Hologate X Takes Free-Roam VR To The Next Level

The popular location-based VR provider has revealed a new free-roam VR platform alongside a new 4D multiplayer experience.

With over 400 VR systems located across 35 countries and a total of seven million players worldwide, Hologate is easily one of the largest location-based VR entertainment networks in the world.

Now the company is raising its already impressive standards even higher with the announcement of Hologate X, a free-roam VR platform that uses Hologate Xperience Reality (HXR), a hyper-realistic location-based VR arena that blends cutting edge VR technology with full-body motion tracking and 4D physical effects to offer visitors high-fidelity immersive experiences.

On top of HXR, Hologate X will also feature hyper-reality streaming technology, a first for any location-based VR experience. What this will do is stream high-res cinematic experiences directly into your VR headset as you freely explore an ever-expanding gameplay space, no bulky VR backpack required. 

Not only does this technology reduce the overall costs that come with installing a typical free-roam VR system—most venues feature two backpacks per player (live backpack and backup)—but it also reduces turnaround times by eliminating the need to swap out backpacks when the battery runs low, offering more continuous play while increasing a venue’s revenue.

Image Credit: Hologate

The first title for Hologate X will be SIGVRIED: Escape from Valhalla, an in-house developed VR experience based on a Nibelungen Saga. Blending Norse mythology with futuristic sci-fi elements, this unique experience takes place in an alternate reality after the cataclysmic events of Ragnarök. Upon arriving in this strange new world, you’ll explore the demolished and vast ‘fortress of the gods’, Vahalla. Here you can search the crumbling ruins, dark corridors, and various chambers for hidden treasures. 

But beware, danger lurks everywhere! To survive your journey and possess the treasures of the Nibelungs, you and other players must work as a team to unravel puzzles, bypass traps, and battle dragons. SIGVRIED: Escape from Valhalla is more than just a collaborative VR experience. It’s an interactive sci-fi fantasy adventure that combines the feel of classic RPGs with the excitement and intrigue of modern escape rooms.

Image Credit: HologateIn an official press release, Hologate CEO and Founder Leif Petersen said, “Our formula of the latest in VR technology with high-fidelity VR streaming, perfectly staged 4D effects such as scents and wind, THX 5.1 surround within the platform and positional inside of the headset audio mix, and fantastical lifelike adventures will catapult players directly into the action.”

“All senses are further activated by tactile props and full-body haptics which will further convince the players they have been truly transported into another dimension.”

Hologate X and HXR will make their debut in Fürth, Germany during Hologate’s new ultimate experience venue HOLOGATE WORLD, which is expected to open in September 2021, with other Hologate X venues opening up worldwide shortly thereafter.

To learn more, you can check out the Hologate website or stay connected with the Hologate newsletter. Funding for SIGVRIED: Escape from Valhalla was supported by a German federal games grant provided by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) and had a total production budget of 1.2 million euros ($1,415,274 US).