Virtual Reality

In Virtual Reality (VR) experiences, you wear a head-set which projects 3D imagery directly into your eyes so it feels like you are standing in an alternate reality. VR games allow you to move through and interact with the virtual world as if you were really there. Coupled with in-built audio, you'll soon truly feel like you're battling dragons or exploring undersea worlds!

VR can be experienced in one of three ways - Stationary, Room-Scale or Free-Roam.

Stationary VR means exactly that - you  can see, hear and interact with the virtual world, but you need to stand or sit in the one spot while you take part. This can be perfect for tower defense and archery games, music and rhythm experiences, and many simulations and immersive 3D movies where your character's position is static.  Stationary experiences are usually great for VR beginners.

With Room-Scale VR, a play area is defined for each person (usually around 2m x 2m) and you must stay within those bounds during your experience. To move across distances in-game, you use joysticks or buttons to make your character walk or teleport. Players are usually set up in their own "pod", and their position in relation to other players is not linked to their position in the real world.  This style of game is fantastic for open world experiences where your character traverses large distances, and games involving vertical movements, however teleportation/ joystick movement can cause nausea in some players, and it can take a while to get used to the movement controls.

With Free-Roam VR, players gather together in a single, large format room and can travel anywhere within that space by physically moving in the game room. This approach creates maximum immersion in the game environment and completely eliminates motion sickness.  Nothing beats Free-Roam for the most mind-blowing VR experiences.  It is also ideal for VR beginners as the movement mechanics and object interactions are so natural. 

The VR games at Worlds Beyond span all 3 of the above categories but we specialise in Free-Roam Multiplayer experiences. The Free-Roam VR rooms at Worlds Beyond are 7m x 7m in size, offering incredible freedom of movement for even large teams.

Because we do also offer some stationary and room-scale experiences, we note the game type on the description for each item.  If you have any questions or would like help choosing an experience, please give us a call and we'll help guide you towards something amazing that will ensure you have a fantastic time.

Anyone can purchase a VR headset and play games at home, but it's not a particularly social activity! Our games are specifically designed for groups of people to play together in the one space. Your group will enter one of our large VR game rooms together to play one of our collaborative or competitive games.  Each player will have an in-game avatar, whose movements follow your movements in the real world. You will be able to see the other players' avatars in-game, and be able to hand them virtual items within the game or hide from them behind virtual walls!

Our VR experiences are not like standard computer games.  You don't need the reflexes of Bruce Lee or the physical abilities of a Jedi Knight to participate.  If you can see through at least one eye, move a couple of metres and pick things up in the real world, then you can play most of our games. Players with a previous history of epilepsy or seizures, loss of awareness, or other symptoms linked to an epileptic condition should consult a doctor before participating in any VR experience.

Because of the fragility of the equipment and sizing issues, we don't allow children under 10 to use the VR equipment. Additionally, some of our experiences are scary or have mature themes that may not be suitable for younger children. This is noted in the description for each game.

We provide a briefing at the beginning of your session where we fit the gear and run through a tutorial on its use, and you'll have a dedicated Game Master supporting you throughout your experience. No previous gaming experience is necessary as the controllers are very easy to use. If you have any questions or your experience would be enhanced by some modifications or adjustments, please give us a call - we're more than happy to help.

Our Free-Roam games are built specifically for large room use, with in-game movement linked to physical movement in the real world.  This completely eliminates motion sickness because there is no discrepancy between the movement that your eyes are seeing and what your body is feeling.  Most of our games are Free-Roam.

Stationary games and experiences also avoid triggering motion sickness because neither your real body or in-game avatar are moving across the play space.  Some of our games are Stationary.

We only have a few games that could trigger motion sickness due to joystick or teleport movement mechanics in-game.  If you have a history of motion sickness and haven't played much VR before we would recommend that you try a stationary or Free-Roam experience instead.

If you're really worried or have a special condition that might reduce your ability to tolerate VR, give us a call and we can organise a free trial before your booked session for you to see how it feels.

Because you will be physically moving within the games, including bending, crouching, reaching and active arm movements, we recommend that you wear comfortable clothing that's not restrictive or with lots of dangling parts. High-heeled shoes and thongs (flip-flops) are not advisable. Most prescription glasses can be worn under the headsets, however if you can wear contact lenses instead, these can be a better option. The headsets fit snugly over players' heads and faces, so they can smudge make-up and mess up your hair (you may need to adjust hair clips, pony tails or buns to accomodate the headset straps).

Most of our experiences allow either 30 or 60 minutes of game time (any variances are noted in the game information). We allow 10 minutes before your game for a safety briefing, game tutorial and to fit the headsets, and another 5 to 10 minutes at the end to put the gear away, take team photos and marvel at your experience!  So the standard time on-site is around 60 minutes for short games and 90 minutes for longer experiences.  Because we run game sessions back-to-back all day, we need people to arrive on time. If you are late for your session, we may have to reduce your game time to ensure that you don't cut into the next booked session.

Our VR games have strict caps on the maximum number of players due to constraints in each game's programming. Player numbers are listed on each game's information page and we cannot exceed these numbers. If you have a larger group, please call to book both VR rooms for the one session, noting that the games will run independently for each room (ie players in one room won't be able to see or interact with players in the other room). Alternatively, you could book back-to-back sessions in our VR Arena so that half your group can observe the gameplay (and provide "useful" commentary :)) while the other half participates.

Our VR rooms are completely free of obstacles and trip hazards. All of our headsets have an electronic "guardian" in place that alerts you if you are getting too close to a physical wall in the real world. We also have padding on hard walls to ensure that any over-exuberant arm swings only contact a soft surface. Our VR rooms have CCTV cameras set up so our Game Masters can track your progress and ensure that you have an unforgettable and safe experience.  Running, jumping or wildly flailing your arms are never required in our games and our Game Masters will pause the game if they see any behaviour that could endanger any of the players. Players must follow staff instructions at all times to ensure that everyone is safe.

All of the VR gear that comes in close contact with people's skin (headset lining and VR controllers) is made of non-porous material. We wipe down each VR headset (straps, faceplate, lining), the VR controllers and any other gear used in-game with antibacterial wipes between each session. We also wipe down high touch-point surfaces in the game rooms between each session. Floors are vacuumed and/ or mopped at the end of each day.  We have HEPA filters installed in our air-conditioning system, and anti-bacterial hand-cleaning stations are available in our lobby.

We VERY, VERY, VERY strongly recommend booking, as we roster staff based on confirmed bookings for each day. We may open late/ close early if there are no bookings, so cannot guarantee that anyone will be on-site to serve walk-in customers.  You can book online up to 2 hours before an available session starts; for lead-in times shorter than 2 hours please call to see if we can fit you in.