MISSOULA Two Missoula entrepreneurs are reinventing the arcade.

Weve come a long way since PAC-MAN and Donkey Kong- thanks to virtual reality, players can actually enter new worlds. Now the owners of Bifrost VR in Missoula are helpinggamers step into another dimension.

Have you ever looked at the stars and wondered what it would be like to fly through space? Or what it would be like to defend a village from an onslaught of orcs? Or what it would be like to fight off hordes of zombies?

Thanks to Landon Mill and James Mcneilan, you can stop wondering. They recently opened the arcade of the future in Missoula. They call it Bifrost.

The Norse gods used the Bifrost to transport dimensions, so virtual realitys kind of taking you to another dimension, explained Mill.

So, how does virtual reality stack up to boring old reality?

It was nuts! said Seth Swanson after finishing his very first VR game. You get trapped in a different world; its weird, you dont realize youre in a video game. I cant really explain it, youve just got to try it!

Everyones hesitant at first because seems like youre just paying to play video games you would at your house, but its a whole lot different than that. Its a whole new experience, said Swansons friend Taylor Featherman.

Featherman is right. These arent just video games, and like Swanson said, it really is something that is a musttry to understand. Unlike a traditional video game where players holding a controller and staring at a TV screen, in virtual reality, players areinside the world itself. The technology isnt just for kids; people of all ages want to explore the virtual worlds.

Weve had 75-year-olds play and bring in their friends, weve had 10-year-olds play for their birthday parties, said Mill.

Bifrost VR was close to not becoming anarcade; Mill and Mcneilan originally planned on selling VR headsets.

And we had one for demos, and people just kept wanting to demo, so we just grew from that, explained Mill with a laugh. We added another one and then co-op started coming out so we added a third player. We plan on eventually having twelve headsets.

The co-owners plan to keep up with evolving technology and have plenty of room to expand their business.

So when wireless comes out, well have wireless. Well get motion tracking platforms eventually. Were going to keep pushing it, Mill added.

Bifrost VR does accept walk-ins but Mill and Mcneilan recommend calling ahead of time. The co-owners say that will cut down wait times and will save a few dollars.

MTN Reporter: Eric Clements

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Gamers get a taste of virtual reality with new Missoula arcade - KTVH