Monday, March 28, 2016
Reality Check: Six Flags Revolutionizes Coasters with VR
www.themeparkinsider.com: Strapping a virtual reality headset to your face while riding a roller coaster? That's just crazy talk. For years, we've been telling people to keep their eyes open and to watch the track when they ride a coaster. That provides the visual cue your brain needs to help your body prepare for the drops, twists, airtime, and turns it will encounter on these high-speed thrill rides.
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6 comments:
This idea is absolutely off the wall, and nauseating just to even think about, but has to be praised for how innovative it is. In a way, I'm not surprised that coaster designers, when approached with VR technology, would immediately jump to thinking about how they could possibly integrate VR into their ride design as it's part of their life every day. However, I do think that when the idea was brought to the table, I'm sure there was much discussion about safety and what wearing a headset on a coaster would actually look and feel like. I'm sure it's an exhilarating experience to have. It's only a matter of time, I'm sure, until other parks begin to do the same thing. I can definitely see parks like Universal using VR tech in their rides, as they've always been open to experimentation in their ride design. I'm not sure that Disney would pick up an idea like this, as they tend to wait a very long time to integrate innovative tech into their ride design, however I can definitely see the applications for this in their new expansion at Animal Kingdom.
I'm always going to want to be on the cutting edge of tech innovations, and VR is no different. I've been following each headset from announcement to inception, and each has their own set of pros and cons. The Samsung Gear VR, which is what we are dealing with in this article, is one of the cheapest, but requires a compatible phone to use, and isn't particularly state of the art. One big problem is a screen door effect created between the lens and the phone based on the creation of the 3D room that most VR content takes place in. Ride technology has often attempted VR integration, with many motion simulators being early forms of VR that shake and rattle you. However, taking VR and applying it to a ride that was designed before VR was even a concept is an interesting fusion, albeit one with clear drawbacks. Motion sickness is probably even more pronounce,d because you have no real ground to orient yourself to, and once you have the headset on, you can't particularly take it off, because it would fly away as you go over the next lift hill. Overall, I think the integration needs to be more fluid before this will hit the mainstream.
This is so cool! It is such a great idea for lovers of roller coasters and virtual reality alike. I think that it is great how by doing this, they are starting to fix some of the problems with virtual reality, that it often makes people nauseous.I think that it would be really interesting to experience, even though I don’t like roller coasters, because it must feel like you are really in the alternate universe. Having the movement and video synced up is just plain awesome. I really liked seeing the video where you could see the guy on the roller coaster as well as what he was seeing on his headset. I am sure that there are a lot of bugs to be worked out, but this is a huge step in the world of virtual reality, one that I hope will inspire more amazing inventions in the future.
At first glance I thought this is really cool. However, after watching the video, I found it to be a little bit underwhelming. Maybe I need to actually truly experience it, but I feel like although the idea of a headset is very innovative, the VR footage should probably be further developed, especially compared to the visuals of the 3D/virtual roller coaster rides already out there like those in Universal Studios. Also, I personally don't think that everyone would enjoy the storyline/theme of turning the roller coaster into a single-seat fighter jet battling aliens (I personally don't). It'd be nice if they offered different options/worlds for riders to pick from. I can definitely see VR headset roller coasters growing and become more widely used in theme parks in the near future, but for now I think I will wait for it to further develop before trying it out.
How WILD. I think it is really interesting to see how entertainment and technology are coming together. This concept alone yields so many options for viewers. With this one roller coaster you can have 3 completely separate experiences. For me it’s all about seeing how the old becomes upgraded, how things that my generation has accepted as status quo is being evolved. That really is what it is, the theme park industry is looking down every alley to stay relevant, and power to them. This is dope and I can imagine that once all the kinks get worked out they will have a big increase in sales, at least at the beginning. I do think they should focus more and more on the interactivity of it all. Custom experiences are what will keep people coming back, the idea that they can beat this game, or beat a record
Interesting. Well, first off, we can probably stop praising Six Flags *quite* so much, since Europa already did it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppGdvLElKpo
Second, while I can appreciate an exciting and innovative new piece of technology, I think we may be getting a little overexcited about the de-personalization of theme parks. When you think of a theme park- whether it's Disney, Universal, or even Six Flags-what do you think of? Rides, attractions, shows, snacks and...oh yeah, the people you actually GO with. Theme parks, along with theatre, are among the only things we have left that have not been totally invaded by technology that wants to separate us from the people we're meant to be spending time with. The act of going to Six Flags should be motivated by the day you get to spend with your friends, family, and loved ones. However, by allowing technology that places you in your own world into a world meant for togetherness, we toe a dangerous line. A member of Europa's top team spoke at the SATE conference in the fall semester, and explained that even they were worried about what they had created. This is why many people are working toward developing what is called augmented reality, where you are able to experience the virtual along with the people next to you. So in this case, you would still be battling aliens, but you could look to your right and see your younger brother enjoying the same thing. When we reach that level of innovation, I would be happy to celebrate the technological revolution with the rest of the commenters, but until then, I caution others to be wary of technology that distracts you from the reason you were having fun in the first place.
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