29 Aug 2014
Free-to-use virtual reality gaming museum launches on Oculus Rift
BY Tom Anstey
A museum dedicated to video games has been made available in a fully immersive virtual world using the Oculus Rift headset technology.
Initially released in beta format in June by indie game developer Thiago Alcantara, Museum of Games pays tribute to a large array of videogames and videogame characters, allowing users to tour a large viewing gallery featuring framed posters of classic game covers and a range of character models from said games.
The software is free to download from the Oculus VR forums and is compatible with the Oculus VR headset. The free-to-use museum features hundreds of classic and popular video game franchises including Sonic the Hedgehog, Half-Life, Mario, Mortal Kombat and Tomb Raider to name a few.
An upgraded sequel of the first version of the game has now launched based around the same concept, but this time including support for the second development kit (DK2) of the Oculus Rift, allowing players to inspect exhibits using positional tracking.
The VR museum also features 76 new character models in a new “wing” of the museum, also showcasing weapons and accessories across three different new areas, with new models featuring franchises such as Resident Evil, Duke Nukem and Rayman.
Following the March purchase of Oculus Rift by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Attractions Management looked at what implications this could have for the attractions industry, with Zuckerberg predicting augmented reality will become part of everyday life in the near future.
Attractions Management also looked at three virtual museum concepts shared at the recent MuseumNext conference, illustrating how technology can change the very concept of what a museum could and should be.
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