Virtual Reality (VR) is taking over our lives, one sure step at a time.

With varying headsets rolling in this year at a range of (rather affordable) prices: there are a couple you can get for yourself right now such as Google’s $10 cardboard headset to HTC’s $799 Vive and the $599 Kickstarter-funded Oculus Rift. Basically putting on these “headmount displays” takes you into a completely virtual-made world where walking on a thin plank set on the ground becomes a lot more life-threatening than it really is.

You may remember the time when Kumi Koda released the world’s first VR music video that provided a 360-degree view with the use of the Oculus Rift —  that was two years ago when the headsets were still not available to the public, hence was only available to hip creators of anything related to design, art, fashion and music who attended “TOKYO DESIGNERS WEEK” at the time.

While many of us still can’t wrap our minds around attaching this huge device atop our heads  (it does look quite silly when you see people thrust their arms out and wander around in space when there’s actually nothing there), it seems like we’re stuck with having to get used to this slightly odd view that comes in sight when people mount these devices on their heads. Say hello to a Bandai Namco VR theme park that you can visit in Japan that calls out to any curious participants that are ready to test the latest technology out through six thrilling games!

Entitled “VR ZONE Project i Can”, or what they claim to be a “VR entertainment research center,” has been open since the 15th of April, and is open for a limited period of time, expected to last until mid-October. So for those of you who have scrolled down this promo video (reference: below) that filled Facebook feeds last month assuming it’ll be open forever — you better go ahead and plan a trip soon or it’ll vanish in thin air before you know it. Check out these three essential points and get set for your trip there!

It operates by appointments.

Making your way towards the end of an everlasting line in order to wait for your turn to come up can be quite daunting. To eliminate any of this waiting nonsense, this facility runs by appointments that you can make with a couple of clicks on their official website. Choose the date and time (see below) that you’d like to visit — May’s got a tight schedule, but June has a good number of openings!

Times：10:00~11:30 / 11:30~13:00 / 13:15~14:45 / 14:45~16:15 / 16:30~18:00 / 18:00~19:30 / 19:30~21:00

Your virtual reality experience will last a total of 90 min including 10 min. for entrance/exit time, and 80 min. for total play time which is more than enough to cover all the rides available. Appointments are the way to go.

《Make your reservations here：https://project-ican.com/》 

 Photo credit: Bandai Namco
 

Saving a cat’s life…and more.

The above promo video is what many of you are most likely familiar with, but there are actually five other games you can test out, aside from walking on a plank and saving a cat. Here’s a mini intro to the six attractions they’ve got to offer.

⑴ Ski Rodeo: Say you go to an arcade and you’re to choose a game. You’ll usually find your regular options: easy, medium, difficult, etc — but people, it’s called virtual “reality” for a reason, you don’t get to choose the level of difficulty with reality. Either you’re in it or you’re out! Ski down a ski mountain at a thrillingly accelerated speed (and literally feel the wind blow as you make your way down) with this insane ride that’s as true to experience as can be. (Duration: 6 min, price: 700 yen)

⑵ Real Drive: Mario Cart is great, but what if you could go on a race car that provides a 180 degree view with seats moving accordingly to the bumps you hit? Who needs to participate in a real car race when you can get the same joy and thrill by driving on VR….(Duration: 14 min, price: 700 yen)

⑶ Kousho Kyofu SHOW (Acrophobia): This is the one that’s become an iconic symbol of the park — risk your life by walking on a plank 200m up in the air to save a cat meowing at the end of the plank. You’re only walking on a plank of wood set on the floor. Seriously, not scary at all. (Or not) (Duration: 7 min, price: 1000 yen)

⑷ Dasshutsu Byotou Q (Escape the Hospital Q): What sort of theme park doesn’t have a haunted mansion? Something that’ll give you goosebumps and possibly even tears from the horror it induces had to make it to the six attractions that made the VR zone complete. The staff gives you a final warning to not go for it if it’s not your thing. The staff are so considerate, they’re actually NOT selling their product to you — now that should be enough to tell you that this is the real sh*t. Two people minimum are required to play this game. (Duration: 12 min, price: 800 yen)

⑸ Train Meister: With trains transporting us wherever we go, it’s safe to assume that a good number of kids who grew up in Japan has dreamt of driving this vehicle themselves at one point or another. So here’s your chance to make one dream come true: this train-driving VR ride has perfectly reimagined the JR Yamanote line, and similar to the racing game, the seats will move as you pass through the bumps. (Duration: 9 min, price: 700 yen)

⑹ Argile Shift: Enter the cockpit of a humongous robot with a sexy girl and fight the evil that come toward your way. We’ll just say it’s every gamer’s dream. (Duration: 7 min, price: 700 yen)

Photo credits: http://pics-about-space.com/

Useful Tips to Remember.

・Entrance is permitted only for those above the age of 13.

・Application for a time slot is limited to 4 participants/group.

・Glasses are ok, but some shapes may be unfitting for the VR headset. Come with contacts just to be safe.

Keep in mind that we’re actually the first generation to experience VR — ready to hop onto the digital evolution and see what it’s all about? Get a taste at VR ZONE PROJECT i CAN now.

VR ZONE PROJECT i CAN

Operation hours：10:00~22:00

Address：3F DiverCity Tokyo Plaza 1-1-10 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo

Access：5 min. walk from Daiba station on the Tokyo Rinkai Shinkotsu Rinkai line (Yurikamome)
3 min. walk from Tokyo Teleport Station on the Tkyo Rinkai Kosoku Tetsudo Rinkai line

Official website：https://project-ican.com