Latest news with #SandboxVR
Business Wire
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Wire
Sandbox VR Opens First Virginia Beach Location on July 25
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sandbox VR, a full-body virtual reality entertainment experience, is pleased to announce the grand opening of its first Virginia Beach location on Friday, July 25 in the entertainment and events district, Atlantic Park. With over 117k players monthly, Sandbox VR is rapidly growing its global footprint with thriving corporate-owned locations and a robust franchising program. Sandbox VR's socially immersive gaming experience combines full-body motion capture and high-quality haptics to provide unprecedented realism and complete immersion that's not possible with home VR systems or other location-based VR venues, taking group virtual reality gameplay and active socializing to the next level. "We're thrilled to bring Sandbox VR's cutting-edge entertainment experiences to Virginia Beach and Atlantic Park—a destination that perfectly embodies innovation and community. Atlantic Park's unique blend of year-round attractions, from its world-class surf park to reimagined entertainment venues, creates an ideal environment for our immersive VR experiences,' said Sandbox VR CEO and Founder, Steve Zhao. 'Virginia Beach draws millions of visitors annually while maintaining a vibrant local community, and we're excited to offer both residents and tourists a completely new way to connect, compete, and create unforgettable memories together. Atlantic Park represents the future of entertainment districts, and Sandbox VR is proud to be part of that vision." 'Sandbox VR Virginia Beach is the perfect addition to the incredible energy of the new Vibe District at Atlantic Park. This community is full of creativity and momentum, and we can't wait to share the magic of immersive virtual reality with the people who make this area so special,' said Scott Boren, Franchise Owner, Sandbox VR Virginia Beach. Sandbox VR's location in Virginia Beach is an entertainment space featuring four private rooms for virtual reality gameplay. Each room enables groups of up to six players to have a truly shared experience, exploring virtual worlds and relying on each other to succeed in games designed to be social experiences. Together with friends, family, or co-workers, players are equipped with a haptic vest, motion sensors on their wrists and ankles, and cutting edge VIVE Focus 3 headsets. The combination provides players outstanding visuals with a smarter ergonomic design, superior audio, and next level inside-out tracking and controllers. This technology allows players to see and physically interact with one another while feeling like they are in the middle of an action movie, with the heightened emotions that come from not just watching a film, but from actually becoming the stars of the action. Guests choose from any of nine exclusive immersive experiences created by Sandbox VR's in-house team of video game industry veterans: Rebel Moon: The Descent - Images available HERE Created in partnership with Netflix and legendary Director Zack Snyder, The Rebel Moon experience allows you to explore the world of Daggus. Descend through towering skyscrapers, gritty urban streets, and a subterranean mine as you battle against enemy soldiers, spacecraft, and more. Deadwood PHOBIA - Images available HERE The latest installment of VR's most iconic zombie series takes players into a derelict medical facility crawling with unprecedented, mind-bending horrors. Deadwood PHOBIA takes you on a journey through your fears, where you can't trust everything you see. Squid Game Virtuals - Images available HERE Compete against your crew in several pulse-pounding (yet more approachable, but just as thrilling) mini-games inspired by the #1 Netflix series. Play again and again to experience and master all-new games and challenges. Seekers of the Shard: Dragonfire - Images available HERE Journey through a world of fantasy and explore a ruined fortress, an underground river, a haunted tomb and the dragon's tower as you become Seekers of the Shard. Deadwood Valley - Images available HERE Engage in an adrenaline-pumping thrill-ride through a town overrun by zombies. Your squad could stop the zombie menace forever - or die trying! Deadwood Mansion - Images available HERE Do you have what it takes to survive a zombie apocalypse? Work with your team to protect Deadwood Mansion from a terrifying horde of undead. Curse of Davy Jones - Images available HERE Battle on the high seas against a variety of supernatural creatures and hunt for the long-lost treasure of Davy Jones. Amber Sky 2088 - Images available HERE Become heroic Androids equipped with futuristic weapons and soar through the clouds on a space elevator while defending Earth from an alien invasion. UFL: Unbound Fighting League - Images available HERE Transform into a futuristic gladiator and compete against your friends in thrilling duels in a breathtaking arena beyond the limits of reality. After playing, all guests receive personalized highlight videos–similar to movie trailers–which capture all the laughter, screams, intensity, and excitement of their experience. Sandbox VR provides an unparalleled entertainment experience with over 100,000 five-star reviews from guests worldwide! It's the perfect destination for group activities from birthday parties to corporate events. Sandbox VR is backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Gobi Partners, Craft, and Stanford University, along with individuals such as Kevin Durant, Justin Timberlake, and Katy Perry. To learn more about Sandbox VR visit ABOUT SANDBOX VR Sandbox VR is the world's premier destination for premium, location-based virtual reality games. The company has created the world's most immersive full-body VR platform and boasts exclusive games, including original and branded experiences, such as Squid Game Virtuals, created in collaboration with Netflix. Now operating in more than 60 locations and attracting over 117k players monthly, Sandbox VR is rapidly growing its global footprint with thriving corporate-owned locations and a robust franchising program. The company has been recognized as one of Fast Company's 2024 Most Innovative Companies and is the 129th fastest growing company in America on the 2024 Inc. 5000 list. Sandbox VR is headquartered in San Francisco, California with offices in Hong Kong and Vancouver. The company's latest round raised over $37 million from investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Gobi Partners, and Craft. Individual investors include Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Kevin Durant and Will Smith.
