Vijay Stephen reviews new, local technology experience

Schools of brightly colored fish swim in circles around rock formations. Their darting scales twist around and around creating swirls of color. A few stray fish frantically swim about looking for their school, eventually joining their group.

They start to disappear as a swarm of glowing and pulsating baby jellyfish float across the coral-studded reef. Their stingers trail behind them as they lazily drift across the ocean. Two monstrous jellyfish dominate the others. Their bodies undulate and pulse while moving.

The schools of fish return as the jellyfish keep swimming away. The fish blow bubbles that drift to the surface and make popping noises. A pod of dolphins swim overhead while screeching at each other. They dash towards the fish, dart through the rocks and swim away rapidly.

VR (Virtual Reality) is a new exciting way to engage with surreal environments without having to actually be there. Imm3rse.in is the first VR room in Fresno. Imm3rse.in has been open since November and has attracted people in excitement for the fairly new technology. Though anybody can purchase a VR headset, it gets quite expensive to purchase the controllers and the headset along with the equipment you need to run the programs. By going to a VR room you get the high-quality experience of VR while avoiding the high costs.

When you first walk into Imm3rse.in you notice the brightly colored cubicles that line the hallway. There are TV screens at the top of cubicle displaying the games that the people in the cubicles are playing. To the left, there is a counter where you can pay and buy snacks. On the right, there is a couch and a wall painted to look like a galaxy.

Employees will assign participants a station and explain how the controls and headset work. In less than two minutes, I entered another world. Thrust into the program now wearing goggles and a headphone, immediately I selected which game I wanted to play.

At first, I chose TheBlu, which is a simulation of the ocean. Although the game is computer generated it was one of the best games I played there. It was calm and featured great graphics. The scenery was constantly changing and kept me captivated. The game is not fully interactive but you can poke at fish and objects near you.

Next, I played Google earth. Google earth is partly computer generated and partly pictures actually taken by Google. This one is not as exciting but it’s fun to find your house and look and some monuments or countries I would not have seen otherwise.

At first, you see the game selection where you can choose from: Batman: Arkham, Space Pirate Trainer, Google Earth, TheBlu, The Lab, Rec Room, Quivr, Arizona Sunshine, Job Simulator or Waltz of the Wizard. The games are split into three tiers: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Some of the games are tamer and rely on visual stimulation with minimal interaction. The majority are fast paced and require more interaction with the game and the capability to perform tasks. Such as in Quivr, you have to be able to draw arrows out of a quiver on your back and then shoot them at moving orcs.

According to Science News 25-40% of people suffer from motion sickness varying based on the mode of transport. Many people get motion sickness from VR which can be a major roadblock in the future for VR. This was my main concern when I want to Imm3rse.in, as I get sick from just driving across town. Thankfully I didn’t get sick when I was there.

When you first enter the game you feel kind of ethereal and distant but as you adjust to your surroundings you feel normal. My brother felt sick after playing one of the zombie games, but before that he was perfectly fine. It was probably due to the bloody nature of the game.

I would definitely recommend Imm3rse.in as a fun place and interesting experience. The employees are friendly and patient and are there to assist you whenever you need help. Currently there are other VR companies in bigger cities that stimulate some of the other senses, but the VR experience at Imm3rse.in is excellent even without the extra fancy stimulators. At Imm3rse.in it costs $12 for 30 min. and $20 for an hour.

At Imm3rse.in you can make a reservation beforehand or just walk in if it’s not busy. The following tweet from Imm3rse.in shows what it looks like when you experience virtual reality.

We’re open! Escape the line and find a new reality to explore at imm3rse.in #vr #fresno #thanksgiving pic.twitter.com/ttATkrzves

— imm3rse.in (@imm3rse_in) November 20, 2017

Overall VR is a great experience that everybody should at least try once. Even if you aren’t as into video games there are many visual program options. Considering that the price is not extravagant it makes sense to at least try it and get a feel for VR. Even though there will probably be many advancements in VR technology I think that the current technology is fascinating in its own kind.

Imm3rse.in is located at 4010 N Chestnut Diagonal Suite 103. They are open from 3-9:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, and from 12 pm to 10 pm on Sunday.

Imm3rse.in features single player and multi-player games. Event packages are available starting at $350.

For more articles read WWII exhibit highlights citizen’s achievements or Campus welcomes elementary baseball team.

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