UK’s Alton Towers theme park to offer 'Galactica,' world’s first VR roller coaster ride
Virtual reality in gaming seems to only be the first step for the technology this year. A new announcement has hinted that VR roller coaster rides will be coming to a UK theme park. The announcement indicates that the virtual reality will inspire many other theme parks to bring the VR experience for the tourists.
Nine VR roller coasters are in the works and VR dark rides, haunted mazes and thrill rides are already on the board. The UK's Alton Towers theme park will introduce the world's first VR roller coaster, Galactica. The VR coaster will offer a virtual reality flight through space which will take three minutes at a speed of up to 47 miles per hour and a 3.5 negative g-force.
Galactica is a new innovation on roller coasters from Alton Towers, UK. The VR coaster combines the 47 miles per hour speed and 3.5 g-force thrills with the sensations of virtual reality to let the riders experience the flight in outer space. With Galactica, riders sit in a face-down position wearing a VR headset. The 2,760-foot track has a lot of of twists and turns and is synchronized with a VR video.
With the inception of virtual reality, its effects on a rider's health have been a concern for the tech world. With the VR roller coasters, motion sickness is an obvious challenge. However, Alton Towers believes the company has solved the problem and the rider will be restricted by shoulder straps so they will not be able to move their heads left or right.
In another move, Canada’s Wonderland amusement park outside Toronto has also planned to add VR headsets to its Thunder Run roller coaster. The company is planning to test the ride with virtual reality during the offseason, LA Times reported.
Galactica will open at the Forbidden Valley area of Alton Towers. Interested riders and virtual reality fans can book their flight to two destinations: Nero 5 and Kepler 9. Riders will be able to experience lava lakes on Nero 5 and frozen landscapes of Kepler 9 as the ride begins in April 2016.
