Why Venues Might Be the Key to VR’s Mass Breakthrough

Maybe it’s all about location, location, location.

Wired (correctly) predicted that the mass-cultural movement toward virtual reality (VR) would not result from a particular device, rather a destination. A Los Angeles venue plans to draw VR-curious crowds to a new interactive experience that’s not unlike going to the movies.

Through March 14, visitors to the top floor of Westfield’s recently renovated Century City mall can experience Dreamscape Immersive’s new VR pods via a pop-up.

According to Wired, “The key is a nifty motion-capture algorithm. By putting trackers on your hands and feet, plus a laptop on your back, Dreamscape can extrapolate what your limbs are doing. The result is a system that brings your full body into VR and enables you to share the experience—and props—with others. Playing catch with a flaming torch; reaching out and feeling the head of a creature that has sidled up to you; swinging a baseball bat and connecting with a real pitch: It’s all unlike anything else in the medium. “We’re not going to be a ‘VRcade,’” says Dreamscape CEO Bruce Vaughn. “This is a chance to transport people into imaginative worlds.”

Find more on Dreamscape Immersive and where they’re popping up next here.