https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/6/6/17434432/dave-busters-arcade-virtual-reality-htc-vive

Dave & Buster’s plans on installing more than 500 HTC Vive VR headsets in its arcades across the US and Canada this month in a subtle acknowledgment that maybe arcades have nothing better to offer than a VR experience in 2018. The headsets will show up on June 14th and will be paired with a “participant motion platform,” which means players will be thrust around. Because this headset inclusion is the result of a partnership between Dave & Buster’s and HTC, the arcade company says it plans to announce exclusive content, although it hasn’t provided any specifics.

This news makes sense given that VR entertainment centers keep popping up. There are multiple in New York City where visitors can experience VR, often for the first time. A company called The Void just announced today that it’s planning to open nine new VR “experience centers.” Maybe eventually the headsets will lose their novelty for the majority of consumers, but for now, higher-end VR experiences require expensive PCs as well as the actual headset. This will likely expose kids and their parents to VR when they haven’t previously had a chance to try it.