I've tried three VR coaster options this year - Mount Mara at Bobbejaanland, and Pegasus and Alpenexpress at Europa Park. Mount Mara was just kind of OK, though that ride is all indoors and dark anyway so it's an improvement on the normal ride experience somewhat.

The two at Europa were both excellent, and used the technology well. The VR on Alpenexpress even included a realistic-feeling inversion, not bad for a powered coaster! All three used the Samsung Gear headset, and all of them had a stutter at points where the device was having trouble keep up with the speed of the ride. So that makes me wonder how effective the current VR tech is going to be on a much faster ride like AA.

I'll try it at least once, in any case. Hopefully the park figure out a way to do this without making dispatch times (even) worse.

edit - do we know if MW are planning to charge for this? The ones at Europa were a nominal fee (2 euro), presumably due to the limited capacity.

Edited July 21, 20169 yr by aaronm

It wouldn't be the first time groundwork and other prep is started before the park makes the announcement - GL was a perfect example of that.

Cedar point has hair launched theirs on iron Dragon and they have a built in GOS the registers Tor location in the station to determin which cart your in and how far away from the front of the car you are. 

With the release of Arkham VR in October or so, this is perfectly timed. In terms of story, i think they'll keep it with the shock therapy tag. Also give them a chance to fix the speakers. The only feet dangling thing i can think of though, would be Wyns description or being attached to the bottom of the batwing or something. Otherwise there's the option that every motion simulator ride uses: being consistently thrown around from place to place to convey a story. 

 

In thinking with the last one, the story coming to mind would be, you're strapped into an electric chair, Joker pulls a lever (kronk) and you get hijacked by ivy or something, she drops you, you fall into a sewer and meet killer croc.etc.

But having just watched a POV, the rides movements do better suit the batwing.

1 hour ago, skeetafly said:

@reanimated35 I know how to use google.  I'm sure somebody on here has experienced VR

 

I'm sure you do, but there's one video in particular that shows a vr coaster that utilises parts of track in the video. I was simply answering you saying that "might be included in a sense like it was at one of the parks overseas"

3 hours ago, Tim Dasco said:

The thing is was this the big announcement they said they were going to make. Not the Roller Coaster announcement. 

Quote

Mr Yong said more “big new announcements” were still to come.

“I have never been in a situation where we are working on so many different things at once,” he said.

Source: http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/entertainment/movie-worldto-build-gold-coasts-newest-attraction--a-virtual-reality-roller-coaster/news-story/582111bb19fe04b6e0ff1cab18833e79

So looks like the roller coaster announcement is still a possibility.

Edited July 21, 20169 yr by Santa07

AA is rough enough as it is without having a damn headset strapped to your head! no way will i be using it.

If you think AA is rough, you should go ride one of the older SLCs with the traditional restraints still on it...

Really cool news! I'll be interested if they can pull this off. I wonder if they are working with Mack media/VR Coaster (both owned by Mack Rides) to produce the VR media, and overall experience. Enthusiasts (@aaronm's comment above) rave about the VR experiences they have created for the coasters at Europa Park.

I hope they organise the queue line into 3 lanes: Front Row (no VR), VR Queue, Normal Queue. That way you can still choose to ride without the VR. Also, if they run an alternating dispatch cycle (e.g. VR Train, Normal, VR Train, ect.) it gives the ride ops a whole ride cycle of time to help a whole train of passengers to adjust the VR headset straps and make sure everything is working. So that when the train parks, the VR passengers load, put on the headsets and go. Doing it this way may help the capacity problem that is inevitable with these VR headset experiences.

 

26 minutes ago, bladex said:

AA is rough enough as it is without having a damn headset strapped to your head! no way will i be using it.

Not even once?

Edited July 21, 20169 yr by Luke

So they're going to fit the headsets before boarding, and then have to remove them again to see where they're going?

@AlexB I'm pretty sure the camera can be used on the phone to see where they are going. It won't be perfect, but apparently it can be done. The idea of putting it on before boarding may be necessary if the strap system is a bunch of fiddly adjustable buckles, plus adjusting the focus of the VR headset. It would be ideal to get that all setup before boarding. Then when it's your time to ride, you sit down, quickly put on the headset and then lower your harness.

