Getting a top tier VR headset into your household is currently an expensive feat whether you’re interested in the full experiences the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift provide or even the slightly more accessible PS VR. Considering the price tag, one could be apprehensive or hesitant to try it out which is where experiences like VR arcades such as Zero Latency and CrtlV come into play. Koei Tecmo, the gaming company known for the Dead or Alive and Dynasty Warriors series, has unveiled a new futuristic looking pod that looks to bring a deeply immersive VR experience to arcades.
Called Sense, this installation is a VR pod like the previously revealed pod powered by AMD. As explained on the website, though, the patent-pending structure is going to stimulate multiple senses for a single player at a time with touch, smell, temperature, and even a mist function. It is described as “stylish and highly convenient” as the company will be looking for arcade owners to welcome this as part of their limited floor space. They also explain that multiple types of software can be used with it, no matter the genre, and it will come with three experiences with purchase (there’s an additional charge for more). The three games shown on the website thus far include a horror game, horse racing simulation, and what looks to be a chariot combat game.
Though haptic feedback is something many companies are looking to solidify in the VR industry, this pod has some interesting feedback features that the individual game descriptions reveal. The horse racing game is enhanced with wind and rain, the chariot game reproduces fire across the battlefield, and the horror game simulates falling insects and small animals scurrying across the floor through a touch function.
The pod is still in development but it will be interesting to see how accurate (or potentially messy) this experience will be once it starts to hit arcades.
