The pros continue to find ways to leverage XR technology to enhance guest experiences. Universal and Disney are both in the game. From Japan to China to Europe and even Canada, new location-based XR attractions are opening in theme parks, shopping centers, tourist attractions, museums, and almost everywhere people go for entertainment outside the home. Will the US operators get left in the dust? Find out after the news…

"Can they put mouse ears on glasses?”

New Developments

Theme Parks

Disney Explores AR Wearables
Disney researchers are developing AR wearables aimed at reducing phone dependency and extending guest engagement before, during, and after park visits. Read more…

Tokyo Dome City Expands XR Lineup
Tokyo Dome City is adding new XR attractions—including HADO, Beastly Tower, and Ghost Mansion Live—to deepen its interactive entertainment slate. Read more…

Want to add the same amazing XR attractions from Tokyo Dome to your arcade? Learn more

FECs and Arcades

Zero Latency Releases Outbreak 2: Mall Mayhem
Zero Latency expands its flagship zombie universe with a new free-roam sequel featuring bigger environments, mutant enemies, and replay-driven mechanics. Read more…

Curse of Calypso – MR + Animatronics Escape in Myrtle Beach
This pirate-themed mixed-reality escape experience blends VR-style visuals with animatronics and immersive sets for a cinematic Blackbeard storyline. Read more…

Horizons of Khufu Opens at Austin’s Hologram Zoo
Austin’s Hologram Zoo adds a VR walkthrough that transports guests into ancient Egypt through detailed historical worldbuilding. Read more…

Great Train Outlaws – 4-Player Cooperative Train Robbery
Great Train Outlaws is a four-player cooperative VR experience where teams board a moving train, dodge hazards, and pull off a Wild West heist designed for high-energy group play. Read more…

Museums and Science Centers

Mapping the World – VR at Nanjing Museum
The Nanjing Museum debuts a VR journey following Zheng He’s Ming-era voyages, blending historical cartography with immersive environments. Read more…

Art, Music, and Culture

Real Madrid Unveils VR Fan Experience
Real Madrid has launched a new VR attraction that lets fans step inside iconic moments from the club’s history, offering an immersive layer to its global fan-engagement strategy. Read more on Blooloop…

Dine With VR Glasses – Yuba Dining Experience in Malaga
A new dining concept in Spain equips guests with VR glasses that transform their meal into a multisensory experience, blending virtual environments with real-world cuisine.
Read more…

MoCAAD’s 10-Year XR Retrospective
Miami’s MoCAAD celebrates its 10th anniversary with an immersive program blending African Diaspora art, XR media, and digital storytelling. Read more…

Ramses and the Pharaohs’ Gold – Battersea
A new VR adventure at Battersea Power Station immerses guests in a mythic Egyptian world filled with exploration and puzzle-based interactions. Read more…

Travel and Tourism

Tokyo Tower Immersive Transformation
Skonec and Red Maker have partnered to introduce next-generation immersive experiences across Tokyo Tower’s observation decks. Read more…

Technology

Meta Delays Ultralight Headset as Work Begins on Quest 4
Meta is reportedly pushing back its ultralight AR/VR headset while shifting resources toward early development of the next-generation Quest 4 platform. Read more on UploadVR…

OTHER STUFF

What Is a Holodeck Program? — Blair Renaud
Blair Renaud breaks down the components of a true “holodeck program,” arguing that spatial computing needs consistent logic, responsive environments, and narrative cohesion to evolve beyond tech demos.
Read the original post on LinkedIn…

Warner Bros. Developing Harry Potter Experience for Cosm Domes
Warner Bros. is partnering with Cosm to create a large-format immersive Harry Potter experience for its next-generation domes, bringing the Wizarding World into high-end, location-based media venues.
Read more on Deadline…

One Big Thing

Can You See the World with Fresh Eyes?

For the last 4 or 5 years, Howard and George McAulliffe from Pinnacle Entertainment have hosted a breakfast at IAAPA. It’s always an insightful gathering of a wide range of operators who run family entertainment centers anchored by everything from movie theaters to bowling centers to waterpark resorts, and more. In past years VR has been a central theme of the conversation. In fact, the first breakfast was titled Movie Theaters Meet the Metaverse. Needless to say that title didn’t stick.

But what has stuck is the bad taste VR has left in the mouths of operators. This year I asked a simple question:

All the hands went up. And the looks on their faces ranged from disgust to frustration to “Are we really going to talk about VR again?”

They say that when making a presentation, you should never ask a question you don’t know how the crowd will answer. And it’s precisely the answer I expected because I talk to operators all the time. And what I told them is worth repeating for everyone who was not in the room.

Pioneers Get Arrows in their Backs

US FEC operators were early adopters of VR in a big way. Hologate and Virtual Rabbids burst onto the scene in 2017, capturing the imagination of FEC owners. Within a year, we went from no virtual reality to hundreds of locations running VR. By the time the pandemic shut things down, most FECs had some kind of VR game or attraction.

Early VR products relied on immature hardware and software that required more attention than traditional amusement products. But for many operators, the novelty and excitement were worth it. But COVID’s supply chain disruption meant replacement parts were scarce, so equipment sat idle. And when labor rates skyrocketed, operators stopped staffing their VR attractions, leading to a drop in revenue. VR went into a death spiral, and the industry is still in mourning.

Sometimes Being Second Is Better

But spending time in Europe this year, I found that the attitude toward VR is starkly different from that in America. The EU is five to ten years behind the US market when it comes to FEC development. So they missed the whole VR boom beginning in 2017, and the ensuing battle scars of COVID.

Instead, they’re late to the game, and their experience is totally different. Headsets are infinitely more reliable and cost a fraction of what they did 5 years ago. There are no more backpacks, cables, or tracking cameras to calibrate, because everything is self-contained in the headset. And game creators have figured out how to onboard people into experiences easily, so the labor burden is minimal.

The Economic Game Has Changed

I used Zero Latency as an example. When George Smith at FEG (who was in the room) purchased his first two Zero Latency systems for Kalhari Waterparks, his investment was about $1 million. Now you can get a turnkey Zero Latency arena installed for less than $200K. So the CAPEX has plummeted, but the revenue hasn’t, which means the ROI is through the roof.

There are plenty of other examples. Hero Zone brought a new turnkey attraction to the IAAPA Orlando to showcase their new Terminator game. One operator asked me how much it was, and I told him I thought it was around $80K for a six-player free roam with a giant LED wall behind the players. Their jaws dropped, “That’s all?” They could hardly believe it.

A Pico Ultra 4 headset costs about $700: players pay, on average, $1 per minute. That’s $60 an hour. Where else can you buy a piece of equipment that could pay for itself in one busy day?

Now, obviously, I am oversimplifying things for impact. You have labor and space costs, and you have to do some buildout or buy an arena, but the core principle still holds. Never in my 35 years in this business have I seen so little cost yield so much entertainment value. I begged the room at breakfast, and I implore you to take a look at VR now with fresh eyes. You are doing yourself, your business, and your customers a disservice if you don’t.

(Don’t quote me on prices - they’re estimates.)

Bob

PS. When you’re ready, there are a couple of ways we could work together

1. If you want more access to me and over 100 of the most open, experienced, and passionate LBEVR execs in the world, check out LEXRA. Join before Dec 31 and score Founding Member Status!

2. If you are interested in investing in or building in the VR space, I can help. Just reply to this email with “Let’s Build” in the subject.

3. If you’re selling in the LBE industry and want to stand out from the crowd to increase sales, I have a program that will change your business trajectory. Just reply, and we can hop on a call.

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