{"id":1030,"date":"2021-07-15T12:00:04","date_gmt":"2021-07-15T20:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/virtualrealityobserver.com\/?p=1030"},"modified":"2021-07-15T12:03:10","modified_gmt":"2021-07-15T20:03:10","slug":"sandbox-vr-goes-to-the-mall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/virtualrealityobserver.com\/sandbox-vr-goes-to-the-mall\/","title":{"rendered":"Sandbox VR Goes to the Mall"},"content":{"rendered":"

With COVID restrictions easing around the USA, many brick-and-mortar businesses that shuttered during the height of the pandemic are now figuring out whether or not they can even remain viable. One CEO that thought COVID might ruin his pride and joy is Steve Zhao, founder of Sandbox VR<\/a>. Reliant on in-person group experiences, Sandbox VR seemed like one of the most likely businesses to fall victim to COVID. Now, as \u201cnormalcy\u201d returns, Zhao is making a push to bring Sandbox VR to malls across the US<\/a>\u00a0and the world.<\/p>\n

Your Holodeck Away from Home<\/h2>\n
\"Players
Image: Sandbox VR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Calling the Sandbox VR experience \u201cthe closest thing to the \u2018holodeck\u2019 that exists,\u201d Zhao\u2019s team has created an immersive group gaming environment that makes a return to in-person activities highly appealing. After all, VR is still quite expensive<\/a> to get going on your own. (Even the modest price of Oculus Quest 2 can be too much for some of the curious.) Putting hi-tech VR gear in reach of everyday consumers means even the most inexperienced gamer can leap into VR for a premium experience unavailable anywhere else<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"UFL
Image: Sandbox VR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

At its current locations (largely in major malls and shopping centers, in Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Vancouver, Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, and Singapore), and its soon-to-open Las Vegas location, Sandbox VR provides a VR headset, backpack computer, and haptic-feedback vest to each participant then invites them to step into one of five original virtual experiences. From Unbound Fighting League\u2019s endlessly customizable combatants and immersive one-on-one bouts to Star Trek: Discovery\u2019s space-faring adventures and narrative thrust to the do-or-die zombie onslaught Deadwood Mansion, each experience offers more to the adult gamer than any youngsters but still can make for a great family introduction to VR.<\/p>\n

Fight Your Friends<\/h2>\n

All of the five currently available Sandbox VR experiences are combat-based. Although the cartoonish Curse of Davy Jones is the most suitable for children, a minimum age requirement of 8 and the not insignificant violence, however fantastic, keeps Sandbox VR from being the truly family-friendly VR adventure that will bring virtual experiences to locations even more mainstream than malls. That said, more child-friendly tech will certainly aid that cause, and many expect VR education and entertainment to be commonplace for children within a decade. (That said, the compatibility of younger children with VR hardware also needs development.)<\/p>\n

A Sandbox VR experience runs around $50 per person and can involve up to six people in each group. The 90-minute experience starts with training, setup, and orientation before a 30 minute active VR period and, afterward, the screening of highlights for players.<\/p>\n

\"Sandbox
Image: Sandbox VR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In its own words, Sandbox VR \u201cis building the holodeck and bringing one to every neighborhood,\u201d with the aim to \u201cexpand human experience through immersive technology.\u201d It\u2019s also giving consumers an entertainment option far more novel than a trip to the cinema and a reason to get back out in public if only to sample VR at its finest.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With COVID restrictions easing around the USA, many brick-and-mortar businesses that shuttered during the height of the pandemic are now<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1038,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,5,6],"tags":[107,61],"class_list":["post-1030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-news","category-technology","tag-sandbox-vr","tag-vr-news"],"yoast_head":"\nSandbox VR Goes to the Mall - Virtual Reality (VR) News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/virtualrealityobserver.com\/sandbox-vr-goes-to-the-mall\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sandbox VR Goes to the Mall - 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