Jay Ollom
5/5
TL;DR version is I found this place feels a bit spendy, but now I'm hooked on VR, and it's absolutely awesome fun! Totally worth checking out.
My kiddo and I went to WE R VR yesterday in the Waldorf location. It was an excellent experience! I am both frugal and kinda poor TBH so I have to admit the price per hour still seems a little high to a guy like me. Cost is subjective. The price was laid out beforehand with no surprises though so it's not really a complaint just be aware that it's not the cheapest fun in town (just perhaps the MOST fun here in Waldorf).
The host we worked with the most was Dallas, and he was awesome! The whole time the vibe I got was more like a friend who has some awesome VR equipment and he's excited to share the technology with you rather than someone with just a job to do or a salesman. He took the time to make sure we were set up and to explain how things worked for us VR newbs. He basically just made sure we had a great time. We also worked with another fellow who's name I forgot to grab but both were EXCELLENT!
I happened to bring in my modded original Gameboy to play while my kiddo was occupied on the VR set and we all bonded a bit over vintage gaming nostalgia and history. The guys working that day are a bit younger than myself but you can tell they are true gaming enthusiasts. They have deep and wide histories with gaming and game technologies since long before VR was a thing. Because of this they were able to help an old head like me pick out some really solid VR experiences that seemed familiar... yet at the same time completely new due to the VR tech. What a great introduction into VR!
The environment is well thought out with dedicated rooms that have padding and some isolation. This makes the VR experience very safe for newbies/kids and a little less awkward (you look a bit silly playing VR games so a little privacy is nice for those that are shy).
The technology was high-end including both stand-alone options (e.g. quest or similar) as well as units connected to very high spec gaming PCs (e.g. rift or similar). This is why the seemingly relatively high per hour cost of WE R VR is hard for me to feel bad about. I am certain there is a staggering amount of money invested in the extremely high spec gaming computers, VR headsets, and the wide array of games and experiences available. There were a wide range of game and VR experience options available that should fit most peoples tastes from kids to adults.
As to VR itself: I had done one or two "immersive VR experiences" prior to this but only ones where I was a passive observer and frankly they weren't very high quality. This was my first experience with higher end modern interactive VR gameplay and experiences. I was pretty blown away to be honest. Modern adaptations of first person shooter games put you into the thick of the action. I played a rock climbing simulation that was real enough to trigger my acrophobia (fear of heights) despite knowing in my brain I was safely in the mall 🙂 It was a great way to become familiar with the tech and the experience for anyone considering whether they might be interested in OWNING a VR set. In fact the guys were kind enough to answer all the questions I had about the tech and headset options that I had while we were there.
Which brings me to a final point, this place might end up costing you some money! Not just the rental/play fees but now I find myself shopping for a VR headset for the family to use at home! I can't blame WE R VR for the fact that VR is awesome though! Take it from a gamer who started out on the Commodore 64 and ATARI: this new generation of VR is pretty amazing and represents a quantum leap forward in the development of interactive gameplay. WE R VR is a great way to try it out OR for those that want to enjoy VR but would rather not worry about the costs of owning, configuring, maintaining, and upgrading the equipment themselves.
