Cartoon Network’s We Bare Bears: Food Truck Rush is now Going Global

In 2018 Cartoon Network and AiSolve teamed up on a virtual reality (VR) experience called We Bare Bears: Food Truck Rush, based on Daniel Chong’s award-winning series We Bare Bears. Debuting at Family Fun Center in Tukwila, Washington, the companies have now confirmed a global launch of the title.

We Bare Bears: Food Truck Rush

We Bare Bears: Food Truck Rush is a multiplayer, free-roaming experience designed for up to three kids or young adults, putting their teamwork and decision making skills to the test with time highly limited. Players can transform into Panda, Grizz and Ice Bear as they work inside a food truck getting orders ready as fast as possible.

Played inside a 3m x 3m WePlayVR arena, We Bare Bears: Food Truck Rush incorporates the immersive, haptic floor enhanced gameplay designed by AiSolve, making the experience even more intense as players try to avoid kitchen mishaps like dropping food or getting orders wrong.

“When Cartoon Network mentioned that the We Bare Bears experience would take place inside a food truck, we knew our platform would be a perfect choice for the content,” said Devi Kolli, CEO and Co-Founder of AiSolve in a statement. “When the food truck takes off on the adventure, our haptic floor responds to the driving, rumbling and creates a sensation of movement. This deepens the level of immersion and convinces them they’re really being driven around in a food truck.”

We Bare Bears: Food Truck Rush

Being distributed by Bandai Namco, We Bare Bears: Food Truck Rush will be heading simultaneously to the DEAL show in Dubai and the Amusement Expo in Las Vegas, this week. Cartoon Network and AiSolve are yet to reveal which countries are likely to see the videogame arrive next and when that might occur.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Cartoon Network and AiSolve, reporting back with the latest updates and announcements.

September 11, 2018

WePlayVR Announces Multiplayer Options

Location-based virtual reality (VR) is experiencing a surge in popularity, with an increasing number of VR centres and arcades opening up, giving consumers the chance to try out VR without the expense of setting up the equipment at home. AiSolve is aiming to keep pace with this market, has has announced several new developments for its WePlayVR line, including multiplayer.

AiSolve will be showcasing some of its new products at the Euro Attractions Show (EAS), an event which hosts some of the biggest names in amusement and entertainment to display new products and services.

At EAS, AiSolve will be demonstrating its first multiplayer title for its WePlayVR location-based VR line. The title is called Star Defence, and is described as an action-packed two-person space adventure.

Star Defence requires players to work together to battle a horde of dangerous robot drones. The title is played inside a 3m x 3m WePlayVR arena, which incorporates the immersive, haptic-enhanced gameplay that AiSolve has used in previous titles.

The company believes that the multiplayer title will allow VR attraction operators to earn greater revenue, as more customers can be catered to simultaneously. The new product will be available for demonstration at the Bandai Namco booth at EAS.

In addition, AiSolve have announced a re-design of the WePlayVR arena. The new design keeps the small 3m x 3m footprint, but includes new panelling and spectator portals, in addition to allowing for multiple players simultaneously.

AiSolve are also revealing a partnership with Cartoon Network to launch a location-based VR experience called We Bare Bears: Food Truck Rush, which is based on one of Cartoon Network’s popular cartoon shows. The new experience will have its debut at Family Fun Center in Tukwila, Washington.

We Bare Bears: Food Truck Rush requires 2-3 players to work together to complete orders and avoid amusing kitchen disasters in a colourful cartoon world of talking animals.

For further news on AiSolve and other location-based VR projects, keep checking back with VRFocus.

July 7, 2018

AiSolve Wins Two Awards At SME Bedfordshire Awards

Uk-based virtual reality (VR) specialist AiSolve has announced that the company was the finalists for two prestigious awards at the SME Bedfordshire Awards gala recently. The company was given the award for ‘Luton Business of the year’ with CEO Devi Kolli winning ‘Business woman of the year’ as well.

