As quirky yet innovative companies go, VR Leo ranks among them, and it brought its unique spin on VR tech to Las Vegas for this year’s CES 2020.
VR Leo At CES 2020
Among them is the VR arcade Leo. Dubbed the world’s first self-service VR arcade, Leo takes VR (kit, the tedium of setup and all) and packages it into an all-in-one cabinet that’s reminiscent of any other game you’d find in arcades across the world, except it’s all VR games.
Due to the up close and personal nature of VR headsets, you’d be right in questioning the hygienic aspect of an arcade VR machine. VR Leo has got it covered through the world’s first self-disinfectant headset system powered by four high power ultraviolet lights.
How Does It Work?
A massive display serves as both a touch interface to select games and as a window into what the player sees through the headset for onlookers to witness. Loading up a game is as simple as selecting a game on the touchscreen and paying up to trigger the release of the headset from the overhanging storage unit in a fashion that feels very sci-fi and suited to the tech at hand. (And definitely did not make us jump when we realised what was happening, or hit us on the head because we weren’t paying attention).
Leo is a multi-game system, which currently has three titles, but the format means there’s scope for expansion. The current titles are Black Shield, Guardian of Crystal, and Battle Monsters. We got the chance to get hands on with all of these games during the convention. Each one was well designed and simplistic to play through – exactly what you want from an arcade machine.
Our Verdict
The main takeaway from the Leo is the ease of use. The simplicity of firing up a game mimics that of traditional arcade games. This should do wonders to carry VR from a somewhat niche gaming interest to mass usage. The self-service facet is also key to making the Leo cabinet an attractive proposition.
VR Leo’s aim is to redefine the arcade with Virtual Reality, and with the Leo cabinet, it’s well on its way to doing just that.