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Six Flags Announces Virtual Reality Roller Coasters at 9 US Parks!

 

Six Flags is bringing ground-breaking experiences to nine parks:

 

- Shock Wave at Six Flags Over Texas

- Dare Devil Dive at Six Flags Over Georgia

- The New Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain

- Ninja at Six Flags St. Louis

- Steamin’ Demon at The Great Escape

- Goliath at La Ronde

- SUPERMAN Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas

- SUPERMAN The Ride at Six Flags New England

- SUPERMAN Ride of Steel at Six Flags America

 

Six Flags is bringing ground-breaking experiences to nine parks — North America's first Virtual Reality (VR) Roller Coasters, using Samsung Gear VR powered by Oculus. Enjoy thrills like never before as some of our most popular coasters will be equipped to allow you to wear Samsung Gear VR headsets and feel the heart-pumping adrenaline of steep drops, inverted loops and powerful twists and turns as gyros, accelerometers and proximity sensors synchronize all of the action in an incredibly realistic 360-degree virtual reality world.

 

Whether you're soaring through Metropolis on our SUPERMAN Virtual Reality Coasters or co-piloting a fighter jet on The New Revolution, this remarkable technology is a definite game-changer. The headsets allow guests 13 and older to enter a virtual world with high-resolution imagery and 360-degree views that synchronize to the action of the coaster in a totally new, one-of-a-kind experience.

 

Six Flags and Samsung Partner to Launch First Virtual Reality Roller Coasters in North America

 

Samsung is “Official Technology Partner” at Six Flags Theme Parks Nationwide

 

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas, and New York City — March 3, 2016 — Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (NYSE:SIX), and Samsung Electronics America, Inc., today announced a broad marketing partnership which appoints Samsung as the “Official Technology Partner” of the world’s largest regional theme park company. The partnership includes the debut of ground-breaking experiences coming to nine Six Flags parks—North America’s first Virtual Reality (VR) Roller Coasters, using Samsung Gear VR powered by Oculus.

 

In partnership with Samsung, Six Flags is taking its signature brand of thrills to the next level and beyond in fully immersive, virtual riding experiences using Samsung Gear VR. Some of Six Flags’ most popular coasters will be equipped to allow riders wearing Samsung Gear VR headsets to feel the heart-pumping adrenaline of steep drops, inverted loops and powerful twists and turns as gyros, accelerometers and proximity sensors synchronize all of the action in an incredibly realistic 360-degree virtual reality world.

 

“This remarkable technology is a definite game-changer for theme park rides and represents everything our brand stands for—delivering the most thrilling and innovative rides and attractions in the world,” said John Duffey, Six Flags President and CEO. “With the addition of these virtual reality coasters, Six Flags will be introducing more than double the number of new coasters and rides than we did in 2015, and more than any year in the last decade. Innovation is part of our DNA, and news in every park every year is driving higher guest satisfaction and building strong momentum for our company."

 

“What makes this partnership so compelling for consumers and the broader tech industry alike is that both companies are committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible - and bringing a VR coaster to life is certainly a new and thrilling proposition,” said Marc Mathieu, chief marketing officer at Samsung Electronics America. “Now, people can be immersed into a totally new universe while riding a roller coaster, powered by Samsung Gear VR virtual reality devices.

 

This transforms the modern roller coaster into a totally new, one of a kind sensorial experience - powered by technology. We are excited to work with the premier brand in theme parks to bring Samsung’s VR technology to nine Six Flags locations across the U.S.”

 

Samsung Gear VR – designed to accelerate virtual reality into the mainstream – provides an untethered, fully-immersive experience with 360-degree content for an extremely high quality mobile VR experience. Built to work with Samsung’s Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+ and Note5, the Gear VR headset utilizes each device’s super AMOLED display to provide the color, clarity and performance needed for an amazing virtual reality experience.

