I’m scared of roller coasters. Not heights, not speed, not intricate examples of mechanical engineering: roller coasters. I am specifically, and dreadfully, terrified or riding roller coasters. This is the story of me riding a roller coaster.
Gulp.
Last week, my wife and I were received an invitation from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California, to stop by for a preview of its new attraction. One of the park’s existing coasters, Kong, was being converted into an immersive virtual reality experience using a large number of Samsung Gear VR headsets.
UploadVR has tried VR from Six Flags before, but this time was different. Before the ride we were each given a headset to wear that came with a specially designed VR experience. This experience would be mapped to the movements of the coaster itself and was intended to make us feel as though we were hurtling through outer space rather than hurtling around a chunk of Northern California.
The Gear VRs themselves had special, reinforced head straps. These plastic contraptions were meant to do two things: ensure the headset stayed on through the dips, twists and loops Kong has to offer, and to make the process of head strap adjustment simpler for a mass audience. Unlike the standard Gear VR strap, which uses cloth and Velcro to achieve a tight fit, these modified versions featured a simple wheel in the back that turn to the right or left to tighten and loosen the device on your face. This design is similar to that of HTC’s new Deluxe Vive head strap, and it worked well for the crowd I was riding with.
Once the headset is on, you’ll see a view of the real world provided by the pass-through camera. The view looks like you have some sort of sci-fi space helmet on. Think the in-armor views in an Iron Man movie. I was just getting used to all of this when the ride began.
I don’t know if I mentioned before, but I’m scared of roller coasters. The worst part is always that first hill. You’re locked tightly into your seat, you’re at a weird angle, and there’s nothing to do but watch yourself get higher and higher above the safety of the ground. Usually I’d be reduced to a catatonic state of anxiety at this point, however, with the Gear VR on my head I was being treated to a wonderful, and distracting, showcase of lights and sounds.
As we went up the first hill it looked like we were entering some kind of “hyper space.” Then, when we hit that first drop, suddenly I was in the cockpit of a spaceship rocketing through the cosmos. I looped, swooped, and soared my way through asteroids and around other spaceships.
About halfway through the ride I realized that there were lasers shooting out of my ship that I could aim with my gaze. I tried my best to shoot down as many enemy ships as I could, but 15 seconds later the ride was over.
As we pulled back into the station, I realized two things: It was fun, and I had completely forgotten about being scared.
