As amusement parks experiment with virtual reality (VR) as a way to stay competitive in a cost-effective way, thrill-seekers have many experiences to choose from. Not only are there standalone VR parks, but coasters, water slides, and drop towers are adding the technology to offer new experiences. You can also "ride" from home.

1. The Best and Most
Thrilling Virtual Reality
Theme Park Rides
In The World

2. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
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IntroductionIntroduction
There's a new version of amusement to test the boundaries of thrill-seekers—
virtual reality (VR) theme park rides! Along with thrill rides explicitly made for
VR and existing roller coasters, drop towers and water slides augmented with
the technology for a new experience, you can put on a VR headset at home
that will make you feel like you’re experiencing rides from around the world
without even leaving your home. Here’s the latest virtual reality has to electrify
thrill-seekers.
The Best And Most Thrilling Virtual Reality (VR)
Theme Park Rides In The World

3. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Stay Home and Still Ride
Even if there is a desire to travel the world to try out every amusement park ride
ever created, it’s just not feasible for most of us. But that doesn’t need to be a
barrier to fun any longer now that there is a virtual reality experience that
features theme parks. VR Theme Park Rides from Mexico-based Ensenasoft
gives you all the fun of three theme parks with 12 rides each, all without waiting
in line or purchasing a ticket for entry. It’s available on STEAM VR, HTC Viveport
and Google Daydream.

4. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
VR Added to Existing Roller Coasters,
Drop Towers or Water Slides
Today, the most common way for theme parks to use virtual reality is to overlay
a VR experience on the top of an existing roller coaster, drop tower, or water
slide. Going virtual is a way for theme parks to offer visitors new experiences
without the financial drain of trying to offer the tallest or fastest rides that have
ever been made (unless you decide to do both like Six Flags Great Adventure
who has the world’s tallest VR drop ride). Rides like the Kraken Unleashed at
SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, is a traditional coaster with all the loops, twists
and heart-dropping thrills, but riders use a VR headset to leave Orlando and
enter an underwater world. This combination of physically being on a coaster
yet seeing an entirely different world in the VR headset offers riders a novel
experience. These rides use VR to transport you to a different reality whether it’s
underwater like the Kraken, The Daemon in Denmark where riders fly through
China or falling out of a helicopter on Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom.

5. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
VR Added to Existing Roller Coasters,
Drop Towers or Water Slides
What once was a thrilling water slide transitions to a trip in a canoe next to an
exploding volcano thanks to virtual reality. Almost any roller coaster can be
equipped with VR technology; here are just a few that are available to ride.

6. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Advantages and Challenges of
Virtual Reality at Amusement Parks
Virtual reality was initially embraced by the theme park industry to add new life
to aging attractions and offer a new experience to market to customers. Once
some decided to invest in VR equipment such as Six Flags that added the
technology to nine of its coasters, they started to see some challenges. With the
addition of riders needing to put on and adjust VR headsets, already long lines
became longer. There was also additional expense for staff to manage the VR
headsets to distribute, collect, and clean them between riders. Busch Gardens
Williamsburg set out to improve this issue by creating two-part headsets. As a
result of some of these challenges, various theme parks who added VR to rides
ended up removing it.
In some cases, the visuals in the technology wouldn't sync correctly, leaving
riders either queasy or unimpressed with the experience. These and other
challenges of adding virtual reality to rides will be overcome as the technology
continues to advance and improve.

7. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Advantages and Challenges of
Virtual Reality at Amusement Parks
Since the brain can be tricked into thinking it is somewhere else, virtual reality
offers a lot of creative options for theme parks to update their offerings.
Creating a new VR experience for a ride—and even offering themed updates for
holidays as an example—is a much cheaper update than investing in a brand
new coaster, slide or drop ride.

8. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
VR as an Attraction
Some of the challenges experienced thus far with virtual reality in amusement
parks are caused by adding VR to rides that weren’t developed with VR’s
operational requirements in mind. When VR is built as a standalone attraction
from the beginning, it can offer theme parks a new way to entice visitors to the
park. This is what the VR Showdown in Ghost Town that’s part of Knott’s Berry
Farm in California and The Void at Disney resorts in Florida and California offer.
In an interesting twist, Topshop launched a free VR waterslide experience inside
their London store. And an actual VR water slide—VRSlide—that seems to do
the impossible of combining sensitive electronic equipment and water is
available to ride at Galaxy Erding in Germany.

9. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
VR Theme Parks
Why stop at just making a standalone VR attraction? In China and Dubai, theme
parks and attractions dedicated entirely to virtual reality have opened. China’s
VR Star Theme Park, located in Guizhou province in southwestern China, cost
$1.5 billion to build and offers a huge variety of VR experiences to try. Not to be
outdone, the VR Park in Dubai boasts itself as the “world’s largest VR Park.”
Here’s a look inside.
As the entertainment industry continues to experiment and evolve its virtual
reality offerings, it will be intriguing to watch how it will transform theme parks.

10. © 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website
© 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website

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