Bob Cooney appointed as Co-Chair of VR/AR Association Location-Based Experiences Committee

We are thrilled to have Bob Cooney help lead our community for LBE! Join our weekly Online Meets!

For more than 35-years, Bob has accurately predicted the impact of bleeding edge tech on entertainment business trends. He’s the founder of an INC 500 company with a successful NASDAQ IPO to his credit. He has emerged as one of the leading voices in the virtual reality and metaverse space.

Cooney is the go-to-market strategist behind the launch of some of the world's most successful location-based VR companies He is the author of the book Real Money from Virtual Reality, and co-author of The Guardians of the Metaverse, a think-tank report from Laval Virtual.

Bob is widely considered the world's foremost expert on location-based virtual reality, having founded the VR Arcade Game Summit, the biggest dedicated location-based VR conference in the US.

“I am honoured to have been invited to chair the LBE committee for the VRARA. I am excited to support this group of experts and work together to advance the VR industry’s offerings in location-based entertainment. Together, we will explore new technologies, innovative ideas, and best practices, all aimed at delivering high-quality and engaging experiences for consumers.”

— Bob Cooney

Brooke Meredith appointed as Chair of VR/AR Association's Location-Based Entertainment Committee

We are excited to have Brooke Meredith help lead our community for Location Based Entertainment.

Immersive experiences designed for participants who are in the same physical and virtual location have a unique set of affordances and challenges. Join representatives from different organizations to develop best practices and guidelines for LBE. Part of the mission of the Location Based Entertainment. committee is be to develop relationships between content creators and venues and to lower the barrier of entry for indie developers. 

“Brooke is ecstatic to co-chair the Location Based Entertainment Committee. With the launch of VPS, Sky Segmentation and other location based technology advancements we have the ability to dynamically insert entertaining and engaging content experiences anywhere and everywhere. The world becomes a creative canvas and it’s exciting to think how we can layer virtual elements on top of our physical environments to share stories, interact and educate.
”

— Brooke Meredith

With expertise in innovation, creative strategy and business development, Brooke Meredith is an award-winning cross-channel marketing executive. Over the course of her career, she has worked with a number of notable clients, including Verizon, Saks, Walmart, Diageo, American Express, Visa, HBO, and PWC. She is recognized as an industry expert and she has served on a panel at the AR/VR Association's 2021 conference on Augmented Reality and Paid Media: How Augmented Reality is Determining the Future of Paid Media. Brooke joined Aircards in 2022 as the Vice President of Client Partnerships, joining an incredible team to spearhead projects that deliver interactive, impactful and immersive experiences for marketing, advertising, and business to business clients. With the launch of numerous location-based augmented reality initiatives, Aircards has helped users augment their real worlds, share their experiences, and reengage with their surroundings. Brooke is passionate about augmented reality and specifically how brands can engage and interact with their users in an authentic, dynamic and enriched manner wherever they are.

VRARA Partners with GeoWeek

The VRARA is excited to partner with the amazing team at GEO Week!

About Geo Week

Imagine a single powerhouse event that champions the coming together of geospatial technologies and the built environment. Where professionals from a range of disciplines network and gain insight into the increasing confluence of their worlds. Where cutting-edge technology offers new possibilities, improved efficiencies, and better outcomes. And where education opens the door to the future just ahead.

AEC Next Technology Expo & Conference, International Lidar Mapping Forum, and SPAR 3D Expo & Conference, along with partner events ASPRS Annual Conference and USIBD Annual Symposium, are coming together in 2022.

Geo Week, the intersection of geospatial + the built world

The VRARA will have its own exhibition area at the event with GREAT discounts for our members. If you are interested in connecting with leaders in the AEC community this is an opportunity that you won’t want to miss. We will also be hosting a social event and some content so please get in touch to get involved. Sponsorship opportunities are available for our social events.

Please contact am@thevrara.com to learn more!

https://www.geo-week.com/

Aaron Pulkka appointed as Co-Chair of VR/AR Association Location-Based Entertainment (LBE) Industry Committee

We are excited to have Aaron Pulkka help lead our Location-Based Entertainment (LBE/LBVR) Industry Committee.