AiSolve are best known for their work on WePlayVR and their training simulation solution, VRSims. As passionate advocated for VR the company has been invested in the technology, looking to help push it forward and grow the industry to allow for a more enjoyable and profitable market. Their VR-enabled, AI-powered training solution allows for users to experience a true to life scenario within the virtual world, all while taking advantage of the latest technology and software.

The companies gaming solution, WePlayVR, has also been another major success for the company. Being one of the most popular and well-known location-based VR attractions available globally, WePlayVR has shown that AiSlove not only know how to leverage hardware but also know how to build engaging gaming experiences. This installations make use of a 3 meter by 3 meter space in which the player wears a VR headset and physically moves around to solve puzzles, battle monsters, or go on a grand adventure. One of the companies most recent titles is that interactive puzzle platformer title Clock Tower.

Talking about her award, CEO Devi Kolli said: “I am thrilled to have received Business woman of the year from the SME Bedfordshire Awards, which is close to my heart for being both local and a category which honours women for their hard work and achievements as female leaders in business. It’s such an accomplishment that not only myself, but the company is being honoured as finalists for Luton Business of the year with VRSims, WePlayVR and the three exciting game titles we currently have under our belt.”

She added: “Additionally, we are focused on giving users a thrilling experience, combined with groundbreaking simulations both in entertainment and training and look forward to where the rest of the year takes us with some amazing new projects our team has been working on”.

As AiSolve continue to grow their offerings of VR solutions, their national and international recognition across the entertainment and training sectors keeps growing as well. VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on the company and their titles as they move forward so make sure to stay tuned for more.

May 16, 2018

AiSolve Launch New WePlayVR Title Clock Tower

AiSolve recently spoke to VRFocus about its work on location-based virtual reality (VR) products and services, concentrating on its WePlayVR service. The company has announced that the latest title to be added to its VR library is Clock Tower and it is about to be launched in the UK alongside a new WePlayVR arena.

Clock Tower is the third title in the WePlayVR videogame catalogue, though no relation to the classic survival horror series. Instead, Clock Tower is an interactive puzzle platformer where the player is placed inside a mysterious clockwork factory full of secrets to discover, and certain tasks that need to be completed before time runs out.

To accompany the launch of Clock Tower, AiSolve is also introducing its new multiplayer WePlayVR arena. The new arena features a new design with an enlarged play space of 4.4m as well as four motion seats which allows four players inside and four outside, bringing the total capacity up to eight.

The original 3x3m WePlayVR arena has also seen a redesign to add four motion seats on the outside allowing for up to six players in total. AiSolve’s title Alien Invasion is compatible with both versions of the arena, providing venues with options to consider.

The motion seats will be compatible with AiSolve’s upcoming title Rodent Rage, a multiplayer seated VR racing title that allows players to feel motion feedback that is synchronised to the VR experience in the headset for a more immersive experience.

A new leaderboard system has also been added, letting players compare scores with friends locally or compete with players all over the world. AiSolve have created the WePlayVR line of products for entertainment centres, shopping malls, museums and science centres.

A rapid roll-out across North America, Europe and the Middle East is planned, and Clock Tower will soon be shipped to WePlayVR arenas through the AiSolve platform.

The teaser trailer for Clock Tower is available to view below, and nay further updates on AiSolve’s new VR projects will be here on VRFocus.

April 2, 2018

AiSolve’s Announce New WePlayVR Arena And Videogame Clock Tower

UK-based virtual reality (VR) content producer AiSolve launched their modular location-based VR attraction WePlayVR last year in May and now have a new title making its debut next month at Deal 2018 in Dubai.

Alongside the debut of Clock Tower, the videogame will also be shown off with the newest gaming arenas for WePlayVR. This follows the successful launch last year and the new product line will include a new 4x4m multiplayer version of WePlayVR that will offer new opportunities for player engagement. Thanks to the size it will be able to host up to eight players and is powered by AiSolve’s operation system that will ensure the multiplayer WePlayVR is the same intelligent gaming portal as the original, but now with more players. The eight player counter is achieved by having four people play inside the arena with VR head-mounted displays (HMD) with four others playing outside on motions.

