SUMMARY
32,000 sq ft of virtual reality heaven.
Virtual reality fans, get ready to lose your mind – China just opened the world’s first virtual reality theme park.
It’s called SoReal, and it looks, so, so, really good.
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Social VR
Importantly, the SoReal team has focused on moving VR from a solitary to a shared experience.
“In SoReal you can do most of the experiences together with your friends not only by yourself [which is] lonely,” says Wang.
“Our own multiplayer VR system has like 25 chairs … I’d do more if I had a bigger space.”
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Bright future
Although the SoReal theme park only hosted its ‘grand opening’ on Friday, it’s already clear the centre has a bright future.
During its 60-day ‘soft opening’ last year SoReal hosted more than 6,000 guests, each spending between £35-55 for a half day pass, or £7-9 for a single experience.
What’s more, the IDC predicts China will overtake the US as the world’s largest virtual-reality market in 2019. That’s big business.
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Making VR mainstream
Building the world’s biggest VR theme park hasn’t been easy, but it will make the medium far more accessible to everyday people.
“The biggest challenge we are facing is to get a normal person to understand what VR truly is,” said Wang. “We are taking the approach that it doesn’t matter what technology we deploy, this is simply a futuristic high-tech amusement park.”
With this in mind, SoReal will soon open further venues in China and all over the world, says Wang.
“Be part of the location-based VR revolution,” he urges.
We’re game. Can we have a SoReal Britain now please?
Source: thememo