The world of virtual reality is slowly, but surely taking over the entertainment industry. Its endless possibilities are wildly engaging and can get the adrenaline pumping so don’t be surprised when we say we want to get amongst a bit of gameplay on the weekends!
I’ve never been a gaming gal. At least, that’s what I thought until I got the chance to get fully immersed in the new free-roam virtual reality experience at Zero Latency in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Located in Auckland’s CBD, Zero Latency is pretty much laser tag combined with VR. So, rather than shooting each other (though that’s totally possible too), you and up to seven of your mates chuck on headsets, get given a gun, and walk into a 200-square-metre room.
That’s what I did with a crew of my mates. We all collectively decided that a Zombie apocalypse was our cup of tea, though looking back, I think one of the more family-friendly options was probably more suited to my, ahem, absolutely deafening screams (as you can see from the video above).
Once you pop that headset on, the entire room totally transforms and while it takes a moment to adjust, you’ll find yourself forgetting the real world exists.
You wouldn’t expect battling a bunch of Zombies and scaling the ruins of high-rise buildings to be on the agenda for your average weekend plans, but it was by far the most exhilarating experience.
The weirdest thing about the whole day was taking off the headset and seeing how small the room actually was. We're jumping, running, and 360-no-scoping in a completely different world.
Our fighting may have looked ridiculous, but let me say it again, it felt completely seamless while we were in there.
I must say I have tried other VR experiences where you’re connected to a wire in the ceiling and have to stay put, but the ability to move with your character’s POV is something I have never experienced before and actually made the whole thing a lot more enjoyable.
I was in this world for thirty minutes, but there’s a 15-minute option if you’re not as brave. If Zombies are your thing, you’re in luck! They’ve got plenty of less intimidating family-friendly options for everyone to enjoy. The puzzle/parkour game Engineerium, or the sci-fi game 'Singularity' looked epic.
It’s undoubtedly fun now, but it makes me so excited about the future. In five years I think a full-size Call Of Duty Zombie map will be playable (don't tell my bf), or even a Hunger Games scenario, with dozens of others in the same game.
So, don’t be surprised if birthdays, weekend daytime outings, and team-building activities are all dominated by Zero Latency or their equivalent within the next decade.
If you are keen to play now, get amongst it quick. You can walk in whenever, but the great staff at Zero Latency informed me they are packed from open to close every weekend, so it’s way safer to book. No bullshit, you won’t regret it.