A new leaderboard feature is also being added to the new WePlayVR allowing players to track their achievements and monitor opponents, building competition between them that is sure to offer more engagement and enjoyment. The leaderboard feature is also designed to encourage returning players which will be a benefit to venues as well. The feature will also be coming to the classic 3x3m WePlayVR which will now host up to two players at a time, plus two motion sear pairings.

AiSolve CEO Devi Kolli said: “We are thrilled to be expanding our gaming catalogue for the third time since launching WePlayVR less than a year ago. It’s such an accomplishment to already have three exciting game titles under our belt and a new 4x4m multiplayer platform. We are confident that this latest WePlayVR arena, combined with its new interactive features, is a game changer for not only virtual reality but the gaming industry as a whole. We focused on giving users a thrilling experience, boosted by the ability to host up to eight players at a time, equipped with motion seats and a leaderboard system. This gives a fantastic ROI for operators, allows more people to enjoy the action and keeps them coming back to beat the high scores.”

Their new title, that will launch with the new WePlayVR, Clock Tower, is an interactive puzzle platformer where players need to complete a selection of tasks before time runs out. Players will become immersed in the world of the Clock Tower and will move through different levels within the realm, followed by a guide that provides hints to help players complete each puzzle before moving forward. A teaser trailer for the title is available to watch below.

For more on AiSolve in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

March 9, 2018

The Virtual Arena: The Amusement Business Embraces VR

Guest columnist Kevin Williams, continues his coverage of the emerging VR Out-of-Home entertainment scene, with an exclusive report from the floor of America’s largest dedicated amusement industry show.

The Virtual Arena The American amusement trade held their annual convention in the heart of Las Vegas during February, the Amusement Expo International, saw the AAMA, AMOA, along with NBVA trade associations and Lasertag Convention combined to create a dedicated gathering for all aspects of the American digital out-of-home entertainment (DOE) sector.

For the first time, the event comprised a Virtual Reality (VR) Educational Summit, reflecting the impact that VR out-of-home entertainment, along with dedicated exhibitors from the emerging sector, hoping to influence the family entertainment centre, leisure entertainment and location-based entertainment business landscape.

The issue with new entrants into the established amusement landscape is the learning curve that these start-ups must undertake to establish themselves; so, turning Amusement Expo into an impromptu beauty pageant of the latest VR platforms developed to capture the public’s and operator’s attention.

One of the traditional amusement trade to embrace VR in this sector, BANDAI NAMCO Amusement represented A.i.Solve’s WePlayVR – the maze enclosure based system that has individual players navigating the virtual environment wearing a backpack and HTC Vive headset. As well as revealing plans for BANDAI NAMCO to bring their VR ZONE Portal facility concept to the States, later in the year – something VRFocus covered last month as they look to further expand the chain throughout the US and Europe, particularly the UK.

2018 Amusement Expo International - WePlayVR

Another developer of this approach was TRIOTECH, partnered with Asterion VR, to develop their ‘VR Maze’, running the Virtual Rabbids: The Big Maze – again with a single player backpack approach. The Ubisoft property was also on display on the LAI Games booth with their Virtual Rabbids: The Ride – this time a two rider VR motion experience using D-BOX motion hardware.

2018 Amusement Expo International - TRIOTECH and Asterion VR — A player is prepared to navigate the VR Maze

2018 Amusement Expo International - Virtual Rabbids — A wild ride, racing through the Rabbids universe.

The need to generate a strong ROI from operating VR hardware has seen many multiplayer approaches, Creative Works represented Hologate VR at Amusement Expo – the four-player enclosure, uses a ceiling tethered HMD approach (again, with HTC Vives); strong initial sales seeing the company working on their own and licensing content to support the platform.

2018 Amusement Expo International - Hologate — Players do battle in Hologate VR

Amusement manufacturer and distributor, UNIS Technologies has partnered with Virtuix to present the Omni Arena – the two and four player configuration arena stage utilizes the companies omni-directional platform. Virtuix promoting that already some 2,500 of their platforms were in operation at some 500 location-based facilities internationally.

