Interactive Wands all but confirmed

Disneyhead'71

Disneyhead'71

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
These unusual makers started showing up around Hogsmeade

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Bp9yX1WCMAAvzvQ.jpg:large


Thanks to mattigans for the pics.
 
WED99

WED99

Well-Known Member
I can't help but feel it wouldn't be all that special after waiting your turn by one of the markers and seeing the spell cast numerous times already.
 
JediMasterMatt

JediMasterMatt

Well-Known Member
One resort spends 2 billion dollars on trying to use RFID to make a better mousetrap to bleed every dollar out of a guest and still hasn't found anyway to make any money off of it.

One resort spends a few hundred thousand dollars in using RFID to make interactive displays and will make millions of dollars out of the gate on it.

Which do you think is getting better use of the RFID technology?

*I'm still waiting for the tinfoil hat society to proclaim "the Ministry of Magic is tracking your every move with that wand"
 
RandomPrincess

RandomPrincess

Keep Moving Forward
JediMasterMatt said:
One resort spends 2 billion dollars on trying to use RFID to make a better mousetrap to bleed every dollar out of a guest and still hasn't found anyway to make any money off of it.

One resort spends a few hundred thousand dollars in using RFID to make interactive displays and will make millions of dollars out of the gate on it.

Which do you think is getting better use of the RFID technology?

*I'm still waiting for the tinfoil hat society to proclaim "the Ministry of Magic is tracking your every move with that wand"
Click to expand...
The Ministry does track magic usage in nonwizarding areas. Harry found that out when he blew up his aunt. so as long as you only use your wand in Wizarding areas you should be fine.
 
JediMasterMatt

JediMasterMatt

Well-Known Member
Meanwhile just down the road on I-4, I'm still waiting for Winnie the Pooh to say hi to me while I've got my MagicBand on.

Just imagine a world where common sense would've prevailed and WDW would've done some forward facing guest experience enhancements using the wristband out of the box instead of trying to radically change the way guests plan and spend time on their vacations? I think the user acceptance of the MM+ program would've been signficantly improved had TDO simply followed through with implementing some of the low hanging fruit that RFID was pitched under. Have a few attractions interact with you, have a parade character greet you, etc, etc.

Of course, you can't monetize the value added by having that happen.

Congrats Universal. You found a way to print your own money with these wands... and by print your own money, I mean literally in the form of the the exchange at Gringotts.

Rumor has it that the in park interactions are just the tip of the iceberg as I've heard rumors of gifts that can be purchased that will interact with the wands when you take them home.
 
flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
JediMasterMatt said:
Meanwhile just down the road on I-4, I'm still waiting for Winnie the Pooh to say hi to me while I've got my MagicBand on.

Just imagine a world where common sense would've prevailed and WDW would've done some forward facing guest experience enhancements using the wristband out of the box instead of trying to radically change the way guests plan and spend time on their vacations? I think the user acceptance of the MM+ program would've been signficantly improved had TDO simply followed through with implementing some of the low hanging fruit that RFID was pitched under. Have a few attractions interact with you, have a parade character greet you, etc, etc.

Of course, you can't monetize the value added by having that happen.

Congrats Universal. You found a way to print your own money with these wands... and by print your own money, I mean literally in the form of the the exchange at Gringotts.

Rumor has it that the in park interactions are just the tip of the iceberg as I've heard rumors of gifts that can be purchased that will interact with the wands when you take them home.
Click to expand...

Certainly a point about the sequence of events for the bands.. but Disney's ambitions are also much grander and it was going to be painful either way.

But there is much to be seen about these wands yet. What we've seen so far isn't all that forward thinking.. and isn't far off from what you've been able to do in a Great Wolf lodge for the last 8+ years.

The effects are physical (the ones we have seen) but where are the digital upgrades? Making the monkey dance in the window isn't going to be very exciting when you've had to wait for 5 people in front of you to do it first. Honestly, the MK card game is more innovative than what we've seen here so far.

All is not yet revealed... but they better do more than this.
 
JediMasterMatt

JediMasterMatt

Well-Known Member
flynnibus said:
Certainly a point about the sequence of events for the bands.. but Disney's ambitions are also much grander and it was going to be painful either way.

But there is much to be seen about these wands yet. What we've seen so far isn't all that forward thinking.. and isn't far off from what you've been able to do in a Great Wolf lodge for the last 8+ years.

The effects are physical (the ones we have seen) but where are the digital upgrades? Making the monkey dance in the window isn't going to be very exciting when you've had to wait for 5 people in front of you to do it first. Honestly, the MK card game is more innovative than what we've seen here so far.

All is not yet revealed... but they better do more than this.
Click to expand...

Grander is a word that certainly could be used when discussing the philosophical ramifications of MM+. The more interesting discussion is the "why" MM+ had/has to be so grand in its ambitions?

It's only a complex system because Disney needs it to be. It's purpose is to be the solution to the problem of not having to compete in the marketplace. They opted out. MM+ needs to be all inclusive in milking every ounce of spend out of the resort. Lock people into their vacation time spent on property, artifically give the impression of increased capacity by spreading the wait times over multiple attractions, gain valuable resource data mining information about where people are going to be and staff appropriately and determine what people are spending their vacation dollars on, etc. etc.

If MM+ fails in its grand ambitions, then WDW may need to get back in the business of competing for vacation dollars.

MM+ could've been far less grand by simply being something to make reservations on, be used as a room key, and have some interaction while out in the parks.

The magic wands on display with Universal's Phase II don't have any ambitions of grandeur. They are designed to sell and make money. Their sales or acceptance don't cause the resort to sink or swim. They've taken an already existing successful product, the wands, and enhanced them. What Potter fan won't want to purchase a wand and wave it around?

It's really quite beautiful. Both resorts took the same RFID tech and applied it to different means. I know one of those two concepts will be in the black right by the end of the summer while the other... well, I guess at some point the purse strings won't be sealed off by chokehold of a wristband.
 

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