Can’t wait to ride! I have many great memories playing Mario kart with my brothers. Awesome review, extremely well written as is everything by Mr. Arthur Levine. I come back to this site over and over again because of how well written, and insightful the reviews are. And I agree, 100%, people go to amusement parks to socialize and live in the world. We have enough isolation and screens as it is. Augmented reality offers the ability to strike a nice balance.
Thanks for the kind words D.J.! And yes, parks should be an analog refuge. I'm no Luddite, but I'm dismayed by parks’ increasing reliance on apps. They force guests to retreat to their phones.
Great review, and happy to hear it was a hit! I do have potential for a west coast trip next year, but if that doesn't pan out then a trip to Florida in 2025 will be a sure thing. I do think that AR offers a great compromise between VR and real-world, and it's great to find out that it works pretty well in terms of head tracking. One question - did the ride ever give a convincing illusion of speed, or were you always aware you're not really "racing?"
And at the risk of showing my age, I remember Colecovision, so you're not alone there! I happen to be a Nintendo fan, but it's not surprising to me that Universal knows how to build a great attraction even for those not intimately familiar with the IP.
It's going to be really exciting to see how AR/VR play a role in future theme park attractions. While VR headsets on coasters was a bit of a misstep, you don't really know what works until you try it. Parks trying innovative technologies like this will eventually lead to the industry standards of tomorrow.
No, I wouldn't say I ever felt like the vehicle was actually moving quickly. During the Rainbow Road sequence, Universal cranks up the wind machines, fills guests’ fields of vision with the roadway (although not with a domed screen like Disney’s old "speed rooms"), and tosses in other effects to create the illusion of speed. It’s only mildly convincing.
As for alternate uses of VR at parks, if it involves clunky goggles and completely cuts users off from actual reality, I don't ever see it taking hold. AR, however, makes great sense to me--especially after seeing what Universal Creative did with it.
I'm probably not going to be going to Universal CA anytime soon. But the ride does sound great. So...maybe. I also tried VR once on a coaster. Once was more than enough. AR sounds like the way to go.
Yup. It's definitely the way to introduce digital graphics into an attraction. Universal has set the bar. And it would seem to be a (surprisingly?) high bar for a first attempt on a marquee ride.
I thought I was going to wait until 2025 and Epic Universe to experience Super Nintendo World, but everything I’ve read in the past few weeks, including this great piece, really makes me want to drop everything and head out to California!
The AR is groundbreaking. The land itself is also quite wild—interactivity dialed up to 11. And if you’ve never been on the Studio Tour, that alone is a reason to visit USH.
This sounds amazing! Thanks for the write-up! I'm hoping to make it down there one of these days.
Can’t wait to ride! I have many great memories playing Mario kart with my brothers. Awesome review, extremely well written as is everything by Mr. Arthur Levine. I come back to this site over and over again because of how well written, and insightful the reviews are. And I agree, 100%, people go to amusement parks to socialize and live in the world. We have enough isolation and screens as it is. Augmented reality offers the ability to strike a nice balance.
Thanks for the kind words D.J.! And yes, parks should be an analog refuge. I'm no Luddite, but I'm dismayed by parks’ increasing reliance on apps. They force guests to retreat to their phones.
Great review, and happy to hear it was a hit! I do have potential for a west coast trip next year, but if that doesn't pan out then a trip to Florida in 2025 will be a sure thing. I do think that AR offers a great compromise between VR and real-world, and it's great to find out that it works pretty well in terms of head tracking. One question - did the ride ever give a convincing illusion of speed, or were you always aware you're not really "racing?"
And at the risk of showing my age, I remember Colecovision, so you're not alone there! I happen to be a Nintendo fan, but it's not surprising to me that Universal knows how to build a great attraction even for those not intimately familiar with the IP.
It's going to be really exciting to see how AR/VR play a role in future theme park attractions. While VR headsets on coasters was a bit of a misstep, you don't really know what works until you try it. Parks trying innovative technologies like this will eventually lead to the industry standards of tomorrow.
No, I wouldn't say I ever felt like the vehicle was actually moving quickly. During the Rainbow Road sequence, Universal cranks up the wind machines, fills guests’ fields of vision with the roadway (although not with a domed screen like Disney’s old "speed rooms"), and tosses in other effects to create the illusion of speed. It’s only mildly convincing.
As for alternate uses of VR at parks, if it involves clunky goggles and completely cuts users off from actual reality, I don't ever see it taking hold. AR, however, makes great sense to me--especially after seeing what Universal Creative did with it.
I'm probably not going to be going to Universal CA anytime soon. But the ride does sound great. So...maybe. I also tried VR once on a coaster. Once was more than enough. AR sounds like the way to go.
Yup. It's definitely the way to introduce digital graphics into an attraction. Universal has set the bar. And it would seem to be a (surprisingly?) high bar for a first attempt on a marquee ride.
I thought I was going to wait until 2025 and Epic Universe to experience Super Nintendo World, but everything I’ve read in the past few weeks, including this great piece, really makes me want to drop everything and head out to California!
The AR is groundbreaking. The land itself is also quite wild—interactivity dialed up to 11. And if you’ve never been on the Studio Tour, that alone is a reason to visit USH.