I started a VR arcade

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SpartanVXL

1306 posts

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#2106850 12-Oct-2018 16:30

Oh wow, your place is open! I occasionally walked around the area after Bian sushi and remember seeing the coming soon sign a while back.

Don't mind the gpforum replies, their responses seem close to the...unusual distaste for VR, mostly from those who can't see the tech past the cost. Same reason nobody seems to like the RTX nvidia cards....

If you have a big enough area for simultaneous users a lot of the multiplayer games would be viable now eg. seeing round of 4v4 pavlov (vr counterstrike) similar to the old days of net cafes.

petes117

371 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2106863 12-Oct-2018 16:53

SpartanVXL: Oh wow, your place is open! I occasionally walked around the area after Bian sushi and remember seeing the coming soon sign a while back. Don't mind the gpforum replies, their responses seem close to the...unusual distaste for VR, mostly from those who can't see the tech past the cost. Same reason nobody seems to like the RTX nvidia cards.... If you have a big enough area for simultaneous users a lot of the multiplayer games would be viable now eg. seeing round of 4v4 pavlov (vr counterstrike) similar to the old days of net cafes.

Oh yeah that was a whole issue with the coming soon, because I was otherwise ready to launch way back in April, but couldn't do my fitout until the shopfront was installed.

My place is just big enough for 5 people to play at once. Pavlov is a bit hard for most people, especially on their stomachs! Great game though, might get it down the line. Multiplayer is definitely the best though, Arizona Sunshine is the most popular shooter. So fun to watch people freak out when a zombie is coming for them!

Jeeves

301 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2110954 19-Oct-2018 13:17

petes117:

I posted about the my arcade on GPforums, and wow most of the responses I got were downright hostile

I've watched this thread and the one in GPF.

I personally don't see much, if any, hostility in that thread. The worst comment is that your website "sucks balls". Whilst most of it isn't hugely constructive, it is feedback none the less. Feedback you should be listening too and not dismissing.

No one criticised the idea of your business - it is a good idea and one that could do well. Your single reply in that thread had, from a third party observation view point, a bit of an aggressive tone about it, which is never a good look coming from a business owner seeking feedback.

But the underlying theme here is your website. It really isn't great.

I'm no UI or UX expert, so I can't offer any great constructive feedback - but it just feels cheap. The pulsing green background. The columns all over the show. The haphazardly placed CTA image. The hard to read font.

Almost every comment in the GPF thread was about the website. Someone said they showed it to three people and they all nop'd out because of the website.

Your website is literally as important as your store front, probably even more so. The overwhelming feedback, whilst sometimes not nuanced in its language, is negative about your website. My suggestion would be to use any spare marketing change you have and engage some website consultants.

Handsomedan

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#2110957 19-Oct-2018 13:26

FWIW my kids (13 and 11 y/o) have been raving about your establishment for a few weeks now!

They and a couple of friends have been in a few times to spend their (barely earned) pocket money and are huge fans!!

They've been telling all the kids at school about it (Albany Junior High) and all have been thinking about birthdays etc at the VR Club.

Haven't been in yet myself, but no doubt I'll be there with them some time soon.

Good luck with the venture, I hope it takes off properly - people who give something a go deserve to be rewarded!!!

Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
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petes117

371 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2111007 19-Oct-2018 14:47

Jeeves:

petes117:

I posted about the my arcade on GPforums, and wow most of the responses I got were downright hostile

I've watched this thread and the one in GPF.

I personally don't see much, if any, hostility in that thread. The worst comment is that your website "sucks balls". Whilst most of it isn't hugely constructive, it is feedback none the less. Feedback you should be listening too and not dismissing.

No one criticised the idea of your business - it is a good idea and one that could do well. Your single reply in that thread had, from a third party observation view point, a bit of an aggressive tone about it, which is never a good look coming from a business owner seeking feedback.

But the underlying theme here is your website. It really isn't great.

I'm no UI or UX expert, so I can't offer any great constructive feedback - but it just feels cheap. The pulsing green background. The columns all over the show. The haphazardly placed CTA image. The hard to read font.

Almost every comment in the GPF thread was about the website. Someone said they showed it to three people and they all nop'd out because of the website.

Your website is literally as important as your store front, probably even more so. The overwhelming feedback, whilst sometimes not nuanced in its language, is negative about your website. My suggestion would be to use any spare marketing change you have and engage some website consultants.

That's some good feedback, thanks :)

Maybe I jumped the gun a bit on GPforums, but it grinds my gears when people criticize things without offering any suggestions... "it sucks" or "I could do better", isn't helpful. I'll and apologize to them... But your feedback is much more helpful anyway, so thanks. Appreciate it!

Handsomedan:

FWIW my kids (13 and 11 y/o) have been raving about your establishment for a few weeks now!

They and a couple of friends have been in a few times to spend their (barely earned) pocket money and are huge fans!!

They've been telling all the kids at school about it (Albany Junior High) and all have been thinking about birthdays etc at the VR Club.

Haven't been in yet myself, but no doubt I'll be there with them some time soon.

Good luck with the venture, I hope it takes off properly - people who give something a go deserve to be rewarded!!!

