What They Say
CNet reported that Dreamscape, which specialises in location-based VR, has opened a new location at the Westfield Garden State Plaza AMC in New Jersey. The blog checked it out. The location has three unrelated experiences:
- Alien Zoo, a collaboration with the International Wildlife Fund
- Curse of the Lost Pearl
- Dreamworks Dragons: Flight Academy
The VR hardware is based on HP-based backpacks and headsets. The location adds physical experiences to the virtual ones –
“When there’s a handrail on your capsule in VR, you can reach out and grab that railing in real life. If a giant alien leans its head down to be petted, when you reach out you will feel a leathery head to pat and scratch. And yes, if your dragon flies through some water you will probably get a little wet.”
CNet was particularly keen on this aspect and sees a good future for the ‘curated’ experience.
The experiences cost from $20 to $24
What We Think
Covid really has dramatically impacted LBE. Especially in the earlier years, this kind of facility is likely to be significant in getting people to try VR. If cinemas are looking to tempt people out of their homes again (and overcoming HOGO or the ‘Hassle Of Going Out’), good VR experiences may be a real opportunity. Content and experience (including the physical elements) development is quite a challenge and expensive, I think, so really good experiences need to be rolled over multiple locations. Theme parks amortise their content development over time, typically, rather than a lot of locations, but VR looks like a better option with numbers of locations. (BR)