So of the VR coasters I've tried, Bobbejaanland handed you the headsets once you were seated in the car, and Europa just gave them to you near the front of the queue. I preferred the Europa approach as it allowed me to adjust the headset while I was waiting for the ride, and didn't impact their dispatch times.

It really should take 20 seconds or less to adjust a couple of velcro straps and make the thing fit your head. Though given some park guests' inability to even get themselves into a seat and do up the seatbelt properly, this could be a challenge too far for some.

Just read the press release and I'm a little saddened to see this. 

I'll try it at least once though but price will be a deciding factor in re-ridability.

 Virtual Reality experience at Movie World will be powered by VR technology and will revolutionise the traditional rollercoaster experience. The Virtual Reality experience will be a pay-for-play experience

 

 

Ehhh...upcharge.

wasnt really expecting that. 

VR isn't super "YAY" for me, so it will entirely cost dependant to if I give it a go or not..

 

I'm thinking if its over $5 it will be a no from me. Hopefully it's only a couple of dollars.

They charge $5 for a water, I don't think it will be a gold coin job..

2 hours ago, Luke said:

@aaronm

 

 

Not even once?

i nearly get a headache alone from AA i don't need another one caused by VR PLUS your not allowed to wear your glasses while on the ride so i won't see it anyway!

Edited July 21, 20169 yr by bladex

Wow... Very disappointing that it's an up charge.

Feels like I just opened my Christmas present as a kid and got clothes.  It would want to cheap because I took @reanimated35 advice and put it into google.  I would think these days you would get better graphics.

Edited July 21, 20169 yr by skeetafly

Agree that $5 is probably the maximum, though "good value" is probably closer to $3. I'm not surprised that it's an upcharge, as otherwise it would be a capacity nightmare. On Alpenexpressen they had six rows dedicated to VR, with the rest of the coaster remaining open to regular guests. I'm guessing Movie World will do something similar.

3 hours ago, bladex said:

AA is rough enough as it is without having a damn headset strapped to your head! no way will i be using it.

It's actually not too bad since they pulled the train apart and put it back together again during this year's maintenance. I rode it on the morning it reopened and it was a lot smoother ride than what it has been prior ☺️?

Not a big fan of this announcement to be honest.  Its too gimmicky for mine, and I am a little cynical regarding the up charge element.  Of course we wil have to wait and see, but soemhow I dont think that this will be a great success. My opinion, of course. 

53 minutes ago, bladex said:

i nearly get a headache alone from AA i don't need another one caused by VR PLUS your not allowed to wear your glasses while on the ride so i won't see it anyway!

If it's synced well, you have more chance of not getting sick.  Recommend going to your nearest Samsung store and having a look at the Gear VR display to try VR first. You too @Jobe.

Also, unless you have vision like Velma Dinkley, then you wont need your glasses cause there's and adjustment dial.

 

I take my Viewmaster everywhere with me (lives in my "work" bag) and of the people i've shown it too, i've converted everyone i've shown it too that thought it was just a gimmick. Downloading cardboard camera is a fantastic conversion tool to make people believe in VR. If i have not just a good shot lined up, but also want something i can show others to make it feel like they're there, i use that.

So it's clearly not going to only be $3...

..so what's everyone's thoughts on the upcharge cost/arrangement. 

$5, $10, $15? Discount for VIP/unlimited members?

where do you pay? How do you prove payment, and is it a pay per day (ride as many times as you like) or pay per ride? 

There could be both pay per play, and a pay per day options. Perhaps $10 for 1 ride, or $15 for an unlimited, all-day option?

Because Arkham has loose item boxes, they could pay for the VR in the queue; i think there's enough room in there to put a small maned shop. Or Just outside the ride, or at the main photobooth near the MW entrance.

Payment would be easily proven with a ticket, or a wristband.

Edited July 21, 20169 yr by Luke