CNET
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNET
A New 'Stranger Things' VR Game Is Coming. I'm More Than Ready to Head to the Upside Down
Get ready, because Stranger Things is about to go virtual. Fans will have a lot more to be excited about when the upcoming fifth and final season of the Netflix series drops. Thanks to a partnership with Sandbox VR -- the company behind the virtual reality experiences inspired by Squid Game and Rebel Moon -- viewers will soon be able to step into the wild world the Duffer Brothers created. Welcome to Stranger Things: Catalyst, the third collaboration between the streamer and Sandbox VR. The immersive gaming experience will allow players to battle all the supernatural baddies roaming around the town of Hawkins, Indiana. "Players become part of the story as they explore iconic locations from the series, wield unique abilities, and confront terrifying creatures from the Upside Down," the official press release states. Stranger Things: Catalyst is the upcoming virtual reality experience that will immerse players in the supernatural world of the Upside Down. Sandbox VR/Netflix How will this gaming experience level up your highly anticipated return to Stranger Things? Sandbox VR's AAA gaming studio uses "bleeding-edge virtual technology" (their words, not mine), which includes its patented motion-tracking tech that "captures the movements of a player's entire body." Players will use their bodies as the game's controllers -- meaning, all you'll need to do is step into the game's virtual environment, and the action will unfold around you. "Stranger Things, with its rich universe of supernatural phenomena and compelling characters, provides the perfect foundation for a truly groundbreaking VR experience," said Sandbox VR Founder and CEO, Steve Zhao. "Our technology will allow fans to physically step into the story they've watched unfold over the past seasons, creating thrilling memories with friends as they face the horrors of the Upside Down together." Stranger Things: Catalyst will premiere in late 2025. Season 5 of the series will return in three chunks, premiering on Nov. 26, Dec. 25 and New Year's Eve.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
TOCA Social to open third UK venue at Westfield London on 1 July
Interactive football and dining destination TOCA Social is to launch its third UK venue at Westfield London in Shepherds Bush on 1 July. The competitive socialising brand will occupy 30,000 sq ft of the former Debenhams department store space, hosting 24 game boxes and with a 1,000 standing capacity. TOCA Social White City will also offer virtual reality experience, Sandbox VR including the Squid Game Virtuals game created in collaboration with Netflix. TOCA Social opened its first site at The O2 in London in 2021 followed by the Bullring in Birmingham last year. Alex Harman, President of TOCA Social, said: 'There is a clear and accelerating trend of people wanting more experiential entertainment, particularly around the nation's favourite sport, football. TOCA Social White City will be our third UK venue and largest yet, although we feel we are still scratching the surface of demand for TOCA Social. 'We are delighted to be partnering with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield on this project and excited to be opening our doors in time for the Women's Euros in July." Andy Scanlon, co-founder and CEO of Sandbox VR UK & Ireland, said: 'We are excited to bring the future of entertainment with our groundbreaking virtual reality experiences to TOCA Social's biggest venue yet, Westfield White City. This is the start of an exciting collaboration and we look forward to immersing guests in a whole new world of interactive entertainment like never before.' Jacinta Rowsell, head of customer & retail operations, Northern Europe of Westfield's owner Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, said: 'The arrival of TOCA Social at Westfield London represents the future of destination-led retail – where world-class entertainment, dining, and technology come together under one roof. This partnership cements Westfield London as the capital's ultimate playground for the next generation of social experience.'
