A visit to the Abaton - more than just VR Cinema - Part 1

Turn the world upside down - that's the motto at KITAG CINEMAS Abaton in Zurich. We took a closer look at the new VR Arcade pilot project and spoke to those responsible.

We have already reported briefly on the new pilot project at the Abaton. According to Swisscom, the pilot operation of VR Entertainment will last at least three months. Well then, let's go for the test!

When we arrived at the Abaton, we went straight to the VR Welcome Desk in the entrance area. We were welcomed there and the first thing we were shown was the 360° VR Cinema. On the way there, we were allowed to take a look at the four prominently located VR game stations, which were completely empty and waiting for our visit.

The VR Cinema area is located in the farthest corner of the Abaton. It contains several stations with swivel chairs and Oculus headsets hanging from the ceiling above. To find out which films are currently being shown, you can view the programme in advance on a touchscreen.

Intuitive menu control in VR Cinema

Since my colleague had never seen a 360° film in this form before, everything was explained to both of us again in detail. Basically, it's child's play: what you would otherwise intuitively tap or click on with a mouse to control the menu, you simply have to fix with your gaze for a longer period of time. And as soon as a film starts, always remember to look backwards or all around.

The first film I chose was a surfer film from the World of Red Bull series. Overall, the scenes with the monster waves were really impressive, but the film experience was rather uninspiring due to the many pixels and the mediocre recording quality. After that, I watched Longing for Wilderness, which was more of a feast for the eyes with its beautiful shots. Unfortunately, the short film was really very short. When the credits came, I first thought it was the intro.

A very critical statement

I was still engrossed in the Blick VR documentary about the fight against IS when my buddy started talking to the attendant. He had already had enough after 12 minutes and was especially disappointed about the poor picture quality. "I don't need to go to the cinema for that. And the documentaries are too boring," he said firmly, directly and honestly.

What bothered me most was the background noise. Although you sit in a closed-off area and know that someone from the attendants is still there to look after your backpacks, it is somehow strange to be so engrossed in the 360° film world and to hear the cinema-goers streaming into the adjacent cinema hall after the interval gong. A quieter place would certainly not be wrong for the VR Cinema.

But I am convinced that there are less critical people who will be impressed by their first 360° VR film experience and for them the film selection is certainly big enough and exciting. This was also confirmed by our attendant: "Most visitors think it's mega cool and are really excited. There are also a lot of families with children who find it totally cool."

So we started into the VR world with the handbrake on, but the active part was still to come. We were all curious to see what effect the Gaming Zone would have on us. The first impression on the way to the cinema was already promising. Read more about it next week.