2018 Amusement Expo International - Omni Arena — Frantic competition on the Omni Arena.

Another omni-direction system on display at the Las Vegas show was represented by FOCUS VR, showing the Cyberith Virtualizer – this approach was more based on offering a delivery platform for VR arcades. Several new exhibitors to the amusement trade took this approach, with the likes of Springboard VR, who have created a turnkey package for those wanting a plug-and-play VR arcade approach.

2018 Amusement Expo International - Cyberith Virtualizer — The Virtualizer being put through its paces

Content for the virtual arcade was also provided by exhibitors such as EscapeVR – offering a room-scale escape room experience in a virtual environment. While the ability to capture footage of the player within the virtual environment was offered through Blueprint Reality’s MixCast platform. The company bringing a Windows Mixed Reality system from Acer, to demonstrate their platforms versatility.

2018 Amusement Expo International - Mixcast — The MixCast platform running in conjunction with the Acer headset

Also walking the show floor were several of the up and coming operators and developers of new VR arcade locations, hardware and content – many sitting in on the VR Educational Summit sessions dedicated to the new technologies opportunity for amusement application.

Free-roaming (Arena Scale) VR experiences has gained great momentum in the DOE scene, exponents of this could be found on and off the show floor, including exhibitor Modal VR, presenting their PING experience. The system using a special tracking architecture, linked to mobile VR (Samsung Gear VR derivative) headsets – players taking part in a virtual game of an interpretation of the Atari classic Pong.

2018 Amusement Expo International - Ping — Player’s prepare for a one-on-one game of virtual PING.

While, Hyperverse promoted their own VR free-roaming solution at the show, based on backpack PC’s and Oculus VR CV1 headset. To experience a full free-roaming VR system, all the delegates had to do was travel down the Strip to the MGM Casino, and their new Level UP entertainment location, which has newly installed a Zero Latency four-player backpack VR system and a suite of games.

2018 Amusement Expo International - Kevin Williams At Zero Latency — Kevin Williams and associate suit up ready to play at Zero Latency in the MGM Casino.

It is the reality of the actual hardware deployment in the field that will validate its worth from this business. Already the Zero Latency system will soon be joined by at least two new free-roaming installations in Las Vegas – and along with the other fielded VR entertainment systems on display, it looks to be a very interesting time for this emerging market. It will be interesting to see their penetration into the Western market – watch this space for more coverage from this sector.

January 26, 2018

The Virtual Arena: London’s VR Amusement Extravaganza

As can be seen in The Virtual Arena’s IAAPA’17 coverage, the adoption of virtual reality (VR) technology into the international scene has continued apace – and the UK and Europe scene are no different. Kevin Williams continues his exclusive coverage of developments in the International VR Out-of-Home entertainment scene – by visiting the UK’s largest amusement trade show.

European Amusement and Gaming Expo (EAG) 2018 — The amusement trade floor.

The 9th European Amusement and Gaming Expo (EAG) International Visitor Attraction Expo (VAE) at London’s ExCel venue, held last week – and the impression that immersive virtual attractions were having on the scene was self-evident, where last year there had be no exhibitors, this year’s event so a major upswing in interest in this technology.

British based company Immotion was one of the most prominent VR exhibitors with the full range of their VR amusement pieces. Fresh from the opening of their VRStar facility in Bristol – you can see a video of The Stinger Report’s coverage of the venue below. The company was presenting their systems to the show’s attendees – with their motorcycle, race car, and 9D simulators, developed by Chinese VR park developer LEKE VR and all running Depoon DP E3 headsets.

Another appearance of the Chinese VR manufacturing scene was on a UK distributor’s booth – with the company Movie Power exhibiting their VR Family, six-seater ride simulator platform running 3Glasses headsets. The system, as it stands, represents the early phase of VR amusement development with much of the limitations of earlier times evident.

Riders “experience” the thrills of the VR Family

One of the latest phase of VR ride simulators was represented by the same UK distributor representing the LAI Gaming Virtual Rabbids Ride – the two-seat D-BOX powered simulator offering three ride experiences based on the popular Ubisoft property (running HTC Vive headsets).

