Virtual Reality around the world
While VR is at its early stage for general adoption, VR communities have popped up around the world. I had an opportunity to check out some of them during my travel to Japan, China and Canada in 2016 and I am sharing some of the most memorable experience here.
VR Backpack brings full mobility to high-end VR device — Tokyo, Japan (Dec 2016)
I played a game called “Salomon Carpet VR” in VR Park Tokyo (shown left). In this game, my partner and I went on an adventure to fight off monsters on a magic carpet (literally). The carpet moved up and down and sideways according to the simulation. There was a fan blowing air into my face simulated a sense of high-speed flying. It felt real as I had to hold off to the guardrail sometimes to keep my balance. I was also not alone in the game: my partner showed up as an avatar in the game and I could see his motions as we fought off the monsters together.
The most surprising part was the VR backpack. Unlike any other high-end VR setups, there was no bulky connection to the PC tower, aka, no long and thick wire hanging around the headset. The players could go anywhere and did not need to worry about getting tangled up or being held back by the wires.
The VR backpack is currently sold for $2,000. While HTC is working on its wireless VR headsets, it is quite exciting to see that portable high-end VR has already arrived.
VR games brings new ideas to family outings — Waterloo, Canada (Aug 2016)
Unlike traditional arcade games, VR games have become a new activity among family outings. When I visited the VR arcade Ctrl+V in Waterloo, Canada in August 2016, I noticed some family groups across two generations. They were either shooting arrows in a group game or taking turns to shoot hoops in the virtual world.
I noticed that games that mimic real life experience were the most popular ones among families, e.g. basketball and mini golf. Since people already knew how to play them in real life, they were able to pick them up very easily in the virtual world. Somehow most people felt they played better in the virtual world than real life. Maybe they felt more comfortable when few people were watching or judging.
VR brings roller coaster indoor — Shanghai, China (Jan 2017)
Love the adrenaline rush from roller coaster rides but hate the endless line-up? VR has a solution for us. At this VR Arcade in Shanghai, people were able to experience some great roller coaster rides inside a shopping mall! Maybe Disney could operate out of an arcade one day?
Overall, it is great to see VR gaining popularity among people across different generations. Without surprise, games that mimic real life experience were the easiest to adopt. Currently, HTC VIVE was the main — if not the only headset — used in arcades across the world. It is exciting to see how rapidly the technology around VR is evolving. We are moving very fast towards a portable, fully immersive and interactive virtual reality experience. It is only a matter of time before Virtual Reality becomes affordable for everyone.
