HTC is set to launch a handful of different VR experiences inspired by Ready Player One, the film which just released in theaters and is based on the hit novel of the same name from Ernest Cline. What’s more is that HTC will be launching these experiences in various VR arcades throughout the U.S., with a couple in California, one in Arizona, Washington, and Georgia, and multiple arcades in New York City, and various other states. If you were a fan of the book, enjoyed the film or are planning to see it and want to enhance your experience even more, then these VR experiences from HTC just might be the way to do that.
In total HTC says there will be 35 VR arcades that will carry these experiences to begin with, though it does plan to roll them out to more arcades in the near future and throughout the year so if there isn’t any near you there’s a possibility they will be at some point. Also worth mentioning is that these will of course be compatible with the Vive headset. Of the experiences being released, the main experience will be the Oasis Beta, which is a real-world virtual representation of the virtual world in the book and the film, called the Oasis. Once logged on and in the Oasis, players can do anything from explore the universe, which HTC boasts is “ever-expanding,” to compete in certain events against other players and climb the ranks of the leaderboard.
There’s also a dungeon called The Gauntlet, and in it you’ll be tasked with making your way through it while also taking out oncoming zombies and other enemies that seek to destroy you. You can even fight in a multiplayer battle against the film’s main antagonists, the Sixers, which are an army of highly-trained players that work for an evil corporation. This isn’t quite an MMO and certainly not like the one in the film which has seemingly limitless potential in terms of what can be done in it, but it should give a good idea of what to possibly expect with VR MMORPGs once they start to become mainstream.