The amusement developer UNIS was represented by their UK distributor who brought over to the show their Omni Arena platform, based in turn around the Virtuix Omni-direction platform. They were also running their brand-new Omni Arena eSports tournament platform, all of which were also operating with HTC Vive headsets.

Omni Arena At EAG VAG 2018 — Competitive action from the Omni Arena

European firm Hologate started 2018 following on from the success achieved during 2017, bringing their Hologate VR platform to the London show at their own booth. The system running had up to four-players taking part in a frantic shoot ’em up experience, defending their position. The system using a novel ceiling mounted tether system with their HTC Vive headsets to address the issue of cable management. The company revealed plans for a brand-new videogame to be launched on their platform soon.

Hologate At EAG VAG 2018 — Fully immersed witnin the Hologate universe

Represented by distributor BANDAI NAMCO, the company A.i.Solve presented their WePlayVR system to the EAG attendance. The system using a backpack PC and HTC headset system, with the players navigating the virtual environment within their specially developed enclosure incorporating vibrating panels and special maze layout. With already sixteen units placed in the field, the hardware has gained much interest.

AiSolve's WePlayVR At EAG VAG 2018 — Navigating the virtual labyrinth from A.i.Solve

Eastern European based Stereolife brought three examples of their VR platforms, with their Flyer, a single player motion capsule with unique motion platform, offering 15 different experiences including interactive games as well as rides. Their stand-up EMotion platform, and their Rifter twin seat motion simulator using VR experiences. (All the systems powered by Oculus Rift head-mounted displays).

Along with the rest of the amusement sales on display at EAG 2018, the show organizers also held for attendees a one-day seminar covering the impact of VR and the amusement trade, moderated by KWP, allowing operators to hear from manufacturers, VR arcade operators and industry specialist on the issues and opportunities this technology offers their business. It popular and with standing room only.

A seminar on how business can profit from VR.

An explosion of VR Arcades has hit the Western market, and KWP recently visited several the newly emerging venues in the UK (you can find a video of some of those visited here). There continues to be a growth in developer in the capital, with London seeing plans for the opening of a dedicated VR Arena-Scale entertainment operation for later next month following on from the temporary Star Wars VR experience that opened last month.

The hard nose amusement and attractions trade now looking to see VR entertainment products generate serious revenue to prove their ability to prove a competitive opportunity to the other immersive entertainment tech that is gaining traction in the industry. While consumer application of VR fight to find its footing, the Out-of-Home entertainment scene seems to be gaining momentum.

Expect more news of major developments in the VR Out-of-Home entertainment scene in the coming weeks – with a special report from America’s leading amusement trade event in Las Vegas, and many exclusive new hardware and facility announcements – be sure to look out for more editions of The Virtual Arena, here exclusively on VRFocus.

January 18, 2018

WePlayVR is a Modular VR Attraction in-a-box Made for Family Venues

AI Solve is creating a modular VR attraction that’s designed as a low-cost pathway for family entertainment centers to bring VR experiences to their customers. With everything in the box, including a VR headset, backpack PC, bespoke experiences, and software that ties it all together, WePlayVR’s modular design affords interesting flexibility that can allow the platform to grow to fit the needs of the venue. I got to step inside one of the WePlayVR pods to experience it for myself.

When it comes to the intersection of VR and out-of-home entertainment, there’s two major approaches: 1) ‘VR Arcades’ where users can pay-to-play the same sort of VR hardware and software that’s available to consumers, and 2) ‘VR Attractions’ where users are offered unique VR experiences not practical in the home. For AI Solve’s part, the company’s WePlayVR pod is focusing on the latter. Yes, the system uses a consumer-available VR headset, but offers up bespoke content that’s built specially for the modular layout of their pod, and adds extras like a haptic floor and unique props to enhance immersion. The WePlayVR system is designed for family entertainment centers which cater their offerings toward kids and teenagers.

Modular and Flexible

What’s especially interesting about the system is its modularity which allows it to scale according to the needs of the venue. The typical square pod is made up of a 6 × 6 grid of haptic floor tiles surrounding by a matching frame. Like Legos, the tiles and walls can connect together in any configuration. For instance, you could opt for a larger square layout, a rectangle, and asymmetrical shape, or even two square areas connected by a thin hallway.

