announcement date 8/18/15

The Browns suck, who cares?

On the earnings call today, Matt mentioned they were testing a VR experience for one of Cedar Fair's existing rides in the coming months.

Could it be something like this? Here are some riders wearing the Oculus Rift headset on a roller coaster.

I saw something about Huss testing their version of VR. Here's the link: http://www.hussrides.com/news/news.html

If you scroll to the bottom of the page, there seems to be a pirate ship on a body of water in a storm kind of scene. Very similar to the background of the announcement date.

Well that certainly would make Ocean Motion much more popular.

And since the page for this new "VR app" (which can still be viewed here, by the way) says learn more on the 18th, perhaps this will be tied in as an extra announcement in addition to the ride?

Here's the earnings call: http://edge.media-server.com/m/p/zd3y3joq . Scroll to 19:47. Sounds like an on-ride experience.

! said:

CoasterCam said:

I'm getting tired of people saying that we don't know what a Valravn is when googleing it paints a fairly clear image.

I didn't know googling something made you an expert on it.

*shrug*

Without an announcement, we know nothing. It's easy to buy into the hype of the park's teases and other information, but that's at best an educated guess.

Knowledge comes from concrete, verifiable information. You'll get that on August 18th, it seems. Until then, you really do know nothing.

I had better luck listening to the earnings call here:

http://seekingalpha.com/article/3391925-cedar-fair-l-p-fun-q2-2015-...ll-webcast

Here is the relevant quote from Mr. Ouimet.

This fall we will test a virtual reality application on an existing coaster. I repeat, this is only a test. But it starts to give you a flavor for the opportunities that could happen over time where we could create a compelling and re-programmable experience with less capital. We expect to be in a position shortly to announce other projects of this nature.

So, which coaster will it be?

They want to test it on a coaster? They don't like loose articles on rides and I can only see lots of lost phones happening from this. My guess would be Iron Dragon

Obviously they would make it not be considered a loose article.. Strap it to your head similar to a pair of eyeglasses, mayhaps?

But cardboard isn't as durable as a pair of glasses. It all depends on how well everyone put their cardboard headsets together and some may be using lower quality cardboard. It's possible they will require you to use cardboard handed out at the entrance, but the user supplies their own phones. Now that I think about it, that sounds more plausible.

They never said that Cardboard would be used on rides, just some type of VR.

Just because Google Cardboard is designed around using actual cardboard doesn't mean that it's the only material you can use.

Let's not jump to conclusions on how they'll implement this. They've surely thought it through.

I'm thinking they will sell headsets for the users to put their phones into. I think that could generate a good amount of money. Lots of people will fall for gimmicks. I've fallen for lots of gaming related gimmicks. The VR fad is beginning to take off, so why not try to cash in on it.

With the vastly different size, shapes of phones out there, along with connectivity issues, that sounds improbable.

If wearing the VR is similar to a pair of glasses and not considered a loose article, then why wouldn't they allow GoPros that strap to your head or chest?

They also said they were testing it out, not that they were testing it with guests. If it's secured by the park, then it's allowed. They just don't want to get into allowing guests to bring GoPro devices. Just use the park's videos; they're awesome.

And honestly, it's open to interpretation whether Matt Ouimet actually meant that anyone would experience VR while riding a ride vs. releasing video from an existing ride.

"Seams a bit daft using VR on a ride when you are on the ride"

Guard one tells guard two.

Inviting guests to use their phones while on a coaster would be a complete reversal of the existing ride policy. I wouldn't expect that to happen. Instead, it seems more likely that the park has shot 360 degree footage of some rides and will be releasing it via a new app (and maybe YouTube eventually).

Mr. Ouimet's comments seem to indicate something separate. I would think the park would supply headsets for any on-ride experience. If he hadn't said "coaster" specifically, I would have guessed something like Ocean Motion, similar to the videos seen elsewhere online.

Edit: This also seems like something to consider.

http://www.vrcoaster.com/index.php

"all will become clear for 2016". Thinking that may also be hinting at the removal of Cedars. All that land gets cleared and the road wraps closer to the marina. Cedars could come down quickly while footers go in. I think the rumors of Cedars removal may be spot on.

Seriously, I would expect that the project is for people who for whatever reason cannot ride coasters or flat rides. This would provide them with a means to experience a ride in a different environmentmore suitable to their needs or limitations.