Thanks HandsomeDan! Birthdays are definitely a hit with both the kids (who get to shoot each other) and parents (who get a few minutes of peace and quiet). Great to hear they're talking about it at school. Any suggestions on how to continue that snowball rolling would be appreciated, I've tried contacting schools about running fundraisers but it's hard to get their attention when so many other established companies (like the cinemas) already run events with them

surfisup1000

5288 posts

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#2111016 19-Oct-2018 15:02

petes117:

Maybe I jumped the gun a bit on GPforums, but it grinds my gears when people criticize things without offering any suggestions... "it sucks" or "I could do better", isn't helpful.

Welcome to the internet! Just don't take comments from anonymous posters to heart. Easy for anyone to type mean words without responsibility for them. I bet if they were face to face they wouldn't be talking like that.

I personally think your website does the job.... gives and idea of what you're about and contact details /booking . It could do with improvement but when you get spare time.

It is not like there are VR arcades on every corner so you already have your local market cornered.

Lias

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#2111064 19-Oct-2018 16:05

petes117:

Maybe I jumped the gun a bit on GPforums, but it grinds my gears when people criticize things without offering any suggestions... "it sucks" or "I could do better", isn't helpful. I'll and apologize to them... But your feedback is much more helpful anyway, so thanks. Appreciate it!

GPForums isn't really the sort of place you are going to get constructive feedback.. It's slightly tamer than say.. 4chan, but not really by that much.

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Handsomedan

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#2115956 29-Oct-2018 11:11

Just wanted to give this place a bit of a shout-out.

Took my two kids and one of their friends there on Sunday (yesterday) for my youngest son's 12th birthday - they had an awesome time and it was really great value for money.

The two younger ones played age-appropriate games, while the older one was engrossed in Doom-like shooting sprees and got his fill of Virtual Violence.

I'd recommend the VR Club if you're at a loose end in Takapuna, or if you have kids that want/need a unique experience for a birthday or outing.

Hope this really takes off...it's awesome.

Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
Handsome Dan needs to stop adding three dots to every sentence...

Handsome Dan does not currently have a side hustle as the mascot for Yale

*Gladly accepting donations...

petes117

371 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2116017 29-Oct-2018 11:55

Handsomedan:

Just wanted to give this place a bit of a shout-out.

Took my two kids and one of their friends there on Sunday (yesterday) for my youngest son's 12th birthday - they had an awesome time and it was really great value for money.

The two younger ones played age-appropriate games, while the older one was engrossed in Doom-like shooting sprees and got his fill of Virtual Violence.

I'd recommend the VR Club if you're at a loose end in Takapuna, or if you have kids that want/need a unique experience for a birthday or outing.

Hope this really takes off...it's awesome.

Ahh so that was you the other day Handsomedan! Thanks so much for the reviews! Glad the kiddos had a good time, that's what it's all about... providing a fun experience they'll (hopefully) remember and talk about, by introducing people to the magic of VR. Hearing feedback like this is what makes it all worthwhile. Made my day. Thank you!

Handsomedan

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#2116041 29-Oct-2018 12:33

petes117:

Handsomedan:

Just wanted to give this place a bit of a shout-out.

Took my two kids and one of their friends there on Sunday (yesterday) for my youngest son's 12th birthday - they had an awesome time and it was really great value for money.

The two younger ones played age-appropriate games, while the older one was engrossed in Doom-like shooting sprees and got his fill of Virtual Violence.

I'd recommend the VR Club if you're at a loose end in Takapuna, or if you have kids that want/need a unique experience for a birthday or outing.

Hope this really takes off...it's awesome.

Ahh so that was you the other day Handsomedan! Thanks so much for the reviews! Glad the kiddos had a good time, that's what it's all about... providing a fun experience they'll (hopefully) remember and talk about, by introducing people to the magic of VR. Hearing feedback like this is what makes it all worthwhile. Made my day. Thank you!

Yeah, I didn't want to introduce myself, in case it came across as trying to get something out of a loose internet association!

Happy to support a business that offers a great service at a decent price and provides what the punter is after...you tick all three boxes, in my opinion! You'll be seeing the boys again, I can guarantee that...may just have to make them work a little harder for their pocket money, though.

Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
Handsome Dan needs to stop adding three dots to every sentence...

Handsome Dan does not currently have a side hustle as the mascot for Yale

*Gladly accepting donations...

petes117

371 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2696105 21-Apr-2021 14:21

Hey everyone, just want to let you know I reopened my arcade in a new location a couple months ago after closing down for most of last year. Things were booming at the end of 2019, but I have held on and now trying to regain the traffic. It's slow going so far, slower even than when I first opened back in 2018!

The new location is at Lake House Arts Centre at 37 Fred Thomas Drive. It's not as flashy as before but I can still fit 6 headsets in there, with the option for large parties (10+ppl) to combine activities with LHA's offerings. I've also upgrade from the very aging original HTC Vive, to the Oculus Quest 2... but still using gaming PCs, streaming the games over WiFi via Virtual Desktop. With two WAPs it can handle 3 headsets each with does the job nicely at a decent bitrate. It's been fun to fine tune the new setup, and it's impossible to go back to a tether.

There's a few new things I'm introducing too, I'm trialing an arena-scale "free roam" shared space on weekdays, and currently looking into adding premium virtual escape room experiences soon too.

As for Half Life 2 VR, I'm sad to say it's pretty much dead. The team has dropped off one by one, the only ones left are unable to finish it with their skill set. Valve didn't help much in this regard because any new programmer who came on board (and we went through several) first had to sign a Valve NDA and they often took months to send it.

On the plus side I do have Half Life Alyx available at the arcade :)

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