Virtual reality ‘NZ first’ to open at arcade
SOME of the world’s most futuristic technology is coming to New Zealand, but not where you might think.
In the back corner of Wanaka’s Spencer House Mall, the finishing touches are being applied to a fullmotion virtual reality adventure arcade, believed to be the first of its kind in the country.
Realm is the idea of Wanaka IT professionals Chris Popperwell and Devon Sansbury and has been five years in the making.
Mr Popperwell said the ‘‘cutting edge’’ technology, imported from China, would appeal to a range of users.
‘‘People can experience whatever they can or can’t do in reality. You can go for a stroll along a lake or through a foreign city. You can play football against the greats, you can take part in a capturetheflag deathmatch with your friends.
‘‘We wanted to keep in line with Wanaka’s fitness and health theme of everything being so active. This equipment is exactly that. It’s not stationary at all. It’s all about motion, it’s all about being involved in the actual experience.
‘‘It will offer people the opportunity to experience things they may not be able to do, like walking up mountains or visiting foreign cities.’’
Such experiences could even include walking up nearby Roys Peak, ‘‘but without the knee pain’’, Mr Popperwell said.
‘‘It’s all real footage that you would see on Google Maps. It’s trying to provide something as real as possible.’’