Six Flags Over Georgia Preps New Virtual Reality Coaster

March 10, 2016

jmayer,

Atlanta, GA (WDEF) An experience like no other comes to Six Flags Over Georgia. After years of investigating how to bring a virtual reality ride to the park, Six Flags makes a breakthrough thanks to Samsung’s Gear VR. Sam Rhodes, Director of Design for Six Flags Entertainment, say “it’s really the first true untethered device where we don’t have to mount a computer to each car for each individual seat with cables coming off the back of your heads.”

The New Revolution Virtual Reality Coaster transforms the existing Dare Devil Dive ride into a battle through the skies with aliens. “You go up a lift hill. You blow out the top of a hanger, you go down 95 degrees, you’re crashing through buildings and really are immersed in a virtual world. It really is an amazing technological advance,” says Gene Petriello of Six Flags Over Georgia.

After boarding the ride, you strap on the Samsung Gear VR headset, featuring a Galaxy S6 Edge phone. Look up or down, left or right, and your field of view follows along. Tom Harding, Director of Virtual Reality for Samsung, says “the moment when you just do that first drop, everything changes, nothing else matters you are in the action, front and center.”

Everything you see on the virtual reality screen has been synched to the coaster’s drops, twists and turns… which limits motion sickness. “So you’re not really tricking your brain, you’re tricking your eyes. So you don’t get this movement inside your head trying to figure out how to adjust your balance, it doesn’t do that anymore because you physically feel what you’re seeing,” says Rhodes.

For those concerned about germs, these goggles feature anti-microbial leather and will be cleansed with anti-bacterial wipes after every use. There’s no additional fee for the ride, which travels at 55 miles per hour.

Rhodes says Six Flags already has other scenarios in the works, like a virtual battle in the skies between Superman and Lex Luthor. One day soon, he hopes to add audio to the virtual experience.

The New Revolution Virtual Reality Ride will only be open to season pass holders this weekend and will launch for the general public March 19th. Six Flags Over Georgia will also open the new Bugs Bunny Boomtown this weekend and a new DC Super Friends kids area in May.