That flexibility offers some interesting advantages—it means that family entertainment centers can start small and test the waters of VR without investing in a huge system, but still retain a direct path to growing the system’s size to fit the venue’s unique demand. The modularity also means that the system’s layout can be rearranged for VR experiences that take unique advantage of a certain layout.

Gameplay

AI Solve is creating their own bespoke content for the WePlayVR system, which means it’s being used for much more than a simple pay-to-play VR arcade. Instead, the company is creating content that matches the WePlayVR pod inch-for-inch, using smart game design tricks—like virtual elevators to ‘move’ players vertically, and virtual moving platforms to ‘move’ players horizontally—to make users forget that they’re even confined within a square room.

At least, that’s what happened to me. When I donned the Vive headset and MSI VR backpack, I stepped into the pod for a tether-free experience, which is already quite freeing compared to being tethered to a static computer like you would be at home. Playing one of AI Solve’s first titles for WePlayVR, Alien Invasion, I found myself entering into a sci-fi facility of sorts, just in time for an alien attack. Starting behind a desk, a man shouted instructions to me, and I had to move to another room behind the desk and throw a few levers to turn the power back on. On my way back to the desk I was confronted with some spider-like alien creatures and used my zapper-gloves to destroy the critters (by pulling the controller triggers and aiming at the baddies).

Then I moved into a small elevator which took me down to a lower level; the vibrating floor helped sell the illusion that the elevator was really taking me down to a different room. When the door I opened I had to do a little puzzle involving matching colors before I could take a moving platform across a wide gap (again with the floor vibrating to help sell the illusion) in order to retrieve a power core which would be used later to defeat the aliens once and for all.

Between the elevator, the lift, and the changing environments, I completely forgot where I was within the pod, or even that I was confined to a square space. When I was standing on the moving platform, which, virtually, was open on all sides with a cavernous drop below me, I very well could have actually been in the corner of the pod with walls on either side and I wouldn’t have known. By the time I was ready to take off the headset, I would have been hard pressed to guess where specifically I was standing in the pod, or even which direction I was facing.

Alien Invasion was fun but brief; like AI Solve’s other initial titles for the WePlayVR pod, it’s designed as a five minute experience, which makes sense for the family entertainment center setting, where player throughput is important for profitability (AI Solve expects about 12 players per hour). The games are also clearly targeted toward a family crowd—you’ll be dodging creepy crawlies in a temple, zapping aliens, or solving puzzles rather shooting heads off of zombies or hacking enemies apart with swords, which means less intensity and broader appeal to people outside the hardcore gamer crowd.

And while Alien Invasion lacked the sort of polish you’d expect from some of the best in-home VR titles, thanks to the lack of tether and the design trickery—which can make the pod feel much larger than it really is—the level of immersion was very high. I also had a chance to play the company’s next game, and while it’s still unfinished, it’s clear to see that with each game project the content is becoming more ambitious and AI Solve is learning how to design around the available space with even more trickery to make players feel like they’re somewhere else entirely than in the confines of the pod. Future games will employ physical props like levers and knobs which will modularly mount into the wall panels, and be integrated into the gameplay for puzzle solving and the like.

Operation & Pricing

When it comes to operating the pod and its components, AI Solve has built a touchscreen control panel directly into the side of the pod. They’ve design a front-end interface which reduces the complexity of the system to a few status indicators (like battery life on the backpack, status of the tracking beacons, and more) and a few buttons for starting and stopping experiences, and restarting the systems if need be. That means operators don’t need to know how to fuss with SteamVR or remotely control the VR backpack PC to get things running, making the WePlayVR pod easy to operate with minimal training.

In terms of pricing, the basic setup—which comes with two VR headsets, backpacks, and controllers, the pod frame and vibrating floor, control computer, and spectator screen—runs $55,000, which also includes one game for the first year, then $1,500 per year for continued use of the game. Additional games cost $5,000–$10,000 for the first year (depending upon the game), then $1,500 yearly after that.

