I came across a cnn report about a VR startup called Holoride. Holoride’s goal is to create “theme park” like experiences, while in your car. Based on the several videos I’ve seen on the company, the experience seem to consist of the player riding through an environment, moving along with the vehicle. The company also seems to be exclusive to Audi. It reminded me of the early VR experiences, allowing players to ride roller coasters. So I guess they’ve got the “theme park” like experience down.

The idea does interest me. Playing VR while on a boring car ride, sounds preferable. Though, this currently feels like a gimmick to me. I am someone who gets really bad motion sickness, so when I began playing VR, I got nauseous, a lot! I still get sick doing anything in VR that requires motion. VR sickness is also a very common issue, usually among new VR users. Watching videos of people using this in a car, just makes me feel a little nauseous. Also, after one car ride, wouldn’t the experience feel stale the second time? The entire thing just feels like an Audi advertisement, which I guess it is, if it’s exclusive to them.

Like I said, the idea is appealing and I like it. I think I would prefer to do other things in VR, rather than the experience they are advertising. Holoride just partnered with HTC vive and are going to be using their Vive Pro headsets. Can’t I just bring any standalone headset in the car with me, and then play any experience (assuming I have an internet connection). The only thing you would miss out on are their specific XR tracking from the vehicle. But I’m not convinced I want that type of movement in VR. I may want to sit in a movie theater and watch a movie while sitting in the back of a car. That sounds appealing and I don’t think I need Holoride to do that.