Aaron is an interactive entertainment design and production leader with over 25 years of experience with emerging tech, including roles at Walt Disney Imagineering, Sony, Activision, and Two Bit Circus.

He began working on VR/AR at the University of Washington Human Interface Technology Laboratory, where he earned a master's degree in Computer Science & Engineering, before starting his professional career at Imagineering as a Show Designer creating groundbreaking XR attractions for DisneyQuest. Since then Aaron has worked on a wide variety of home and out-of-home entertainment projects for companies large and small, including independently producing award-winning spatial computing apps for Google Tango and Microsoft HoloLens and serving as Head of Attractions for the Two Bit Circus micro-amusement park.

Currently, he works as a freelance consultant and is a passionate speaker on the topics of VR/AR/XR, location-based entertainment, blockchain gaming, and interactive storytelling.

“The out-of-home entertainment industry is in the process of bouncing back stronger than ever, after shutting down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While consumer expectations have increased, so has the demand for transformative social experiences. As Co-Chair of the LBE committee, I am looking forward to collaborating with VR/AR developers and location operators throughout the VRARA community to help each other through this challenging yet exciting time.”

— Aaron Pulkka

Watch the recording of our panel on "Getting Around in VR: Advanced Techniques in Locomotion"

See the latest during our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Conference+Expo Sept 16-18

Watch the largest panel assembled on locomotion in virtual reality. Playback from the live stream at VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE in June!

Panelists presented their solutions to this unique challenge and Philip Wogart, co-chair of the LBE Committee, and Michael Reiner, Advisor to the Austrian Chapter, moderated the discussion to find out how their tech works. The international gathering included the co-founders of Infinadeck, Curvature Games, Omnifinity & Virtualware!

How we can move in virtual worlds has always been one of the more complicated decisions to make for developers. With any solution (whether hardware and software) comes trade-offs in the user experience. This panel looks beyond the standard Roomscale setups to hear from the experts who are building the future of infinite spaces in VR.

Top Ten Announcements from this year's VR/AR Global Summit

Forbes has written that our Global Summit is “one of the year’s most anticipated conferences”. Well, having travelled to Vancouver for the 2nd edition this year I was just blown away. From attendees to speakers to exhibitors, this gathering lives up to our mission of educating, connecting and promoting our ecosystem!

So without further todo here is my Top Ten list of announcements at #VRARGS

1. Lenovo launches their developer program for ThinkReality and A6 headset with inaugural workshop.

2. While Niantic couldn't make it official at the Summit and only hinted at some big news, you can see the results of their first Beyond Reality Developer Contest

3. XRSI's Enterprise Level Information Security Framework for the XR domain coming in Q1 2020.

4. Launch of the VRARA Women’s Committee with DC Chapter VP Sophia Moshasha and Global Summit Producer extraordinaire Anne-Marie Enns to helm it.

5. The Vancouver office of Microsoft introduce their in-house on-the-job training application for Hololens 2 that is fully-integrated with their Dynamics 365 CRM/ERP platform.

6. EPIC & VRARA sign MoU for industry collaboration on immersive hardware standards and advisory mandates.

7. Cathy Hackl joins Aurea Award Jury for immersive tech entertainment award at Europa Park in January.

8. 6D.ai to launch AR Cloud app on iOS. Register for with Apple Testflight to get beta access already

9. 8th Wall launch a brand new WebAR cloud editor and hosting web app.

10. World Bank showcase their immersive safety initiative for Latin American schools. Image below, but not official online links yet…

Jimmy Vainstein from the World Bank onstage

LAST CALL – Just over 24hrs left to submit for Aurea Award in Immersive Entertainment

The next Aurea Award ceremony and professional conference will take place on Jan. 15 - 16, 2020 at Europa-Park, where shortlisted state of the art experiences will not only show where the industry is all headed, but will also be pitched live on stage in front of an all-star Jury. All stakeholders from the entertainment sector from startups to investors, and creatives to corporates are invited to get involved and help the community grow.

Interested in applying? Submissions are open until midnight November 15, 2019!
Interested in attending? By invitation only. Request a spot here.

