Oculus Rift Heading to Chuck E. Cheese's
Pizza and virtual reality... what else do you need?
Now here's an unexpected bit of news: the Oculus Rift head-mounted display will make an appearance at three Chuck E. Cheese's over the next six weeks. This will just be a test to see if parents buy into letting their kids float around in a virtual world. The first establishment will be in Dallas, Texas, followed by 15 more locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The headset will then be offered in six Orlando, Florida and eight San Diego, California locations.
So what does Chuck E. Cheese's plan to do with the Oculus Rift? The device will be part "Chuck E. Cheese's Virtual Ticket Blaster Experience," which transports kids into a virtual Ticket Blaster with the mouse of the house himself. Standing in a circular booth and donning the HMD, players have thirty seconds to collect as many virtual tickets as they can. These tickets can be converted into real ones and used at the prize counter.
"Kids today have unprecedented access to game consoles and tablets," said Roger Cardinale, president, CEC Entertainment, Inc. "Our challenge is to deliver an experience not available at home, and there is no doubt virtual reality does just that. Oculus Rift technology is the next frontier in the gaming industry, and we're thrilled to be able to say it's part of the Chuck E. Cheese's lineup."
During the six week trial, "Chuck E. Cheese's Virtual Ticket Blaster Experience" will be part of a birthday package, meaning only the birthday boy or girl will get a chance to shoot at tickets using the Oculus Rift. In a video demo, all the kids that used the HMD said that they felt like Chuck E. Cheese was right there with them in the virtual environment, floating in space. That's the typical response from most individuals who use the VR specs.
Using the Oculus Rift at Chuck E. Cheese's was made possible by Dallas-based Reel FX. The company became an early adopter when the Oculus Rift was still a Kickstarter project. Chuck E. Cheese's began working with Reel FX back in 2012, seeking their help to re-imagine Chuck E. Cheese.
"We believe that virtual reality eventually will be as popular as our handheld devices," said Reel FX founder and executive creative director Dale Carman. "It's a game-changer, and we're investing incredible time and talent into developing content for the Oculus Rift."
MORE
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- 5 Ways Facebook Could Use Oculus Rift
- Oculus VR Lures Michael Abrash from Valve to be Chief Scientist
- Oculus VR CTO John Carmack Talks Facebook Acquisition
- POLL: What Do You Think of Facebook Buying Oculus VR?
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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clonazepam I remember when virtual reality was set up at amusement parks way over a decade ago. You paid a fortune to experience it for about a minute. Parents and their children were lined up just like every other attraction.Reply -
clonazepam ReplyGreat, but it's still not enough to make me go to Chuck E. Cheese.
;)
My baby's momma wont take her there cuz of germs. Same reason why I wouldn't demo this kit at a Gamestop either... haha -
hoofhearted This kind of gaming makes sense for this FB owned product. Next up, collecting virtual farm crops.Reply -
Lightbulbie Chuck E. Cheeses is one of those places that needs to be shut down.. Too overpriced and out of it's time.Reply -
10tacle ReplyChuck E. Cheeses is one of those places that needs to be shut down.. Too overpriced and out of it's time.
Wow...who are you to say what is and what is not outdated and overpriced? By the way: millions of families disagree with you...on both accounts...month after month after month, year after year after year...
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s997863 oily arcade sticks are one thing, but strapping on a headseat made sticky from kids' pizza/fries fingers ...Reply -
sunflier I've been to CEC a couple of times recently and MOST of the kids there are very young. I think for these kids is to KISS. You bring in high-tech gadgets like Oculus Rift and these kids won't REALLY know what this is and what to do with it. Kids that young already pumped up on Sugar (thanks to CEC candy/pop) want to go run, play and scream at CEC. Sure, they'll put it on and be WOW'd for about 2 minutes and then be like, ok, I'm done here what's next? I don't think this is a good idea imo.Reply