Optionally, the pod can be equipped with four VR racing chairs attached to the sides so that more users can make use of the pod at once. AI Solve told me they’re even considering designing some games for the pod where all four users in the racing chairs and the player in the pod itself would be connected into a single five player multiplayer experience.

So far the company says the WePlayVR pod is in 16 locations, and rolling out to 40 more in Q1 and Q2. AI Solve expects buyers to break even on the system in six to seven months.

The post WePlayVR is a Modular VR Attraction in-a-box Made for Family Venues appeared first on Road to VR.

May 30, 2017

AiSolve Debuts its new Modular Location-Based VR Attraction WePlayVR

UK-based virtual reality (VR) content producer AiSolve has launched a new VR attraction to be installed in locations such as shopping centres, arcades, museums and science centres. The new VR platform is called WePlayVR and features a modular design for easier upgrading and maintenance.

The first VR experience to feature on the WePlayVR platform is titled Mayan Adventure, which has been developed exclusively by AiSolve to show off the capabilities of the WePlayVR system. Gameplay of Mayan Adventure involves players donning a HTC Vive headset to search an ancient Mayan Ruin for a golden monkey statue, which is being protected by a dangerous serpent god. The room-scale experience involves players exploring dark virtual tunnels and solving puzzles to discover the secrets of the ruin.

AiSolve designed WePlayVR to be a modular, plug-and-play system that will allow the system to be easily expanded from single player to multiplayer. 4D features such as wind, mist, heat and motion platform technology have also been incorporated into the system for a more immersive experience. The system uses AiSolve’s own in-house AI framework and analytics to capture user data to improve the experiences.

CEO Devi Kolli said in a statement: “What’s unique about the WePlayVR single-player product is the ROI and value experience it generates over a small occupancy of three-by-three square metres. Its clever modular design, with built-in motion floor, offers a comfortable and exciting experience that we’re very proud to offer to the market. Most of the visitors and non-gamers who try Mayan Adventure come back for a second experience and can’t seem to get enough of the thrill it offers. As seasoned virtual reality developers, we can’t ask for a better response to our attraction.”

WePlayVR is scheduled to go live very soon in various locations across the UK, Dubai and the US with more locations still in development.

VRFocus will bring you further new on WePlayVR once it becomes available.

April 28, 2017

The Virtual Arena: The Growing VR Out-of-Home Entertainment Dimension – Part 2

In the second part of his three-part feature, Kevin Williams continues his coverage of the development in the VR industries involvement in the Digital Out-of-Home Entertainment (DOE) sector. In this report looking at the American, Japanese and Dubai amusement trades interest in the technology. (You can find Part 1 here.)

Amusement & Attraction Embraces VR

Moving to the Western territories, and the American amusement trade had a major exhibition in Dallas during March; the Amusement Expo saw the usual gathering of traditional amusement pieces, but also new virtual reality (VR) investment. Previously mentioned Universal Sales (UNIS) also made the trip to the American event to show their OMNI Arena VR platform.

This was also held in partnership with the Laser Tag Convention, and one of the new VR systems being presented offers an approach likened to “VR Lasertag”, Zero Latency. The world’s first free-roaming, warehouse-scale, multiple player VR game arenas, (using VR back-packs to create the Arena-Scale experience). Currently successfully in operation on four continents, while seeking to announce its first signing in the UAE. And one of the first commercial versions of the Arena-Scale experience from the company was in Japan, installed in the SEGA JOYPOLIS facility.

Beyond the US shores, the Japanese amusement sector has started to invest in VR initiatives placing investment towards VR as a major component in future expansion. During February’s major Japanese amusement trade event, major corporation BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment revealed that following a VR experimental location, the company would be opening a new and larger version of their VR ZONE in Tokyo. The facility will again be a temportay operation (opening in April and closing in October 2017), the facility designed to house VR attractions specially created by BANDAI NAMCO building on their amusement development skills marrying the latest VR technology.