About Aurea Award
With just 5 AUREA awards up for grabs, film projects, music experiences, live events, games, mixed reality experiences as well as enabling technologies receive center stage in front of a crowd VR & AR enthusiasts. Besides showcasing and awarding the most exciting products and experiences, the conference also delivers thought-leader talks, candid discussions on panels and a slew of workshops, while leaving room plenty of room for networking and enjoyment. In the setting of one of the world's leading theme parks, the conference offers multiple opportunities for groundbreakers to be heard and seen, to connect to the most relevant pioneers in the ecosystem and to become a part of the vibrant AUREA community. 
https://aurea-award.com/

About VRARA
The VR/AR Association is an international organization designed to facilitate collaboration between innovative companies and people in the VR and AR ecosystem that accelerates growth, fosters research and education, helps develop industry standards, connects member organizations and promotes the services of member companies. Over 4500 companies, brands, school and 27,000 professionals are registered with VRARA and more than 20 committees are working on best practices and guidelines for the industry.
https://www.thevrara.com/

AUREA Award further strengthens VR/AR Association’s Location-Based Entertainment Committee with sponsorship

Working towards a Global VR/AR Entertainment Community

With the sponsorship of the Location-Based Entertainment (LBE) Committee of the VR/AR Association (VRARA), the AUREA Award run by the MackNext creative team of Europa-Park, is expanding its role as enabler and promoter of Immersive Technologies. The support is a commitment to bring the AUREA Award even closer to renowned experts in the Entertainment sector by rewarding the best projects annually worldwide. The close cooperation with the VRARA is a crucial step in this direction by joining its extensive international network of professionals.

“In terms of strategic orientation, communicative approach and target groups, the international industry association, founded already in 2015, is a congenial partner that perfectly mirrors our intentions. Just like the AUREA Award, VR/AR Association is designed to foster collaboration between innovative companies and people in the VR and AR ecosystem. For this reason, we look forward to welcoming VRARA members from around the world to Rust next January.”

— Marcus Ernst – Creative Project Manager, MackNext

The next award ceremony and professional conference will take place on Jan. 15 - 16, 2020 at Europa-Park, a digital innovation leader in their own right with VR coasters, flying and dome theaters, and the latest 4D attractions, where shortlisted state of the art experiences will not only show where the industry is all headed, but will also be pitched live on stage in front of an all-star Jury. All stakeholders from the entertainment sector from startups to investors, and creatives to corporates are invited to get involved and help the community grow.

Interesting in applying? Submissions are now open until November 1, 2019 and come meet them in person at the VR/AR Global Summit in Vancouver on November 2.

“Sharing AUREA´s spirit and entertainment focus, the Location-Based Entertainment Committee’s mission is to build relationships between content creators and venue operators in the entertainment sector. The LBE Committee’s content creators & enablers include the likes of Battleverse, Backlight, Blueprint Reality (Mixcast), Dark Slope, Holocafé, Kaaya Tech, Teslasuit, Ultrahaptics, VR Studio, Dreamcraft Attractions, YDreams Global, The Park Playground, and SpringboardVR which have representatives that meet online monthly to work on everything from infographics and online webinar series to technical white papers and industry surveys. Since LBE consumer spending is expected to reach $809 million by 2022, AUREA Award and the committee will share experiences and insights in order to show the industry all the added-value potentials.”

— Philip Wogart - Co-chair Location-Based Entertainment Committee

About Aurea Award
With just 5 AUREA awards up for grabs, film projects, music experiences, live events, games, mixed reality experiences as well as enabling technologies receive center stage in front of a crowd VR & AR enthusiasts. Besides showcasing and awarding the most exciting products and experiences, the conference also delivers thought-leader talks, candid discussions on panels and a slew of workshops, while leaving room plenty of room for networking and enjoyment. In the setting of one of the world's leading theme parks, the conference offers multiple opportunities for groundbreakers to be heard and seen, to connect to the most relevant pioneers in the ecosystem and to become a part of the vibrant AUREA community. 
https://aurea-award.com/

