Hallmark change is coming to the theme park industry. The only question is when. Disney execs recently revealed that they’re exploring options for augmenting their brand via virtual reality. And when Disney makes an announcement like this, their competitors in the field quickly follow suit, whether they were previously working on such technology or not. Yes, virtual reality will become a part of theme park enhancements at some point, so you’ll want to know more about this nascent technology. Here are four critical facts about virtual reality and theme parks.
1. The VR of Then
In a March speech, Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Technologies Lead Bei Yang revealed something shocking to Disney fans. The company has employed virtual reality headsets since the 1980s. That’s right. In the days of hair bands, skinny ties, and Pac-Man, Disney already had an eye toward the future. This should not be surprising in hindsight, though. The company’s Imagineers are always far ahead of their peers with regards to discovering and developing hardware and software that advances attraction creation.
Believe it or not, if you’ve ever ridden an attraction like Soarin’ Over California, you’ve already used a Disney version of VR. Their designers settled upon a display strategy they describe as “cave,” which stands for Cave Automatic Virtual Environment The idea is that the rider only sees a certain point of a massive screen. By narrowing your focus to what is directly in front of you, Imagineers craft the equivalent of VR goggles for your eyes.
You experience the events onscreen, and that makes you feel like a part of them. Your cave creates this perception, because even when you’re staring at an eight-story tall IMAX screen, you can only see a small portion of it. Even if you’re dubious about describing this as VR, the premise is still the same. You are transported on a journey that feels realistic.
2. The Virtual Theme Park in Videogames
This is not the only attempt by Disney to provide someone with a VR experience. The most notable other attempts have come in the form of videogames. Starting with Adventures in the Magic Kingdom, a 1990 Nintendo videogame, the company has attempted to provide kids with a Disney theme park experience in the home. They weren’t the only company, either. Universal Studios released a GameCube game lazily titled Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure. Even though it was released 11 years later, it really wasn’t any more realistic in its attempt to recreate a day at Universal Studios in the home.
The breakthrough occurred with Disney’s two most recent attempts, Virtual Magic Kingdom and Kinect Disneyland Adventures. The idea was the same for each one. The company wanted to indoctrinate kids into the realm of Disney theme parks via gaming simulations. Kinect Disneyland Adventures was generally well-reviewed and robust with regards to its interactivity. People really felt a connection to it, because it did a moderate job of sating the desire for an actual park visit. The Xbox 360 game was so popular that Microsoft started including it as a free game with console purchase to drive holiday sales.
Virtual Magic Kingdom was a more daring attempt. This computer game was the company’s first massively multiplayer online game. Players could explore the virtual versions of Fantasyland, Adventureland, and Main Street USA. There were all sorts of park experiences available through the game including pins, holiday celebrations, and even Hidden Mickey searches. This ambitious project developed a legion of loyal fans, but Disney chose to shutter the MMO in 2008, three years after its debut. Since it was ostensibly a 50th anniversary celebration game, closing it was understandable. You’ll see this sort of experiential game again one day, though.
3. The VR of Now
The VR of now is disguised in a clever package. Are you familiar with Disney Infinity? This wildly popular videogame is an exercise in world-building. Players get to inhabit the various realms of their favorite Disney movie characters, and “all” it costs their parents is a console and software purchase followed by a series of micro-transactions for characters (aka playable toys) and game buffs.
In exchange for this payment, parents and children receive countless hours of enjoyment in a manner that exists beyond the possibilities of a theme park. Walt Disney would be first in line to remind you that imagination fuels his theme parks, but there are limits to what we can build with brick and mortar.
Videogames have no such limitations. A programmer can create a Jack Sparrow adventure that dwarfs Pirates of the Caribbean as a ride. They can even surpass one of the current tests of VR at Walt Disney World, Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold. This game lets a person spin the wheel as the captain of a pirate ship, while teammates attempt to ward off enemy assailants via the strongest means at their disposal, cannon fire. The immersive gameplay is engrossing, but it’s a drop in the bucket compared to what Disney Infinity already offers. And that’s just what programmers are doing with VR right now. In fact, the company is currently exploring ways to transition Disney Infinity to virtual reality headsets.
In terms of park deployment, Ratatouille: The Adventure offers the most modern spin on the concept. It also uses the “cave” premise to thrust the rider into Gusteau’s restaurant in the movie, Ratatouille. By moving the guest at the same speed as the picture in front of them, Ratatouille: The Adventure creates a VR simulation of a mouse trying to navigate a kitchen full of dangers. It’s almost a recursive experience as you exit the streets of Disneyland Paris only to rush through the virtual streets of Paris on the ride.
4. Tomorrow’s VR
Oculus Rift @ Gamescom 2014
Image: Marco Verch, Original (license)
Oculus Rift is the reason why virtual reality is such a hot topic right now. The oft-delayed headset was one of the most popular Kickstarter campaigns ever, and it’s become a darling of angel investors as well. Science fiction novels, movies, and television programs have trained people to believe that this sort of virtual reality simulation will become as popular as the internet, possibly even its eventual replacement. So, many industries are anxiously awaiting Oculus Rift to see if it lives up to the hype.
Anticipating the impact of this headset upon theme parks isn’t difficult since two of the titans of the business have already tried to build virtual versions for videogames. They understand that not everyone can live in a place with a park. Even people who visit a lot still get homesick for their favorite attractions when they’re not there. And the locals who live where the most popular parks are get tired of the crowds. They’re no different than people who prefer to watch movies in the comfort of their own home rather than at a movie theater. With VR, everyone can enjoy the amusement park experience on their own terms.
After all, a virtual reality device that can provide a relatively comparable experience to an actual park visit instantly becomes a moneymaking proposition for the business. Meanwhile, it’s a wonderful opportunity for the consumer. You can’t always afford to visit a theme park, especially as prices continue to skyrocket.
Visiting a theme park requires money, vacation time, and travel. The potential of VR is to negate these problems by providing a similar experience simply by putting on a headset. Once you power up your Oculus Rift, you’ll have the ability to transport yourself into your favorite realm similar to Disney Infinity, only in a much immersive fashion. And it also empowers you with the opportunity to visit theme parks in faraway places. Have you ever wanted to ride something at Europa-Park or one of the newly popular theme parks in Dubai or China? As soon as they build a VR app for Oculus Rift, you’ll have the ability to do so, and it’s an experience that should only improve in coming years.
If all this sounds too good to be true, consider one other aspect of virtual reality. There’s currently a working simulation of a Disney theme park experience. This VR achievement provides 480 Hz motion tracking using several blended 4k projections to achieve the impossible. The technological marvel is called the Digital Immersive Showroom, or more conveniently as The Dish, and you’d swear you’re on the holodeck of the Star Trek Enterprise if you’re ever lucky enough to visit it.
Alas, you’ll have to either become an Imagineer or befriend one in order to do so right now. It’s located in a secure Disney facility, but the company is already working on a more general version to employ in new theme park attractions. Disney understands that virtual reality is about to revolutionize the future of theme parks, and so they’re already taking steps to plan for the coming changes.
