Category: VR Star

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VR Star Centre Coming To Swindon Shopping Centre

Shoppers in Swindon will soon be able to experience virtual reality (VR) while taking a break from their shopping with the arrival of brand new VR pods coming to the Brunel Shopping Centre.

VR Star Centre

The new VR Star Centre will provide users with the latest in cutting edge technology to become immersed in some groundbreaking experiences without the need for the equipment at home. The Swindon Brunel Shopping Centre is one of five new locations to get the pods in the coming weeks.

Arek Antoniak, Operations Manager of VR Star, said: “VR Star in Bristol has been hugely successful and these five new centres will offer even more customers across the UK the chance to enjoy the ultimate VR experience. Our VR Cinema Pods engage all the senses to deliver something that is genuinely immersive and thrilling. We can’t wait for people to get the chance to enjoy them.”

By putting on the VR head-mounted display (HMD) users will become immersed in the simulated 3D environments while positioned on special machinery. This allows for them to interact with these environments by rotating their head and shifting their body weight. These systems will help to create a more realistic experience and deal with any possible motion sickness which might occur as a result of use.

The Swindon Brunel Shopping Centre VR Start Centre will allow customers a chance to fly dragons, ride rollercoasters, explore haunted hospitals and even run alongside dinosaurs. Customers will need to take part in a five minute check-in and introduction before they choose a machine and experience up to on hour inside the virtual worlds. All of this is possible thanks to technology from companies such as Vive, Samsung, and NVIDIA.

To date, the VR Star Centre in Bristol has received exclusively five-star ratings on Trip Advisor, with people having responded to the TRON-esque bikes and race car experiences with praise. The aim is to have the same success in the new locations, including that one in Swindon Brunel Shopping Centre when it opens on 11th May, 2018.

For more stories like this in the future and for more on immersive media, keep reading VRFocus.

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New VR Centre Now Open in Bristol UK

With high-end virtual reality (VR) experiences, a great deal of expensive equipment is needed, as well as a suitable amount of space to enjoy room-scale VR experiences. This means that for many people, high-quality VR is out of reach, hence the rise of location-based VR centres, such as the newly opened VR Star centre in Bristol, UK.

Recently opened in the Cabot Circus Shopping Centre in Bristol is the VR Star VR experience centre, which has now taken its place as one of the largest such centres to be opened in the UK so far. With a grand opening taking place on 15th December, 2017, the centre offers a range of VR experiences using physical props and feedback to provide a more immersive experience to customers.

Content available includes a motorbike racing title where users can sit on a bike seat and experience VR visuals inspired by classic film Tron as they race through a neon-lit landscape, or they can take a position controlling a mounted gatling gun and mow down encroaching enemies, or try a hand at caring and feeding dinosaurs. A 4D immersive theatre is also on offer.

The hardware and content on offer is provided by UK-based VR technology company Immotion, whose stated aim is to produce high-quality ‘out of home’ VR experiences, combining premium graphics along with immersive sound so customers can enjoy 360-degree movies or interactive videogames.

Arek Antoniak, Operations Manager of VR Star said: “The launch of our first centre in Bristol is hugely exciting. If you have only ever experienced VR at home or a quick demo in a shop, then you are going to be blown away by our platforms. They engage all your senses to create something that is genuinely immersive and thrilling. The good news is we will be open in time for the height of the Christmas shopping season. Shoppers in Bristol can escape the crowds and enjoy a whole new world!”

Further information on the VR Star centre, including booking options, pricing and opening hours, is available on the VR Star website. VRFocus will continue to report on new and upcoming VR experiences around the world.