Zion Virtual Reality Family Entertainment: Free-walk VR – move around for real — Attraction in Folsom

A unique experience that's worth seeing once, but multiple visits are not for everyone.

I went here for my significant other's birthday, and was surprised that VR was already creating small business. The inside of the store is relatively dark, save for the entrance and hall way. The majority of the room has been converted into moderately sized "cubicles" that are equipped with a VR helmet containing speakers, microphones, and graphic lenses. The associate at the time helped with all the tasks, from putting on the VR equipment to using it. The controls are generally user friendly, but those who are unfamiliar with gaming may need some time for getting used to the interface (i.e. the side button is a little quirky at first). As with most VR headsets, the graphics are a little blurry, and may need some adjustment for adequate viewing.

In terms of games there are a plethora of them. My friends and I only had a one hour time window, which we dedicated solely to the multiplayer survival zombie game. After about ten minutes I became used to the controls, and was slashing and shooting at the undead with relative ease. The game does take a little bit of movement, but fortunately the cubicle rooms are padded, with enough space that hitting a wall is unlikely and harmless. I found the zombies somewhat horrifying at first since they are up close to your face, but you get used it as a long horror movie slowly loses it's treachery.

I can say the first third of the game was very fun, but after the initial VR excitement the gameplay became reptitive, and in the last ten minutes I dropped out of the game; my were very tired, and I needed a break from gaming. If I had to choose between playing another 2-D cooperative survival game like Left 4 Dead and the VR game we played, I would always go with the former.

I don't regret trying out this VR experience, but it's not for me. 2-D graphics are still better than the ones in virtual reality, and the mechanical skill of the controls wear off after one or two sessions. But that's just my opinion; when I was playing there were another two people already situated, and they seemed like they were astute and having a blast. VR is definitely an experience some people would enjoy, especially those who like feeling immersed. It's like going on carnival rides: for some people one little roller coaster is enough, while other's want to feel like they are on the brink of death. VR is similar; you need to try it once to examine if you enjoy it, and if you like it then you need more time to maximize your satisfaction.

To be honest, I have tried other VR sets before, and like my previous tries better than this one (I prefer an archery game I played much more over the zombie one I describe). However, this is the longest VR experience I have encountered, and I'm not sure I would be willing to buy a set or go to venue again after this.

So should you try Zion Virtual Reality Arcade? It's definitely worth a shot.

Note: I posted no photos of gameplay nor the venue due to...

An absolute blast! In the mid 90s I went to a VR gaming booth in a mall. It was very cool for the time (mostly giant polygons on a fixed path) and ever since then I've been waiting for it to advance and explode into the mainstream. Finally it's here and it's a TON OF FUN.

The owner was really nice and helpful. If me or my friends had an issue, since this was our first time, he was right there to help us out. I stuck to the multi-player games and they ranged from simple fun to exhaustingly fun. Lots of first person shooter options, but I also saw some cool Google Earth VR, and other games available as well.

The headset and headphones were comfortable for me. The controller tracking (to make sure that your hands in the game match up to your hands in real life) was great. I had one small glitch with that but the owner was quick to fix it and it was my fault anyway.

I had a very brief moment of feeling disoriented in the beginning but that quickly passed once I started interacting with menus and entered the games.

I could have played longer and can't wait to share Zion VR with...

The VR experience was amazing! Each Vive device is in a small room like a video arcade. There's a screen outside so your friends can see what your doing in the game. The space was nice. It's $30 per hour with a max of two people sharing or splitting the time.

There are many games available for the Vive , including multiplayer. I tried a virtual painting game where you paint the air around you. It stays where you put it. I also tried an undersea adventure. My favorite level was The Abyss, which is the deepest level of the ocean. One hand is a flashlight. You can interact with on screen animals with both hands. At that level you see angler fish, jellyfish, and one surprise I won't ruin for you. My husband tried a co-op zombie fighting game and an archery game. We split the time 50/50, which was easy to do because there was a clock function in the experience. I don't remember if it counted down or up, but it was useful for us to pace ourselves. We went with friends a who also grabbed an arcade. It was...