rollercoaster
Latest
Uncharted: The Movie: The Rollercoaster is coming to a Spanish theme park
The ride is scheduled to open at PortAventura World, which is around 90 minutes away from Barcelona, in 2023.
Super Nintendo Land will open in Japan on February 4th, 2021
Super Nintendo World, the much anticipated “life-size, living video game” theme park will open on February 4th in Osaka, Universal Studios Japan has announced.
A 'Final Fantasy' VR coaster is coming to Universal Studios Japan
Universal Studios Japan is launching a limited-time Final Fantasy ride and just released a video and other info to show what it'll be like. Called the Final Fantasy XR ride, it uses the existing Space Fantasy the Ride roller coaster, with the addition of VR headsets playing Final Fantasy content. Riders will board airships and warp between various Final Fantasy worlds, meeting up with heroes and jeopardy along the way.
ICYMI: MIT built a water claw and there's a new VR rollercoaster
Today on In Case You Missed It: MIT's Soft Active Materials Lab showed off its gold-fish-catching hydrogel claw. The robot hand is made entirely of water and is completely invisible when submerged. The lab is hoping the hydrogel hands will be able to conduct delicate surgeries inside humans.
Six Flags adds a gaming twist to its VR roller coasters
Six Flags first announced that it was teaming up with Samsung to outfit roller coaster riders with Gear VR headsets back in the spring. The theme park company is taking its virtual reality project to another level though, adding a gaming component to the immersive visuals. Before now, the addition of VR to rides just added a different visual experience to the ride itself. With the new "Rage of the Gargoyles," riders take flight in an Apache-style helicopter to battle "blood-thirsty" beasts.
The UK's first VR roller coaster is a lonely trip through space
The medium of virtual reality is changing how we experience games, movies, news, sport, porn, The Simpsons... and now, roller coasters. Already this year, several theme park operators in the US and UK have announced rides that will blend physical sensations with digital worlds. Germany's Europa-Park introduced just such a ride last year, and Britain's first VR roller coaster "Galactica" will be opening to the public on March 24th at Alton Towers. Ahead of its launch, I jumped on an opportunity to experience the space-themed voyage first-hand, and I can easily say it's utterly unlike any roller coaster I've ever ridden.
Samsung and Six Flags team up for virtual reality roller coasters
If you're making the trek to a Six Flags park this summer, virtual reality will be an option for some roller coasters. The company teamed up with Samsung on a number of virtual reality roller coasters that offer a more immersive experience thanks to Oculus-powered Gear VR headsets. A total of nine rides spread across the US will have the new option, and six of those will show a "New Revolution" futuristic battle to save Earth from an alien invasion. The other three will serve up a Superman-themed VR experience where riders must defeat Lex Luthor during a tour of Metropolis.
Recommended Reading: Designing a roller coaster that'll make you weep
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. How to Design a Roller Coaster That'll Make You Beg For Mercy by Jeff Wise Bloomberg Business When it comes to designing a roller coaster, there are any number of tools that can achieve that maximum thrill. At Carowinds, a theme park that borders North and South Carolina, the Fury 325 debuted this spring. The ride packs a 325-foot drop and top speeds of 95MPH. How does something like this come about? Bloomberg's Jeff Wise will take you for a ride to find out.
PAX Prime 2014: Trove moves at the speed of lightrail
Probably one of the coolest features that I've seen in an MMO in a long time came during a Trove demo at PAX Prime this weekend. The devs were keen to show off the game's magriders, which are tracks that players can lay down to take others on a pre-planned route around the world. Think of it as a combination of rollercoaster, lightrail, and slip-n-slide, and you might have a notion of how insane these can get. Magriders can obey the laws of physics or not and have several options for speeding up and slowing down passengers depending on the creator's intent. After a dizzying five-minute ride through one of Trove's biomes that ended with a thousand-foot plunge into the heart of a volcano, I was sold on the potential for this new in-game toy. But as neat as magriders are, they're not the only card in the devs' deck as the game nears beta later in September. The team recently introduced Trove's fourth class, the Dracolyte. This is a fireball-wielding mage who fills the need for the pyros out there. The Dracolyte also has a little familiar dragon hovering over its shoulder that can charge up a fiery attack and then unleash it at will. The class to follow the Dracolyte couldn't be more different, however: The Neon Ninja looks to be a cyborg sword-wielder who stepped straight out of Tron. There's so much more to talk about with Trove's development, including the addition of clubs. Clubs are like mini-guilds, only you can join up to five of them, and each one gets its own world to modify and keep. The team is also working on a transmog system to allow players to collect and permanently store skins. From crazy candy biomes to lightning-quick rides, this underdog title might end up surprising us all.
