13 May 2015
The Void offers next-gen virtual reality gaming experience
BY Tom Anstey
A multi-million dollar visitor attraction coming in 2016 looks set to change the face of virtual reality, offering a first-of-its-kind, next-gen, immersive gaming experience.
Incorporating VR technology, motion simulators and real-world environments, The Vision Of Infinite Dimensions (Void) will allow visitors to fight dragons, explore enchanted forests, engage in space battles, explore haunted castles and much more.
Powered by the Unity engine – the world’s most popular game development software – The Void will use custom optics, head-tracking sensors, microphones for communication and 3D sound to provide an immersive experience. Custom-designed Rapture headset, vest and gloves will provide haptic feedback to users, allowing interaction with the virtual world around them.
While in The Void, guests will enter seven different 60sq ft (5.6 sq m) gaming pods that can be configured in an unlimited number of ways to create an experience in-line with the chosen game. In these game pods, real and haptic environments will be employed, including elevation changes, touching structures and objects, vibrations, air pressure changes, temperature changes and simulated smells. The pods create the ability for users to explore miles and miles of terrain or ascend incredibly tall structures without ever leaving the gaming pods.
The experience will also include two-person capacity simulators able to perform 360º motion of three axis rotations. Utilising the Rapture headset, the simulators will be able to offer total immersion for experiences including aircraft dogfights, ground transport, mech battles, submersible exploration and more.
“There isn’t any way to be able to go out and create the full potential of virtual reality in the home market,” said entrepreneur Ken Bretschneider, creator of The Void. “It became really apparent to me that we needed to build a facility where people could come to and not have to worry about hooking up virtual reality, making it work and trying to run around inside their house.”
Bretschneider has so far invested US$13m (€11.5m, £8.3m) into the project and development of the VR technology. The Virtual Entertainment Centres, according to The Void’s website, will first debut in Pleasant Grove, Utah in Q3 2016, with further centres opening in “major cities throughout North and South America, Asia, Europe and Australia.”
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