It would seem Halloween is the perfect demonstration for creating VR experiences. Big guns like Universal are no exception. A review of their new experience, Universal’s VR Horror Experience can be found on the IGN website.
At first perspective, it would seem that VR plays a complementary role in an experience that is part immersive theater and part escape game. With that said is would not seem the Repository is a direct competitor. However, they do have some common themes that are shared with the iMyth prototype.
One of the themes that really stands out is having haptic feedback and interactors operating puppets that provide a more physical experience than just VR alone. I was told by a former Halloween Horror Nights employee that they had to tune down the VR experience with the interactors because it was too intense. What that looked and felt like I’ll never know. However, this does represent the emotional impact physical presence has in the immersive experience. The iMyth prototype does a good job testing some of these concepts.
I’ll need to set a date with some of the iMyth crew to travel to Universal’s HHN and check out the repository. I’ll probably curse myself if I let this opportunity slide by.
