
VR takes new forms
12 March 2021/ The latest applications of VR in leisure parks come from Germany, specifically from Europa-Park and the company wiegand.waterrides /
Unfortunately, not many people have already been able to try it, as Europa-Park was closed during the autumn and winter due to the pandemic, however since 17 September there has been a new attraction at the German park, the result of an investment of around 4 million euros and which promises a totally new and unique level of entertainment. It’s called Yullbe, a free-roaming virtual reality experience with full body tracking, developed by MackNeXT and VR Coaster (with the contribution of Vicon, HP, Pimax and Mack Rides) that takes place in a 250sq.m VR room and lets players (up to 32 per session, divided into teams of up to 8) to virtually immerse themselves in an adventure set in the mid-1800s in Rulantica (the mythical island that also gives its name to the resort’s themed waterpark), with exciting challenges to face involving dragons and giants.
The attraction is just one of the latest results of the application of VR to amusement park attractions in recent years, mainly VR roller coasters and some VR drop towers, with sometimes exciting results and others quite negative.
Regarding waterparks, slides are the only attractions that so far we have seen transformed and enhanced by virtual reality. One interesting new idea then is VR Snorkeling Mask, a product launched on the market by German company wiegand.waterrides, using which swimming pools too can now take advantage of technology to offer a completely unique experience, with a limited expense for the operator.
Without complex technical requirements or structural work on the pools, thanks to VR guests can find themselves immersed in fantastic worlds: they can snorkel with turtles, rays and tropical fish, or explore a strange galaxy.
The VR Snorkeling Mask has been developed according to…
Continue reading Games & Parks Industry February 2021, page 56
Photos Courtesy: wiegand.waterrides
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