Other Japanese arcade operators such as TAITO and Capcom revealed that they would be installing the VR Game Stage, powered by HTC hardware. HTC supporting the use of consumer content able to be legally used in commercial entertainment venues through the Viveport Arcade commercial subscription platform for China, and currently on test in Europe and the USA. A similar solution is planned from Valve for SteamVR – while Oculus VR stays opposed to any commercial usage (not prepared at this point to pivot).

But the big development, missed by many in the media was the announcement and reveal of Koei Tecmo, launching their ‘VR Sense’, an experience capsule using a Sony PSVR headset and Move controller (powered by an internal Playstation 4 Pro system). This system was the advance guard on the major announcement that Sony Interactive Entertainment would be creating a specific division to roll out their PSVR platform into the location-based (out-of-home entertainment) sector in several territories. The ultimate example of the pivoting of the consumer approach to VR into the commercial entertainment arena.

Dubai Amusement and Leisure Industry VR Aspirations

Another territory that is embracing the opportunity of deploying DOE VR platforms is the United Arab Emirates (UAE) market, a sector that has seen an incredible investment in theme parks and leisure entertainment venues for their diverse audience. Taking place at the Dubai Entertainment, Amusement and Leisure (DEAL) expo recently, prominent amusement and attraction distributor in the UAE market, gathered the latest new developments to their booth. Veteran distributor and developer ASI showed the Holocube – the multiple enclosure VR game system using the HTC Vive and offering a unique gun interface experience (winner of the Silver Virtual Reality Game BOSA award 2017), and categorized as a “VR Enclosures” approach.

Also on the ASI booth was the WePlayVR system from developers AiSolve, running the VR Backpack experience called ‘The Mayan Adventure’. Also shown was the Yotto Group “VR Game Platform” EXOPLANE an immersive paraglider experience. At the Dubai exhibition, another major distributor in the territory supporting family entertainment center businesses is Warehouse of Games (WOG), the company had on their booth the local developer NUAT’s ‘The VR Cube’ another “VR Enclosures” approach. DEAL exhibitor FUNCO – Fun Entertainment Company, a prominent developer of turn-key solutions for operators wanting to open entertainment centers, partnered with Chinese VR Park developer LEKE VR, showing their full selection of “VR Game Platform” units that were seen foot-foot from the Chinese trade show premier.

Away from the major distributors, several standalone exhibitors showed VR aspirations. These included a “VR Ride Attraction” from Turkish developer AMEGA Entertainment – Cinecoaster 360 VR. This multi-directional motion XD cinema system using mobileVR headsets. Or exhibitor DOF Robotics who showed their HURRICANE 360 VR – a extreme motion platform system using mobileVR systems to represent the virtual experience, (the system a Bronze Virtual Reality Game BOSA award 2017).

Reflecting the interest in the territory to embrace VR in all its facets in the DOE sector, the local developer ImSim, demonstrated a 3DOF racing cockpit with force feedback and a power VR component. Many companies in the West have invested in motor sports network simulator (“Race Room”) ventures – and VR technology seen as a possible replacement to conventional flat screen visualization. American manufacturer CXC Simulations, is another name in this scene, having recently installed a “Race Room” at the Andretti Indoor Karking location in Marrietta. The venue running their latest CXC Motion Pro II VR system, the only VR simulator of its kind in commercial operation in the United States

Returning to the investment made in the UAE market, facilities such as the brand-new Hub Zero have added a major VR element to their interactive entertainment. The wireless multiplayer VR attraction was developed for the facility by VRStudio developer of the VRcade platform (winner of the Gold Virtual Reality Game BOSA award 2017). A leading global VR technology company, located in 11 countries, delivering the first truly wireless, full-range-of-motion, multi-participant, immersive experiences for commercial enterprises.

VRStudio has taken their wireless head-mounted experience into the realms of “VR Dark Ride”. Signing major theme park partnerships with Universal Orlando and most recently with Knott’s Berry Farm and parent company, Cedar Fair – towards opening in South California a specialized VR experience at the park.

The concluding feature covering recent developments in the UK, America and the interest from the Gaming industry on VR based Out-of-Home entertainment, follows shortly.