While quickly proliferating virtual reality gadgets may be just another reason why kids won’t go out and play, this amusement park is turning the tables and making you go out to, well, experience virtual reality.
Drew Baker of Theme Park Review (TPR) was rather lukewarm about test riding the Dare Devil Dive VR-enhanced roller coaster at the Six Flags Over Georgia theme park on March 10.
“I had very low expectations for the VR,” he said in his review on the TPR website. “But I was BLOWN AWAY!!”
While the imagery appears rather underwhelming compared to today’s video games, Baker emphasized the actual experience was impressive.
“[T]here is so much to look at and you see more stuff the more times you ride. After the drop its just total chaos induced by alien robots and planes which is awesome!!!” he wrote. “This truly knocked my socks off. You feel like you have traveled across an entire city when you have really only traversed the relatively small coaster.”
Baker was told the headsets, Samsung Gear VR, will get cleaned after each ride. Before the ride, each guest will be asked whether he or she wants to use the VR and those who do will be taken to a “staging area” where they'll get the gear along with instructions on how to use it.
“In the end this is a super cool way to ride a coaster, but I do think that there is a specific spot for this in the industry,” Baker wrote. “I don’t think it will take over all coasters, but will enhance the experience of many.”
