Public VR - List of UK arcades/venues p1 | Namco VR Zone opens at the O2 Arena

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Errkal
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PostRe: Public VR - List of UK arcades/venues p1
by Errkal » Sun Jul 02, 2017 4:44 pm

Lagamorph wrote:Are the Galactica headsets working at the moment? My brother was telling me they've been down the entire season so far this year.

They were optional anyway though weren't they?


Where working the two days I was there last month. Yeah they are optional thankfully.

NickSCFC

PostRe: Public VR - List of UK arcades/venues p1
by NickSCFC » Sun Jul 02, 2017 5:15 pm

Peter Crisp wrote:
NickSCFC wrote:I think The Void (which opened last night in New York) will be one of the most successful forms of public VR. Essentially you walk around a LazerQuest style 'maze' which combines a VR overlay with physical wall and objects.



Imagine actually running around in Doom while being chased by demons.


With the relatively small map sizes it has this tech could be used to recreate the multiplayer levels from The Last of Us which would be pretty great as the game itself is slow pace anyway.
The only hard part would be recreating the elevation changes of the levels and maybe the water at the bottom of the damn level.


The Void has ramps and steps built into the converted warehouse, it's not a problem.

NickSCFC

PostRe: Public VR - List of UK arcades/venues p1
by NickSCFC » Mon Sep 11, 2017 10:35 am

Namco VR Zone opens at O2 Arena, London

https://www.vrfocus.com/2017/08/the-vir ... ne-portal/

NickSCFC

PostRe: Public VR - List of UK arcades/venues p1 - Namco VR Zone opens in London
by NickSCFC » Tue Nov 21, 2017 3:42 pm

The Void Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire coming to London Westfield, 12th December

https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/20/166 ... id-ilmxlab


NickSCFC

PostRe: Public VR - List of UK arcades/venues p1 - Namco VR Zone opens in London
by NickSCFC » Mon Apr 30, 2018 10:48 am

Had a go at IMAX VR at the Trafford Centre on Saturday, we teamed up on a game where we were shooting waves of robots.

There was also a lot of screaming coming from space flight simulator next to us.

Unfortunately I didn't see any Starbreeze 5K VR which was disappointing.


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Lagamorph
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PostRe: Public VR - List of UK arcades/venues p1 | The Void - Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire comes to London Westfield Cen
by Lagamorph » Mon Apr 30, 2018 11:15 am

There's a Virtual Reality gaming arena opening up in Middlesbrough soon called "VR Star".

It follows on from the successful launch of the first centre in Bristol, which features realistic TRON bikes, two Gatling guns, and two racing cars.

“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.”


Think I'll give it a try when it opens.

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Zellery wrote:Good post Lagamorph.
Turboman wrote:Lagomorph..... Is ..... Right
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Roonmastor
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PostRe: Public VR - List of UK arcades/venues p1 - Namco VR Zone opens in London
by Roonmastor » Tue May 01, 2018 11:16 pm

NickSCFC wrote:The Void Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire coming to London Westfield, 12th December

https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/20/166 ... id-ilmxlab



I did this for my birthday in Jan. It was good until we got to the rifles and only 2 of the 4 worked. So I spent the rest of the experience watching my mates fight. Then we complained and went round again. Although we perhaps had more fun doing high fives and rock-paper-scissors in VR than the Star Wars bits.

And laughing when my 5ft7 friend spawned in between two 6ft+ people, all dressed as stormtroopers.

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abcd
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PostRe: Public VR - List of UK arcades/venues p1 | The Void - Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire comes to London Westfield Cen
by abcd » Wed May 02, 2018 10:30 am

Yes, it's very funny.

I the the Star Wars void last week and it was hilarious. My friend picked up two guns and was dual wielding.

It's very odd seeing your fingers and hands mapped out, but a very nice touch.

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NickSCFC

PostRe: Public VR - List of UK arcades/venues p1 | The Void - Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire comes to London Westfield Cen
by NickSCFC » Tue May 08, 2018 2:19 pm

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... ent-arcade

The rise of the gaming console has left its mark on living rooms and bedrooms around Britain – but it has also hit the high street. There were around 1,000 amusement arcades in the UK in the 1980s, but that number had halved by 2011, according to the amusements industry trade body, Bacta.

Now, the next generation of gaming – virtual reality – is once again making the arcade the prime venue for playing cutting-edge games.

Back at the inception of gaming, fans went to video-game arcades. Japanese coin-operated games like Out Run and Street Fighter managed to draw in players once Pac-Man and Donkey Kong fell away, but they could not beat increasingly impressive home consoles such as Sony’s PlayStation, which came along in the mid-90s, and Microsoft’s Xbox at the turn of the century.

