VR coming to CP?

http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-trb-vr-coaster-canadas-...story.html

Just imagine the loading and dispatch delays this would cause. It would be a nightmare imo.

Maybe it's because I'm one million and two years old, but I just do not get the appeal of being strapped into a roller coaster, then having a device strapped to my face to show me a different experience than the coaster.

Amusement Dark I get, including the ability to change out the ride experience by the push of a few buttons.

For me, the reason I ride roller coasters is the physical experience of the ride. Millennium Force doesn't need a seasonal overlay.

I don't know about this... I'm a purist in that I would prefer to actually see where I am going while I ride. are they planning on making these headsets for rent or something? I wouldn't want to wear something that god knows who had tightly strapped to their head prior to me. Let alone having something tightly strapped around my head and under my chin doesn't sound comfortable to me. And since its something with decent weight that can come off mid-ride the ride operators would likely have to check and double check each strap, adding a few more seconds to dispatch times. For me at least, having a virtual launch into space doesn't compare to a real launch 420 feet above the ground.

I can't imagine the sweat and general gross the straps will collect on a hot July summer day. I already get skeezed out by the over the shoulder restraints on days like that. I would have to think twice about trying this out. Cool concept, though. It can change any ride into a completely different experience with the push of a button.

They would need to wipe down the goggles with alcohol swabs between uses, at least I hope they would do that.

I'm germaphobic, and that would be one of my concerns. But I can see this negatively impacting interval. I would try it, it's a cool idea but not when it comes at the expense of operations efficiency.

http://screamscape.com/html/europa-park.htm

'Simpsons did it!'
Well... Europa Park already is doing this.

I see that the park is owned by the Mack Rides company which is pushing this tech.

I think it could be cool on Iron Dragon. That's the only coaster I would even care to try it on. I don't have a problem with the ride as is, but it would bring a neat new element to a coaster that most enthusiasts see as meh. Also, it would appeal to middle thrill riders such as kids.

I agree I would absolutely NOT want to wear something that has been worn by everyone else who had ridden before me. That would be worse than lab goggles in chemistry class.

I think vr is a cool idea on it's own, but I don't see the appeal of using it on a roller coaster.

Well the very idea makes me skittish. But...
This WILL happen. Maybe later than sooner but it will. Remember the idea of carrying your phone with you everywhere you go? Preposterous in the 80s. Yet now we all have them. Hell my parents have cell phones.

This idea is disconcerting to me, I'll admit. But could this be rolled out on a widespread basis in relative short order? Possibly. And guess what? We'll probably like it more than we believe.

But then again, we were supposed to have flying cars by now.

I see the reason, or reasons, to carry a phone with you wherever you go.

I don't see the point of riding a roller coaster while looking at computer generated imagery involving the coaster. Ride simulators have doing the same thing for years without the expense of building a coaster to not see.

Personally I don't see the appeal of a VR coaster. I would rather experience reality than a simulation.

What year was it when the CP logo was

Cedar Point:Real Thrills ?

XS NightClub said:

Well... Europa Park already is doing this.

In addition, they were testing it out on Blue Fire about a year ago as well.

Why would you build an actual $25 million ride when you could strap someone in a moving seat with some fans to blow on them to simulate wind and give them some goggles for visuals. Seems like the future of this technology would be to avoid building the huge pile of steel, not to combine it with the huge pile of steel. I don't really get it.

I don't get why this is so hard to get. To me this is just a different type of dark ride coaster. The difference being, you don't have to construct a building around the ride and fill it with props, video screens, etc. In addition, as this is VR, it can be seamless, unlike most if not all dark rides. This would have been an interesting way to accomplish Forbidden Journey at Island's of Adventure.

To me, "dark ride" and "coaster" are two different beasts. It's like combining a Scrambler and a coaster: they're different experiences.

If a park doesn't want to build a building filled with video screens, props and so on, why would that park want to build a coaster?

It's like getting into the driver's seat of a car and strapping on a VR headset that will show you where you're going as if you were on a snowmobile. Why not just get on a snowmobile?

Jason Hammond said:
This would have been an interesting way to accomplish Forbidden Journey at Island's of Adventure.

Ugh, I can't disagree more. What I love about that ride, and why it's better than Gringott's, is that it has a significant number of real and practical effects. Ditto for the Mummy. I'm so tired of all the 3D and glasses and screens.

For better or worse it seems like screens will continue to be a major element of most new E-tickets out there. King Kong and Fast and Furious at Universal and Pandora's Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom will all be screen-based. There is a good chance that the new Star Wars attractions will also be somewhat screen-based as well. At least Pandora will have the boat ride through "real" environments, along with the pretty spectacular-looking floating mountains.