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Virtual Arena #21 - The Shared Phygital Landscape – Part 2
In this second and final part of our specialist feature on the Immersive entertainment landscape, we look towards the deployment of AR, MR and SR technology. Defining the latest unencumbered immersive attractions and game systems, while charting the trends that are shaping the sector.
This is the Virtual Arena, issue number 21,. The Shared Fidgetal Landscape, part 2, by Kevin Williams. In this second and final part of our specialist feature on the immersive entertainment landscape, we look towards the deployment of AR, mr and SR technology, defining the latest unencumbered immersive attractions and game systems, while charting the trends that are shaping the sector. Concluding this feature's look at the key applications and those looking to roll out experiences and attractions based on both encumbered and unencumbered augmented technology, creating a physical element married to digital representation, playscape. We now move towards the projection and display applications gaining ground. Fifth, immersive shared realities. Looking beyond headset and head-mounted AR and MR technology and in defining XR applications in the location-based sector, we also need to include projection mapping, pm. That falls within the shared reality SR catchment. Shared shared as in that all the players see the same virtual environment, able to share the experience, the use of multiple projectors to paint the space with light and to truly create a fidgetal environment, but, all importantly, not just dropping the user within this space, but also tracking their movements and representing them in the virtual world. We need to run down recent developments in this sector, especially as it gains momentum. Concerning the karting sector and following on from the previous part of this feature we have reported on. Before the explosion in adding PM to the karting experiences Industry leader Battlekarts has established some 45 of their unique experiences across Europe and the UK and continue to roll out the franchise into the UAE and US markets. Comprising multiple projectors covering the raceway of the indoor karting space, battlekart have developed both unique digital environments to race within, but also created unique game experiences building on the karting systems, each kart's movements tracked and represented in the digital environment. Games such as Battlesnake, creating a real-world representation of the Snake Tail Chasing game, a life-size interpretation of the classic many people played on their Nokia 6110 cellular phone.
Speaker 1:The projection-mapped karting market has seen new entrants, such as Little Lion Entertainment with their Arcade Arena. After a test location in London, the company has opened their first permanent 15,000-square-foot site in Manchester. Previously the TEI Games Arenas, now offering a projection environment, launched with their Chaos Cart e-karting experience Players able to race or play a selection of the company's games. The operation followed the 2023 opening of the UK site with a venue in Dubai the following year. Little Lion have worked in the entertainment experience sector with properties such as their mission room game, the Crystal Maze Live Experience, with properties, such as their mission room game, the Crystal Maze Live Experience. With this new projection technology, they have attempted to redefine its application. The company launched, within the same arcade arena, playscape used for their karting experience, a unique human-powered game. In partnership with Bandia Namco Entertainment, they launched Pac-Man Experience Live Experience the PM environment, recreating the familiar video game maze, with the players wearing interactive vests. Take on the role of the lead characters in this life-size arcade recreation, the iconic arcade game celebrating its 45th anniversary, now represented in life-size Travelling exhibitions. Using PM to immerse the audience in the artwork of famous painters have become a popular edutainment experience. Frameless in London is a well-known venue offering popular exhibitions using this approach of an immersive art experience to bring the artwork of the masters to a whole new audience. Away from the passive experience, we have seen the appearance of new interactive immersive touring attraction. Minecraft Experience Villager Rescue is the latest example of this approach, produced by Experience MOD and Supply Plus Demand. This real-world adventure takes players through various biomes, saving villagers and crafting resources, the guests interacting with the projection wall biomes using their orb of interaction, touring cities such as London and Dallas. The experience has proven highly popular, spurred on by the popularity of the game and now motion picture, but also be the level of immersion and interactivity achieved.
Speaker 1:6. Standalone Illuminated Environments. Beyond dedicated attractions, projection-based immersive environments have been deployed into the LBE and amusement sphere and we have reported through our sister publication on platforms such as Immersive Gamebox and their projection immersive pods. Most recently, the company announced a partnership with Warner Bros Discovery to release a game experience based on the Batman IP, with Warner Bros Discovery to release a game experience based on the Batman IP. They have also licensed other movie and streaming show IP, with a partnership with Netflix on the Squid Games property, all based on the unique hat-tracked immersive enclosure experience for multiple players.
