Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Arts & Entertainment

Battle Aliens In Virtual Reality On A Magic Mountain Roller Coaster

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.


Six Flags is going to start incorporating virtual reality into their roller coasters, including one at Magic Mountain, making you feel like you're fighting for the fate of humanity. We're approaching the stage in virtual reality development where I think we're going to start seeing it just about everywhere. For now, the latest news is that Six Flags is partnering with Samsung to debut the first VR coaster in the U.S.

While VR content that makes a stationary user feel like they're on a roller coaster certainly already exists, the Six Flags experience will add VR to the act of actually riding on a roller coaster. You'll wear a headset that shows a VR film synchronized to the coaster's movements. So, instead of looking out at the park as you ride, you'll take the vantage point of the pilot of a fighter jet, who is battling off extraterrestrial invasion of planet Earth.

Your plane will move from a landing pad up through the roof of a secret bunker. As you ascend, you'll be able to use a controller to test out weapons. Then, you'll find yourself zooming through a cityscape to attack the invaders' mothership with a full 360-degree, immersive view.

The incorporated technology will debut this month at six different Six Flags, including Magic Mountain. At Magic Mountain, you'll be able to use the VR headsets on The New Revolution ride at the end of the month, beginning on March 26 for season pass holders.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles will be getting a VR arcade sometime in the spring or summer of this year.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today