Thrills and Chills- The Power of Imagination

It was a slow week in the world of roller coasters.  There weren’t any POV videos of titillating new roller coasters and there certainly weren’t any exciting announcements.  I considered the possibility of not posting an article today.  However, my Mom always encouraged me to think outside of the box when I was presented with an obstacle.  So I searched the news and found a few roller coaster enthusiasts who are using their imaginations in unique ways.

First off is this video of a couple of interactive developers who snuck an Oculus Rift onto a roller coaster.  If you don’t know, an Oculus Rift is a virtual reality headset that you can wear that can give you the illusion of being in a virtual world.  So you might be asking, what’s the point of wearing a VR headset while riding a roller coaster?

In the video below, you can see that the guy wearing the rift is seeing a digital recreation of the roller coaster he’s on.  However, the ride is traveling through space.  So you’re getting all the physical thrills of being in a roller coaster while traveling through a more visual landscape.

Think about how much that could change the overall experience.  Every time you get on the ride, you could change the view of the rider to make the whole thing feel brand new.  During winter you could change the VR view to be a icy tundra.  When it’s Halloween, you can make the ride take place inside of a haunted house.  It’s a pretty imaginative adjustment that blends real life thrills with the infinite possibilities of a digital environment.

However, you don’t have to have high tech equipment and a million dollar roller coaster to have a bit of fun.  Take, for example, this father and son team that built a roller coaster in their backyard for $3,000.  Yeah, I know, that’s still crazy expensive, but you can’t put a price on childhood memories.  Okay, that’s a lie, you can.  But still, this is a pretty awesome father and son project.  Even if the ride itself is a little lackluster.

And finally, just to add a bit of fright to this posting, check out this promotional video Universal Orlando put out.  They’re currently constructing a new Harry Potter themed ride to go into their “Wizarding World of Harry Potter” section of Universal Studios.  The ride is supposed to be themed around the Gringotts Bank which, if you’ve seen the movie, you’ll know is just perfect for a theme park attraction.

When you board the ride, you’ll be entering through the Bank itself and come face to face with the Goblins that work there.  This week Universal provided a sneak peek of the Goblins and, holy crap, they’re really weird looking.  Check it out below.  They’ve got dead soulless eyes! These things would easily fit into Halloween Horror Nights.