Pushing the boundaries of rollercoasters is something that designers and theme parks all over the world are continuing to do, but there is a limit. There is only so fast you can throw a person around corners and loops before you start to do real damage to them. Meat sacks like us can only go so fast and stand a certain amount of Gs before we pass out or worse.
With that in mind, Alton Towers, a British theme park, has announced that it's going to set up a brand new Virtual Roller Coaster as part of its main attractions, potentially offering a ride that is even more ridiculous than the real life ones - and it will be a lot cheaper too.
The ride has been in development for two years and will combine VR displays on headsets (no word on which ones) with an actual ride that will mix movement at up to 46 miles per hour, with a trip through the cosmos at astounding speeds. While that's not hugely fast though, we're told that riders will experience G forces in excess of 3.5, which is enough to make you question reality for a few seconds.
As much as rollercoaster purists may bemoan the combination of technologies, we are starting to hit the limit of what real world rollercoasters can do. Combining them with virtual reality will let them be 'faster' in our minds, and more intense, as well as taking us on trips through much more exciting locales than just high above the park itself.
