Standort ist derzeit in London im Bau.

Who ya gonna call: Ghostbusters expandiert

Ghostbusters: Dimension gehört zu den aufwendigsten VR-Erfahrungen. Mit einem PC-Rucksack, einer Weste mit Feedback, gepolstertem VR-Helm und virtueller Waffe ausgerüstet, macht man sich zu dritt auf Geisterjagd ganz im Stil der Kultfilme. Dabei mischt Ghostbusters virtuelle Elemente mit der realen Umgebung. So wird beispielsweise ein Appartement aus der virtuellen Realität in der Wirklichkeit mit Sessel und Fernseher nachgebaut. Die Erfahrung dauert rund zehn bis zwölf Minuten und kostet 24 US-Dollar. Klingt teuer, ist aber immerhin weniger als die Hälfte als in New York letztes Jahr: Bei der ersten Installation von The Void in den Räumlichkeiten des Wachsfigurenkabinetts Madame Tussaud mussten virtuelle Geisterjäger noch 50 Dollar hinblättern.

Während das rund 100-köpfige Unternehmen The Void im letzten Jahr noch hauptsächlich damit beschäftigt war, an der Technik zu feilen, stehen die Zeichen dieses Jahr auf Expansion. Für die Uraufführung nutzte The Void noch Entwicklersets von Oculus Rift als Grundlage, inzwischen kommen fortschrittlichere Systeme zum Einsatz.

Cineplex-Kooperation: The Void könnte nach London kommen

Durch die Kooperation mit der Cineplex-Gruppe, die die Rec Rooms betreibt, besteht die Hoffnung, dass sich The Void noch mehr ausbreiten kann. Die Cineplex-Gruppe rief das modernere Arcade-Hallen-Konzept 2015 ins Leben, die erste Räumlichkeit öffnete 2016 in Edmonto in Kanada ihre Tore. In Europa baut Cineplex ebenfalls an einem Rec Room, der im Einkaufszentrum Masonville Place in London entsteht. Die Eröffnung soll nächstes Jahr stattfinden und es ist gut möglich, dass man dann auch dort auf Geisterjagd gehen kann. Für die Zeit bis dahin kann man sich als Appetithäppchen Ghostbusters VR: Now Hiring für die PSVR holen. Der größte Nachteil des PlayStation-4-Titels ist allerdings die kurze Spielzeit von nur knapp zehn Minuten.

(Quelle: VRFocus und etliche andere)

Der Beitrag The Void: Ghostbusters in VR kommt nach Kanada, vielleicht London zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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VR World Brings an Open Buffet of 50+ VR Experiences to the Heart of NYC

VR World NYC is a new VR arcade that opened on June 24th in New York City right next to the Empire State Building. They have three floors with 55 different VR experiences, and they’re using an all-you-eat buffet business model of paying $39–$49 to have unlimited access to play all of the available experiences. It’s a great opportunity for tourists and New York residents to get their first room-scale and 360 VR experiences, but it also has a bar, plenty of places to hang out, as well as a number of different multi-player social VR experiences.

LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF VR PODCAST

I happened to be in New York for the grand opening of VR World, and had a chance to catch up with Chief Creative Officer Drew Arnold and HR Manager Katya Stepanov to talk about the process of experiential design and curation of VR experiences. I also had a chance to check out the IMAX VR experiences at the AMC IMAX theater, as well as see The VOID’s Ghostbusters VR experience at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum

The challenge for a business like VR World is to market themselves to first-time users and foot traffic of casual tourists who are willing to explore for a couple of hours, but also have a streamlined system for if and when they do get really popular to still have it be a good user experience. They have a queuing system where you can sign up for a single VR experience if it’s busy, and then you can try out one of the other 50+ experiences that don’t have a line. But if they have too many people and get too popular, then they’re going to face what most VR events & digital out-of-home experiences struggle with which is throughput and long lines. But they’re using an innovative approach of buying access to every experience, and then not trying to overplay or schedule it from there.

