Marriott's Oculus Rift "Teleporter": Cool Way to Make VR Mass Market -- Or Mere Marketing Gimmick?

Marriott Hotel's "Teleporter" combines Oculus Rift technology with various hardware (like a wind machine and water spray) to simulate teleportation to beautiful places like a Hawaii beach and a London skyscraper -- watch:

Obviously this is a cute marketing stunt by Marriott to promote the hotel chain as forward thinking and hip, but it might also be a really compelling way to easily convey the power of VR to a mass market of non-gamers.

But which is it? Well, that's where you come in, dear reader and VR fan. The teleporter is touring the country now, but not in my neighborhood any time soon. So if you get a chance to check it out, and I'd love your opinion on how compelling and immersive this really is. Here's the itinerary:

Teleporter appearance details here and below:

• Washington DC, 10/2-5: Marriott Marquis
• Atlanta, GA, 10/9-12: Marriot Marquis
• Dallas, TX, 10/17-20: Marriot Dallas City Center
• San Diego, CA, 10/24-27: Marriot Marquis San Diego Marino
• San Jose, CA: 11/6-9: San Jose Marriott
• San Francisco, CA: 11/13-16: San Francisco Marriott Marquis

Once again, if you do get a chance to check it out, share your experiences in Comments please!

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Comments

[Arcadia Codesmith]

Sight and sound are the low-hanging fruit of immersive VR. Smell, taste, and especially touch are going to be tougher, and simulating the kinesthetic sense may be the ultimate challenge.

Mariott's approach may be crude, but I have to give them kudos for at least realizing how much the other senses add to the experience. But if you really want to get a tropical island experience right, you need a sauna...

[Pathfinder]

The fact that Marriott is pulling a "look at us we're so high tech" with one hand while with the other hand they are still one of the few hotels that FREAKING CHARGES $13 A DAY FOR WIFI IN YOUR OWN GODDAMN ROOM is highly amusing.

/me just got back from a trip where he stayed at a Marriott...

[Wagner James Au]

Ahahaha oof, that sucks.