TSR Newsletter | August 23, 2021
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-- The Stinger Report: Service Message --
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The Global Digital Out-Of-Home Entertainment (DOE) Sector covered in The Stinger Report .
Wishing all our subscribers, famlies, loved ones, (and those serving) stay safe and well.
Kevin Williams
Publisher, The Stinger Report (TSR)
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Self-Service VR Amusement
# 1084
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In The Stinger Report #1084 – This issue covers in detail:
1. [TRENDING NEWS] The new trend of the self-service VR kiosks is revealed in this latest issue, along with the leading providers who hope to define this emerging aspect of the business.
2. [BREAKING NEWS] Chinese corporation NetEase and US consumer game studio Survios partner resources to roll out a line of Asian-facing VR kiosk systems, all running popular consumer VR content.
3. [BREAKING NEWS] Benchmark Games International announces a collaboration with BoxBlaster, to develop the latest immersive platform called ‘VR-Xperience’, and offering the concept of VR ticket redemption.
4. [BREAKING NEWS] VRstudios (VRS) announces launch of ‘FURY’ – self-service VR modular kiosks, offering cost-effective operation and modalized ‘Real-Sports eSports’ content.
….and much, much more!
- The Stinger Report, published by KWP and its director, Kevin Williams, is the leading interactive Out-of-Home Entertainment news-and-views resource, covering the immersive frontier and beyond.
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The Stinger Report continues its drive to chart the emerging new trends impacting the amusement and attraction sector, alongside following developments seen across recent Asian and American amusement events which bring information of a new aspect of the VR amusement market.
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- Upright Kiosk VR Platform Emerges
Leading up to 2020, we saw an incredible pivot in VR development towards what we had labelled self-service “VR Kiosks”. Best described as “Arcadified” VR (as our friends at Arcade Heroes expounded), the concept allows VR to be fielded as a claimed “unattended” self-service VR kiosk, appealing to the widest possible selection of amusement operators beyond just the larger chains.
The genre of upright systems is not a new concept – we could chart the deployment of upright kiosks, with a VR headset tethered to them, back to examples such as ‘VR Towers” from Periscape VR in 2017, or the ‘mk2 VR Pod’ systems of the same period. The latest generation of this approach is more sophisticated, now including automated retractable tether systems for ease of deployment of the VR headset (including, in some cases, cleaning when retracted), as well as a higher fidelity of experiences on offer.
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The tower VR system [Periscape VR]
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This latest interest in this approach was kicked off by the impact of the VRsenal ‘Beat Saber Arcade’ VR kiosks – the stylish lines of the cabinet and the sophisticated retraction system turned a lot of heads. However, with the cessation of Beat Games allowing commercial usage of their content, VRsenal moved to another game experience which employed the system. Last year, the company launched ‘Vader Immortal – Lightsaber Dojo’, a Star Wars VR experience which comprised all the simplicity of the VR kiosks, and employed a well-known IP developed in partnership with Nomadic and ILMxLAB.
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The standalone VR kiosk [KWP]
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Another VR kiosk system that turned some heads back in 2019 was that from VRLEO. The US agents were representing the ‘LEO’, developed by the Chinese manufacturer. The system was a fully-automated and self-service VR kiosk, that included a unique UV-C light sterilization system when the headset was fully retracted after every operation. The company made a splash at CES 2020 with the system and also attended the Amusement Expo of that year, but had gone quiet after the full impact of the Global Health Crisis.
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The Chinese standalone VR kiosk [KWP]
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Several Chinese manufacturers have created their own interpretations of VR kiosks. One of those is LEKE VR, with the company having released its own version of the platform with the ‘VR Arcade Machine’. Described as a self-service VR game machine, the system employs the common features of a retractable headset (in this case configured to the Oculus Rift-S), and a large touchscreen. The system supports the ‘VRLe’ platform for payment/management and is proposing some 500 titles available. How much of this is China-facing is unknown, as are the Western rollout plans.
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The self-service VR game system [LEKE VR]
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The various Chinese manufacturers seem to have followed a shared design for their self-service VR game machines. As seen with the Owatch ‘VR Magic Box’ that was first revealed in 2019, the platform is aimed at being simple to operate by amusement-based venues and offers the players a 55’’ touchscreen display and retractable headset system (with 3Glases S2 and HTC VIVE Cosmos versions). Content is an important aspect of these systems, and the company promotes nearly 20 titles, although Western licenses were not known. One other common element these systems seem to employ is the QR payment option, a growing element across much of Chinese amusement.