Other VR arcade options like IMAX VR has the approach where you have to buy individual $10 tickets for each experience that you do. IMAX VR also tends to have a number of premiere experiences not generally available yet, as well as some special VR equipment like DBOX chairs or a helicopter platform simulator with StarVR headsets for The Mummy VR experience.

Both Sundance and Tribeca have moved to models where you have carte blanche access to all of the available experiences for a limited time, and this is a great blend of scheduled and unscheduled time that I feel like works really well for VR. There’s a certain amount of unpredictability for when a VR experience will begin or end, and having carte blanche access makes it so that you’re not constantly evaluating whether or not the individual experience that you’re having was worth the money that paid for it. With carte blanche access, it sometimes becomes more of question of is it worth waiting for other people to finish an individual experience, but overall you tend to feel like you got your money’s worth when you get to have a variety of different experiences.

VR World is perfect for first-time VR users or even for existing VR owners who want to try out a number of different commercially-available experiences without having to purchase them yourself. The price of admission is about what it would cost to purchase a single high-end VR experience, and there are plenty of the most popular VR experiences available to play. There are also a few experiences that use unique hardware peripherals that you’re likely not going to have at home, and I’d expect to see more and more of these types of experiences over time.

If you know anyone who is traveling to or who lives in New York who is interested in trying out VR for the first time, then VR World is the perfect place to send them. It’s located at 4 East 34th Street, and is open from 11am to 11pm Tuesday to Sunday and extended hours to 1am on the weekends.

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The VOID Opens In Canada And Plans For The Future Of Hyper Reality

The VOID Opens In Canada And Plans For The Future Of Hyper Reality

Hyper-reality has officially landed in Toronto as today marks the opening of the newest VOID Experience Centre in the fourth largest city in North America and a popular tourist destination.

And through a joint venture with Cineplex, The VOID will live in one of their new social venues called The Rec Room, alongside a range of dining, amusement gaming, and live entertainment experiences.

This is the second location for Cineplex’s The Rec Room. Their other location in Canada features virtual reality through a relationship with Canada’s first virtual reality arcade brand, CTRL V, using their proprietary VR arcade platform with HTC Vives.

I sat down with James Jensen, The VOID’s Co-Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, to learn more about what’s next. Beyond an accelerated focus on expansion, exciting content news is in the works.

A lot has happened since first meeting with Jensen and Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer Curtis Hickman in Toronto back in 2015, when I just started the conversation about bringing them into the Cineplex ecosystem. An entire VR industry has appeared, and is snowballing. And many companies are attempting to build ‘VOID-like’ experiences to profit off of the concept. James is flattered that people are mimicking them because it provides “validation that what we’re doing is what people want…We have a business model that works.” He estimates that about 100,000 individuals have already tried The VOID to date.

But their future reality sits well beyond the current concept in market. What’s next from this group?

The VOIDs’s SDK

Right now, all four of The VOID locations, including their newest in Toronto, are featuring the Ghostbusters: Dimension experience. Expect two new experiences at The VOID in 2017. With the completion of their SDK in late 2016, they’re working with third parties ranging from major studios to local content creators. Third party content will soon deliver the majority of the experiences available. One of The VOID’s new experiences for 2017 has been developed in-house, while the other will be from a to-be-announced IP. Now that they have SDKs and more development time, as their content pipeline is planned further ahead, James promises more magic techniques and tricks, and more incredible illusions.

Localized Content

As The VOID expands worldwide the Team is eager to integrate storylines curated for their technology from the unique regions where they operate. This goes far beyond localization for language, to “culturally driven content” such as ancestral storylines, that will also engage new audiences in other regions.

The VOID Will Extend Into Homes

No, your living room will not be able to house hyper-reality experiences. But, The VOID will be extending select experiences from their VECs through mobile, as a means to have “pre-experience content” and retain engagement even when guests aren’t there.

