Star Wars Virtual Reality Experience Coming to Downtown Disney

[Stevek]

High-end VR (which today only includes the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift - they track your head position) is impressive. I've yet to see anyone try it who wasn't blown away (from 4-70). Hopefully you're talking about one of those cheap things you put your phone into.

Exactly what I was talking about. It sucked.

 

[TP2000]

Why?

Well, maybe "hokey" wasn't the right word. But... inferior and redundant? Why do a fake VR laser tag game in Downtown Disney next to Wetzel's Pretzels when you can actually walk around an outpost planet to pilot the Millennium Falcon and fight the First Order in Star Wars Land?

Then again, Star Wars Land will live in two theme parks that will still have Star Tours operating in the same park (so far as we know). Maybe this VR laser tag thing will be there for years. It will be interesting to see where they place it, as Disney already said Build-A-Bear complex was slated for "new dining".

The space they are installing this into in Disney Springs at WDW is one level and not very big; the old Once Upon A Toy shop. However this thing works, they won't be able to move a lot of people through this "experience" in a small space like this.

 

[Travel Junkie]

My thought is that it is temporary as well. This is a test to gauge popularity and work out some kinks as they develop a Star Wars hotel that could vary well incorporate an experience like this. Iger has already mentioned Disney is looking at adding Augmented Reality to the parks eventually. While this is VR not AR, some of the same principles apply.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

Well, maybe "hokey" wasn't the right word. But... inferior and redundant? Why do a fake VR laser tag game in Downtown Disney when you can actually pilot the Millennium Falcon and fight the First Order in Star Wars Land?

I think you and others forget that not everyone visiting DtD is headed to or from the parks. As I've mentioned before, I know from firsthand experience that DtD is a prime evening hangout for business travelers staying in the Anaheim Resort district. On top of a steady stream of traffic from park guests and the Anaheim Convention Center, this venue is also probably banking on a significant amount of revenue coming from private corporate events.

 

[LongLiveTheKing]

So is it a VR thing in one or several locations in DTD? Obviously they're not going to have people wandering with headsets around DTD but if it's just delegated to one store where you stand there and do VR stuff that's going to be really lackluster. They could easily do the Pokemon Go concept of augmented reality games with phones and go wild with it. I don't see the point unless you're experiencing this through the local area, because this is going to be a mediocre game if it's motion control VR based and inferior to a full on attraction in one of the parks, especially if you have to pay for it.

 

[flynnibus]

So is it a VR thing in one or several locations in DTD? Obviously they're not going to have people wandering with headsets around DTD but if it's just delegated to one store where you stand there and do VR stuff that's going to be really lackluster. They could easily do the Pokemon Go concept of augmented reality games with phones and go wild with it. I don't see the point unless you're experiencing this through the local area, because this is going to be a mediocre game if it's motion control VR based and inferior to a full on attraction in one of the parks, especially if you have to pay for it.

Watch the video posted...

 

[LongLiveTheKing]

What they should do in addition is create some VR experiences for past attractions that have been shut down and even take it a step further...maybe some teasers of attractions in the foreign parks.

Oh please lord do that

 

[Travel Junkie]

The answer is here. Vault 28 and Fossil are the stores closing for the VR experience. They close by the end of September.

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/08/1...disney-to-make-room-for-star-wars-experience/

 

[TP2000]

The answer is here. Vault 28 and Fossil are the stores closing for the VR experience. They close by the end of September.

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/08/1...disney-to-make-room-for-star-wars-experience/

Interesting. Vault 28 seems to have run its course, after trying very hard to be hipster since the late 2000's. A Fossil store can be found at any mall in Southern California, so no loss there.

And this means that the September closure of Build-A-Bear, Chapel Hats and RideMakerz across the walkway from Vault 28 and Fossil really is for "new dining" as Disney stated earlier this summer.

So a total of five stores are closing at Downtown Disney next month. To be replaced by Star Wars Laser Tag and unannounced future restaurants in 2018.

 

[Stevek]

Interesting. Vault 28 seems to have run its course, after trying very hard to be hipster since the late 2000's. A Fossil store can be found at any mall in Southern California, so no loss there.

And this means that the September closure of Build-A-Bear, Chapel Hats and RideMakerz across the walkway from Vault 28 and Fossil really is for "new dining" as Disney stated earlier this summer.

So a total of five stores are closing at Downtown Disney next month. To be replaced by Star Wars Laser Tag and unannounced future restaurants in 2018.

They can easily move some of the Vault stuff to World of Disney or that other shop, which I can't remember now, across from Build A Bear. No loss in either case.

 

[mickEblu]

The answer is here. Vault 28 and Fossil are the stores closing for the VR experience. They close by the end of September.

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/08/1...disney-to-make-room-for-star-wars-experience/

That doesn't seem like a whole lot of room.

 

[TP2000]

That doesn't seem like a whole lot of room.

Nope, it sure isn't. The gift shop they are installing this concept into out at WDW is also not a big space. This Star Wars Laser Tag thing must not be that big of a deal, or plan to host more than a couple dozen people per hour. Weird.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

Disney has yet to make an official announcement or post a tease online, so that should tell you that this probably isn't going to be anything major.

 

[brb1006]

 

[D.Silentu]

According to the website, tickets will be $30. A bit high I feel, yet I may have to check this out regardless.

 

[TP2000]

According to the website, tickets will be $30. A bit high I feel, yet I may have to check this out regardless.

Where does the queue go? This is a tiny amount of square footage. I imagine they’ll just aim the queue toward the LEGO Store and hope the other mall tenants don’t get mad.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

Why do a fake VR laser tag game in Downtown Disney next to Wetzel's Pretzels when you can actually walk around an outpost planet to pilot the Millennium Falcon and fight the First Order in Star Wars Land?

You're forgetting that there are convention attendees who visit DTD and never step foot inside either of the parks.

 

[mickEblu]

Looks cool but it's hard to get a feel on what it would be like to play this virtual reality game. It just looked like I was watching a video game commercial.

 

[Phroobar]

Why does everything in VR move like it's underwater?

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Looks like an Xbox game based on Rogue One.