Have you ever gone on a roller coaster and thought: this could be better, if only aliens were attacking me at the same time?
Six Flags is here to answer your call, with what will either be the best summer pastime or the most gimmicky: virtual reality coasters.
The original Revolution steel coaster debuted on May 8th, 1976 as the Great American Revolution, in honor of the country’s bicentennial celebration. Now, partnered with and powered by Samsung Gear VR powered by Oculus wireless headsets, Six Flags is updating the ride to “The New Revolution Virtual Reality experience.” Using high-resolution imagery with an extra-wide point of view and a 360-degree view, the ride puts you into the shoes of a fighter pilot taking on an alien invasion.
As described by Six Flags:
On The New Revolution Virtual Reality experience, you’ll engage in a futuristic battle to save the planet from an alien invasion. You’ll be the co-pilot in your own fighter jet and strap in for air-to-air combat. Your aircraft will take off and launch off the edge of a building – just as you’re diving straight down the coaster’s first drop.
Your aircraft races through the city and eventually encounters the mother ship, protected by drones. As you twist and turn along the coaster’s track, you’ll be shooting and destroying the mother ship. You won’t want to miss this first-of-its-kind virtual experience coming this spring.
Six Flags’ marketing team is calling it “a game-changing new ride experience with an even higher level of thrill,” one that injects new energy into the amusement park industry. But will it be worthwhile?
Immediately many may wonder how smooth this transition will be. Six Flags seems to have it all planned out, with having ride-goers put on the set before the ride, keeping it raised until after boarding the coaster, getting riders secured in the ride restraints, and then having them pull down their visor.
Some have cited feelings of nausea when trying virtual reality before, but Six Flags has stated that the ride will not make you nauseous:
Because the visuals on the virtual reality screen are synched precisely with the coaster’s drops, twists and turns, there is no motion sickness as some might expect. As you see the 3D movements through your headgear, your body experiences the identical motion of the coaster, creating an unbelievably thrilling experience. Unlike watching the visuals while standing still, there should be no adverse effect.
But there is one major rule: only young adults and adults. Six Flags has made it clear that they are following the rules of Samsung Gear VR and Oculus, whose manufacturer’s policy states that the headgear should not be used by children 12 years of age and under. As long as guests are 13 and up–and meet the minimum height requirement (48″ tall)–they can enjoy the ride.
Is this a gimmick? Definitely. By both Samsung Gear VR & Oculus and Six Flags. This is a great way to get extra marketing for virtual reality, especially considering that the experience is free with the price of admission. A bold step taken to welcome newcomers to VR who would otherwise not bother with it. Six Flags also gets to introduce a fun, crazy new idea just as the season gets going.
But is this a bad thing? No. Virtual reality isn’t going to spread without some clever marketing, and this is a good way to take advantage of the right demographic: thrill-seekers looking for something new just before the summer. If anyone may splurge a few hundred bucks for a fancy new “thrilling” experience, it’s going to be the same people who come to Six Flags and want to get on the biggest, fastest and newest rides. And VR also needs a bunch of people so excited about the experience to spread their joy through word of mouth, so that other, more hesitant customers will want to take a chance and purchase it.
The New Revolution Virtual Reality Coaster will include what Six Flags claims is the world’s first giant loop: 90 feet high and 45 feet in diameter. It will use “sleek” new trains, travel at 55 mph, include sharp turns, be available during night and day, and feature “an exhilarating battle through 3,457 feet of twisted steel track to save all mankind.”
For people who really can’t stand the idea, you have the choice of riding with or without a headset, though I think this experience warrants at least one go in virtual reality. These kinds of virtual reality coasters will be coming to nine Six Flags parks in spring 2016, with the first one opening at California’s Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Do you think this new idea is worth a trip to Six Flags this spring and summer? Or is this something that will go out of vogue just as quickly as it comes? Check out the video below for a look at the ride and virtual reality experience, and check out the Six Flags website for more information. Let us know in the comments below what you think; at the very least, it has to be better than this roller VR experience from True Tube Media TV.