Speaker 1:The Japanese amusement scene has seen manufacturers looking to create more attraction-style deployments to stand out in their venues. Taito, the venerable arcade powerhouse, still has a strong presence in the facility market and rolled out a unique immersive enclosure system they called Space Cube. The multi-projection enclosure has been developed to accommodate up to four players and, through HTC Vive controller tracking, can interact with various unique game experiences created by this amusement consumer game developer. The company installing the game at several of their Japanese venues, including their new Bootverse locations, offering a unique digital environment. Along with this platform, other immersive enclosure systems have been released by Innowise, with over 40 of their cubic systems offering an engaging interactive experience accommodating up to six players wielding modified HTC VIVE controllers to play the games. The system offering a unique and unencumbered gaming experience in an immersive environment. The developers even making the enclosure able to be unattended, offering minigame immersive experiences in a platform that sits within a similar footprint to some free-roam VR alternatives, but with a greater throughput.
Speaker 1:Seventh standalone immersive platforms. We have also started to see innovation in gamification regarding the deployment of new projection mapping in individual standalone systems, such as the new mini-golf experience from social rivals their projection mapped mini-golf lanes employing projection and tracked balls to create a unique attraction. The company looking at this approach as fitting into the needs of the new social entertainment operator requirements. There are also competitive socializing venue developers looking at employing PM as a compelling entertainment aspect to the business, from PM-infused darts, foosball, ping-pong and pool tables planned to be rolled out in the coming months. The creation of an immersive enclosure or bay to take part in ball games that attract and represented on a big projection screen has created a new aspect of the sports-tainment market.
Speaker 1:The phenomenal growth of golf sim experiences has become a burgeoning aspect of the social entertainment landscape from operators such as Five Irons Golf and Topgolf Swing Suite, players taking part in simulated golf long and short games using computer vision tracking the player's ball. The swing suite, immersive lounge venues offering more than golf through their full swing system with other ball games alongside their F&B. The ball-tracked experience is also encapsulated in the soccer experience from Toka Social with their flagship London venue offering multiple playing bays. The football is launched at the player and then interacts at the screen along the far wall, the players showing the kicking skills. The venue offering a strong food and fun atmosphere which is being rolled out internationally with new sites. The Toka Social chain seeing new investment for expansion. Ball-tracked Fidgetal platform are also finding adoption from a host of providers, such as with the interactive X-Wall system, as well as developed from Neo Experience, as well as from Multiball and from Playmind with their large display, multiple-player Playbox, interactive ball-toss attraction. Ball-launched active sports sims have also been seen at venues from Sixes with their social cricket facilities, as well as from Home Run Dugout with their innovative soft-launch baseball experience, elevating the traditional batting cage to a whole new level of engagement A fusion of cocktails, shareable meals and immersive sports-tainment. For more information on the emerging, competitive socialising sector. Be sure to subscribe to our new service, the Entertainment Social Arena.
Speaker 1:8. Active Immersion Moving beyond. Pm developer Valo Motion have also found strong interest in their computer vision tracked enclosure system, valo Arena. We have also seen illuminated floor games used in active entertainment. Players able to compete in highly physical game experiences using illuminated floor and wall accumulating scores. Platforms like the Future of Gaming Hyper HyperGID Game Enclosure offering a fun multiplayer experience All these point to a future of innovation for unencumbered immersive experiences, not needing headsets or head-mounted displays to experience the virtual world, that are highly physical and active.
Speaker 1:Finally, beyond the use of projection to create a digital representation in a physical space, we are seeing momentum growing towards the use of the latest LED and OLED flat-screen displays.
Speaker 1:As we discussed in Part 1 regarding the Monster Hunter Bridge exhibition by Capcom, the enclosure in this attraction uses LEDs to bathe the environment, with the headsets supplying the characters, though not interactive. We have also seen new planetarium and large-screen immersive experiences using this technology, most notably the COSM shared reality experience, an audience-based viewing environment like no other. New generation interactive LED wall and floor systems are also being deployed into the ball-tracked platform scene, with the launch of the innovative Glowcourt system from Conductor, offering a true fidgetal environment to compete on. We can expect other developers to turn away from projection towards this technology and the possibilities of achieving an unencumbered virtual experience. This concludes our latest overview of the technology and the possibilities of achieving an unencumbered virtual experience. This concludes our latest overview of the technology shaping the commercial entertainment arena. The impact on digital out-of-home entertainment continues to grow and we will continue to chart these changes. Watch this space for our next extensive feature.