About VRARA
The VR/AR Association is an international organization designed to facilitate collaboration between innovative companies and people in the VR and AR ecosystem that accelerates growth, fosters research and education, helps develop industry standards, connects member organizations and promotes the services of member companies. Over 4500 companies, brands, school and 27,000 professionals are registered with VRARA and more than 20 committees are working on best practices and guidelines for the industry.
https://www.thevrara.com/

RSVP for our Fireside Chat with Charlie Fink, Vertigo Games, Schell Games, and Ubisoft. A candid discussion about designing and licensing Games for Arcades

RSVP here

Location Based Entertainment consumer spending is expected to reach $809 million by 2022, but what about from the development perspective…how do business models differ here from the rest of the Games Industry? Are releasing, licensing and creating titles for Arcades really all that much different? And is there a new type of Gamer for whom these titles designed for?

This fireside chat moderated by the LBE Committee’s go to man Charlie Fink, will be asking some of the most recognised Games Studios how they are diversifying their portfolios by offering unique gaming experiences for Out-of-Home Entertainment and how making the move to LBVR compares with developing successful titles for the home consumer market (console, PC, mobile, VR, etc.)?

Schell Games – I Expect You to Die! & Until You Fall

Ubisoft Blue Byte – Escape the lost Pyramid – Assassin's Creed

Vertigo Games – Arizona Sunshine

Webinar expert panel: "Next generation HMDs and the killer app for VR"

Register here

This Friday, the 15th of February at 10am EST / 4pm CET, the European Photonics Industry Consortium will be moderating this VR/AR Association Location-Based Entertainment Committee Panel Discussion that intends to tackle the tough questions of hardware and software for immersive technology.

Both groups have invited key members to discuss the optics and displays that make VR possible in the first place and what it will look in the next generation headsets to come.

Moderated by Jose Pozo, the CTO at EPIC, his guest include:

• Leland Hedges, Commercial Director at Pico Interactive

• Marek Polčák, Co-founder at VRgineers

• Dr. Zine Bouhamri, Market & Technology Analyst at Yole Développement

This webinar highlights not only the future market trends, but also the challenges and successes for the Photonics Industry developing for Virtual Reality headsets. You will also come out with more clearer understanding of the nuts and bolts behind VR. Register for free here (click on Upcoming).

Watch our Webinar recording on Location-Based VR

Watch it here

To have a look through all the slides, answered and follow-up questions from the webinar please have a look at our Google Slides presentation.

The Location-Based Entertainment Committee hosted another stellar cast of panelists. The ensemble of experts with more than 20 years combined experience running location-based entertainment included Daisy Berns (Exit Reality), Will Stackable (SpringboardVR), Ryan Burningham (Virtual Athletic League), and Sebastian Kreutz (Holocafé).

News reports of experiential location-based virtual reality (LBVR) in shopping arcades, theme parks and movie theaters are taking the world by storm. Companies including FoxNext, Zero Latency and Disney's ILMxLab with Star Wars are demonstrating that LBVR is a viable business for investment, which is clearly enticing mainstream consumers to satisfy their VR curiosity. This is demonstrated by the high levels of growth, with consumer spend expected to reach $809M by 2022.

Our go-to moderator Charlie Fink tackled the difficult issues that venues and virtual reality are facing to see profitable margins in these businesses. The deep dive explored everything from operations and marketing to pricing and throughput. Other hot topics the group examined is infrastructure and real estate. Watch this recording if you are interested in tapping the projected consumer spend of $809M in the next couple years.

Watch it here

LBVR: The Nuts & Bolts of Location Based Virtual Reality

The Location-Based Entertainment Committee is following up on its Free Roam VR webinar with another stellar cast of panelists lined-up for Halloween! The ensemble of experts with more than 20 years combined experience running location-based entertainment includes Daisy Berns (Exit Reality), Will Stackable (SpringboardVR), Ryan Burningham (Virtual Athletic League), and Sebastian Kreutz (Holocafé).

Our go-to moderator Charlie Fink will be tackling the difficult issues that venues and virtual reality are facing to see profitable margins in these businesses. The deep dive we will be exploring everything form operations and marketing to pricing and throughput. Other hot topics the group will be examining is infrastructure and real estate. This is a not to be missed session for those interested in tapping the projected consumer spend of $809 million in the next couple years. Join us for what will hopefully be a less than scary look into the world of LBVR!

