Tag: virtual reality tech

Virtual reality roller coaster debuts at Six Flags Magic Mountain

| March 31, 2016

One of the first ever VR rides of this nature has now launched in the country in partnership with Samsung.

As of Friday, March 25, 2016, Six Flags Magic Mountain has released a new roller coaster using virtual reality goggles to help to add to the overall experience of the ride as guests experience every loop, twist and turn.

The New Revolution ride has now been launched at the theme park, in partnership with Samsung.

The purpose of the virtual reality experience on the Six Flags roller coaster is to help to give adrenaline junkies a more thrilling experience than the classic form of attraction at the park. The roller coaster provides every rider with VR goggles that give them the sensation of being a co-pilot in a fighter jet’s cockpit. They’ll feel every movement as they travel along the traditional roller coaster, but what they’ll be seeing is an even more enhanced experience to match it.

The virtual reality display aligns with the movements of the roller coaster’s tracks and provides a 360 degree view.

As the riders twist and turn their way along the roller coaster track, they’ll be able to see a city that is under attack by aliens in a very realistic VR three dimensional view. The ride starts as the riders whip their way through narrow city streets before they take off over top of the skyline, avoiding skyscrapers and other obstacles as the alien drones shoot at them.

One of the ride’s features makes it possible for the riders to tap the VR headsets they’re wearing in order to be able to fire the guns on their digital jet in order to attempt to hit the targets that are appearing throughout the time that the coaster ascends the lift.

This is meant to be only the first of a number of virtual reality roller coasters that will be added to Six Flags parks across the United States. It will represent the first wave of roller coasters to launch in North America this year, say park officials. In fact, there will be nine other Six Flags parks to launch their own VR coasters. Texas already launched its Six Flags VR Shock Wave on March 10.

Google names new head of virtual reality

| January 19, 2016

The tech giant has thrown its hat in the VR technology ring along with Microsoft and Facebook.

Microsoft and Facebook have been powering forward with virtual reality technology, but at the same time it has appeared as though Google has been falling behind in this particular category.

That said, 2016 is starting to suggest that this isn’t the case as Google has been making moves to catch up.

It has now been revealed that Google is making moves to form its own division that is dedicated to virtual reality tech and computing. As a central component of this effort, it has now named Sundar Pichai – the company’s CEO – as a division head, according to several sources. This represents a massive shift in control positions at the company as it simultaneously indicates that the company has a new intention to create a solid enterprise business. After all, with this shift in execs, it will be senior vice president Diane Green who will take control over the company’s tremendous consumer web applications.

While the changes have been confirmed by a Google spokesperson, further discussion of virtual reality was declined.

Virtual Reality TechnologyThe Google vice president of product management, Clay Bavor, has been in control of the company’s apps; such as Drive, Gmail and Docs. Since the launch of Cardboard in 2014, he has also been the head of that division. Moving forward, Bavor is stepping away from apps in order to place all his attention on VR products. As he steps out of apps, Greene is stepping in, who joined the company in November in order to take control of the newly formed enterprise operations.

The original creation of Cardboard had been to create a form of VR technology that could be introduced in a mainstream way. So far, it has seen some limited success as it has recently started some distribution programs with schools. It also brought about a new GoPro integration that made it possible to carry VR video over to YouTube. That feature was initially introduced in May 2015 at the Google I/O, by Bavor.

This most recent large move in virtual reality might help to assuage the concerns and criticisms of people in the industry who have been indicating that Google isn’t all that dedicated to the tech.