The Pearl Tower now has a VR Rollercoaster

China is virtual reality obsessed at the moment. Music festivals, hotels, shopping centres are all using VR technology to some extent as companies clamour to exploit the rapidly developing technology. 'Future's made of virtual insanity,' as Jay Kay of Jamiroquai sang back in 1996.

If that seems like a slightly dated reference, you'd be right. But that just makes it even more appropriate for the Oriental Pearl Tower, because Shanghai's most ludicrous-looking building is a slightly dated tourist attraction.

With its viewing platforms and glass floors now seeming decidedly tame compared to the heights that can be scaled just down the road, the Pearl Tower has had to find a way to up its game. It's had a roller coaster for years - the world's highest indoor roller coaster, no less - but the people in charge here have clearly decided that rattling around in a dark room with a handful of flashing lights doesn't really cut it any more when you've got competition like Shanghai Disneyland's Tron ride.

The solution? A VR roller coaster, of course.

Launched earlier this week, the VR roller coaster is the exact same roller coaster that was in the Pearl Tower before, but with VR. Genius right?

Whereas before you were hurtled through a darkened space inside the tower's second highest bauble that was decorated with some DayGlo paint splashes and a few spotlights, now you are hurtled through the same space but with a VR headset strapped over your eyes.

While you wait for the ride to begin, the scenes around you make it look like you're just floating in mid air on a fluorescent track. 'It's like the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel, but in space,' exclaims our fellow daredevil rider.

And then we're off. The ride takes you out into an animated Lujiazui skyline, whipping you around Pudong's most famous skyscrapers - at one point, you even go flying through the middle of the hole at the top of the bottle opener/SWFC.

The visuals seem to spin around without any real relation to the physical track that you're on. We start off by going sideways visually, even though we're heading forwards physically, for example, and without knowing quite where you're going next it's hard to know where to look. It's thoroughly discombobulating. Which is probably the idea.

Before you have a chance to adjust, you're heading back up to the Pearl Tower again and stopping just outside one of its giant purple globes. And that's it - you only get to go round once, meaning it's all over in under a minute.

Is it worth a dedicated trip to the Pearl Tower? Not really. Will virtual reality roller coasters replace actually reality roller coasters? Seems unlikely on this evidence. But it is fun in a crap kind of way and worth stopping by if you're accompanying visiting friends and family up the tower.

The pleasure of riding the roller coaster of the future (maybe) can be yours for 70RMB per person. That's after you've paid the 160RMB to get into the Pearl Tower itself (more if you want to head to the top bauble).

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