As more consumers adopt and accept virtual reality, regionally focused theme parks and attractions have started to include it in their layouts.
Just two years ago, Talon Simulations had little to sell itself beyond an early prototype of its virtual-reality based roller coaster and auto racing simulator.
As more consumers adopt and accept virtual reality, regionally focused theme parks and attractions have started to include VR in their layouts. And that’s keeping the Orlando-based company busy, as well as its competitors.
“The entertainment industry appears to be adapting virtual reality faster than any other industry,” CEO Brandon Naids said. “This is a great way to test the market and give people an easy entry into the experience.”
SeaWorld plans to add another virtual reality-based ride at its Virginia park, after adding the technology to its Orlando roller coaster that’s been renamed Kraken Unleashed.
“I call it the Wild West,” said Brian Morrow, vice president for theme park experience for SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. “It’s the grand experiment of VR in theme parks. Everyone is adopting it, everyone’s experimenting with it.”
Legoland Florida Resort in Winter Haven has adapted an already-existing roller coaster into a VR experience by giving riders headsets that synchronize a virtual world with the ride’s twists and turns. Disney and Universal have also started to incorporate elements of VR into their attractions.The changes are a small effort to compete, said Josh Jacques, a sales rep with CXC Simulations.
“They have to adapt because virtual reality is just such a disruptive technology,” said Jacques, whose company installed the multi-player VR racing game at the Andretti park. “People are drawn into it, and it’s getting to the point where you have to have it.”
For regional theme park owners, the ability to offer multiple experiences through one virtualreality display has them confident they can grow repeat customers.
Walt Disney World or Universal Studios “can keep the same content because every three-anda-half days, you have a plane land that’s full of people coming to the parks for the first time,” said Christian Martin, VP of marketing for Montreal-based Triotech, which has installed VR-based attractions on I-Drive, at Florida Mall and at the new Andretti Indoor Karting & Games in Orlando. “Regional parks, though, you need something new and the digital world has become a great solution.”
Other theme parks allow customers to walk around and interact with an artificial environment in a virtual world built by programmers. Kennedy Space