Virtual Reality Is About to Make Roller Coasters Even More Exciting

Theme park rides are getting a much-needed upgrade.

Let’s face it: Roller coasters may have been the epitome of high-speed thrills when you were 12, but as soon as you figured out that driving your car on back country roads as fast as you want is equally, if not more, satisfying, the excitement of waiting in a 30-minute line for a 3-minute predetermined rail ride suddenly didn’t seem so cool. 

Well, thanks to a partnership between Samsung and Six Flags Entertainment, roller coasters equipped with Samsung Gear VR headsets at multiple Six Flags parks have the potential to make roller coasters a uniquely thrilling experience for kids and adults alike. 

Throughout the month of March, select roller coasters at Six Flags locations all over the country will be getting the VR treatment, coupling the motions of the coasters with immersive 360 degree visuals to give patrons the experience of piloting a fighter jet or saving the world from an evil alien.

Along with those, a Superman-themed simulation in which passengers fight off Lex Luther and his army of Lexbots as they soar through the sky will debut in three parks sometime this summer. 

The Samsung Gear VR headsets are top-of-the-line, and the combination has the potential to be an absolute game-changer for the somewhat monotonous experience of going up down and side to side really fast on a rail car. 

For more information on what rides are making the upgrade, check out the Six Flags website. 

h/t Ars Technica 

Share: 
Tags: