Trip report - VR kiddie coaster and VR arcade!

[FLIPDUDE]

First of all: I'm posting it here 'cus it does include a rollercoaster, but if you think this belongs in another part of the forum feel free to move it.

 

 

 

Alright, so... I do VR game reviews, and I'm a coaster nerd, so when I found out a VR coaster opened up at the local mall for the summer vacation, I had to check it out.

I've never been on a VR coaster, they always seemed like a pretty silly idea, since coasters are already pretty thrilling, and it seemed even sillier that a "Big Apple" coaster at the MALL would be my first, but... Hey, beggars can't be choosers! It's not like there's a ton of good thrill rides around here.

 

To my absolute surprise it was kind of... Amazing???

 

Full video review:

 

The coaster was here at the Azrieli Towers mall. Tel Aviv's most famous landmark.

 

The train had little VR goggles!

 

I was really surprised they went through the trouble of putting VR goggles on the train. That seemed like an unnecessary but lovely touch, and parks around here rarely do anything more than the bare minimum required, so I really loved it.

 

 

 

Little pre-ride selfie

 

 

...Aaaaand my head's too big for the headset. The top strap snapped. I ended up just tucking it under my headphones so it doesn't flail around in front of me.

 

The coaster had a fantastic view of the city's skyline.

 

This ride... Was... INCREDIBLY fun. I was kind of amazed at how much VR enhanced the experience and turned what would normally be a pretty boring kiddie ride into a thrill ride. I think smaller parks who want thrill rides but can't necessarily afford them need to consider something like this. I was laughing and hollering the whole way through.

 

After that I got in my car and drove for an hour and 40 minutes (FOREVER in Israeli scale) through Jerusalem's absolutely terrible road system (It would've been 40 minutes shorter but I missed my exit, which in Jerusalem apparently adds 40 minutes to your drive)

 

But I finally got to SPACE LASER! A VR Arcade/Laser tag place that was just having a grand opening!

The laser tag line was too long so we ended up passing on that but we checked out the other stuff!

 

I was kind of disappointed to realize they don't have any KArting machines at this location like the website promised - only at their other location.

 

 

There was a little plexiglass maze thing. It wasn't much bigger than a normal room, but much like with the kiddie coaster - adding VR into the mix made it into so much more than the sum of it's parts. You could actually feel the walls, you could walk twice down the same corridor but think you're in a totally different place because what's displayed on the goggles would be different, and even though the whole experience was only a few minutes long, and the combat mechanism (you were fighting skeletons and demons with a crossbow) left something to be desired, it was still a hoot.

 

 

Unfortunately the place was completely packed full of screaming children. This was the line for the laser tag. We ended up skipping it.

 

Riding a terrible coaster simulator where you terribly shoot terrible dinosaurs. It was terrible.

The physics were practically nonexistant. The chairs moved a bit (almost at random, if you ask me), but I've seen 3d modeling practice videos on youtube that had better coaster physics. And it went insanely slow most of the time. I got up and left it halfway through.

 

My friend Ehud rode this Iron Man type thing. He said it was terrible too so I didn't bother queuing up for it. He's only smiling here 'cus his girlfriend told him to smile for the picture.

 

THIS thing, though...! THIS is what I drove nearly two hours here for! The 720 simulator! A VR simulator that actually twists turns and flips you upside down...!

 

...

 

It...

 

It was closed.

 

They haven't even installed it yet.

 

I was totally disappointed and we went to eat some Hummus instead.

 

I think this photo of me waiting for them to restart one of their games after it crashed pretty much sums up my impression of this place.

 

Now, mind you, the service was excellent. I spoke to the owners, they're LOVELY people, super friendly, and the maze was REALLY fun...

But everything else here was kind of meh.

 

I did discover, though, the true potential of using VR to make something underwhelming completely overwhelming. The VR "Big Apple" ride and the VR maze thinig were both really excellent and fun!

 

 

That's it for now Hope you guys enjoyed it!

[robbalvey]

I think putting VR on a Wacky Worm now wins and the most laughable thing to put VR on! lol That being said, I've always said that the VR experience makes more sense on rides that aren't high-thrill on their own and need something to make them better.

 

Nice report & video!

Edited August 29, 2017 by robbalvey

[bert425]

love the report, and the VR Goggles on the lead car / head of the worm is BRILLIANT!

 

absolutely adorable.

 

funny too, how I was thinking. . hmmm. . the VR isn't in sync, and then you said that, and THEN. . it kind of synced up and works.

 

great idea for a smaller park.

[FLIPDUDE]

I think putting VR on a Wacky Worm now wins and the most laughable thing to put VR on! lol That being said, I've always said that the VR experience makes more sense on rides that aren't high-thrill on their own and need something to make them better.

 

Nice report & video!

 

Thanks! And yeah I thought it was pretty silly when I first saw it, too!

Now I think every Wacky Worm should have this option, though

 

funny too, how I was thinking. . hmmm. . the VR isn't in sync, and then you said that, and THEN. . it kind of synced up and works.

 

To be fair I had no way of actually recording while I was on the ride, since it was displayed on the mall's Goggles and not on my own phone. I downloaded the video for it from Youtube (with permisson), and just synced it up to the first drop, since that seemed more or less in sync. But yeah, it wasn't entirely synced up in real life either.

I guess it still worked though! So there's that!

[Canobie Coaster]

That's funny they put VR on a Wacky Worm but it definitely would make the standard kiddie ride more thrilling for adults.

[coasterbill]

 

This is just too great.

[SharkTums]

If all this VR is the future of amusements, then I'm finding a new hobby!

[Dombot]

What.

 

 

What is this.

 

 

Make it stop.

[FLIPDUDE]

What.

 

 

What is this.

 

 

Make it stop.

 

Uhhhhhm... What?

Make what stop?