Wall Street tried Six Flags' virtual reality enhanced roller coaster and were blown away
Marlene Breverman stashed this in Rides Recycled
Stashed in: Awesome, Virtual Reality!, Samsung, Virtual Reality, Roller coaster!
The analysts at Oppenheimer recently visited a Six Flags (SIX) and tried that out. And they were sold. From Oppenheimer:
"SFOG introduced a Virtual Reality offering to its Dare Devil Dive roller coaster. Just ~10 days into its launch, we were impressed by its execution, thrill, cleanliness and speed. While we demo'ed a futuristic fighter game, the software can be reconfigured to include themes such as Superman vs. Luthor for its Superman ride or Santa's sled during Holiday in the Park.
"Returns on VR could be substantial. Cost is limited to mostly software development, as the headsets are easily sourced and paid in part by Samsung and Oculus (FB). In turn, VR transforms a relatively older ride into a new attraction, extends its useful life and delays the need for a brand-new, expensive ride."
So it's not actually a roller coaster? It just feels like one?
Adam, I think it's the opposite — people are riding actual roller coasters while wearing VR headsets to 'feel' like they're someplace else. "For amusement parks, it's certainly much cheaper to upload some new software rather than tear down and rebuild a new ride."
Of 17 Comments, this one got the most thumbs up – 8, and with no thumps down: "The whole world is turning into one big fake!" (Roller coaster aficionados were not pleased.)
Thanks for clarifying that Marlene. I bet it feels very strange. But good to hear mostly thumbs up!
10:20 AM Apr 06 2016