The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino is launching PING!, the Virtual Reality game based on the classic arcade game Pong. HTC VIVE has joined Caesar’s Entertainment and Modal to bring Sin City’s residents and visitors a new location-based gaming experience for VR.
PING! VR
Virtual Reality games and experiences are a big hit with people of all ages. Out of home entertainment and high-tech gadgetry is something Las Vegas does well. Using the VIVE Focus, HTC’s newest standalone VR headset, Modal will host and debut PING! this Friday, October 5th.
Evolving from the 2D screens and joysticks of arcade halls past, PING! is ricocheting into the 3D world of VR. PING! players will get to become the game’s controller and hit a virtual ball back and forth for scores in a player versus player showdown.
Located at The Wall Gaming Lounge at the Rio, players will get dunked into a world of full immersive virtual reality gameplay. Guests will lunge from side to side, hitting the ball towards their challenger while using handheld controllers and the VIVE Focus. Ping! players will play the game wirelessly as a free-roaming and 6DoF experience!
Atari founder and Modal co-founder Nolan Bushnell stated: “I always say we’re in the ‘Pong Phase’ of virtual reality but VR arcades will be a multi-billion dollar industry in just a few years. Kicking off the revolution with gameplay I designed over forty years ago is just pure fun.”
VIP guests (scroll down to purchase tickets) who attend the launch will get to take part in PING! Tournaments, play VR Arcade Station games like Sprint Vector, Raw Data, Beat Saber, and other eSports games like Fortnite and Super Smash Bros. They’ll even have a chance at winning HTC VIVE prizes and an Atari 2600 Console signed by Nolan Bushnell.
Standalone Headsets and Gaming
Snipping the chord is a necessary step when it comes to modern location-based VR gaming. With no messy wiring to get wrapped up in, guests will be free to experience Ping! intuitively with the VIVE Focus standalone headset.
Moving right along with advancements in wireless headset technology, “Modal has a unique approach to location-based VR,” said Alvin Wang Graylin, China President, HTC. “Modal has leveraged VIVE’s cutting-edge technology in creative ways, allowing Modal to bring affordable free-roam VR experiences to a mass-market audience with an extremely easy to use interface.”
Unique location-based VR gaming experiences like PING!, Infinity Racer, Ghost Manor, Project Zenith, and other game titles will also be available to play. With Hybrid One & The Wall’s Ryan Sauter adding: “PING! tournaments deliver unexpected excitement to the lounge while creating fun memories for guests. It’s also not a bad workout!”
Modal co-founder Jason Crawford stated: “Our goal is to make virtual reality accessible and fun for everyone, especially those who may have found it intimidating or too costly in the past.” Lastly stating, “Forward-thinking partners such as HTC VIVE, Caesars Entertainment, and The Wall are powerful allies in helping us realize this vision.”
Where to Get PING! Tickets
For tickets to PING! purchase them on Eventbrite for $40 or visit Modal VR for more details.