Oculus Rift turns rollercoaster ride into a virtual shooter
Some researchers study carbon nanotubes -- and then there are these guys. Thomas Wagner and his students from Kaiserslautern University in Germany took an Oculus Rift headset onto a real rollercoaster to transform it into an virtual experience. That's been done before on the sly, but the group teamed up with rollercoaster builder Mack Rides and created several apps for a Rift and laptops. The VR "ride" apps were synced to the coaster's motion by tracking their wheels and using human monitors. They sport various themes like a wacky flying horse chariot ride, a submarine tour and a space shooter complete with a gamepad (see the video, below). It's still a (really fun) experiment, but the coaster maker and researchers are keen to commercialize it at some point. In case you were wondering, the FAQ shows that the headset won't fall off, the Oculus sensors work in extreme g-forces, and no, the VR won't make you barf -- as long as it's in sync with the ride.
Watch what happens when you pair an Oculus Rift rollercoaster with the real thing
It's hard to imagine getting bored on a roller coaster, but a pair of English gents figured out a way to make riding the rails even more thrilling: adding VR to the mix. The duo took a publicly available model of an undisclosed UK theme park's coaster, and imported it into the Unity game development suite. From there, the two smuggled a laptop, mouse, power supply, camera and an Oculus RIft past park security. After getting into the car and outside the unblinking gaze of the ride's cameras, out came the VR headset. The idea of the experiment was to test real-life physical feedback synced with a virtual experience, sans a fancy home-built setup. Of course, the concept of riding a roller coaster while experiencing a virtual recreation of said coaster seems redundant, but the team's ambitions go a bit beyond that surface idea.
NASA's revolutionary launcher dreams could improve mass transit systems, boost astronaut applications
If there's one thing we hate waiting for, it's getting to space. Those 18 hour jaunts from Newark to Singapore just seem so brisk compared to getting from ground zero to the stratosphere, you know? All jesting aside, a team of engineers at NASA are pursuing a revolutionary new launcher that would rely solely on existing technologies. The catch? Said technologies need to be pushed forward a good bit, but if it all pans out, the result could lead to more efficient commuter rail systems, better batteries for motorcars and roller coasters that force a waiver upon you prior to riding. The proposal details a "wedge-shaped aircraft with scramjets to be launched horizontally on an electrified track or gas-powered sled," and once launched, the craft would soar at Mach 10 in order to breach the atmosphere and allow a rocket's second stage to fire. It's pretty riveting stuff -- we'd recommend giving that source link a look for the full skinny, but not if you're hoping to see this materialize in the next decade score.
Sonic Spinball coaster coming to UK theme park
Sonic fans have to be the most hardcore fan base out there right now. Who else would have been able to survive all of the disappointments over the last decade? But don't worry -- Sega is rewarding your everlasting fandom with ... a rollercoaster ride. Rumor has it that the UK's Alton Towers is rebranding its Spinball Whizzer ride as "Sonic Spinball," and a rep from the park says that the retheme will "coincide with the relaunch of Sonic" in 2010. A 2010 relaunch of Sonic, you say? Color us interested. The teal structure of the ride is apparently being repainted a nice Sonic blue, and this isn't the first time the hedgehog has appeared in the park, either. Here's an old appearance in the park's "Toyland Tours" ride. The coaster is scheduled to be ready for running again in February, so if you happen to be in the UK, you can queue your way up for it then. [Thanks Michael!]
