Simulate flying like a bird at this crazy VR pop-up in Jingan
Photographs: courtesy Jaunt China
As virtual reality entertainment continues to work its way into the mainstream, trust Shanghai to keep us on the cutting edge and that much closer to a sci-fi future out of Ready Player One. Tech group Jaunt VR has opened Fantasy Land VR, a huge pop-up exhibition at the HKRI Taikoo Hui mall on Nanjing Xi Lu.
The funky installation is part museum exhibition, part interactive arcade, and it showcases a series of virtual reality experiences for visitors to try. But is it just weird and gimmicky, or actually worth a spin? We jacked in to see, and here's what you need to know...
There's some definitely-sorta-gimmicky-but-still-good features: a 'cinema' where staff screen short virtual reality horror films on headsets, a VR rollercoaster and a VR bird simulator where you flap your arms to fly.
The chill-inducing film we were shown has you exploring an eerie Kubrick-esque maze of hallways while ghouls jump-scare you from behind and above (!!). Consider that a warning to the faint-hearted and weak-bowelled. The VR roller coaster, meanwhile, sees you strapped to a rig that lifts and spins with each loop and turn, sometimes a full 360 degrees. It wasn't quite as hair-and-stomach-raising as a real rollercoaster, but pretty damn close, and still an amusing and faithful simulation of one. So if you're prone to motion sickness and digestive disturbances, you might have to pass on this one.
The pop-up's showpiece 'Birdly VR' flight simulator, which needs a separate ticket, straps you to a contraption where you flap your arms to 'fly' between skyscrapers in a virtual metropolis while a fan simulates a rushing airflow. It's as crazy as it sounds, and probably more convincing than it has any right to be.
Between the thrills there are also several themed exhibits showcasing simpler short VR videos, as well as a sci-fi shooter played using PlayStation's new VR kit. These feel more like filler, though it's hard not to be charmed by a flying tour through a nebula in space and an adorable video that puts you face to face with leopards, sloths and giant turtles in the wild.
Laid out like a chic art gallery, Fantasy Land VR also gets points for an artsy, Instagram-friendly decor that cuts a hugely different vibe to the much plainer apartment-based VR arcades that are the norm in Shanghai.
Fair warning: by the end of the hour-and-a-bit walkthrough, we were feeling a little worn out from all of the exhibits, probably from the strain of staring at screens compounded by the queasy feeling of some of the more dramatic VR experiences. With that in mind, it might be worth skipping some of the simpler videos or the particularly dizzying shooting game. And while the space wasn't too crowded when we visited on a Wednesday afternoon, we're told queues form on weekends.
But, as long as you don't mind the entry price, the standout exhibits definitely feel unique and impressive enough to make for an engaging time. And it's worth a visit for a classy look at what may very well be the future of entertainment.
📍789 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Shimen Yi Lu. Until September 2. Weekdays: 58RMB (Birdly VR); 98RMB (main exhibition); 140RMB (both). Weekends: 58RMB (Birdly VR); 128RMB (main exhibition); 170RMB (both).