Being inside a room where three video walls are your view into a virtual world – but without the fiddly headsets – delivers an experience never before possible outside of reality, which is glasses-free VR – but truly social and tons of fun!
Remember when the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft’s Kinect controller for the Xbox and the Playstation “Move” controllers that made you and your body the games controller? There were even earlier efforts, too, and today’s VR headsets have never been better, but now there’s something truly new.
With ever evolving technological advances, the idea of immersive social gaming interactivity has been massively refined into the most logical, interactive and scalable form currently possible with today’s super advanced technologies, actually delivering what really is the 21st century equivalent of a Star Trek holodeck, but with much more practical-to-deliver content – a stack of really great games, and more to come!
Dubbed “interactive smart rooms”, Immersive Gameboxes are now in 27 locations worldwide, which finally includes the Southern Hemisphere, and amongst its technologies, uses modern LIDAR cameras, multiple video projectors that turn walls into virtual viewscapes, with tracking sensors, a tracker you easily wear on head as it if were a baseball cap as you’ll see in the videos below, surround sound, touchable walls for a natural and effortless user experience, and more, for two to six players – and you have a virtual space you and your friends are in – together – without fiddly headsets and hand-held controllers that block actual reality and group activities.
The current list of games on offer includes Squid Games, Angry Birds, Ghostbusters, Shaun the Sheep, Paw Patrol, Ticket to Mars, James Bunny, Alien Aptitude Test and Temple Coins, with the “AI Nightmare” adventure coming in 2024, with even more top quality licensed content on the horizon to come!
More details of the new Immersive Gamebox, located in Merlin Entertainments’s Darling Harbour venue that holds the Sydney Aquarium, The Sydney Wildlife Zoo and Madame Tussaud’s are below, along with the games available, prices, 365-day-a-year opening details are more are after the video below.
That video is an excellent and worth your time to watch video interview with Richard Dilly, the General Manager of Merlin Entertainments, and Dalia Goldgar, the Director of Special Operations at Immersive Gamebox, as both explain this very cool new venue, the games, the tech, the experience and plenty more – please watch and read on!
So, where is the brand new Immersive Gamebox now open, as of 21 December 2023, in Sydney Australia, what games can you play, what does it cost, and more?
As noted above, the Merlin Entertainments company, known for iconic attractions like SEA LIFE aquariums, LEGOLAND Discovery Centres and Madame Tussauds, has partnered with Immersive Gamebox, a genuine trailblazer in interactive group gaming, and an experience you’d want to build into any future dream home so you could have on-demand access to the experiences on offer whenever you wanted!
You can already find Immersive Gameboxes in 27 play locations across the UK, USA, Europe, the United Arab Emirates, and now Sydney, Australia, with its action-packed gaming adventures within these cutting-edge interactive smart rooms designed for groups of 2-6 players, “where age and abilities are no barriers.”
The company explains its picture motion tracking, projection mapping, touch screens, and surround sound all work in harmony to transport you to a virtual world without bulky headsets, as I noted in longer form above, delivering what is the closest thing to a Star Trek-style holodeck but with today’s technologies, rather than Star Trek TNG’s holographic projection and atomic replicators.
Initially launching in Sydney at Merlin’s Darling Harbour site (next to SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium) in December 2023, with more Australian locations undoubtedly planned to come in the future, the Gamebox location will host eight free-standing Gameboxes, each accommodating 2-6 players per session. Games will range from an exciting 30 minutes to an epic 120-minute adventure.
This means there’s something for everyone, whether you’re up for a quick challenge or an all-day gaming extravaganza!
Sydney is just one of two premiere cities to open its doors to the new tech spaces, with future plans to expand to more locations in the UK and the US in 2024 and 2025.
11 games are on offer right now, and in 2024, Immersive Gamebox will increase that to more than 13 games to choose from, which already includes Squid Game based on the hit Netflix show, Angry Birds, PAW Patrol, Shaun the Sheep, Ghostbusters and in 2024, a new thrilling ‘AI Nightmare.’ This means there’s something for everyone – from young adults to families, corporate groups, and gamers.
Richard Dilly, General Manager at Merlin Entertainments, said, “We can’t wait for Sydneysiders to step into a world where imagination knows no bounds and adventure awaits at every digital turn. Immersive Gamebox brings an exciting game lineup and interactive experiences that will bring friends closer together while creating unforgettable memories that will be cherished for a lifetime.
“We can’t wait to open our doors in December so guests can discover these amazing spaces where teamwork, laughter, and excitement reign supreme. These spaces aren’t just for gamers; they’re for friends, families, and even corporate groups to take fun to the next level.”
For more information, and to book, please visit the official website here.
Follow on Instagram here or via @immersivegameboxsydney
You can also find more information on the new Sydney venue at Immersive Gamebox’s official site here.
Several videos of the Immersive Gamebox experience are below, but first is the tech segment I do on the Chris Smith Show each “Cyber Wednesday” from 4.30pm to 5pm AEDT, on the TNTRadio.live network, which is not only a 24×7 global news radio network, but which is now a 24×7 TV news network, too – and which I’ll be hosting my own TV show on from January 2024, every Saturday from 6pm to 7pm AEDT.
Squid Games Immersive Gamebox Experience at Santikos
Inside Angry Birds in the Immersive Gamebox in San Jose, California:
German Immersive Gamebox trailer – only the on-screen text is in German but you don’t need to understand the text to see what is going on and the fun they’re having!
A short video with more visuals from the inside