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Self-service VR game machine [Owatch]
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Another of those Chinese manufacturers is Movie Power, working in collaboration with NetVios, a joint venture between NetEase (the Chinese online service and gaming provider) and US consumer game studio Survios. The companies have released their ‘NetVios Mini’ – a conventional interpretation of the self-service upright VR kiosk. The system using the retracted headset method which also includes a UV cleaning process. The system was rolled out at the AAA’21 event, and it was confirmed that it would include Survios titles such as ‘Raw Data’, alongside a version of ‘Beat Saber’. However, information regarding if this system is ever intended for sale outside of Asia has not been revealed.
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Network capable upright VR kiosk [Movie Power]
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Asian developer VAR LIVE has released its own standalone VR console, offering a shooting game experience with the ‘VAR BOX’ running six mini games, including ‘Double Tap’, ‘Battle Arena’, and ‘Zombie Street’. The retracted self-service VR kiosk platform also includes an Oculus Rift-S headset and adds a special 3D printed gun interface to the action, all supported by a large touchscreen display. The company has deployed the kiosk in several of its VR arcade venues across the territory, as well as through a partnership deal with movie chain Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC). Parent company VAR Entertainment is operating over 20 LBE facilities internationally, which also intend to deploy this platform.
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Standalone VR kiosks [VAR LIVE]
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Not all the upright VR kiosks follow the same design formula, and one new entrant into the field from China is ‘VR Agent’ from 3MindWave. The company has taken a novel approach, with the headset combined into the pistol grip that the player wields. The display portion of a 3Glasses S2 headset is combined into the weapon, which is all mounted on a retracting tether system, similar to others in this category. The self-service kiosk allows four cabinets to be linked together in network play. The system was debuted at AAA’20 on the WAHLAP booth, which is thought to be representing this system – although there is no word on Western release.
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Standalone VR kiosks [3MindWave]
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Moving out of the global lockdown and we have seen new investment in this approach, for VR moving into amusement. Benchmark Games International also announced a collaboration with VR specialist BoxBlaster, for their latest development. The joint companies released what they called ‘VR-Xperience’ a VR ticket redemption game which offers a one-player upright VR kiosk, with a chance for players to use a tethered VR headset towards winning redemption tickets.
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Caught out on location with new VR kiosk [Benchmark Games]
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The drive towards developing a suitable platform to meet the amusement operators’ needs continues apace. VRstudios (VRS) announced the launch of its ‘FURY’, self-service VR modular kiosk. Conceived from the start to offer cost-effective operation, the system is acting as a gateway into eSports. The system has been developed to be modularized and supports the new ‘Real-Sports eSports’ content, such as the new release ‘Hoops Madness’ (as a sports booth). The system has also been developed so operators can create their own eSports programs to draw players and spectators.
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The new modular VR kiosk design [VRstudio]
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The concept of upright kiosks, offering a play-and-go immersive entertainment solution, is not as new an idea as many would like to pretend. The basic design-concept of the VR kiosk borrows heavily from the ‘Kimera’ system, developed by Immersive Technologies in 1995. This system would go on to greatly influence the design of the Global VR ‘Vortek’ system that included the suspended head-mount display, offering a simple amusement deployment for the rudimentary VR technology of the day. This is a popular form factor that is being resurrected in the current generation of VR kiosk systems we see today.
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The origination of the VR kiosk approach [Global VR]
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In conclusion – this is an extremely popular genre for VR deployment, especially for venues that want to dip a toe into the immersive waters but do not have the space or deep pockets for a larger deployment. The issues following the Global Health Crisis remain and, as with all VR hardware, there is a need for operator overwatch. While many of the above systems include UV light sterilization, an occasional inspection and wipe down can never be ignored for public-facing hardware. Another issue is appropriate content – the game experiences still rule, no matter the hardware, and the need to find the right game for the audience drives many of the purchasing decisions.
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This concludes our latest Stinger Report, we thank all our subscribers and advertisers for their support, and the next report will follow shortly.
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November 30-2 December
Presenting
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