The VOID’s own Rapture peripherals may help to extend that experience, and provide an additional mechanism for monetization. Most notably, Jensen highlighted their blaster: “We’ve only used about 10% of it’s capabilities, because we built it with the intention for this to be any type of weapon that you can imagine… It has different kids of motors in it. And we’re barely using any of those right now.” Maybe soon The VOID could extend into homes through Vive’s open-sourced tracking system.

The VOID May Play with Augmented Reality

When I asked Jensen about possibilities with AR, he highlighted the possibility of how it could come to life in a manner that makes sense for the concept. “The VOID is created for you to go to a completely new world, not to mix a world with your world. This is a place where you go to have a dream-like experience… and be somebody else.” However, “for content that extends in-home… we definitely want to do that.”

Product and Content Innovation

The experiences that they have in the works will require better networks, processors, GPUs, and more. They will start to integrate the use of photogrammetry as well, for example. As Jensen put it, “The VOID is a perfect catalyst for these new types of technologies.” So, the team is working with technology partners to live up to their evolving vision of the future of hyper-reality.

And, The VOID plans to take advantage of operating at physical locations. It’s the perfect ground to test new technologies and concepts that could range anywhere from scanning in personalized avatars, to localized sponsorship opportunities.

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Watch: ANVIO VR is an Epic Looking Multiplayer ‘Full Body’ VR Experience

Anvio VR is a new, motion capture tracked VR experience that throws you and a bunch of friends into a warehouse-scale VR arena to battle, well, pretty much everything. It looks great!

In many ways, the out-of-home VR industry has done a much better job of fulfilling the early potential and expectations of what virtual reality as a technology can offer, than home systems. With no restrictions on hardware customisation and the freedom to eschew out-of-the box tracking technologies for current generation VR headsets, startups like The Void and VRCade have shown what pure virtual reality attractions can offer right now.

Anvio VR is a new, motion captured virtual reality platform developed by Vortex LLC in Moscow. It uses “top of the line” professional motion capture systems, retro-fitted to off-the-shelf VR hardware (in this case the Oculus Rift), driven by backtop PCs in a 2,150 square feet physical space. Players are equipped too with sturdy looking, motion captured assault rifles and, as every other player’s position is accurately tracked inside the space, they can move around with confidence they’re not going to butt heads at any moment (unless of course you choose to).

A press release from the company says:

Anvio VR is designed to provide complete freedom of movement for the player.

In our virtual worlds you can run, jump, wave and much more, all together with your friends. Our large play area and fully wireless system mean you don’t have to worry about cords or running out of space, creating an incredible level of immersion.

A single arena is able to host different game content which can be switched on the fly.

Anvio VR opened its doors to paying customers a couple of months ago at their first venue in Moscow and the company claim to have already served some 2000 customers since then. They’re also keen to expend beyond Russian borders, with the website hinting at the prospect of a venue in London.

While Anvio VR isn’t technically something new (we already mentioned two of Anvio’s competitors), but I have to confess their no nonsense approach to the gameplay on display in the videos throughout this article and the sheer fun people were having was a little infectious.

The post Watch: ANVIO VR is an Epic Looking Multiplayer ‘Full Body’ VR Experience appeared first on Road to VR.

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‘Mario Kart VR GP’ Heads Up Bandai Namco’s New VR Arcade Push

Bandai Namco today announced that the company is moving into the VR arcade space and one of the highlight VR experiences they’ll offer is one of the first VR experiences to involve official Nintendo blessing, Mario Kart Arcade GP VR.

Bandai Namco are veterans of the old fashioned arcade gaming industry, still wildly popular in the company’s home country of Japan. Now, they’re looking to freshen up the image of their out of home entertainment business by opening dedicated VR Arcades, complete with seated motion platforms and HTC Vive virtual reality powered experiences.