Register for the webinar here

Arkave VR officially launched at the VR/AR Global Summit

Vancouver, BC / TheNewswire / October 16th, 2018 – YDreams Global Technologies Inc. (TSX-V: YD) (OTC: YDRMF) (Frankfurt: A2AP0L) (“YDreams” or the “Company”) is pleased to present its October monthly corporate update. Arkave VR continues to grow and develop, working with Intel, MixCast and gets thumbs up from Charlie Fink one of the industry’s most influential voices who writes for Forbes. YDStudio division continues to launch high end projects for well-known brands.

Arkave VR

In September, Arkave VR was officially launched as a turnkey solution at VRARA Global Summit.

YDreams Global would like to thank all the shareholders and investor who visited the booths to learn more about the company, meet the team and tried the game “The Last Squad” by Arkave VR.

The VR/AR Global Summit

“Playing Arkave was one of my favorite experiences of the VR/AR Global Summit. The high-quality level of social gameplay is as good as it gets, and our team has received significant positive feedback from attendees.” said Nathan Pettyjohn, Founder & President, VR/AR Association and VR/AR Global Summit.

This event was critical as it brought together all the strategic players in the VR/AR space which allowed YDreams to build new relationships with leaders in the sector. Arkave VR showcased what is possible in the space and impressed everyone that tried it.

"Y-Dreams free roam VR adventure "The Last Squad" delivers world-class entertainment with this robot wave shooter. I liked so much, I did it twice!” said Charlie Fink - AR/VR Consultant, Columnist at Forbes, Speaker and Author. Arkave getting a positive endorsement from someone as notable and influential as Charlie is in the AR/VR Sector is encouraging beyond belief.

Intel and Arkave VR

Intel is partnering with YDreams on their new high-quality multiplayer location-based VR gaming experience. Intel’s Virtual Reality Group is working with YDreams to enhance the Arkave experience with wireless headset technology developed in partnership with HTC.

Raj Puran, Director of Client VR Business Development & Strategic Partnerships from Intel stated “Arkave is one of the most compelling and exciting team multiplayer experiences in VR. YDreams and the team behind Arkave have created an innovative approach to Location Based VR and is just a ton of fun to challenge with your friends!”, says Mr. Puran, “We are excited to see this market grow and proud to support a partner like YDreams with our technology roadmap. Their platform is incredible and offers a real turnkey solution to Location Based VR Entertainment.”

Various social media posts created a buzz outside of the show and Daniel Japiassu the CEO of YDreams spent a good portion of the show conducting media interview requests which helped with general market awareness and helped strengthen the Arkave brand.

Blueprint Reality Inc.

YDreams continues to be innovative with its Arkave VR Experience by signing a cooperation LOI with Blueprint Reality Inc. The objective is to promote and create business links between the two parties starting with the product MixCast which is the world’s most powerful solution for the broadcast and presentation of mixed reality. MixCast seamlessly blends realities together for instant sharing of virtual experiences.

The solution records the experience from players during their gameplay and transforms into different formats of media that can be shared in social media or print. Imagine sharing your virtual experience or adventure with your friends in a video not as an avatar but as yourself. This allows people to remember, share and relive the experience while becoming a marketing tool as they share.

By offering the solution as an add on to Arkave VR, the Company is creating another differential to its sales strategy and another source of revenue to future clients of Arkave VR.

Further information about MixCast can be found at Blueprint Reality’s website: www.blueprintreality.com

Quanta DGT and Movie Theaters

Previously, (news release June 25th,2018) YDreams Global announced a partnership with Quanta DGT to bring VR experiences to over 1000 movie theaters in Brazil.

In the first week of October, YDreams and Quanta DGT brought Arkave VR to Expocine, the biggest event in Latin America focused on the film industry exhibition, distribution and suppliers of technologies, services and products to that industry. It had thousands of visitors including major movie studios such as Walt Disney, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., and Universal Pictures.

The event helped to create awareness of the Arkave brand and to accelerate the implementation of Arkave as a main solution for Movie Theaters lobbies. The goal is to launch the first Arkave VR Arena before the end of 2018.

