How do you like your cocktail? Virtual or real? Caesars Palace in Las Vegas have opened what they are claiming is the worlds first pop up VR bar.
Well almost.
The drinks are real, but the rest of it played out in another world.
The Alto Bar inside Caesars Palace on the strip of Vegas is offering guests the opportunity to go exploring with an Oculus Rift headset on their heads for a free 10-minute test drive after making a purchase at the bar.
The first VR lounge and bar in Las Vegas is at Caesars Palace’s Alto Bar featuring Oculus. I didn’t puke! #CES2017 pic.twitter.com/0BSjN7YhPX
— Jordan Valinsky (@jordan327) January 7, 2017
The story goes that Caesars management came across the headsets whilst visiting Facebook HQ and were so impressed that they created a virtual reality experience inside the casino.
Get your #VR fix at the new Oculus Virtuality Reality lounge in Alto Bar @CaesarsPalace https://t.co/k9uFEZ7G37 pic.twitter.com/VMVl5WVNYJ
— Total Vegas Blog (@TotalVegasBlog) January 18, 2017
Four games are available as part of the pop up demo: a basketball three-point shooting challenge, a rock-climbing game, a role-playing experience and a virtual world build.
The touch controllers allow you to use your hands whilst you’re in the virtual environment, so that you can actually lift your (virtual) body up a rock face or swish a three pointer on the basketball court.
Caesar’s Management say the Virtual Reality Lounge has been a big hit so far, with a lengthy waiting list of tech-savvy nerds, ahem – guests waiting to play every night.
The Oculus Virtual Reality Lounge debuted in a VIP area within the Alto Bar on December 28th 2016 with four Oculus Rift headsets and Touch controllers.
If the bar’s popularity continues, it could make a case for making the bar an actual thing as the pop-up VR lounge is scheduled to close on March 28th.
Whether anyone talks to anyone anymore in the bar is another matter. And as for Virtual Reality under the influence? The jury is out.
After all, would you rather be ‘here’ or ‘there?’
The Oculus Virtual Reality Lounge is open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Guests must be 21 and older to play.
Read our other travel industry Virtual Reality stories: Flight Centre sells with VR, MSC Cruises takes virtual reality to sea and pack a virtual suitcase.