[There doesn’t seem to be much press coverage yet and this VRScout story and the company’s website provide few details, but the Arcadia concept is intriguing. See the original story for another image and a 3:48 minute video (also available via YouTube). –Matthew]
Arcadia Is A Mixed Reality Competition For Athletes & Gamers
The “world’s first stadium-size mixed reality arena” will begin searching for its first-ever ‘Arcadia Champion’ later this year.
July 14, 2021
by Kyle Melnick
After three years of secret development, Arcadia, an ambitious stadium-size mixed reality competition, will soon host its Arcadia Trials in an effort to crown the first-ever Arcadia Champion. What is a “stadium-size mixed reality competition” you ask?
Arcadia combines old-school arcade gaming and modern VR technology with conventional sports to deliver a physically intense competitive experience. In this TRON-inspired contest, multiple contenders race through a virtual gauntlet riddled with obstacles such as moving platforms and deadly pits. Think of it like a conventional video game platformer, only instead of controlling your avatar using a standard gamepad, you’re physically running throughout a 10,000 square foot arena.
The Arcadia platform is powered by the companies own proprietary inside-out tracking technology, Samos Arena. This, combined with wireless VR hardware such as the Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2, allows competitors to physically navigate large-scale digital playgrounds synched to a massive real-world arena.
“Our athletes can run, jump, dodge each other, and even tackle each other if they want to. You don’t have to use joysticks to move around,” said Chris Olimpo, Co-founder & CEO of Arcadia, in the official launch video. “You just use your body because that’s the most natural and best controller you could ever use in your life. We also built our own proprietary camera system that allows you, the audience, to see exactly what they’re playing in the game.”
“These games take inspiration from classic arcades and the modern sports that we love today,” added Olimpo. They’re simple to understand, but they’re incredibly hard to master. We built all these great games and we had to find our first playtesters. We got over a thousand sign-ups from college students and selected the top 12 to be our first ‘Alpha 12 Test’ team. Watching our first Arcadia athletes run at full speed and compete in these games was wild.”
Later this year, Arcadia will be conducting a six-city tour called the Arcadia Trials in an effort to crown the first-ever Arcadia Champion. Those interested in competing can vote for a chance to have their hometown selected as a stop on the tour. These virtual competitions will be broadcasted online in mixed reality and will also feature POV cameras of each athlete.
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