The launch of a world first virtual reality gaming facility in Auckland’s CBD is set to boost New Zealand’s entertainment tourism infrastructure.
The new facility is designed to help capture part of the Location Based Virtual Reality market – which is forecast to reach US$1.575 billion by 2028.
The Zero Latency free roam virtual reality experience operates inside a warehouse scale venue and is the first to allow gamers to move freely within a large open space while playing.
Developers of the technology say they want to expand the number of sites into other centres nationwide – providing more options for overseas visitors during inclement weather as well as entertainment experiences in the late evening.
Each facility will have the capacity to accommodate more than 10,000 gamers annually.
New Zealand will become the 27th international market for the VR and one of the first countries in the world to offer the third-generation version of the technology – which eliminates the need for gamers to carry a backpack while moving within a 200+m2 space.
Zero Latency NZ manager Yoland Swasbrook says almost three million gamers have used the technology since it was first developed in a Melbourne garage eight years ago.
She says while the pandemic initially delayed their New Zealand launch plans, the recent influx of youth travellers has created an opportunity for investment in the local market.
“While many of New Zealand’s tourism offerings are adventure and nature based, we wanted to expand the number of indoor entertainment venues – helping the country to diversify into more technology-based experiences and broaden its appeal as a gaming destination.
“What we know from the other markets this technology operates in is that wet weather is a significant driver of our traffic volumes and gamers will travel in groups from other cities to these VR facilities.
“In Australia, where the technology was first developed, VR has matured rapidly, and we now have a significant segment of the market which play regularly in the evening.
“The new facility is designed to fill a gap in the market for late night entertainment for young tourists – as well as meeting the needs of the domestic gaming market.
“More than 80 per cent of people now fall into the category of being a ‘gamer’ and the industry is no longer dominated by males or home-based consoles. Our demographic data shows the typical player is in the millennial age group and it attracts an equivalent number of both male and female gamers,” she says.
Yoland says New Zealand facility will have the latest games which are purpose built specifically for the Zero Latency VR platform – including Far Cry VR, Sol Raiders, Undead Arena and the upcoming Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine – through to more family-oriented titles such as Engineerium.
She says the loss of a five-kilogram backpack coupled with the ability to roam freely means players can walk over a kilometre during a game.
“The games are immersive and offer ultra-realistic 5K resolution graphics and 3D spatial audio through HTC VR headsets – and can be played by up to eight players.
“What sets this technology apart is that if you are walking in the game you are walking in real life – so your body and mind are always in sync.
“The software driving the technology is adaptive to smaller numbers of players and able to scale down the number of enemy combatants faced,” she says.
Zero Latency will launch from today in Auckland
