The kid-friendly restaurant cum entertainment center Chuck E. Cheese has announced that it has introduced the virtual reality headset, Oculus Rift, to its birthday packages to transform party experience.
On Tuesday, May 20, Chuck E. Cheese announced that it will roll out Oculus Rift at select locations in Dallas and will then expand to other locations in the near term. Chuck E. Cheese has created the game that is called "Chuck E. Cheese's Virtual Ticket Blaster Experience" for the Oculus, in collaboration with CEC Entertainment Inc. and Reel FX.
"Chuck E. Cheese's, the family entertainment leader and number one kid-friendly restaurant, is adding the hottest ticket in gaming to its birthday party packages using the groundbreaking technology Oculus Rift in the Ticket Blaster. 'Chuck E. Cheese's Virtual Ticket Blaster Experience' will make its way to select markets beginning today in Dallas and on to San Diego and Orlando later this month," per a company statement.
According to Roger Cardinale, president of CEC Entertainment, in the current age, children have excellent access to gaming devices such as tablets and gaming consoles. However, the company plans to deliver a gaming experience that the children cannot experience at home. With the help of the virtual reality headset, Oculus Rift, the company will be able to provide next-generation technology to children who visit their chain of stores.
The company announced that kids who have their birthday parties booked in the six-week trial period in the test markets will be able to get a chance to try the virtual Ticket Blaster. The Oculus Rift offers 360 degree head tracking technology and gives a 3D view to its users, which makes them feel as if they are inside the Chuck E. Cheese Ticket Blaster. The virtual reality headset will be able to register the total number of tickets collected by the user that can be redeemed at the store's merchandize counter.
The Chuck E. Cheese store located at Montfort Drive in Dallas will be the first to get "Chuck E. Cheese's Virtual Ticket Blaster Experience." The company says that towards the end of this month 15 additional Chuck E. Cheese locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, six in Orlando, Florida and another eight in San Diego, California will get Oculus Rift.
"We believe that virtual reality eventually will be as popular as our handheld devices," said Reel FX founder and Executive Creative Director Dale Carman. "It's a game-changer, and we're investing incredible time and talent into developing content for the Oculus Rift."
