Roller Coasters are surely fun to sit on, however, looking at the sky and at the person’s head who is sitting in front of you definitely affects the experience. Samsung and Six Flags Entertainment are teaming up to try to fix this apparent problem, by equipping roller coasters at nine North American parks with Gear VR headsets that will sync their virtual worlds to the usual thrill ride movements.
This move does look the amalgamation of best of both real and virtual worlds, as sitting at a place doesn’t always have that effect as far as the overall effect of virtual reality is concerned. By timing a pre-planned VR experience precisely to the predictable dips, turns and loops of a roller coaster, passengers’ bodies will actually feel the same movements that they’re seeing in the 360° virtual world flying by on their headset screens.
Moreover, the whole setup looks like the simulator rides that we find at theme parks that simply tilt and bounce the cabin to fool the body into the sensation of screen-matching movement.
Here are the parks and specific roller coasters that will be receiving the VR headset addition.
- Shock Wave at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington (opening March 10 to Season Pass Holders as a special sneak preview)
- Dare Devil Dive at Six Flags Over Georgia outside of Atlanta (opening March 12 to Season Pass Holders as a special sneak preview)
- The New Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain near Los Angeles (opening March 26 to Season Pass Holders as a special sneak preview)
- Ninja at Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka
- Steamin’ Demon at The Great Escape in Lake George, New York
- Goliath at La Ronde in Montreal
Superman Virtual Reality Coasters
- Superman Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio
- Superman The Ride at Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts
- Superman Ride of Steel at Six Flags America in Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Will you be visiting any of the aforementioned Six Flags theme parks anytime soon? Let us know in the comments below.