The news, announced today and translated for us by MoguraVR, states that Bandai Namco and their in-house VR development team known as “Project I Can” has been scouting Japan for locations in which to build these new VR venues since 2016. Director of Bandai Namco, Makoto Asanuma says he wanted to see synergies between the company’s big name IPs and virtual reality along with broadening their expertise in related technologies such as haptics.

Image courtesy | Bandai Namco / Nintendo

The company have announced 16 VR experiences which will feature in these new arcades, but by far the most notable and surprising is a VR version of Nintendo’s beloved racing franchise Mario Kart. Complete with virtual reality visuals, provided by the HTC Vive, the experience also looks to utilise a motion platform rig, complete with steering wheel. There are only brief glimpses of the experience in the promotional video above, but the thought of one of gaming’s most beloved franchises making its way to VR is heartening, especially given Nintendo’s stance on VR up to now.

The company is dipping its toe with a small mini ‘VR Zone Portal’ venue first, opening in London this summer with 3-4 new VR IP present. The first full sized “VR Zone” venue will open in Shinjuku, Japan in March of 2019. The facility will boast 40,000 square feet of space over 2 floors and, alongside Mario Kart GP VR will feature other famous VR franchise entries including Evangelion and Dragon Ball.

We’ll keep you up to date on developments of Bandai Namco’s new VR venture once we learn more. Thanks again to MoguraVR for the translation.

The post ‘Mario Kart VR GP’ Heads Up Bandai Namco’s New VR Arcade Push appeared first on Road to VR.

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VR Developers Are Increasingly Prioritizing VR Arcades for Content Distribution

The virtual reality industry is poised for a transformative five years. While consumer VR equipment is still cost prohibitive for many, location-based ‘VR arcade’ businesses offer a chance for consumers to experience high-end VR equipment without a big up-front investment. And it’s catching on. Especially in China, location-based virtual reality entertainment (LBVRE) is enjoying remarkable traction, where spending on out-of-home entertainment is high. VR developers are increasingly prioritizing this avenue to monetize their content.

Guest Article by Colin McMahon

McMahon is an analyst at Greenlight Insights, the global leader in virtual and augmented market intelligence.

The emergence of the LBVRE sector will benefit VR-first studios, as it is another premium channel to distribute their experiences, much like hollywood studios benefit from movie theaters. For instance, Survios is developing Sprint Vector—an experience tailored for competitive, short-round VR play—which would be ideally suited to a VR arcade setting, where games with short learning curves and quick bursts of fun best fit the timed-play business model. Survios, the world’s top-funded VR content studio, said late last year that they’re in the process of rolling their content out to location-based entertainment centers around the world.

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The Future of VR Arcades with VRsenal

In an effort to better understand how application developers in particular are treating LBVRE as a distinct distribution channel, Greenlight Insights asked more than 400 industry executives in its semi-annual State of the VR Industry survey how important LBVRE to their company’s near-term success within the next twelve months. Roughly 36% rated LBVRE as an ‘important’ distribution strategy.

Furthermore, we found survey respondents that were working on VR games are more likely to say that LBVRE is ‘very important’ than those working on cinematic VR content.

Based on Greenlight Insights March 2017 forecast, LBVRE is expected to grow in revenues to $1.2 billion in 2021, propelled by commercial and consumer spending on VR technology, content and services at cinemas, arcades, and other venue attractions.

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Hands-on: HTC's New Vive Tracker Makes VR More Immersive With Specialized Accessories

Detailed developments and forecasts of the VR industry are covered extensively in the 2017 Virtual Reality Industry Report, co-authored by Greenlight Insights and Road to VR.

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VR Arcades: Evangelion-VR-Erfahrung erscheint in Tokio

Das VR-Studio Project i Can – unterstützt von Bandai Namco – veröffentlichte ein neues Projekt namens Evangelion VR: The Throne of Souls. Dieses basiert auf dem AnimeNeon Genesis Evangelion aus dem Jahr 1995. Darin können die Spieler, ganz wie im Anime einen Eva-Mech steuern, um attackierende Engel zu bekämpfen. Das Projekt hält sich dabei sehr genau an die Vorlage und bietet dadurch eine immersive VR-Erfahrung.