“As partners to YDreams we appreciated the unique experience that Arkave VR brought to the event and enjoyed by industry people and general visitors. We established several innovative opportunities to the movie distribution market and are excited to bring virtual reality and the gaming universe to theatres.” said Fabiana Marschalk Marketing at Quanta DGT.

YDreams Studio Division

The Company launched a new project for Petrobras and McLaren (see news release dated October 1st, 2018). Marking the first branded content, the project uses the Arkave VR Engine and is a multi-player, free roam, Virtual Reality experience to simulate building a F1 McLaren car and mixing fuels to test.

YDreams is also finishing the first phase of a consulting project for a company from the Energy Production Industry. The project is a large scale permanent educational exhibition, similar to some of the biggest projects done by the Company in the past.

“We are seeing a higher demand for consulting that can lead to long lasting relationships with strategic clients. Brands now understand the relevance of positive interactive experiences and are allocating bigger budgets for innovation, which is great for YDreams.” – stated Karina Israel, COO and co-founder of YDreams Global.

The YDStudio division works as a partner for companies and brands to reframe their strategy through relevant human-centered ventures that integrates digital experience with physical presence and venues. YDStudio anticipates future challenges and connects them with the needs of the market, building innovative concepts and delivering them with international excellence.

YDreams Global´s Studio have developed over 1,300 projects for clients all over the world, such as Disney, NBA, Adidas, Cisco, Nokia, Nike, Mercedes Benz, Coca-Cola, Santander, AmBev, Qualcomm, Unilever, City of Rio and Fiat.

Live Webcast with Charlie Fink on Free Roam VR/AR with The VOID, VRstudios, Backlight, and Battleverse

RSVP here 

Please join us on August 8th for a conversation about Free Roam VR, and AR, with Curtis Hickman, co-founder of The VOID, Kevin Vitale, CEO of VRstudios, Frederick LeCompte, CEO of Backlight (Paris), and Steve Shew of Battleverse (Toronto).

Free Roam VR, which can only be experienced in dedicated locations, and never in the home, and is the only true VR, where users wear an HMD and backpack PC, occupy an avatar, have full agency and freedom of movement, and can see and interact with other avatars in an entirely digital world.

Join us as we talk to the two largest players in the nascent field, and two startups that aspire to take their place alongside of them as pioneers of what many are calling "the new movie business." 

VR Tech Setups for Events, Arcades and Venues White Paper

Enter your email here to get the white paper: 

Our Location-Based Entertainment Committee produced this white paper ready to help venue owners setup VR tech for arcades or events for different types of VR experiences.

It includes:

• The benefits, tradeoffs, and considerations

• Mixed Reality setups

• Sanitation options

• Shipping checklist

• Typical event problems & suggested solutions

Thank you to YDreams Global for support in this white paper

Recap of Virtual Reality Arcades Conference in Mountain View, CA

By Deborah Worrell, Member of the VRARA LBE Arcades Committee

The Virtual Reality Arcade Conference took place last weekend at the Samsung Research Center in Mountain View, CA.  The conference brought together companies specializing in VR hardware, software and distribution; VR content studios and publishers; VR research; and experts in funding and financing for VR LBE.

The recurring theme from presenters and exhibitors was one of consultation, cooperation, education and support. Daisy Berns, General Manager of Exit Reality, summed up the spirit of the conference, saying, ‘Virtual Reality is an extremely new industry and it is important for all of us to work together to elevate the entire location-based sector and be mindful that we will be introducing VR experiences to the masses’.

Panels focused on best practices and speakers shared insights based on their own successful models with the audience of arcade owners and interested attendees. Along with seasoned VR location owners a significant number of individuals came to learn about VR LBE and how they can become VR entrepreneurs themselves.

One particularly memorable panel (Jan Goetgeluk, CEO of Virtuix, Brad Scoggin, CEO of SpringboardVR, Shauna Heller, NA President of AiSolve, McKay Christensen, CEO of VR Junkies and Daisy Berns, GM of Exit Reality) had a spirited back and forth about end-user pricing, revenue projections, minimum number of stations and thoughts about keeping high-end VR experiences at an affordable price point.  Listeners learned a lot about VR business models, planning for success and the importance of exceptional customer service. The speakers were unanimous in extolling the benefits of marketing services and cautioned the audience against relying on foot traffic.

