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Virtual reality has a lot
of obstacles to overcome and one of the main ones is simply getting players
into a VR headset. Key to the industry’s growth is democratization and
increased accessibility but an underrated aspect of this is location-based VR
like Nomadic’s Arizona Sunshine: Contagion Z experience.
Video games are such a widespread and popular form of
entertainment, we don’t often think about the places were people who don’t own
game consoles and PCs get a chance to play. With the often-high price of access
for virtual reality gaming, these avenues have gained importance. I spoke with
Doug Griffin, head of Nomadic, about the impact of location-based content, the
different forms it comes in, and the challenges facing the industry.
Griffin said there are three types of location-based virtual
reality: arcade, free roam and premium. When it comes to arcade VR experiences,
the simplest to understand, Griffin believes the biggest challenge is related
to the growth of the VR games that players can achieve in their homes.
“As the consumer market takes off, I think that there won’t be
enough differentiation between the types of products that VR arcades [have]
versus what is offered at home," Griffin said. gta vice city download "I’m concerned about
how those businesses continue to compete with the home market when that takes
off.”
“Taking off” would mean VR has become a mass consumed product
similar to home gaming consoles, thus challenging arcades to make the price of
access worthwhile. Non-VR gaming has already achieved this and arcades remain
relevant in some ways. The path to evolution for VR arcades may lie with the
other two location-based formats: free roam and premium.
“The challenge from the business perspective [for free roam VR]
is there’s a limited number of customers that can occupy that space at any
given time," Griffin explained. That means a relatively low throughput
and, if you think about location-based entertainment as being a Friday,
Saturday, Sunday business, you need to be able to accommodate customers when
you have them.”
An established example of free roam VR is Zero
Latency. The company has 30 venues across 18 countries and offers six
different games including team-based shooter Sol Raiders and VR puzzle game Engineerium. Freeroam’s
biggest opportunity is something premium location-based VR encounters as well
but Griffin points out an even bigger obstacle for those hoping to invest in
experiences like Dreamscape, The Void, and Nomadic.
Nomadic delivers the third type of location-based VR, premium,
in Orlando, Florida. Free-roam gives you large, open spaces to explore in VR
but premium experiences enhance that with real physical interactions like doors
that you actually open, motion platforms, buttons you press, and more. This
makes it more difficult to switch up the different games visitors can try but
gives them a more immersive experience.
“The biggest challenges are the capital expenditures to startup
these locations," he said. "We all tend to put a lot of time and
effort into ensuring that the customer journey starts at the door, not when you
put the VR headset on. So, we all do nice, high-quality build-outs of the
lobby, [which creates] a good on-boarding experience for consumers to come through.
All that costs money. When you’re thinking about creating a new medium of
entertainment and bringing it to the market at the same time, it’s a
challenge.”
Beyond being an avenue where arcade VR could evolve, how
important is premium location-based VR to the growth of the overall VR
industry?
“I think it’s incredibly important. People are looking for
differentiated, exciting experiences on their night out, on birthday parties,
and corporate events," Griffin responded. "People want to get
together. People want to physically engage with one another and do something
really unique. By creating these fantastic worlds, the most immersive
experiences on the planet, I think we deliver something that they can’t get
elsewhere. Being able to continually upgrade and update that experience, I
think, is important in a time and age [where] people are offered an unlimited
amount of entertainment at their fingertips. If you’re not able to deliver
something high-quality I don’t think you’ll be able to stick around over the
next few decades.”
Walk into the Linq on strip these days, and you might not
immediately realize you just stepped into a casino. Instead, you’ll stumble
across a series of living-room-like lounge setups, complete with leather
couches, big-screen TVs, Xbox Ones and Oculus Go VR headsets. There’s also a
bar with a massive wrap-around touch screen for casual social games, an
augmented reality game of Rock Paper Scissors, and an esports lounge.
