The market leading purveyor of today’s VR roller coasters is virtual reality experience company VR Coaster, who use a unique graphics system that combines 4K stereoscopic video at full 60 frames per second with interactive real-time components. These rides would show film shots from a roller coaster car, while the machine mimicked the action seen on screen. These new rides can be thought of as an evolution of the old-school simulators that were popular in the 80s, which were effectively small movie theatres attached to hydraulics. If this trend continues, enjoying VR on coasters could soon become the norm. Since then, more than 30% of European producers have added VR enhancements to one or more of their operational roller coasters. The world's first VR-enhanced roller coaster was launched at Europa-Park in Germany back in 2015. While guests are attached to their seats and riding the real roller coaster, they’re supplied with a VR headset that presents an alternative world, ranging from the Wild West to flying through a galaxy. However, the digital age has ushered in a fresh spin on the rides: integrating virtual reality (VR) into the experience. Recent research found steel roller coasters are still the favourite attraction at most entertainment and theme parks around the globe. Whether at SeaWorld in Florida or Alton Towers in the UK, these behemoths always draw the crowds. For more than a century, roller coasters have been a popular attraction in theme and amusement parks around the world.

Virtual roller coaster ride