There has been a lot of talk of virtual reality here on Tweaks for Geeks since it is a new and exciting technology that is seemingly going to take the public by storm. It is going to revolutionize how we watch media, how we interact with media, how we play games and much much more. By ‘much much more’, one area that VR is now moving into is the theme park industry: roller coasters (are you getting excited yet)? That’s right, there are now theme parks that are opening roller coasters which use VR to transport the rider into a completely different world, where the G force they feel in real life is reflected by what they are seeing in the VR headset. With this, here are some of the newest roller coasters that are being opened that transport the rider into a new world using the technological breakthrough of virtual reality.

#1 Dare Devil Dive at Six Flags

The Dare Devil roller coaster is one of the first to use VR on roller coasters. With the addition of being able to shoot at aliens as you fly around a different world with drops, spirals and high G turns, the reviewers that have rode this VR roller coaster can only describe it as ‘insane’ and that to really feel the power and excitement of this roller coaster, you need to ride it first.

The only drawback to this roller coaster are the graphics of the VR experience and that there is no sound associated with the VR experience. However, I am sure the graphics will improve and sound will be introduced at a later stage.

#2 Galatica at Alton Towers

Galatica is a closer example of pushing VR roller coasters to the limit. With the idea of sending the rider through galaxies on a journey, pulling G forces of up to 3.5G – this is more than astronauts typically feel when a rocket launches.

However, what makes Galatica such an exciting roller coaster to ride is that sound is included to make the experience as real as possible. As well as this, Alton Towers has invested millions upon millions of pounds in this new roller coaster – there is no point making a half-hearted attempt of a VR roller coaster!

Unfortunately, there are only two VR roller coasters that are opening for the future. However, we can expect many other theme parks investing time and money into making a VR roller coaster of their own. For example, both the Disney and Universal Studios brand will be investing in VR since the great think about VR is that it only has to be an add on to an already great roller coaster.

An example of this could be Universal Studios Florida ‘Dragon Challenge’, based in Harry Potter world. At the moment, the roller coasters or ‘dragons’ fly/ride close to each other but, with VR, the rider could be transported into the wizarding world of Harry Potter to experience what it could be like to ride a dragon or fly a broomstick in a game of quidditch! The possibilities are endless with VR.