VR brings thrills, pressure to entertainment industry

Eddy Liu or Liu Yuzheng, vice president of Huayi Brothers Real-scene Entertainment Company Limited made a speech on a forum held on August 27, 2016 in Beijing.[Photo by Song Jingli/chinadaily.com.cn]

While VR has forced content providers to transform, theme parks are rushing to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by the new tech, so as not to lose out.

Eddy Liu or Liu Yuzheng, vice president of Huayi Brothers Real-scene Entertainment Company Limited, said VR does offer an option for theme parks but cannot replace the entire theme park industry.

VR could lower costs in theme park upgrading as VR hardware itself is much cheaper than most theme park equipment and VR hardware with new content, which is easy to change, could offer new experiences, Liu said, adding that VR offers a better immersive experience than 3-D or 4-D cinemas.

But challenges also rise as VR headsets are heavy for an average consumer despite suppliers' emphasis that they are light. They can also get dirty as they are right against the face, which might get sweaty.

In addition, it might takes more than six minutes for a VR experience, making turnover low, which is not a good thing for theme parks.

Another challenge is that 60 to 70 percent of those attending theme parks are women and children but 70 percent of women surveyed said they do not feel very comfortable wearing VR headsets and there are not many VR products suitable for kids.

Despite all these challenges, Liu revealed that Huayi Brothers will add VR elements when they build new theme parks.