Become a fan of Slashdot on Facebook

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Businesses

VR Centers and Arcades Were Growing Quickly Before the Pandemic. Now, the Industry is Seeing Furloughs, Layoffs and Pivots. (protocol.com) 32

Posted by msmash from the moment-of-reckoning dept.
The COVID-19 crisis hit most tech companies hard, but it buried Sandbox VR. From a report: "We went from a relatively healthy business," CEO Steve Zhao said, "to zero revenue." Sandbox was operating 10 VR centers in North America and Asia that allowed groups of customers to step into virtual worlds. Every one had to close due to shelter-in-place orders. "Literally, 100% of the revenue is gone," Zhao said. At the end of April, Sandbox laid off 80% of its staff. Among the departures were then-CEO Siqi Chen and many of the company's key developers. Left with a skeleton crew of 20, Zhao is now trying to figure out not only how to reopen existing locations but survive. "We have to rethink our strategy," he said. Sandbox VR is not alone in its struggles. Numerous operators of VR centers and arcades, including The Void, Dreamscape, Zero Latency and Spaces, have been forced to shut down their retail locations amid the pandemic and are now facing major financial and logistical challenges. It's an abrupt change of fate for an industry that just months ago was seen as a pivotal booster of VR, and heralded by some as the future of theme parks and other forms of location-based entertainment.
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

VR Centers and Arcades Were Growing Quickly Before the Pandemic. Now, the Industry is Seeing Furloughs, Layoffs and Pivots. More

VR Centers and Arcades Were Growing Quickly Before the Pandemic. Now, the Industry is Seeing Furloughs, Layoffs and Pivots.

Comments Filter:

  • Far-UV to save the day (Score:4, Interesting)

    by SuperKendall ( 25149 ) on Monday June 08, 2020 @12:51PM (#60160292)

    I think what needs to happen in all sorts of areas, is widespread deployment of Far-UV lighting technology... [slashdot.org]

    No amount of wiping will really clean those things off very well, and VR condoms (paper eye masks) are impractical. With a Far-UV system they can have the masks fully disinfected within seconds after you have hung them on the rack when you are done.

    Widespread use of the tech which kills viruses but does not hurt human skin or eyes, could even eliminate the need to shut down stores in the case of future viral outbreaks.

    • I think what needs to happen in all sorts of areas, is widespread deployment of Far-UV lighting technology... [slashdot.org]

      what about that spray they use for the shoes at the bowling alley?

      • what about that spray they use for the shoes at the bowling alley?

        Pretty sure that is just a nutrient-rich broth to placate the shoe viruses that have built up over decades.

    • Widespread use of the tech which kills viruses but does not hurt human skin or eyes,

      How far into UV are we talking? UV-C ("far UV" falls into this category), essentially 100% absorbed by the atmosphere before it can touch us, is rather hazardous. As you get towards the top of the UV spectrum, you're essentially transitioning into X-ray territory. It is ionizing radiation (lower UV is not strongly ionizing).

      Applied sanely, by trained operators with protection, or in other processes that don't expose humans (esp. ventilation, sterilization chambers), it does stand to benefit us quite a bi

      • The poster is spot-on, except his link is broken.
        See below for an alternate link.
        --

        Far-UVC light: A new tool to control the spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases
        https://www.nature.com/article... [nature.com]

        "By contrast, we have previously shown that far-UVC light (207–222nm) efficiently inactivates bacteria without harm to exposed mammalian skin. This is because, due to its strong absorbance in biological materials, far-UVC light cannot penetrate even the outer (non living) layers of human skin or eye; h

        • Very interesting; thanks for the information. Low power output and wavelength selection seem very relevant to the safety of this.

  • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • In case you are interested in tracking COVID19 cases, the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth has set up a website tracking cases across the U.S. https://www.huntonak.com/en/co... [huntonak.com]

    • Even if the courts are essentially indifferent to your cause, you should be able to find an ambulance chaser to pursue this.

      To what end? The government enjoys sovereign immunity for this decision insofar as payouts or damages. The most that the courts could do is rule it unconstitutional and get the lockdown lifted. You won't get a payout. All you're left with is an angry bankruptcy administrator pissed at the pointless legal bill on top of your debt.

    • Technically it's probably not unconstitutional, but there's wiggle room for a case. You might point to the right to peacefully assemble, but that will be countered by the government's vested interest in protecting other rights. The courts have held that quarantines are legal, and that states (not feds) have temporary authority to place restrictions on movement during a state of emergency. Then you make your next play, it's countered, and so on. Finding that opening to win the case will be like a chess ga

  • God hates VR.

  • Once can buy a personal VR headset AND a high end video card to drive it for the same price of a few hours of family time at a VR arcade.

    I explored one of these arcades with my Son as we wanted to try out the latest VR offerings. I saw the prices, did the math, and just bought a 1st gen Vive for less than an evening at the VR place.

    I watched the same thing happen to the video arcades of the late 80s and early 90s. It's just cheaper to own the hardware yourself.

    I suggest they pivot to 3d scanning/print house

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Junta ( 36770 )

      As I pictured it, many of the efforts are less "arcade" and more "laser tag". I think that if any VR-away-from-home stands much of a chance, it would be along those lines.

      As far as 'arcade' experience, little attractions like a virtual roller coaster with hydraulics and fans are probably going to have some success, as those are also impractical for the home, but no big deal for a mall to set a couple up somewhere.

      There's nothing particularly unique to 'VR' companies in this context, all the laser tag, arcad

    • Once can buy a personal VR headset AND a high end video card to drive it for the same price of a few hours of family time at a VR arcade.

      While I agree with this and this is precisely what I did after going to a VR lab and getting hooked on VR, many people don't. For many VR is still an expensive novelty reserved for enthusiasts.

      I have no idea what the heck you're talking about in the 80s or 90s, but there are still multiple arcades in my city, and every city I've ever lived in. Nintendo for all it's efforts didn't end up killing arcades even though people could buy a Nintendo and play Duck Hunt at home, and the bar to entry there is signific

  • VR is and will remain a novelty for many. Most VR owners are relegated to enthusiasts. The VR lab is much like arcades were before every man and their dog owned a game console. It is a place where people can enjoy a novel technology they would otherwise not pick up and try (especially considering the ~$400+ cost).

    It was a VR lab in Greece fueled by boredom while the wife shopped and we were killing time waiting on a flight that got me hooked.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tepples ( 727027 )

      The VR lab is much like arcades were before every man and their dog owned a game console.

      And there used to be months- to years-long waits before the publisher of an arcade game would authorize a console port.

  • Virtual reality is exactly what we need at a time when people can't interact physically, but at the same time the current hardware requires these "labs" where users have to congregate. Coronavirus just happened to catch the technology at a point where it's not deployable in the home.

  • I seriously considered and even had a Valve index preordered at one point.

    But I decided against it and refunded the preorder... why? There are better uses for my time and money, as well as VR *still* mostly being a bug ridden, gimmick with few games. That isn't to say there aren't' games but it is the highest echelon of niche gaming. It's hardware that will likely sit in my living room unused for weeks to months at a time.

Slashdot Top Deals

To be awake is to be alive. -- Henry David Thoreau, in "Walden"

Close