Technical.ly
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Technical.ly
Sandbox VR opens its Philly location to bring together gamers IRL
A new virtual reality experience in Philly wants to fully immerse gamers in its fictional worlds. Sandbox VR, a national chain of gaming centers, opened its 60th location in Rittenhouse Square on Wednesday, joining the trend of other adult-geared game experiences like Beat the Bomb, Puttshack and Fight Club in the area. Instead of just a headset, the company aims to make VR a full-body experience. Its system of sensors and motion capture cameras tracks players' bodies and puts all of their movements into the game, Stacy Stec, vice president of sales and marketing for LOL Entertainment, told 'Because a lot of times when people put on a VR headset, it's really just that screen,' she said. 'You might be able to see your hands, but you can't capture your whole body.' Players are given a VR headset, wrist trackers, ankle trackers and a haptic vest, which is used in VR to simulate sensations, like vibrations, in the game. Each player is assigned a color that matches all their gear and gets their picture taken to become an avatar in Sandbox's system. The venue has five rooms, called holodecks, where two to six players can participate, costing $55 to $60 per experience. Each room has 3D motion capture cameras lining the ceiling. The cameras connect the sensors each player is wearing, record their movement and translate it into the video game. If a game requires props, like for fighting off digital zombies, those items also have the same sensors to fully track the player's movement. Taking the VR trend outside of gamers' living rooms Sandbox VR launched in 2016, just when immersive gaming was starting to pick up steam. The idea behind the company was to create an immersive experience that allowed more interaction between the players, founder Steve Zhao told CNBC in 2019. Last fall, Sandbox announced a franchise agreement with experience company LOL Entertainment to open four new locations along the East Coast, including Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. The Rittenhouse Square location offers nine games, including one based on the TV show 'Squid Game' as part of a partnership with Netflix. But the company also makes its own video games, a lot of which are set in science fiction settings, Stec said. The games that Sandbox hosts lean into the social element of gaming; it wants to create experiences where the players are working together and communicating with each other, she said. Players also wear headphones and a microphone so they can talk to each other. 'Being able to get people into that team mode and that collaborative mode [are] the types of games that they're going for,' she said. 'But … there's games where you can sabotage your friends if you really wanted to.' Scroll on to see inside the new Philly location. Sarah Huffman is a 2022-2024 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism.
Axios
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Philadelphia weekender: Easter events, zoo art and Riverdance
It's spring in Philly! Here's what's happening this weekend: 🦋 Check out the massive plant sculptures that have landed at the Philadelphia Zoo. The new exhibit runs through October and features five plant displays scattered across the zoo's campus, including giraffes, a peacock, a butterfly and fish. Tickets: $19-$29; kids 2 and under are free 🍺 The Independence Mall beer garden is open. Grab a beer, cozy up in a hammock and grab a bite to eat. Free admission, pay as you go. Weekday happy hours: 4-6pm. 🥟 Morgan's Pier, one of Philly's favorite spring and summer hang-out spots, is back open for the season. You know what that means: drinks, food, live music, trivia and DJ nights. 🍔 Franklin Square is opening for the season on Saturday. Check out the fountains, enjoy games and grab a SquareBurger. The Philly region is celebrating Easter with a basket full of events: 🐣 Check out Eggstravaganza at Shady Brook Farm. Wagon rides, obstacle courses and more kid-friendly fun. Friday-Saturday, 10am-5pm. Tickets: $10 online for adults, $20 at the gate; $15 online for kids, $25 at the gate. 🍺 Adults need a little Easter fun, too. Evil Genius is doing a free Kegs and Eggs block party on Saturday. Vendors, food and booze. Noon-6pm. 🎮 Back to life, back to virtual reality. Check out Sandbox VR, a stimulating sensory experience in Rittenhouse Square. Choose from nine different worlds, including Netflix's "Squid Game." There are also some kid-friendly experiences. Book your trip.
