VR boom brings giant robots, cyberpunk castles to China

Giant robots and futuristic cyberpunk castles rise out of lush mountain slopes on the outskirts of Guiyang, Guizhou Province, southwest China.

Welcome to China’s first virtual reality theme park, which aims to ride a boom in demand for virtual entertainment that is set to propel tenfold growth in the country’s virtual reality market, to hit almost 8.5 billion US dollars by 2020.

The 330-acre (134-hectare) park consists of 35 virtual reality attractions, from virtual rollercoasters to tours with interstellar aliens of the region’s most scenic spots.

The 330-acre (134-hectare) park consists of 35 virtual reality attractions, from virtual rollercoasters to tours with interstellar aliens of the region’s most scenic spots.

“After our attraction opens, it will change the entire tourism structure of Guizhou Province as well as China’s southwest,” chief executive Chen Jianli told Reuters.

Chen said in an interview that the park is scheduled to be opened next February.

The Guiyang park will offer tourists bungee jumps from a huge Transformer-like robot, and a studio devoted to producing virtual reality movies. Most rides will use VR goggles and motion simulators to thrill users.

The park is scheduled to be opened in next February.

“You feel like you’re really there,” said Qu Zhongjie, the park’s manager of rides. “That’s our main feature.”

Besides the expected park in China, virtual reality-based attractions from the United States to Japan already draw interest from consumers and video gamers seeking a more immersive experience.

(REUTERS)