Largest Virtual Reality Theme Park Opens in China

When you think of a theme park you probably think of something like Disney World or Six Flags. However, one theme park in China is changing that. It is called the Oriental Science Fiction Valley. This theme park is over 2,000 acres in area, and has many of the same things you would find at a usual theme park, with a twist. They hand out virtual reality headsets at the door and the headsets enhance all of the activities with amazing story lines. The park even has China’s first virtual reality roller coaster!

The park is in Guizhou province. This is a place that has been quite poverty stricken in the past. However, the tech industry is transforming the area and bringing more opportunities. This isn’t the only tech savvy spot in the area. There is already a huge radio telescope there as well as future plans for Apple to store iCloud data there.

The rides at the park vary widely. There’s a 50-foot tall transformers statue that visitors can bungee jump off of. That’s just the start! There is a lot of competition in the theme park industry apparently, so this will really be a technology that can set companies apart. There are already virtual reality experiences in person with rooms set up to accompany specific programs, and specific rides at theme parks that have virtual reality as part of them, but there aren’t yet any huge theme parks dedicated solely to virtual reality like this one.

One thing that people are a bit worried about is the motion sickness that can sometimes happen with roller coasters and virtual headsets on their own. Putting them together could lead to a situation that is a big mess to clean up! However, virtual reality technology is improving all the time so the nausea factor could be lessened with the next round of headsets released.