MISSOULA Two Missoula entrepreneurs are reinventing the arcade. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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? <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
The Norse gods used the Bifrost to transport dimensions, so virtual realitys kind of taking you to another dimension, explained Mill. <\/p>\n
So, how does virtual reality stack up to boring old reality? <\/p>\n
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! <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
Weve had 75-year-olds play and bring in their friends, weve had 10-year-olds play for their birthday parties, said Mill. <\/p>\n
Bifrost VR was close to not becoming anarcade; Mill and Mcneilan originally planned on selling VR headsets. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
The co-owners plan to keep up with evolving technology and have plenty of room to expand their business. <\/p>\n
So when wireless comes out, well have wireless. Well get motion tracking platforms eventually. Were going to keep pushing it, Mill added. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
MTN Reporter: Eric Clements <\/p>\n
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See the article here: <\/p>\n
Gamers get a taste of virtual reality with new Missoula arcade - KTVH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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. Continue reading