Disguise, a global leader in media server technology and extended reality (XR) solutions, partnered with the creators of F1 Arcade, the world’s first official experiential hospitality brand focused on Formula 1, to introduce F1 Box, a new racing simulator at Westfield Stratford City shopping centre.
F1 Box is designed to fully immerse fans in the authentic experience of a real Formula 1 race, featuring 12 full-motion racing simulators equipped with audiovisual commentary and 4K screens for gameplay.
Powered by and controlled through Disguise, the LED wall and reactive LED lighting on the racing simulators, as well as the floor-to-ceiling arches, create a striking atmosphere for the racing showdown. Players compete in two twenty-minute, consecutive races before celebrating their victories with real-time leaderboard content developed by Disguise.
Full immersion
Disguise’s technical services team started by utilising the 3D visualiser within Disguise’s Designer software to produce a real-time, pixel-perfect depiction of the entire space, encompassing visuals, lighting, the leaderboard, and simulators.
This visualisation was sent directly to F1 Box stakeholders for approval, which saved days by streamlining the process and ensuring the creative vision was achieved during pre-production. Quick adjustments could then be made in Designer before the team arrived on site, further shortening the production timeline.
Upon arriving on site, the Disguise team configured the entire space, integrating synchronised LED visuals, atmospheric lighting, and immersive audio into a seamless multisensory experience. This was achieved through Disguise’s video output, lighting controls, API integration, and DMX mapping, which coordinated the LED wall, arches, and simulator lighting in perfect harmony.
This elevated F1 Box transformed the experience from a typical arcade simulator into a full-room environment. Guests are immersed in a space surrounded by LEDs on the back wall, wraparound lights, and other visual effects. Key moments, such as strobe lighting pulsing to a heartbeat sound and a tense starting grid countdown, enhance the immersion.
Real-time leaderboards
To realise F1 Arcade’s vision and energise the competition, Disguise’s creative services team used Designer’s data integration in Notch to extract racing data directly from the simulators in real-time. This created a dynamic leaderboard that shows instant results, including each competitor’s name and finish time, on multiple LED displays immediately after races end.
Created for immersive activations requiring an accessible method to leverage Designer’s capabilities and ensure pixel-perfect playback, a Disguise EX 3+ media server powers the space, including the leaderboard. It provides complete content flexibility and reliability, maintaining flawless synchronisation of lighting, audio, and visual elements 11 hours daily, seven days a week.
“In today’s world, experience is everything, and audiences are looking for activations that offer full immersion from all angles,” says Alexandra Coulson, VP of marketing at Disguise.
“With perfectly synced LED visuals, dramatic lighting and thundering audio, F1 Box puts visitors at the heart of the action, making them really feel like they are right there on the track. Disguise is the perfect solution for anyone looking to bring next-gen immersive experiences to life for fans, and we’re thrilled to have worked with F1 Box on this exciting new format.”
“When you’re simulating an experience as iconic as a Formula 1 grand prix, every detail matters,” says Adam Breeden, CEO at F1 Arcade.
“That’s why we’re so excited to collaborate with Disguise’s team. Using their software and hardware, we could streamline our workflow to create a perfectly detailed, synchronised immersive experience that allows anyone to step into the shoes of an F1 driver.”
See also: Smart, seamless, spectacular: Disguise shapes a new era of immersive LBE
