Zero Latency (company)
Industry | Free Roam Virtual Reality |
---|---|
Founded | 2013 |
Headquarters | Melbourne, Australia |
Number of employees | +100 |
Website | zerolatencyvr |
Zero Latency VR is a technology company that develops free-roam virtual reality systems.[1] It was founded by Tim Ruse, Scott Vandonkelaar, Kyel Smith, who are currently directors of the company, with Dean Dorrell as the chairman.[2] In August 2015, Zero Latency VR opened the world's first VR entertainment venue in North Melbourne, Australia.[3][4]
History[]
The founders' idea to develop a free-roam virtual reality experience first emerged in 2012 following the success of Oculus Rift's kickstarter campaign,[5] and was initially tested as a single-player game called Inversion VR, in early 2013.[6][7] A prototype of Zero Latency VR's multiplayer free-roam virtual reality system was first demonstrated to the public at Pausefest, a digital innovation conference, in early 2014.[8][9] Following this, Zero Latency VR secured almost $30,000 from a crowdfunding campaign,[10] as well as a $60,000 grant from Film Victoria.[11] The company subsequently received $1 million in funding from Carthona Capital, a venture capital firm.[12][13][14] In February 2015, Zero Latency VR partnered with Dell's gaming division, Alienware, to provide high-performance computer hardware for use in Zero Latency VR's operations.[15] On 14 August 2015, Zero Latency VR opened its retail operations, which was the first time in history that multiplayer free-roam virtual reality became publicly available.[16] The first public game played was a simulated zombie apocalypse with four players, however the original game currently allows a maximum of eight players to play at once.[16]
Free-roam[]
Free-roam virtual reality allows users to move freely in an open space and not be constrained by cables and other immobile equipment.[17] Perceptual tricks such as "Change Blindness Redirection" are used in free-roam virtual reality to create the illusion of a virtual environment larger than what is physically available.[17] Zero Latency VR employs these perceptual tricks at its 400m2 venue in North Melbourne to allow players to travel between 700m and 1 km during a standard game session.[5]
Motion capture technology is used to track the physical location of players, which allows the in-game virtual location of players' avatars to be generated accurately.[9] It took several years to develop the software and hardware allowing players' physical movements to be instantly replicated by their in-game avatars.[18][19] Proximity sensors are used to warn players of hazards and prevent players from leaving the physical play area.[16]
Products[]
Zero Latency VR operates virtual reality gaming venues in North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and Newstead, Queensland, Australia which are available to ticket holders aged 13 or older.[20][21] The company also sells its systems to businesses requiring free-roam virtual reality applications.[11] Due to their cost and complexity, Zero Latency VR's systems are not ideal for private use.[22][23] Instead, they are intended to be used as public virtual gaming spaces or theme park attractions.[12][22][24] Zero Latency VR has also partnered with a real estate group to offer virtual house inspections.[25]
Locations[]
As of May 2021, Zero Latency VR has 52 venues in 24 countries.
Zero Latency VR is open in the following locations:
Andorra[]
- Zero Latency VR, Andorra
Australia[]
- Zero Latency VR, Brisbane, QLD
- Zero Latency VR, Gold Coast, QLD
- Zero Latency VR, Melbourne, VIC
- Zero Latency VR, Perth, WA
- Zero Latency VR, Sydney, NSW
- Le Mans Entertainment, Dandenong, VIC
Canada[]
- Zero Latency VR On Tilt, Calgary
- Zero Latency VR, Montreal
- Virtual Galaxies, Toronto
- Zero Latency VR, Vancouver
France[]
- Hypervirtual, Nantes
Germany[]
- Zero Latency VR, Munich
India[]
- Zero Latency VR, Mumbai
Ireland[]
- Zero Latency VR, Dublin
Japan[]
- Sega Abeno Q's Mall, Osaka
- Tokyo Joypolis, Tokyo
Malaysia[]
- The Rift, Kuala Lumpur
Macau[]
- Zero Latency VR, Macau
Mexico[]
- Cinépolis VR, Mexico City
- Cinépolis VR, Querétaro
Netherlands[]
- Zero Latency VR, Rotterdam
Qatar[]
- Zero Latency VR, Doha
Portugal[]
- Zero Latency VR, Lisbon
Spain[]
- Zero Latency VR, Barcelona
- Zero Latency VR, Madrid
- Zero Latency VR, Terrassa
- Zero Latency VR, Zaragoza
Saudi Arabia[]
- Zero Latency VR, Riyadh
Singapore[]
- Zero Latency VR, Singapore
South Korea[]
Thailand[]
- Zero Latency VR, Bangkok
United Kingdom[]
- Zero Latency VR, Nottingham
- Zero Latency VR, London (Wembley)
- Zero Latency VR, Birmingham
United States[]
- Zero Latency VR - Watertown/Fort Drum, New York
- The Arena, Wisconsin Dells
- Max Action Arena, Reno
- Velocity VR, Scottsdale
- V-Play Reality, Orlando
- New Realm VR, Rancho Cucamonga
- Zero Latency VR, Dallas
- Zero Latency VR, Houston
- Level Up - MGM Grand, Las Vegas
- Waypoint VRcade, Mishawaka
- Zero Latency VR, Bend, Oregon
References[]
- ^ UTC, Ariel BogleAustralia2015-11-04 06:00:44. "Fightings zombies with Zero Latency VR is virtual reality gaming at its best". Mashable. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ Simpson, Campbell. "This Is Zero Latency VR, The Future Of Immersive Gaming". www.gizmodo.com.au. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ "Kill Zombies at Melbourne's Virtual Reality Game Centre | The Creators Project". The Creators Project. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ "Australia just opened the first ever virtual reality entertainment facility". Business Insider. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Good Game Stories - Zero Latency VR". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ Hopewell, Luke. "Meet Zero Latency VR: The Future Of Immersive Gaming, Built In Australia". www.gizmodo.com.au. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ Lang, Ben. "Inversion Project: 'Pop-up' VR Environment, Zombie Game Demo Video". Road to VR. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ McCarthy, Tyler (2014-07-02). "Fighting Zombies Just Got Intense With This Virtual Reality System". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Holodeck-style virtual reality gets a step closer with the Inversion VR system". TechSpot. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ "Zero Latency VR - Inversion VR by Zero Latency VR". Pozible. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Zero Latency: The VR revolution begins in Melbourne, Australia". CNET. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Zero Latency VR". Fast Company. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ "Zero Latency VR: The VR revolution begins in Melbourne, Australia". CNET. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ "Zombie virtual reality Melbourne: Zero Latency VR's city warehouse brings the undead 'to life'".
- ^ au, Dell. "Press Releases". Dell. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Virtual reality offers tantalising taste of brave new world". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Forget the joysticks — let's push the boundaries of virtual reality". news.usc.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ UTC, Ariel BogleAustralia2015-11-04 06:00:44. "Fightings zombies with Zero Latency VR is virtual reality gaming at its best". Mashable. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ "Immersive Virtual Reality gaming center opens in Australia". Engadget. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ "Virtual reality offer tantalising taste of brave new world".
- ^ "Brisbane's New VR Experience Launches Today!". Press Start Australia - Bringing The Best Of Video Games & Gaming To Australia. 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "this. | Virtual reality: games". this. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ "World's first VR entertainment facility opens in Australia". Digital Trends. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ "Zero Latency is igniting conversations about the future of VR technology in Australia - Startup Daily". Startup Daily. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ "Zero Latency VR uses Oculus Rift to kill zombies and help REA Group sell properties".
External links[]
- Virtual reality companies
- Companies based in Melbourne
- Australian brands