Commentary

Changing consumer demand fuels free-roaming VR

The standalone/mobile VR headset market has been engulfed in a landgrab, mirroring the hype surrounding interpretations of what a VR fueled Metaverse will look like.

February 28, 2022 by Kevin Williams

Free-roaming virtual reality continues to expand in theme parks and location based entertainment venues worldwide, driven by continuing tech innovation and the rising e-sports and standalone/mobile VR markets.

Where to begin?

Meta4 Interactive, formerly Minority Media, a developer of tethered VR enclosure attractions, updated its Hasbro license with a game built on the original engine of "Transformers: VR Invasion." Additional Transformers VR games are being added automatically at no additional cost through 2022.
This was followed by news that Cityneon and Victory Hill Exhibitions launched an immersive exhibition called "Transformers The Experience" which, during 2022, will travel North America. This illustrates the proactive nature of the Hasbro operation regarding utilizing its IP in the broader entertainment landscape.
Virtuix introduced the sixth game on its Omni Arena platform with "Paranormal," a supernatural multiplayer adventure which has a viral TikTok following with some 20 million views. The company now has 45 installations in the U.S. and has seen over 2 million plays on its hardware, and has announced a cash prize pool of $100,000 for the 2022 Omni Arena e-sports series which has already paid out $250,000 in cash prizes.
ImmersiveTech introduced its "Uncontained," a "hyper immersive" platform offered as a portable shipping container installation. Six players (two groups of three) using the latest HTC Vive Pro wireless version headsets take part in a marriage of virtual escape room and sci-fi adventures, all played as a team. The system is labelled as "the physical portal to the metaverse."
Technifex, developers of special effects for the theme park sector, introduced its "Sensory Floor" platform — a modular system that combines all the physical effects needed to operate arena scale VR experiences, including a powerful motion floor system and built-in effects such as scent, wind and LEDs.
Speaking of immersion enablement tools, bHaptics, which manufactures many of the haptic feedback vests used by the leading LBE VR manufacturers, such as Hologate, SandboxVR, VEX Solution, Vertigo Games, Inowize, and Meta4, recently introduced the latest versions of its "TactSuit X" series incorporating lightweight design.
MackNeXT announced that its free-roaming experiences from its umbrella brand Yullbe now includes a sixth title for the system called "Alpha Mod" as well as a second pop-up store installation running both the Yullbe Go and Yullbe Pro systems at Rhein-Neckar-Zentrum in Viernheim, Germany. These temporary pop-up installations will be joined by a permanent location at Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg in 2022. The company also has developed a second interactive action adventure for its EuropaPark Yullbe Pro installation called "Amber Blake: Operation Dragonfly," scheduled to open in the Spring.
Phenomena, provider of a VR e-sport arena, installed its free-roaming solution at Belgium's Virtual Park, one of the largest VR entertainment venues in Europe. The branding of a dedicated e-sports solution for operators touches on the drive to align with the popularity of a play and spectator model linked to the repeat visitation that cash prize tournaments bring.
Lasertag.net's "Mars VR" platform has seen its first installation at the Ukrainian "Smile Park." The system employs the company's lasertag weapon systems, combined with Meta Quest 2 VR headsets and controllers mounted on the weapon, supporting up-to-10 players — all taking place within an 850-square-foot arena space. The system has seen its first installations at the Ukrainian "Smile Park."
Ballast Technologies introduced its "DIVR+" water-based VR experience, with waterproof VR headsets. The company is working closely with a water park specialist to roll out their system to several new venues.
Spree Interactive introduced a six-player version of its Spree Arena which offers an enclosed free-roam VR experience for players, using Pico standalone VR headsets. Spree Interactive continues to promote its partnership with IE Park Soli Car towards its "NK1 Smart Bumper Car" system married to the VR bumper cars experience, called "Cyber Blaster" — developed by Pixomondo using technology licensed from VR Coaster.

Disruptions hit mobile VR

The standalone/mobile VR headset market has been engulfed in a landgrab, mirroring the hype surrounding interpretations of what a VR fueled Metaverse will look like.

Two of the largest manufacturers of mobileVR headsets are now controlled by the largest of the social media providers. Meta (formally Facebook) had already pivoted the Oculus operation towards focusing wholly on the Quest2 headset. But recently, the leading Chinese alternative MobileVR provider, Pico, was acquired by ByteDance, owners of TikTok and other social platforms. The Pico Neo range of VR standalone headsets are the go-to for the majority of the LBE VR scene — Pico established an inclusive business approach to commercial entertainment deployment of the hardware. Following this development, Meta has also been linked to commercial business engagement on new terms.

Hyper reality venues

"Hyper reality" free-roaming venues, meanwhile, have seen continued investment, with Sandbox VR, the 12-facility-strong VR LBE operation, revealing the opening of its new flagship location at the Rosedale Center, in Minneapolis. What the company called "one of the largest VR venues in the World" is populated with the operation's backpack PC and VR headset experiences.

Sandbox VR also concluded its Series B investment call, raising some $37 million, led again by a16z/Andreesen Horowitz, which represents a total of $119 million since its founding in 2016, with key support from Alibaba, Gobi, Craft, Quiet and Duro.

Another 10 new Sandbox VR stores are planned for 2022, including new London and Toronto sites. Hoping to stay ahead of the pack, the company also looks to make available an open SDK for third-party developers to create content to run on their facility platform.

Sandbox VR could be seeing major competition from fellow Chinese developer StepVR, which has quickly become a strong brand in the territory with a chain of stores, named "Future Battle." Up to 10 players use backpack PCs and DPVR headsets, competing in a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena experience within a 6,000-square-meter arena.

StepVR started two years ago with only 10 stores and has now grown to some 130 venues across 80 cities within the country. The company plans to open some 3,000 facilities in China by year's end, which will also include a Western rollout.

This comes as the virtual venue business sees a major landgrab in China, with news that major forces in the market, such as NetEase, are planning their own facility business to launch later next year.

On Western free-roaming VR scene, Dreamscape Immersive has re-established its presence with the opening of its installation within the New York Harry Potter store and the new licensed game launch "Men In Black."

(Editor's note: Extracts from this blog are from recent coverage in The Stinger Report, published by KWP and its director, Kevin Williams, the leading interactive out-of-home entertainment news service covering the immersive frontier and beyond.)

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About Kevin Williams

Along with advisory positions with other entrants into the market he is founder and publisher of the Stinger Report, “a-must-read” e-zine for those working or investing in the amusement, attractions and entertainment industry. He is a prolific writer and provides regular news columns for main trade publications. He also travels the globe as a keynote speaker, moderator and panelist at numerous industry conferences and events. Author of “The Out-of-Home Immersive Entertainment Frontier: Expanding Interactive Boundaries in Leisure Facilities,” the only book on this aspect of the market, with the second edition scheduled for a 2023 release.

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