The funfair of the future will also be in virtual reality

SKILL GAME. A dozen cans stacked on top of each other and 3 large socks rolled into a ball to degumming them : everyone has already played the shake-everything. The team of the Partouche lab, the research and development division of the casino group, decided to dust off the concept by making a version of this classic funfair in virtual reality. Equipped with an HTC Vive headset, the player finds himself immersed in a casino room. All around him, slot machines, at the top of which enthroned cups to be dropped with the help of balls. Each flipped cup represents a one euro win to reuse in the casino, with the farthest targets earning more. The grip, simplissime, is greatly facilitated by the extreme precision of the controllers of the Vive : the balls leave in the desired direction with the power imprinted by the movement of the arm. We then find the sensations of the original skill game. Once the ball chests are emptied, the player has only one desire, try his luck again and improve his score.

The” room scale ” of the HTC Vive

Visually simple, but detailed enough to allow immersion, Shamboutloo, such is the name of the simulation, was developed in 6 weeks by 2 people. The simulation was designed from a virtual reality module dedicated to the Unity game engine. On the hardware side, it is the HTC Vive headset that was chosen for the extreme precision of its controllers. His “room scale” abilities also made the difference. Unlike other high-end headsets, the Vive tracks the user’s position, allowing the user to evolve in the virtual world. This option then opens up a wide range of scripting and staging possibilities. The Partouche lab teams are already working on other virtual reality experiences, including the possibility of slipping into the skin… from a knife thrower !