 

About the VR Roller Coaster Experiences

Six Flags and Samsung will launch the new VR Roller Coasters beginning this month and into the summer, totaling nine coasters across the U.S. On the six New Revolution Virtual Reality Coasters, riders are transported to a futuristic battle to save planet earth from an alien invasion. Riders are the co-pilots in their own fighter jets as they strap in for air-to-air combat. Taking in the view around them, riders will see other aircraft in an underground secret bunker. As the aircraft moves to a landing pad, it begins to launch its thruster engines, lifting the craft straight up through the roof. During the ascent, riders can test fire their weapons using the world’s first-ever interactive gameplay technology on a roller coaster. As riders clear the roof, they realize they are on top of a skyscraper and about to launch off the edge of the building diving straight down on the first drop of the ride. The aircraft races through the city until reaching the edge of the skyline where riders see the mother ship hovering above. The mother ship is heavily protected by drones and the mission is to get past the drones, fire on the mother ship and destroy it. This elite fighter squadron experience will make its debut on the following six roller coasters:

 

 Shock Wave at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, opening March 10 to Season Pass Holders as a special sneak preview;

 Dare Devil Dive at Six Flags Over Georgia outside of Atlanta, opening March 12 to Season Pass Holders as a special sneak preview;

 The New Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain near Los Angeles, opening March 26 to Season Pass Holders as a special sneak preview;

 Ninja at Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka;

 Steamin’ Demon at The Great Escape in Lake George, New York and

 Goliath at La Ronde in Montreal.

 

On Six Flags’ three new SUPERMAN Virtual Reality Coasters, once riders take their seats and fasten the headsets, they will be fully immersed in the 360-degree comic-book world of Metropolis. Guests will be taken on a leisurely (or so they think) tour of the city of Metropolis, courtesy of Lex Corp Sky Tours. Just after departing the station riders encounter Lex Luthor who uses an anti-gravity gun along with his army of Lex Bots to create chaos throughout the city with cars, taxis and buses floating in mid-air around the rider’s vehicle. As the Lexbots continue shooting at the vehicle, SUPERMAN uses heat vison to destroy the anti-gravity gun, causing all objects to suddenly fall, including the train as it takes the first giant drop of the roller coaster. Riders then soar alongside SUPERMAN as he battles the evil Lexbots

 

through hairpin twists and turns, loops, dips and dives before ultimately defeating Lex and the Lexbots, and returning safely back into the station. This amazing adventure will debut on these Superman-branded coasters:

 

 SUPERMAN Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio;

 SUPERMAN The Ride at Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts; and

 SUPERMAN Ride of Steel at Six Flags America in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

 

For more information, visit http://www.sixflags.com/virtualrealitycoasters and http://www.samsung.com/gearvr.

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Edited by robbalvey
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Six Flags Announces Virtual Reality Roller Coasters at 9 US Parks!

WOW. I was not expecting them to go so gung-ho with this across the board. I'm stunned (in a good way). Even more so that they seem to be including some hypers in there.

 

I'm literally at a loss for words, so... just... wow.

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I hope they give you the option of riding NR without the VR headset.

 

It's in the FAQ: https://www.sixflags.com/national/special/new-2016/faq

 

Do I have to wear the headset?

You have the choice of riding with or without a headset.

 

On top of that, looking at the FAQ it seems they are using the design similar to the one I posted on the previous page with the overhead strap although the ones we tried didn't have the chinstrap and lanyard, the one's in the concept art/video are Samsung's goggle style ones, probably because they look better in the art that way.

 

How do you put on the headset before riding?

The wireless VR headset is secured with three straps – one around the head, one over the head and a chinstrap, along with a safety lanyard. You’ll be able to try on the sanitized headset and adjust the straps before it’s your turn to ride. When you approach the loading station, you’ll raise the headset so you can board the coaster, secure the ride restraint and then pull the headset over your eyes – get ready to take off!

 

And since I'm sure people will ask this question next:

 

Is there an additional fee?

There is not an additional fee for riding our new Virtual Reality Coaster – it’s FREE with your park admission.

Edited by Garet
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Do I have to wear the headset?

You have the choice of riding with or without a headset.

 

The VR Coaster system is definitely an interesting trend, even though it isn't my cup of tea.

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I'm not sure about all this "VR" stuff, either; my past experiences with this technology left me feeling nauseated. Still, I imagine "flying through Metropolis" at SFA would be better than over a vacant lot.

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No thank you. I'm old school when it comes to this crap. If I want to play a video game I will play a video game. When I got to the parks I go to experience the roller coasters as a piece of art that I can ride in its most natural sense.

