Big fans of virtual reality (VR) can now experience various types of platforms at VRX, the first VR arcade in Thailand and Southeast Asia.
Covering a total area of 250m² on the 3rd floor of Siam Square One, VRX features many exciting platforms such as Omni, which allows players to run, walk and otherwise move in the VR world, whether they are firing guns in a battlefield or walking a haunted house. Another example is 4DX VR, a simulator bringing players the experience of riding a rollercoaster at the Everland Theme Park in South Korea or sitting next to the driver in drift racing.
Also available is VR Racing, which offers the experience of a professional racer on a circuit; VR Snowboard, which enables players to experience the thrill of snowboarding and performing crazy manoeuvres; and HTC VIVE, offering a dazzling array of over 50 games to choose from. Players can put on VR headsets and interact with the VR world through the HTC VIVE controller while assuming the role of space warrior, ninja or surgeon.
The technology and content of VR games at VRX are supported by Thirteenth Floor, a technology and content partner in South Korea whose specialisation is the production of 360-degree cinematic videos, shot with state-of-the-art equipment.
Ratapatr Chotimongkol, VRW One general manager, said the company operates VRX stores or VR arcades, a new phenomenon in Southeast Asia with an investment of more than 30 million baht, offering customers five VR platforms from the US, Japan and South Korea.
"We set out to bring an immersive 360-degree VR experience to Thailand and cater to Thai tech enthusiasts. The VR arcade is expected to attract about 300,000 visitors a month," he said.
In addition to opening VRX, VRW One's parent company Disruptive Technology plans to expand its business by introducing VR to real estate, tourism, medicine and event organisation, and pursuing business-to-business customer-expansion involving a franchise system.
These strategies are motivated by the potential of VR to increase the capacity of services and professionals across various fields. For example, VR can be applied to the presentation of condominium models or used to create games with fully immersive environments for tourism, medical simulations and virtual seminars to spark interest in events and entertainment.
The franchise system of VRX involves three different sizes. The smallest requires an investment of 5-10 million baht and an area of 50-100m². The medium size requires 30-50 million baht and 300-500m². The largest size requires over 100 million baht and 1,000m².
In addition to gaming stations, franchise stores will avail themselves of a range of services for hardware and software installation, maintenance and repairs and content updating, as well as consultation, sponsored advertisement installation and capacity-management programmes for their stores. Other investments required depend on location and platforms.
VR arcades have gained tremendous popularity in many countries. There are 200 of them in the US, Japan and South Korea, with over 10 locations throughout each country.
"We have aimed to both grow as a franchise, and branch out toward a range of businesses that require technology to improve their capacity," said Ratapatr, adding that the company aims to launch 10 additional VR arcades across the country by 2018.
The 4DX VR simulator brings players the experience of riding a rollercoaster at the Everland Theme Park in South Korea. Photos courtesy of VRW One
