TOKYO, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Leading interactive entertainment company SEGA Entertainment and premium Virtual Reality (VR) solutions provider StarVR today announced its collaboration to bring StarVR arcade experiences to existing SEGA Game Center locations throughout Japan. StarVR will work with SEGA Entertainment to roll out its industry-leading headset and VR arcade experiences across the country, at three SEGA arcade locations by March 2018 and at more than ten locations by the end of the year. At launch, Japanese consumers will be able to experience the widely acclaimed VR titles John Wick Chronicles and The Mummy Prodigium Strike developed by Starbreeze Studios, while more titles will be introduced gradually.
The two companies today unveiled the first StarVR-powered VR arcade installation in the flagship SEGA Game Center Shinjuku Kabukicho branch located in Tokyo, and will welcome consumers starting on December 22. Tickets for the experiences will be priced at 1,200 Japanese yen.
“Continuing our commitment to providing the best arcade experiences in Japan, we’re now bringing world-class VR to SEGA Game Centers with StarVR,” said Tadashi Kawaguchi, Senior Vice President of SEGA Entertainment. “With StarVR’s industry-leading visuals, immersive haptics and premium content, we’re stepping up the game and redefining the arcade experience.”
“We’re especially excited to bring StarVR arcade experiences to Japan, as it has the world’s most sophisticated arcade industry and culture,” said Jerry Kao, Vice Chairman of StarVR Corporation. “Collaborating with SEGA Entertainment, the leader in the local market, we’re confident that we can make truly immersive and premium VR experiences widely available to Japanese consumers soon.”
With nearly 200 branches nationwide, SEGA Game Center is the leading arcade chain in Japan. Managed and operated by SEGA Entertainment, the arcades currently provide a wide range of entertainment choices including Prize Games where customers can win a range of unique items; Music Video Games where people play games to the beat of music; Video Games with the latest game consoles; “Purikura” which are photo sticker booths where in some stores costumes can be rented; and Medal Games where friends challenge each other to win as many tokens possible.
The StarVR HMD is a premium VR display built from the ground-up for enterprise and professional entertainment use with its 5K resolution and 210-degree field of view, offering experiences above and beyond home environment setups. The solution features a high speed optical tracking system that can accurately track motion at scale to provide an ultra-immersive VR experience for LBE (Location-Based Entertainment) applications.
