Last week I wrote about an Assassin’s Creed VR experience I found at an Ubisoft event that was tucked away in a corner created by a company called Triotech. It was on display using one of their proprietary VRMaze booths, which combine wireless Vives, backpack PCs, and smart level mapping to simulate actually exploring a multi-level building. That same booth also had a “Virtual Rabbids” game as well.
Virtual Rabbids only used a single Vive controller so instead of shooting a bow and arrow like in Assassin’s Creed VR, I was shooting a laser gun. Everything else just involved me physically moving around, evading laser shots from the Rabbids, and ducking behind walls for cover.
Triotech’s VRMaze platform seems incredibly versatile. Using the same little square-shaped room with a cutout in the middle (shown in the video above and image down below) they can map out a variety of game experiences. Despite standing in the same real world spot, I didn’t feel like I was playing a game with a similar layout at all.
The Assassin’s Creed VR game was much more narrative, with big climactic moments, a giant boss fight, and even a leap of faith at the end. For Virtual Rabbids, it’s all about pure arcade fun. I’d walk into a room and have four or five Rabbids flying around or floating in the air, firing lasers at me. It only took a minute or two for me to trust the tracking system enough to duck around behind walls and not need to feel out things with my hands first.
For this setup they were only use two Vive sensors in the corners, like you would at home, with see-through walls at the center of the “maze” to allow the signals to pass through. However, if I leaned down too much or stood in the corner just right it’d still occlude the controllers and headset every now and then. Adding more sensors would have helped a lot.
Virtual Rabbids was a fun, simple little shooting gallery. Combining wireless VR with a small, discreet space like the VRMaze worked really well. Something like this wouldn’t look out of place at all to see at an arcade and the short play sessions are nice and manageable.
Triotech currently has over 300 locations around the world and you can see an interactive map of each right here. It’s unclear which of them feature the Rabbids and which feature the Minotaur maze, but an Assassin’s Creed VR experience is also coming soon.
Would you play a brief Rabbids VR experience like this at home? Let us know down in the comments below!