Attendees and exhibitors had a great time demoing all the new hardware at the conference. Lines were long to try the new omni-directional treadmill from Avatar=VR and the Omni total immersion body rig. Tactical Haptics showed off new gun-like controllers and everyone enjoyed playing Rocket VR’s games. Exit Reality brought a Cube—their complete B2B solution for VR content, distribution and customer service.

Virtual World Arcade showcased a large free roam arena VR set-up and Jeremy Lam, CEO of Virtual World Arcade, delivered Saturday’s keynote on VR Content Development and Mobile Events as well as Sunday’s talk on How to Prevent Motion Sickness in VR Arcades and Games.

The conference drew to a close on Sunday afternoon with an important panel on financing and funding for VR start-ups. In the cooperative and consultative spirit of the program the audience heard experts from the venture capital world (Angelo Del Priore, HP Tech Ventures, Ken Sobajima, KDDI Open Innovation Fund, and Ryan Wang, Outpost Capital) offer best practices, insights and examples.

Overall the event was a huge success—the panels and speakers were insightful and practical, the demos were fun and illustrated where the industry is headed, and the opportunity to network and build partnerships with VR professionals was outstanding. Mark your calendars for Virtual Arcade World Conference next year.

Join our Committee here 

 

This Tuesday, attend our all-star online panel on Haptics in Location Based Entertainment Jan 23 3pm EST

The VR/AR Association LBE Committee is proud to present an all-star online panel on Haptics in Location Based Entertainment from 3PM-5PM EST Tuesday 23rd of January 2018. Attend for free by registering here  

The sensation of Touch, or Haptics, is being experimented with widely across LBE businesses to make the experience more real and memorable. By adding features like Haptics, users engage with content in new ways, transporting them deeper into levels of immersion unavailable to home users.

At first, haptic feedback was limited to vibrating chairs and floors, and then soon after, hand-held peripherals entered with plastic guns that recoil when fired and haptic sticks that react like lit torches or baseball bats when used. New entrants into the Haptic Market are going all in, with full-body haptic suits, promising realistic touch sensations from head-to-toe, no matter what virtual world you inhabit. New haptic capabilities are being implemented into the walls of LBE Arcades and Amusement Parks, such as ultrasound speakers that broadcast touch to bare skin; like surround sound, this approach offers a wide range of sensations, at a distance, without needing to wear or hold anything.

The LBE World is evolving quickly, with haptics being a reliable, powerful way to bring content to new levels. Each person uses touch, to validate that the objects we see are real; in virtual reality, haptics bridge and blend the virtual and real into a seamless, meaningful experience.

Please join the VRARA LBE Haptics Panel for a lively discussion with our Haptics experts:

• Dimitri Mikhalchuk, CEO of Teslasuit, bringing a leading full-body tactile haptic suit with motion capture and climate control for virtual reality;

• Robin Alter, VP Strategic Partnerships at Ultrahaptics, the company offering midair, haptics using ultrasound;

• Martin Holly from Striker VR, which combines a revolutionary haptic engine, the Arena Infinity™), with VR Peripherals to deliver powerful and precise tactile feedback.

• Stafford Michahial from Kaaya Tech which develops the HoloSuit, a Full Body Analytics Wearable Platform with motion tracking and other features for VR LBE worlds.

And moderated by Kevin Williams with KWP, a leading consultancy in the emergence of the new entertainment market and prolific writer including his own news service The Stinger Report

Listen to our VR Arcades Location-Based Committee Webcast

The VR Arcade (Venue Location Entertainment Industry Committee) gave a live talk with Q&A on the topic, listen here. This live event was attended by executives from IMAX, Verizon, among others.  This was a panel discussion on the impact of Virtual Reality on Location Based Entertainment. Topics of discussion touched on best practices, monetization models, content creation, roadblocks, licensing and emerging trends for VR entertainment venues. Participants included members of the VRARA Committee. Moderated by Chris Pfaff Tech Media. 

Listen here