Lhe day dawns in Giza. The Great Pyramid of Khufu stands on the horizon. A guide takes you inside, through the narrow corridors, hidden rooms or to the top of this sacred monument of ancient Egypt, for a forty-five minute walk. Except that you are actually 3,225 kilometers from Giza, in the Eclipso virtual reality room in Bordeaux.
Every day, around a hundred visitors come to test one of the three immersive experiences offered, such as “L'Horizon de Kheops”, for a visit back in time. Open since January, this center – the only one in the world to offer group cultural immersions – completes an already rich offering in Bordeaux, with other rooms offering immersive experiences in virtual reality, such as the Virtual Room escape games or the shooting games of Vortex Experience and Eva.
While tech giants Microsoft, Meta and Apple are investing to develop and market their own VR headsets (“virtual reality” in English) and their use is arriving in certain professions such as health or architecture, virtual reality is becoming more popular. gradually. And the leisure sector is the first to make this technology accessible to the general public. “We feel that people are becoming more and more interested in it. This year, we will reach a record attendance,” assures Clément de Vergezac, event manager of Virtual Room, one of the first rooms installed in Bordeaux in 2018.
“We are chasing technology. We have already invested and changed systems several times”
In its 550 m² space, 25 people can play simultaneously (in teams of two to four) in one of the five escape game scenarios offered and designed by the company's studio. The recent release of a new scenario on Asterix is already a success and represents more than half of the games launched each day. “There are still many customers who come for the first time, but also others who come back to test other scenarios,” he explains.
A range of experiences
It seems that some customers, won over by VR, are even coming back to test the experience in other Bordeaux rooms. “Some people who have been to Eva or Virtual Room sometimes come to us afterwards, because we each offer a different experience. We all complement each other in Bordeaux, that’s an advantage,” explains Pierre Chicorp, one of the creators in 2019 of Vortex Experience, which offers four shooting games.
Equipped with a helmet, a weapon and a sensory vest, participants have fun killing zombies as a team, in a large room where freedom of movement is total, with the exception of a few obstacles to avoid . They see nothing of the empty and bright hangar in which they move. They are totally immersed in the virtual universe, where each person is modeled by a character but can touch and talk to each other.
The Eva room in Bordeaux-Lac also offers a virtual shooting game.
Archives Thierry David / SO
The experience, which still has room for improvement, is rather enjoyable and allows for total immersion in the game, both visual and audio. In the future, all Bordeaux centers hope to introduce more sensorialities, such as smells, touch, heat, cold or vibrating floors to reinforce the reality effect. The graphics are not yet worth what we find on the latest generation consoles, “but the constant improvement of the hardware will improve the visual texture,” explains Pierre Chicorp. “It’s happening very quickly, we’re chasing technology. We have already invested and changed systems several times. And I am convinced that in two years, we will change it again. »
“No limits”
“Khufu's Horizon”, in Eclipso, is already in its third graphics update since January. Stevan Berthom, operations director of Eclipso Bordeaux, is convinced that “this is only the beginning of VR and that it will be the cinema of tomorrow”. “Virtual reality offers possibilities that are not necessarily achievable in real life or accessible to the general public. It is a tool which, in the cultural world, makes it possible to complement museums or books. We also hope to soon be part of the culture pass,” he continues.
“The VR market for the general public has a future. I think that everything will be based on the content offered, because people do not come for the headsets but rather for the experience,” adds Pierre Chicorp. “VR has no limits yet, therefore no end. There will constantly be new concepts, particularly with the development of artificial intelligence,” adds Clément de Vergezac.
