A new Star Trek–inspired virtual reality (VR) experience is on the way for fans to live out their intergalactic dreams.
Sandbox VR’s Star Trek: Discovery Away Mission — the first of its Star Trek holodeck VR experiences — will launch at the developer’s Hong Kong and San Francisco Bay area locations this fall. It is also set to debut worldwide for fans across the globe by early next year. U.S. locations opening later this year include Los Angeles, New York, Austin, San Diego, and Chicago, among others.
“As a lifelong Star Trek fan, it’s been an incredible privilege partnering with CBS to bring fans the most authentic Star Trek experience possible,” Michael Hampden, creative director and head of experiences at Sandbox VR, said in a statement. “Every detail has been handcrafted in such a way that when you first step on to a transporter pad with your own two feet, you’ll feel more immersed in the world of Star Trek than ever before.”
In this free-roaming experience, based on the Discovery spin-off TV series and directed by Hampden, old and new fans of the TV series will take on the role of a U.S.S. Discovery crew member and embark on an away mission adventure. Wielding a tricorder and a phaser rifle, players will be transported to an alien planet via a real-life holodeck at the Sandbox VR locations. Star Trek: Discovery’s starfleet officer Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) guides players through the 30-minute game with collaborative problem-solving and combat scenarios, according to Variety.
The experience doesn’t have physical objects and props that players can potentially bump into. Everything is computer generated. Also, their entire bodies are tracked using “full body motion capture,” chief product officer Siqui Chen tells Variety. As they play, they can see their fellow team members in the game world. Sandbox VR must have known that I — the clumsiest person in the universe — would be one of the first people to sign up for an experience like this.
Get a first look at the Star Trek: Discovery Away Mission in the teaser below.
Photo: startrek.com