Evangelion-VR-Project-i-Can

Neon Genesis Evangelion trifft Virtual Reality

Ob und wann diese VR-Erfahrung nach Europa kommt, ist fraglich. Für viele Fans des beliebten Animes wäre sie jedoch sicherlich ein Pflichtbesuch.

Der Anime Neon Genesis Evangelion erfreut sich weltweiter Beliebtheit und gilt als eine der bedeutendsten Animeproduktionen überhaupt. Er dient als Grundlage für Filme, Mangas und Videospiele. Entsprechend ist die Adaption einer VR-Erfahrung in Japan nicht verwunderlich. Das Projekt Evangelion VR: The Throne of Souls wird im Sommer 2017 am 13. Juni auf der VR Zone Shinjuku, einer neuen VR-Einrichtung in Tokio vorgestellt.

Die neue VR-Erfahrung lässt die Gäste direkt in das postapokalyptische Universum des Animes eintauchen, denn die Cockpits der Mechs werden durch Motion Chairs und einer HTC Vive simuliert. Diese sind an die entsprechenden virtuellen Inhalte angepasst und unterstützen die Immersion durch Bewegung, Drehungen und Vibrationen. Zusätzlich sind zur Steuerung zwei Controller an den beweglichen Stühlen angebracht. Dadurch entsteht ein spannendes immersives Erlebnis, in dem die Spieler gegen die angreifenden Engel in Tokyo-3, der Welt des Animes kämpfen.

Dabei hält sich die VR-Erfahrung stark an die Vorlage. So treten die Piloten durch einen Entry-Plug ein in dem die LCL, eine durchsichtige Flüssigkeit simuliert wird, in welcher die Piloten innerhalb des Mechs im Anime schwimmen. Zudem ist die Synchronisation des A10-Nervs und eine synchronisierte Ratio-Messung fester Bestandteil des Erlebnisses. Die Virtual-Reality-Erfahrung kann entweder alleine oder mit bis zu zwei Freunden erlebt werden. Die Freunde nutzen dann ihre eigenen Eva-Mechs, um gemeinsam die Engel auszulöschen.

Evangelion-VR-Project-i-Can

Ob und wann diese VR-Erfahrung nach Europa kommt, ist fraglich. Für viele Fans des beliebten Animes wäre sie jedoch sicherlich ein Pflichtbesuch.

(Quellen: RoadtoVR | Project i Can)

Der Beitrag VR Arcades: Evangelion-VR-Erfahrung erscheint in Tokio zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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VR And Cocktails Anyone? A Pop-Up VR Arcade Is Coming To London

The Other Worlds virtual reality (VR) arcade is set to come to London in June for a special event will be held at a secret East London location where gamers will be able to experience VR titles and sip cocktails.

During the day, the chosen venue will have events for younger gamers and a selection of ice cream and retro cereal will be available. Then from 4pm until midnight the bar opens serving interesting cocktails, a special guest DJ will start up a set and the party will begin.

Eight HTC Vive VR rigs will be set up, along with a large TV screen for spectators to watch the action occurring within the VR world. Not only VR rigs but also retro arcade games will be available along with games consoles for those who want a more nostalgic experience. Visitors will be able to sample street food as they watch fellow patrons play games.

Organisers Other Worlds are planning on bringing the pop-up arcade to other cities in the UK, including Birmingham, Cardiff and Manchester. Dates for those have not yet been set, however.

Tickets for the London Other Worlds arcade go on sale on Friday 7th April. The event itself will take place on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th June 2017. Further information will be available on the website. Exactly where in East London the event will take place is still not known, but will likely be revealed to those who purchase tickets once they go on sale.

A trailer for the VR arcade can be seen below. VRFocus will continue to report on new VR facilities and experiences.