VR Arcade Turns to Vicon’s Origin System to Take Virtual Playgrounds to the Next Level
Two New Origin Systems Will Power One of the Largest Virtual Arcades in Europe; Additional Locations Planned Throughout The Netherlands and Beyond
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – VR Days Europe – October 26, 2018 – Vicon’s new comprehensive location-based virtual reality (LBVR) system, Origin, is poised to make its way to virtual arcades across Europe thanks to a new partnership between the Academy Award-winning optical system leader Vicon, and the Dutch-based virtual entertainment provider, VR Arcade. Origin will make its first appearance on November 17 in the Netherlands, where it will help establish two massive, open gaming areas, where up to five people can freely roam. Once transported to the virtual world, players will fight off aliens and zombies without worrying about tracking issues or waiting in line as the system recalibrates itself between sessions.
Vicon’s Origin system consists of four brand new components – Viper cameras, Pulsar tracking clusters, Beacon wireless network receivers and the Evoke software – all specifically designed to be used out of the box to create a fully immersive LBVR setup. Thanks to unbreakable tracking and auto-healing software that can recalibrate between sessions, once the system is installed, operators can relax and focus on making the user experience as enjoyable as possible. Those advantages made it the obvious choice for VR Arcade as it considered plans for expansion.
“Roaming around a virtual environment with complete freedom of movement is one of the most immersive gaming experiences imaginable, but that hasn’t been easy to create,” said Sander Bos, VR Arcade CEO. “Vicon offers cutting edge technology that does exactly what we need it to do out of the box. When we saw the capabilities of Origin, it opened up a whole new world of possibilities.”
VR Arcade’s upcoming state-of-the-art virtual arcade in Delfgauw, Netherlands, will feature 40 Vicon Viper cameras per area, tracking four Vicon Pulsar active marker clusters on each player. All movements are recorded and sent to Vicon’s Evoke software in real-time, transporting players into a custom-built game world. VR Arcade currently offers two unique LBVR games, both developed in-house: “Zombie Apocalypse,” where players face off against a horde of zombies, and “Alien Defense,” which challenges participants to defeat waves of alien invaders while determining their weak points.
Players in these virtual worlds will be equipped with a mobile backpack and a VR headset, along with a peripheral device for use in the game. One of the advantages of Vicon’s Origin system is that the Pulsar cluster can be added to an existing object for use in a game world. If there is a failure or the peripheral device is damaged, it can easily be replaced, with Vicon’s Evoke software registering the change and adapting to it in the game on the fly. That makes development of future titles that rely on external peripherals easier than ever, as the cluster can be switched from object to object as needed. Future updates will also allow players to select the appearance of their in-game avatar, which will then be generated by Evoke.
“We are thrilled to see what Origin can do in the hands of innovative and creative minds like the team at VR Arcade,” said Vicon CEO Imogen Moorhouse. “The LBVR market is just in its infancy, and Origin will help developers around the world expand and create things no one has even dreamed of before.”
VR Arcade’s Delfgauw arcade location will feature two 240-square-meter free-roam environments, making it one of the biggest virtual arcades in the world. Working hand-in-hand with Vicon’s Dutch distributor ProCare, VR Arcade is currently planning to expand into two additional locations in the Netherlands, followed by an arcade in Germany and additional locations abroad. More announcements are coming in the near-future.
About Vicon
Academy Award®-winning Vicon is the world’s largest supplier of precision motion capture and tracking systems. It serves customers in the CG animation, object-tracking, virtual and augmented realities, engineering, broadcast, biomechanics, sports and clinical sciences arenas.
Vicon is a subsidiary of Oxford Metrics (LSE: OMG), the international software company servicing government, life sciences, entertainment and engineering markets. Other holdings include Yotta, a provider of software and services for infrastructure asset management.
Amongst many others, Vicon global clients include:
Entertainment: Framestore, Audiomotion, The Imaginarium, Quantic Dream, Ninja Theory, Konami, Activision, Sony, Dreamworks, ILM, USC, EA, Capture Lab, CD Projekt, Digic Pictures, IO Interactive, Creative Assembly, Plarium Games, Mocap Lab, Seasun
VR: Artanim, VR Tech, Dreamscape VR, Canon, Samsung
About VR Arcade
VR Arcade offers a unique experience in Virtual Reality gaming. Founded in 2016 by game developer Wilco Vos, professional piano player Sander Bos and golf professional Sebastiaan de Jonge, VR Arcade offers a unique free roam environment. Armed with a backpack, VR goggles and a weapon it’s up to you and your team to work together to defeat zombies and aliens. All our games are played in free roam environments so no cables or strings holding you back.
For more information about Oxford Metrics and its subsidiaries, visit: www.oxfordmetrics.com, www.vicon.com or www.yotta.co.uk.
© Copyright 2018 Vicon. All products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.