We changed the newsletter's name. We hope you like it. We think it’s clever and congruent with our mission to promote XR, not just VR. - Bob

Like the universe, the pace of expansion of the location-based XR business keeps increasing. And Hollywood is taking note. Sony Pictures is taking another swing at LBEXR with Jumanji. And McKinsey wrote a report on studio IP and LBE last week, but they missed quite a bit. I covered that in my Dropping In blog last week in case you missed it.

And in One Big Thing, I bring you up to speed on the VR Arcade and Attraction Summit. It’s coming, I promise, but not until Summer. Want to help? Then read on…

Sony Pictures Jumanji Coming to Zero Latency in time for 3rd Film

A new partnership is bringing the high-stakes world of Jumanji to location-based VR, allowing fans to step inside the movie's jungle universe. Read more...

Monkey Madness Swings Into Hero Zone

Hot on the heels of the consumer blockbuster VR title Gorilla Tag, Hero Zone is bringing its own version of monkey business to the arcade floor. Read more...

The Ultimate Nostalgia Trip: Building a Classic Arcade in Your Living Room

The Apple Vision Pro and Resolution Games are enabling enthusiasts to recreate pixel-perfect, historically accurate 1980s arcades within a virtual environment for home use with Retrocade. Read more...

Aurea Awards Spotlight the Brightest Stars in Immersive Tech

The latest Aurea Awards have honored a curated list of winners for their excellence and innovation across the global immersive entertainment landscape, including DreamPark. Read more...

Immotion Plucks a Lumiere Award for "Dolphins of the Red Sea"

Immotion’s high-quality aquatic documentary experience has been recognized with a prestigious Lumiere Award for its technical and creative achievement in VR. Read more...

Transforming Physical Spaces Into Mixed Reality Arcade Cabinets

A new MR application allows users to overlay digital arcade interfaces onto their real-world environment, effectively turning any room into a virtual gaming hub. Read more...

Gameland Combines Mini-Golf with High-Tech VR Arcade

Northern Ireland's latest entertainment destination, Gameland NI, is blending traditional family fun like mini-golf with a dedicated modern VR arcade section. Read more...

iQIYI Builds Its Version of Netflix House in China with More VR

The Chinese streaming giant is doubling down on location-based entertainment by scaling its immersive VR content library to rival the reach of major streaming platforms. Read more...

Sandbox VR Continues Expansion with New Surrey Location

The global leader in full-body VR experiences is growing its footprint with a new opening in Surrey, bringing its signature social gameplay to more Canadian fans. Read more...

Age of Dinosaurs Launches At Sandbox VR

Sandbox VR adds its first non-gaming experience, designed to broaden demographic appeal and open up new dayparts. Read more at Sandbox VR

Interstellar Games Aims to Make Global Sports Greener via VR Arenas

This new initiative explores how VR arenas can host competitive global sports events with a significantly lower carbon footprint than traditional physical stadiums. Read more...

Exhibition Hub Launches "Dinoverse" Touring VR Experience

A massive new touring exhibition is taking visitors back to the prehistoric era using high-fidelity VR to simulate a walk among the dinosaurs. Read more...

Hove Museum Resurrects Early Cinema History Through VR

A new exhibit at the Hove Museum uses virtual reality to transport visitors back to the dawn of film, showcasing the pioneers of the "Brighton School" of cinematography. Read more...

Ancient Civilizations Come Alive: Carmen Thyssen Museum VR Expedition

The Carmen Thyssen Museum is using VR tours so guests can explore its recently uncovered ancient Roman site beneath the Palacio de Villalón. Read more...

A VR streamer known for pushing games to uncomfortable extremes has found a new way to make playing games hurt — literally. Read more at GameRant

I’ve been getting lots of messages asking about the state of the VR Arcade and Attraction Summit. For the last 8-years it’s been co-located with Amusement Expo International in Las Vegas around the middle of March. But if you’ve looked at the AEI agenda for this year, you’ll notice something missing: pretty much anything about VR.

Last year’s Summit was the final event under the most recent 3-year agreement I had with Amusement Expo, and I decided, pretty much during that event, that I would not be renewing the contract. Like many relationships, Amusement Expo and the VR Summit grew apart.

It’s important to recognize that without Amusement Expo and the leadership of the AAMA, the Summit might never have happened. The support of Pete Gustafson, the AAMA Board, Brian Glasgow (the show organizer), and even the AMOA was paramount to the event's success.

But in the last couple of years, I noticed an audience misfit. The vast majority of show attendees had no interest in VR. And last year, most of the Summit attendees never left our room to attend the other conference tracks. Hundreds of people came just for the VR Summit. And those attendees were getting little value from the weird mix of jukeboxes, gumball machines, pool tables, and arcade games that filled the convention center floor.

Furthermore, our sponsors were opting out of exhibiting and instead focusing their sponsorships on the education event. Exhibiting at trade shows is expensive. I repeatedly heard from VR exhibitors, who need lots of space to showcase their experiences, that they didn’t get a return on their investment. They found that being in the room with a sponsor table was much more effective. And we can do that anywhere, anytime.

Amusement Expo’s dates in mid-March always collided with the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. And it butts up against SWXW in Austin. Those two huge conferences tend to attract many of the speakers and sponsors we targeted. The show is also right on the heels of IAAPA, where most new products are announced. Breaking free of that calendar window holds the promise of a more exciting conference, with new product announcements, higher-profile speakers, and more sponsors, resulting in a better experience for attendees.

The VR Attraction Summit grew from a sideshow to a full, two-day conference with attendees flying in from Japan, Africa, Europe, South America, and India. Our sponsors spanned four continents. The location-based XR industry is exploding, while almost all other parts of the VR industry are receding. Big companies are investing heavily in LBEXR. You deserve a conference that befits the industry in which you’re working and investing.

So we are working to bring that to you. LEXRA has formed an Event and Education Committee. It’s headed up by Brent Bushnell of Two Bit Circus and Dream Park fame. Bryan Nay is also serving on the committee, along with Chris Albaugh, my longtime trade show collaborator, and Chris Meilleur, who runs GameCon Canada, the largest gaming show in the Great White North.

We’ve identified a potential venue - the Westin Dallas. We’re in discussions now for August 3-5th. We’ve also had conversations with Netflix House, which is next door, about hosting our VIP event, hopefully with a behind-the-scenes tour. So please hold those dates.

Please consider this an invitation to help. We need people to help with the education program, conference logistics, and overall event design. If you have experience in any of these areas - great! Please bring it.

But if you just have passion and want to help, even if you don’t have any experience with events, we can use your help too. It takes a village. If you’re interested, reach out to me via LEXRA, or just reply to this email.

Stay immersed,

Bob

PS - Have you joined LEXRA yet? What are you waiting for? An invitation? OK, you just got one. Join here.