On a recent trip to Strand Adventures, a family entertainment center in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, I ran across the Rilix Coaster in the arcade. It was quickly obvious it was a VR experience, but with the twist of being coaster themed. I’ve ridden virtual reality coasters before, but they’re not usually in the regular arcade and instead are more of an upcharge experience, usually with an attendant. There are other arcade VR experiences too like Virtual Rabbids, but not with a complete coaster theme, so the Rilix Coaster is unique in its offering.

The Rilix Coaster isn’t just VR visuals though, but complete immersion using haptic technology on the seat and wind technology in the cabinet. These can combine to create an immersive experience and mentally tie together the visuals with a physical feeling of motion. A haptic transducer lets you feel every bump and turn while wind helps create a sensation of speed.

In something somewhat unique for arcade VR, the ride can also track the position of your hands allowing you to interact with the environment. This could include things like simply putting your hands up and seeing it reflected on the screen or shooting zombies! Yep, I mentioned zombies, and there are dinosaurs, shark, dragons, robots and other creatures too among the 12 different coaster game modes! Each one keeps a coaster theme, but the environment around the track changes with many diverging into fantasy as opposed to your traditional theme park. There’s also a completely separate game cabinet called SpongeBob VR Bubble Coaster where you can interactively explore 3 different SpongeBob episodes.

The Rilix Coaster is a welcome addition to any arcade bringing a unique experience. Today home video game consoles are so powerful that arcades are more about physical games and experiences than ever before. The Rilix Coaster of course isn’t a substitute for a real coaster, but in Manitowoc, Wisconsin all the amusement parks in the area like Bay Beach, Mt. Olympus, Little Amerricka or Six Flags Great America are closed in December anyway. If you see a Rilix Coaster in your home arcade, check it out!