Grid VR Arcade: Virtual Reality Location Opens in Canada
A new arcade, called the Grid VR Arcade, is hoping to bring a "virtually" more futuristic style of gaming to the residents of Regina and had its grand opening on Friday October 14.
The owner of this new virtual reality venture, Rob Bryanton, said he has been working with virtual reality technology since 2009, but it is only now starting to gain more commercial traction.
"We were one of the first leaders working in the field of augmented reality which of course just took off this year finally with Pokemon Go," said Bryanton. "We've been doing virtual reality since it first became possible to do with gear accessible to the public."
One of Bryanton’s previous ventures with virtual reality was a virtual experience for the RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina where players became a rider in a Musical Ride via VR headset. His latest venture, The Grid VR Arcade, is one of only two in Canada so far.
Since technology like the Oculus have come out, there has been an overwhelming response from gamers worldwide to push the development of this technology to make it commercial. This response is what motivated Bryanton to open The Grid VR Arcade.
"Right now we're the only facility in Western Canada and there is one more in Waterloo. This is actually a really unique experience in that everybody is in a shared room. (In) Waterloo, you are still all by yourself in a booth," said Bryanton.
The Grid VR Arcade allows players to have full freedom of motion and the ability to walk around the room, creating a physical sense of space and greater immersion.
Long-time gamer and Regina resident, Mike Schlosser, said the experience is something that any person who is thinking about going to the arcade should try. "It's a completely new experience...it's not like sitting back on your couch… It's you're moving around you're feeling it in your arms, you're looking back, you're looking left, you're looking right, up, down, it's a whole new world, you have to try it," said Schlosser.
If you’re in the Regina, Canada, area or even close by, definitely check out the latest virtual reality location for yourself. In the meantime, below is a video shared of from the location:
