HOLOGATE, a global leader in turnkey compact multiplayer VR systems, has announced the launch of a new next-gen free-roaming VR adventure platform called HOLOGATE X. This features HXR (HOLOGATE XPERIENCE REALITY), a hyper-reality technology designed by the company to bring together VR, full-body tracking and 4D physical effects within an immersive and social experience.
This will be the first product to include hyper-reality streaming technology and is able to stream high-resolution cinematic VR worlds into players headsets. This means they are free to explore an expansive space without the need for the usual heavy backpack and equipment.
Free-roam VR
Most free-roam systems require a minimum of two sets of backpacks for each player (live gameplay and backup), leading to higher costs, but HOLOGATE X does not need this. Plus, with HOLOGATE’s solution, there is no need to swap backpacks when battery levels are low, so players can keep playing uninterrupted.
The first experience to premiere on the platform is an in-house production, SIGVRIED: Escape from Valhalla. This project’s funding is supported by a German federal games grant provided by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. It has a total production budget of 1.2 million euros.
This is based on the Nibelungen Saga, bringing together Norse mythology with sci-fi and taking place in an alternative future after the Ragnarök events. Here, players can explore the halls of the destroyed Vahalla, where both treasures and dangers lie hidden in the remains. To win the lost treasure, players work as a team to solve puzzles and battle monsters.
Bringing players directly into the action
Leif Petersen, CEO, and Founder of HOLOGATE says, “Our formula of the latest in VR technology with high-fidelity VR streaming, perfectly staged 4D effects such as scents and wind, THX 5.1 surround within the platform and positional inside of the headset audio mix, and fantastical lifelike adventures will catapult players directly into the action.”
“All senses are further activated by tactile props and full-body haptics which will further convince the players they have been truly transported into another dimension.”
HOLOGATE X will debut as one of the main attractions in HOLOGATE’s new ultimate experience venue, HOLOGATE WORLD, an immersive extended reality (XR) entertainment facility in Germany.
