Seems Cedar Fair isn't the only company interested in doing virtual reality roller coasters... http://www.engadget.com/2016/01/12/alton-towers-galactica-vr-ride/

I for one, am skeptical on the whole VR on a coaster.  I get the point of rides like Wonder Mountain and Voyage to the Iron Reef.  But when I want to ride a coaster, I want to ride a coaster, not put on a VR head set.  I understand that this can change the ride experience and make an older ride more marketable, and that they can add a new theme relatively quickly to the VR program.  

 

But would you want to ride The Racer or The Beast with a VR headset on the entire time?  Kind of takes away from the experience of riding a coaster.

Well, The Racer and The Beast have inherently cool scenery and a neat ride experience. For a VR ride, you could essentially put it in a big metal box with no scenery or theming and it can still be a cool ride experience, plus be operational even in rainy or windy weather.

 

Don't know if this will become a HUGE trend in roller coasters but I think it's a neat gimmick that will draw crowds. My main worry is catching something like MRSA using the headset. :/

...or lice, pink eye, scabies...

Or one comes loose and kabooms another rider--perhaps in the eye(s).

At least nobody will lose their legs on this one.

^ If a collision (with an animal, another train, a tree, a swarm of insects...) was eminent, riders wearing a VR headset wouldn't be able to tell.

Man, I was really looking forward to riding Air (normally) in like 5-10 years... seems like most of the first time/unique coasters I've wanted to ride have been altered in some way (Air is the first B&M Flyer IIRC), Medusa/Bizarro (first floorless), Son of Beast, Stealth (first flying- I'm really pumped to ride it, but still, it does fit the criteria), Big Bad Wolf (first successful suspended coaster), King Cobra(first stand up)- the list could go on and on... But at least Superman (SFNE) is coming back from the dead. And we still have Millennium Force as well, but still... 

 

EDIT: Also, there is no point in cosmetic upkeep if it's just a coaster with VR goggles, might as well put it in a parking lot- smh...

 

Also, not saying I want BBW back or SOB necessarily, it's just that the interesting ones go under the knife eventually...

As someone who loves flying coasters and has always dreamed of space travel this is like a dream come true (if only it was closer)

A tweet from the official Alton Towers account said you can still ride without the headset and that the sets will be cleaned after every use and this one https://twitter.com/altontowers/status/686849435981213696 says the headsets have been designed to fit over glasses

That would be awesome... but, I see no tweet... I'll take your word for it though! 

 

EDIT: I couldn't find the original Tweet, but they did answer it as an answer to the following Tweet:

 

We can finally share the news...In April 2016 we will launch Galactica. The worlds first rollercoaster fully dedicated to virtual reality.

— Alton Towers Resort (@altontowers) January 12, 2016

As someone who loves flying coasters and has always dreamed of space travel this is like a dream come true (if only it was closer)

Heres a tweet from the official Alton Towers account https://twitter.com/altontowers/status/686858008765272064 that confirms that you can still ride without the headset and that the sets will be cleaned after every use and this one https://twitter.com/altontowers/status/686849435981213696 says the headsets have been designed to fit over glasses

That would be awesome... but, I see no tweet... I'll take your word for it though! 

 

First link was broken (why do so many links get a non-breaking space appended?); actual link is here: https://twitter.com/altontowers/status/686846462450397184

Sweet... also, didn't see the links to the answers to the other questions... good to know that AT is taking the time to field so many questions about the experience. Because even if those people wary of the experience still don't ride Galactica, or choose to participate in that new(millennium) old-fashioned way of riding without goggles, that fact that AT responded to their questions will make them feel better about the park

We are a bit spoiled, aren't we, with KI? My first thought was "I like real, I like going through the trees on The Beast." But time and time again, I've seen roller coasters on YouTube that are smack in the middle of concrete, even Gatekeeper loomes over a parking lot.

I'm being snooty about the VR rides because of that.

Also, I was a little creeped out about wearing goggles that just came off of the head of someone else.

I can just imagine how these VR headsets will be "cleaned." Even if it starts out that way, how long will that last? A week? A month?

This is a park that can't even not run trains in maintenance mode with guests aboard--as has been pointed out...

I can imagine the ride will have REALLY long wait times at first, but then they'll have to hit certain numbers and skimp on the cleaning.

 

One thing I thought of is, what if they have two sets of VR headsets for each train, then when the riders pull back into the station, they put the headsets in like a UV cleaning box (I've heard those kill bacteria but not sure on viruses) and the next riders grab a clean pair.

 

I wonder what their actual plan is?

I'm a little disappointed thematically, as Air was part of the Forbidden Valley themed area. It was meant to be a deserted, post-apocalyptic canyon of blood rivers, rusted machinery, and giant skeletons leftover from ambiguously alien creatures. Air was located in a dedicated sub-area within Forbidden Valley meant to represent a last hold-out; a single verdant oasis in the ruins. The coaster was meant to represent the gentle, fresh, clean air in the one last habitable realm left in the Forbidden Valley continuity.

 

The transition from "air" to "space" makes a modicum of sense, but the themed land now doesn't. At least, not that I can see yet. Even their half-baked answer doesn't satisfy:

 

Welcome to the future! In 3016 Forbidden Valley was chosen as the new home for a new space port operated by Galactica - The Universe’s first spaceflight voyager.

 

 

We'll see how they do it. 

 

bkroz, perhaps one of the few who's always looking out for that sort of thing. 

So they're going to add a clunky VR device on your head whilst you're in the awkward seating of a flying coaster on a fairly disorienting course (AIR spends a bit of time on the riders' back compared to other B&M flyers).  VR in and of itself can cause people to get sick, and AT picks a flying coaster to test it out?

 

Good googly moogly. 

I think that if these headsets were properly cleansed and maintained before and after each use, this could be really cool. I would love to try something like this.

I can just imagine how these VR headsets will be "cleaned." Even if it starts out that way, how long will that last? A week? A month?

This is a park that can't even not run trains in maintenance mode with guests aboard--as has been pointed out...

And that brought to my mind the idea of rider awareness. If a tree branch falls on the track, I'd like to see it to brace for collision.

Duck? Maybe. Bracing for collision typically intensifies injuries. This is why drunks often survive wrecks that others do not. They don't see it coming.

Duck? Maybe. Bracing for collision typically intensifies injuries. This is why drunks often survive wrecks that others do not. They don't see it coming.

 

Oh. Well, I don't want to get drunk. The combo of sightless coaster and possibly mismatched visual effects add to the spew factor enough as it is.

Apparently riders were stuck upside down today due to rain storm.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/alton-towers-visitors-left-hanging-7880198

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That's one concern I always have when riding a B&M Flying coaster. It's uncomfortable waiting on the brake run with your head tilted town just for a few minutes waiting for the other train in the station to dispatch.

Could be said the same for Vekoma flying coasters.

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