Travelers at the NYC airport can now use VR to cope with long delays and unruly crowds.
A VR startup called PeriscapeVR is offering an escape for commuters at JFK International Terminal 4 – one of the busiest international terminals in the United States – with a unique VR experience designed to be easily approachable with limited instructions so you can dive right into the VR fun.
As you approach each VR Tower, you’ll see a screen with a menu and a securely tethered VR headset. You’ll also notice that each station has a large monitor with the purpose of allowing passerby’s to see the same action that you’re seeing while playing games such as Audioshield, Longbow, or Job Simulator just to name a few.
Each VR experience was chosen by PeriscapeVR not only because they felt it was the best representation of the VR experience, but because of how easy the learning curve would be for a first-time VR user as well.
Using Periscape’s VR Tower is simple: simply insert your credit card to purchase blocks of time in 15, 30 or 45 minutes increments priced at $1.00 a minute. Then, using the menu on the screen, you may choose from any of the games loaded in the tower, put on the HMD and boom! You’re right in the virtual action. You can even switch between games during your session if you’d like.
But what about your bags and luggage? Because VR is completely immersive and therefore completely cut off from the real-world while engaged, you have to wonder about the security of your personal belongings. Anyone who has traveled has heard those airport announcements telling you to never let your bags out of your site.
Luckily, PeriscapeVR has a solution for that. Built into each VR Tower is a storage unit that you can stow all of your bags while you are in your VR experience, or as the company calls it, “Periscaping.”
As more and more people travel, airports have become a new hub for not only traveling, but shopping and socializing as well. For Periscape, it made sense for them to take advantage of this new trend by placing 12 VR Tower stations right in the middle of New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport retail lounge next to stores such as Michael Kors and Coach, where millions of people though each year.
Each station shows information and instructions in nine different languages and is designed be a completely self-service experience. You should be able to use the station with ease and without assistance. The VR station will even dispense hygienic wipes for you to wipe down the headset before you put it on. But, in-case you do find yourself in a bind and in need of some assistance – there will be a couple of Periscape ambassadors there to jump in to help you out when you need it.
In an official Periscape press release, Lynn Rosenthal, founder and CEO of PeriscapeVR said, “PeriscapeVR was created for travelers who desire a fun, blissful and euphoric respite from airport crowds and long hours between flights,” Rosenthal continues, “As a frequent traveler, I recognize there was a gap in the market for this kind of airport entertainment.”
Currently, Periscape only has the one location at JFK for their VR Tower stations, but with the potential of generating well over $2 million annually, Periscape has worked fast to get plans together for locations in 229 other airports around the globe including Paris, Dubai, Shanghai, and Atlanta.
Image Credit: PeriscapeVR