Seaside arcades have clung on as “family entertainment centres” or “mixed entertainment facilities”, full of games aimed at small children alongside rides and attractions.

However, VR Star in Bristol is one of several hundred virtual reality arcades around the UK that are persuading gamers to quit their homes for the high street. They mirror a global trend for dedicated “VRcades” springing up in the US, Japan, South Korea and China. With 380 such dedicated venues now operating around the world, could VR offer the arcade a route back in the shape of so-called “destination gaming”?

While it’s possible to buy budget technology, good quality VR is expensive. HTC’s Vive headset is available for around £599 in the UK, but to function effectively it requires a computer with serious processing power and a high quality graphics card, raising the bar to thousands of pounds. Even then you’re not tapping the full potential of VR gaming.

The driving simulators and shoot-em-ups in VR Star Bristol are further brought to life with motion sensors and high-quality sound, taking the experience to another level. The 360-degree visuals and depth of field take on another dimension when paired with hydraulics and tilting floors. LA-based Dreamscape Immersive’s Alien Zoo experience even uses wind machines to add to the sensation of movement.

“To get the full experience, VR needs what we call SiSoMo: sight, sound and motion,” says Martin Higginson, the executive chairman of British developer Immotion, which owns VR Star. “If you want a truly immersive experience you need high-end components, and for that reason VR will be an out-of-home experience for some years. I’ve spent most of my life in digital media and it is the most exciting thing yet.”

Situated in a modest space in Cabot Circus shopping centre, VR Star was launched to test the waters in mid-December. By the beginning of March, it had admitted 4,000 customers, paying £30 an hour.

The enthusiastic response has encouraged the company to open four more venues in Swindon, Cardiff, Manchester and Leeds. A total of 60 VR Stars are planned around the country, along with units in existing arcades and custom-made rides for brands such as Legoland. Just before Christmas, Immotion announced a £1.3m investment to launch its platforms in Europe and the US.

The units in VR Star play games from a Chinese developer but Immotion intends to run its own titles following last year’s acquisition of Studio Liddell, a Manchester-based animation producer.

“What you see and experience currently is like the early days of computer gaming,” says Higginson. “It’s going to improve rapidly. Those games are 2K [screen resolution] but very soon we will be running 4K with faster processing and better rendering. We will take you on Jurassic rides or helicopter you over the Serengeti and it will blow you away.”

Experts say VR has come at the right time for the arcade business. “Arcades have always had lifecycles reflecting changing innovation,” says Devi Kolli, the head of VR equipment firm AiSolve. “They can’t survive the way they are without reinventing themselves with cutting-edge technology, and we are part of that. The response to VR so far suggests the market is hungry for good products.”

If they are prepared to invest in the new generation of VR, existing arcades could enjoy a return to prominence as gaming destinations, though they will have to compete with dedicated spaces like VR Star.

Jeremy Dalton, a VR consultant at PwC, is more positive. He says the complexity of setting up VR experiences offers an ideal chance for arcades. “The set-up issues with VR provides a perfect opportunity for third parties ... and that’s gaming arcades. You just hand over your money and enjoy the ride.”

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Preezy
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PostRe: Public VR - List of UK arcades/venues p1 | The Void - Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire comes to London Westfield Cen
by Preezy » Tue May 08, 2018 4:49 pm

NickSCFC wrote:
They mirror a global trend for dedicated “VRcades” springing up in the US, Japan, South Korea and China.

Dangerously close to infringing on our glorious utopia's name :x

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PostRe: Public VR - List of UK arcades/venues p1 | The Void - Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire comes to London Westfield Cen
by jawafour » Tue May 08, 2018 4:51 pm

Preezy wrote:Dangerously close to infringing on our glorious utopia's name :x

Is GRcade gonna switch to be a virtual reality thing? Gecko and Karl in VR :datass: .

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PostRe: Public VR - List of UK arcades/venues p1 | The Void - Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire comes to London Westfield Cen
by Preezy » Tue May 08, 2018 4:59 pm

jawafour wrote:
Preezy wrote:Dangerously close to infringing on our glorious utopia's name :x

Is GRcade gonna switch to be a virtual reality thing? Gecko and Karl in VR :datass: .

I await the first perma-banning for VR goatse :dread:

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PostRe: Public VR - List of UK arcades/venues p1 | The Void - Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire comes to London Westfield Cen
by That » Wed May 09, 2018 4:33 pm

jawafour wrote:
Preezy wrote:Dangerously close to infringing on our glorious utopia's name :x

Is GRcade gonna switch to be a virtual reality thing? Gecko and Karl in VR :datass: .

We can get on VRchat if you want Jawa. :P

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