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit now rockin' in Orlando
Heads-up, thrill seekers: the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is finally open and making laps at Universal Studios Orlando. If you'll recall, this coaster was actually announced way back in March of 2008, and after its opening was delayed a few times while kinks were worked out, we're happy to say that it's now capturing the most intimate emotions of those who willfully strap themselves in. We recently had an opportunity to catch a ride in between rainstorms and spats of Tiger Woods drama down in Central Florida, and being the roller coaster freaks that we are, we had a tough time pulling ourselves away from the adrenaline rush to focus on the technology making it all happen. Without question, this ride is the now the main draw at Universal Studios; the bulk of the wild coasters are at the neighboring Islands of Adventure, but this one's definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in the area. You'll notice that each car actually uses platform seating, so the rear rows can see slightly above those in front. Once strapped in, a bright touchscreen panel awaits your attention on the top of the front lap bar; you can navigate through a half dozen or so genres in order to select one of 30 tracks, and while it's not publicized, those in the know will realize that a few Easter Egg tracks are hidden if you mash the right buttons. Once you select your ride soundtrack, the music begins to blast from the headrest-mounted speakers and you're towed straight up in the air as you await the first big drop. After you unload, you're funneled into a media area where employees are waiting to assist you in the purchase of your ride photo or video. We found out that each individual video is recorded in 720 x 480 resolution, and amazingly enough, each one is ready the moment you step down off the ride. Guests can choose to purchase their ride DVD (complete with their song of choice) for $29.95 or as part of a few bundle packs that include photos, frames, etc. Photos can be purchased as actual prints, or they can be emailed directly from the kiosk; in our experience, a confirmation email was sent immediately, and our ride photo (it's actually an e-card that shows the photo at the end of the animation) arrived around an hour later. For an idea of what a first-hand video from the ride would look like, pop on past the break. %Gallery-80023%
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit gets its own specifications breakdown
Generally speaking, we don't much care about the nuts and bolts behind a thrill ride. If it thrills, it's a winner; if not, it's a failure. But the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is a horse of a different color, and being that it's described as the planet's most technologically advanced coaster, we figured it prudent to pass along the details that only true nerds could appreciate. For starters, each rider will have access to a touchpad in order to select their own ride soundtrack from a 30 song library. There's also a half dozen cameras in the ride vehicle alongside eight others along the track, all of which combine to assemble a take-home video of the experience if you'd like. Speaking of, check out the demo vid just past the break, and look for this to open to the public later this summer.
Power-sipping Eco Ride urban transportation system to hit Japan
Japan's not hurting for trains, but what's the addition of another going to hurt? Senyo Kogyo and Senyo Kiko have jointly announced plans to construct a test line for an energy-saving urban transportation system this October. Dubbed Eco Ride, the "roller coaster-like" system in Chiba Prefecture will operate "using the height difference on the railway," and furthermore, there will be drive units (complete with clanks and clangs, we bet) "installed at various points on the railway so that the Eco Ride can obtain the potential energy to run." Reportedly, Eco Ride would likely remain just a short-distance transportation system even if expanded, but no matter how you slice it, it sure beats taking the Segway to work.
Evento's BuzzBall: your own personal roller coaster
Those positively fed up with lengthy lines for coasters at amusement parks will likely dig the concept here. Evento's BuzzBall is essentially a personal roller coaster, which reportedly features a "single seat inside a large outer ball that's able to spin and roll independently of the ball itself" alongside a pair of electric motors used to power it. Better still, you don't even need a hill to ride, just a wide open field (or a road, if you're the daredevil type) to frolic in. As it stands, the BuzzBall is simply a prototype waiting to flourish, but it sure looks like this company is serious about selling at least a few to those with enough resources (you know, cash and spare time) to enjoy it.[Via OhGizmo]
Six Flags is better than five flags, Wii agrees
Do you like rollercoasters? Haunted houses? Sideshow games? Now you can enjoy them all, simply by sitting on your couch. Six Flags Fun Park is now in development for the Wii and DS, and it's no surprise given the previous mutual agreement. Hopefully, after being best buddies with the Wii for so long, Six Flags and Brash Entertainment will have the decency to put out a quality game.It won't be a management game like the excellent Rollercoaster Tycoon series, but rather a -- big surprise -- collection of mini-games and virtual rides. Before dropping your dollars, weigh up the alternatives. Would you rather buy the game, or spend the money on a day's entry to the real Six Flags? The choice is yours, and we have some fresh screens in the gallery to help you with the decision.%Gallery-24451%
Brash Entertainment making a Six Flags game?
According to a listing over at Gamefly, Brash Entertainment, the folks behind the Alvin and the Chipmunks games on the DS and Wii, are hard at work on a title centered around the Six Flags theme parks. Brash, who are knee-deep in other movie license games, is taking a departure from their usual stomping grounds, should this listing turn out to be for an actual game.And what should we expect from this game if it's to become a reality? We have no idea right now, but we will say that we have seen plenty of games that confine you to a theme park, so we're leaning toward this being a sim title.The real question is would you want to manage a virtual Six Flags on your DS?[Via Siliconera]
Rockit coaster tapes your ride, produces best YouTube vid ever
While many thrill rides we yearn to strap ourselves into aren't even in the US, a new ride headed to Universal Studios Orlando is apt to thrill the YouTube generation -- on purpose. Reportedly, designers are crafting the so-called Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit to cater to those obsessed with technology (that's us) by enabling patrons to personalize their ride by choosing their own tunes and creating a music video that can be uploaded for all your envious friends to see as soon as you can whip out that 3G card and mash "upload." 'Course, there's a few loops, drops and a 167-foot-tall peak, but it's the "digital audio and video effects" during the ride that you're really anxious to experience, yeah? Clear the calendar now -- this one is set to open next Spring.[Thanks, Jonathan]