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Well this is a pleasant surprise!

 

I think the biggest shock for me are the coasters that the parks chose to add this tech to, a floorless and a couple of hypers! I wonder if each coaster will get its own sim or if it will be mainly the same for each park..

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I'd call this a novelty. Part of a roller coaster experience is the thrilling visuals, looking down and seeing how high you are, the expressions on the faces of your family & friends sitting next to you. This eliminates all of the real-world/social aspects of riding coasters in favor of an artificial/solitary experience.

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Six Flags Announces Virtual Reality Roller Coasters at 9 US Parks!

WOW. I was not expecting them to go so gung-ho with this across the board. I'm stunned (in a good way). Even more so that they seem to be including some hypers in there.

 

I'm literally at a loss for words, so... just... wow.

 

They're probably doing it at so many parks because the headsets probably aren't that expensive when compared to the cost of an entire roller coaster. Never having been a part of their design/business team to do price evaluations, I probably wouldn't put an out-of-my-butt price tag of more than maybe $2,000 per headset. So fully outfitting all those coasters will only end up at around $1 million, which is basically a kiddie coaster's worth of money.

 

 

Didn't see (no pun intended!) this coming......

 

No pun intended? What kind of monster are you??????

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While I would love to try this and experience it...I'm also thinking this is going to extremely slow down loading time with everyone putting on headsets and whatnot. Or, they may have a process in place to keep the lines moving at a normal pace...Who knows? Just a concern.

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True, the ops side will be interesting part of this equation. Headsets have to be cleaned after all after every ride. Bit of a learning curve for guests to put on headset. The age restriction will also be in play, so you know there will be some who will try to get around that as well. Will be great test of the hardware reliability withstanding the stress of being on a coaster.

 

Great that they are being ambitious with bringing a new experience to the chain.

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I always support innovation and I'm glad they are trying this concept on some more aggressive rides. I'll be interested to see how this works out operationally and experientially. That said, I can't shake the fear in the back of my mind that if this does well, less rides will be built to be good on their own. Coasters are about having real thrilling experiences and I hope this doesn't change that over time.

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I'm thinking the headsets will be cleaned and set up on your head before you actually reach the coaster itself, just like you get 3D glasses before sitting down to watch a movie. Probably right at the moment they ask how many in your party before sending you to the overflow queue.

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My only question is, why did they use Full Throttle for the Ad; with that being said I think FT would make an amazing Virtual Reality coaster. The reverse launch could be something coming after you (Launched backwards), you dodge it (Backwards Snake-dive), and you fly back to fight it (Full launch forward)

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Six Flags Announces Virtual Reality Roller Coasters at 9 US Parks!

WOW. I was not expecting them to go so gung-ho with this across the board. I'm stunned (in a good way). Even more so that they seem to be including some hypers in there.

 

I'm literally at a loss for words, so... just... wow.

 

They're probably doing it at so many parks because the headsets probably aren't that expensive when compared to the cost of an entire roller coaster. Never having been a part of their design/business team to do price evaluations, I probably wouldn't put an out-of-my-butt price tag of more than maybe $2,000 per headset. So fully outfitting all those coasters will only end up at around $1 million, which is basically a kiddie coaster's worth of money.

 

I would say way less than that considering the consumer headset itself is only $99 http://www.samsung.com/us/explore/gear-vr/

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Just got my confirmation for my virtual revolution ride! Got an email at 8:33 this morning offering pass holders a preview ride. Check your email, passholders! I predict a lot of people will get nauseous from riding with a VR headset.

Edited by mike932
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I would say way less than that considering the consumer headset itself is only $99 http://www.samsung.com/us/explore/gear-vr/

 

The headset requires a compatible phone, the cheapest of which is 600$ MSRP. They may have access to phones built specifically built for this without phone capabilities, but I'd assume those cost at least 400$. So, about at least 500$ per set sounds about right to me.

Edited by Fooz
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When you introduce something like this to clientele that often struggle to board a train and secure a restraint as it stands (and adding a seat belt into the mix is like throwing a curveball), this will be wonderful for the already stellar dispatch times you run into at many Six Flags parks.

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