As far back as the invention of the computer, imaginative scientists and lay people alike have fantasized about the potential that technology could empower us to travel through and perhaps one day live within computer-generated environments, virtual worlds that fulfill our perceptions and senses, resulting in an immersive and life-like experience. Today, many incredible virtual reality experiences exist that anyone can explore — while many more VR experiences are yet to be made!
Whether it’s from the comfort of your own room or in a specially designed warehouse, here are some of the most impressive virtual reality experiences you can try out today.
Madame Tussauds Ghostbusters Experience
New York City is the place to go if you want to take on one of the most exciting virtual reality adventures on the globe.
Wearing high-end VR headsets and while wielding their own actual proton pack, participants at Madame Tussauds Ghostbusters Experience enter elaborate rooms designed to replicate actual places from the Ghostbusters universe. You’ll sense being touched by ghosts, explore haunted versions of famous NYC locations, and blast away evil spirits in an experience that has been praised by critics from Time to Forbes.
Zombie Survival at Zero Latency VR Arena
With the walking undead a major theme in so many popular movies and games in the last decade alone, you may think you’ve had enough of zombies — but Zero Latency’s Zombie Survival VR experience can change your mind. The most immersive zombie outbreak game in the world, Zombie Survival is a VR experience where you’re placed inside a giant warehouse with a gun in your hand and plenty of hungry corpses to blast way. Zero Latency allows groups of up to eight people to join the free-roam zombie scenario together, and visitors can also check out other games, including sci-fi shooter Singularity.
Batman Arkham VR
Who hasn’t imagined what it would be like to be the Caped Crusader? In Batman: Arkham VR, players can actually live out what it’s like to become the man behind the mask as they interact with vividly detailed environments, all made by the creators of the iconic Arkham game trilogy.
In this thrilling VR experience, the story’s focus is on Batman’s exceptional detective skills. Just like Bruce Wayne, players can use a number of fascinating gadgets to search for clues and interact with the gorgeously sombre city of Gotham, all while coming face to face with some of Batman’s seminal friends and foes.
YouTube Virtual Reality
It makes sense that the world’s favorite video-sharing website offers one of the best and most diverse VR experiences out there, if you have your own equipment to plug in (or can nab some extra time at your NYFA VR program’s lab!).
Check out YouTube’s official VR channel to access tons of 360° videos that work on just about any VR and mobile device. You can explore the oceans of Australia, get a taste of what it’s like to fly a military aircraft, feel like you’re at your favorite artist’s concert, and much, much more.
Google Earth VR
It’s been more than a decade since Google Maps originally launched and changed the way we think of place with its innovative 360° panoramic views. Nowadays, Google Earth VR allows you to take your directional curiosity for real images of our home planet a step further. From the cathedrals of Florence and the ruins of Rome to Switzerland’s majestic Matterhorn, Google Earth VR allows you to take a breathtaking look at the places you’ve always longed to see.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
The average gamer doesn’t need to be introduced to Resident Evil, one of the longest running horror series in the industry that’s tense enough to freak you out while playing on a regular TV. Of course, those brave enough to try the game on a PS VR headset are in for an exhilarating gaming experience like never before, as they explore a creepy mansion inhabited by a sadistic family of cannibals.
Have an idea for your own VR experience you want to create? Visit NYFA’s VR page to learn more about how our workshops can help you build and design your own world.