TO put it mildly, I’m not the biggest fan of roller coasters, so when I drew the short straw to try out a new virtual reality ride at Brighton Palace Pier, I was filled with a sense of dread.
Roller coasters can be scary at the best of times, but the added element of virtual reality left me both anxious and unsure of what to expect.
The end of the pier is home to many rides that fill me with dread - none more so than the Booster, a ride that spins and catapults you 130 feet into the air. Suffice to say, that's not for me...
However, the ride in question was the Twister, a classic, traditional fairground ride, marking its 80th anniversary this year. Not necessarily all that frightening compared to the roller coasters that flip you upside down, but the speed it can fling you around at can pin you in your seat and make you feel nauseous.
Ahead of stepping on, I spoke with the inventor, self-described “thrill engineer” Brendan Walker, who told me this particular ride was a world first, with the virtual reality content synchronised in real time to the movement of the rider’s body. Impressive stuff, I thought, although my stomach was uneasy at what that might mean in practice.
I was strapped into my seat and given a headset that was chained in place. I began to brace myself for the worst.
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At first, I could see a dark cityscape with what looked like eyes peeking out. My feelings of unease and apprehension started to grow, did these eyes belong to figures that would jump out during the ride? Brendan had said to expect something colourful - was this all a set up for something different?
But as the ride got started, the shadows dissolved into an array of bright colours and I soon found myself catapulted through a world of geometric shapes, zooming through rings of various different hues.
I constantly was looking around, up and down to take in the landscape - I was in awe of the objects flying past as I was transported around this world of blocks and cylinders. It was like something out of an eighties music video.
The ride slowed and any nausea I had quickly subsided without incident. I was left feeling relieved and impressed with how this traditional ride had been transformed in such a way.
I will certainly be trying this one out again - but it might be a bit longer before I give the Booster a ride!
If you want to try out Ride with VR for yourself, it opens to the public this Saturday (July 24).
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