Amusement park giant Six Flags has teamed up with Samsung to offer roller coaster rides augmented by Virtual Reality (VR).
After teaming up with Samsung, amusement park franchise Six Flags Entertainment Corporation will soon add VR technology to a selection of its roller coasters . All the thrill seekers will be given Samsung Gear VR headsets, but the experience will be in addition to the actual roller coaster. Essentially, using the VR headset, roller coaster riders should have a next level of engagement with the rides.
Currently, there are about nine roller coasters that will feature the Samsung VR headset, reports CNBC . Riders wearing the headgear should feel the heart-pumping adrenaline of steep drops, inverted loops and powerful twists and turns as gyros, accelerometers and proximity sensors synchronize all of the action in an incredibly realistic 360-degree virtual reality world, reports Canada Journal . The VR should extend the ride into a surreal, fully immersive virtual riding experience, says John Duffey, Six Flags President and CEO.
“This remarkable technology is a definite game-changer for theme park rides and represents everything our brand stands for—delivering the most thrilling and innovative rides and attractions in the world. With the addition of these virtual reality coasters, Six Flags will be introducing more than double the number of new coasters and rides than we did in 2015, and more than any year in the last decade. Innovation is part of our DNA, and news in every park every year is driving higher guest satisfaction and building strong momentum for our company.”
Six Flags has announced plans to open “North America’s first virtual reality roller coasters” later this year. According to Gamezone , Six Flags will combine its existing thrill ride repertoire with Samsung’s Oculus-powered Gear VR headset to create realistic VR experiences which leverage the power and speed of roller coasters.
I’m impressed that the #SixFlags virtual reality coasters announcement wasn’t previously leaked. pic.twitter.com/FrigA9dUda
— ? Jeff DePaoli ? (@JeffDePaoli) March 3, 2016
The technology is expected to make its debut at nine parks this year. However, six of these parks will adopt an alien flight sim dubbed New Revolution, as noted in the announcement.
“On the six New Revolution virtual reality coasters, you will be transported to a futuristic battle to save planet earth from an alien invasion. Co-pilot your own fighter jet as you strap in for air-to-air combat. As your virtual plane ascends out of a secret bunker, test fire your weapon using the world’s first-ever interactive gameplay technology on a roller coaster. Then race through the city where you’ll battle drones to reach and destroy a mother ship.”
The remaining three will extend the “Superman the Ride” with virtual reality-aided thrills, notes Sam Rhodes, corporate director of design for Six Flags,
“This will be the first opportunity that people will have to virtually fly with Superman.”
Roller coaster riders won’t just have the motion simulation of flying through air, but they will have an extended ride which normally features a stomach-churning 221-foot drop, tight turns loaded with bone-crushing G-forces, and floating heavenward from multiple bouts of zero-G airtime, reports 10News . However, with the added benefit of VR headsets, riders should get a feel of actually flying with Superman.
Interestingly, the VR headsets won’t just offer an immersive visual experience. Six Flags confirmed Samsung’s headgear comes with controllers that riders will be able to use, video game-style, to fire virtual guns. Incidentally, the guns will be operational only during the ascent.
Virtual reality coming to a Six Flags roller coaster near you #SixFlags https://t.co/1HwMUKWk3S pic.twitter.com/9zAirhpoeQ
— Screener (@screenertv) March 4, 2016
Statistically, roller coasters mandate riders spend about 40 percent of their time sitting idle, as the cars make the climb up a gradient, before they are plummeted. While these slower parts of the rides do help in building up the anticipation, it has been observed these sections are the “least engaging.” By allowing Six Flag patrons to play an immersive role-playing game, the climb, too, will become an essential part of the entire experience that riders actually look forward to.
Samsung and Six Flags team up for virtual reality roller coasters https://t.co/bucuiUvsHM pic.twitter.com/cRXzapnoa9
— Engadget (@engadget) March 3, 2016
Needless to add, while the VR may offer an immersive 3D view of an alternate reality, it will be synced to the ride as well as the riders’ movements. Peculiarly, Samsung’s VR headgear may not have audio. Instead, Six Flags plans to mount external speakers at strategic locations around the coasters.
The VR experience will not only remain completely optional, promised Six Flags, the company won’t charge for the additional experience.
[Photo by Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images]
