But after adding the noise-canceling headphones, microphone and light-blocking virtual reality helmet, players often forget they are still on solid ground, owner Jason Wright said.
“There’s one part [of a game], you walk up the side of a skyscraper,” Wright said. “We have people that are saying, ‘I can't do it.’ You’re on the floor.”
Bringing a Zero Latency, which has more than 70 locations across the world, into Frisco in January was a chance to give the area around The Star a new form of entertainment, Wright said.
“I live in Frisco,” Wright said. “When we started talking about [opening], there wasn't a lot of entertainment in Frisco that didn't center around food and beverage.”
Virtual reality technologies and gaming are mostly advertised for children, but the average age of customers at Zero Latency is 31 years old, Wright said.
“My dad's 72, and he's addicted to it,” Wright said. “It takes him 15-20 minutes to get his heart rate back down after he plays our 'Sol Raiders' game.”
Younger players can also play, but with some restrictions because the VR gear could be too heavy or the games could be too scary, Wright said.
“Our minimum age is 12,” Wright said. “Even then when we get somebody that wants to play 'Far Cry,' we always ask the parents, ‘Hey, this is rated M [Mature], you understand?’
There are plans to add more child-friendly games in the next six months, Wright said. As of May 8, the only games offered at Frisco’s Zero Latency are "Sol Raiders," "Outbreak Origins," "Singularity," "Zombie Survival," "Engineerium," "Far Cry" and "Undead Arena," all lasting 30-45 minutes each.
Zero Latency’s space allows up to eight players to run completely untethered in each game, bringing both exercise and community into video games, Wright said. Couples on a date, companywide team bonding exercises, birthday parties and more are all reasons he has heard behind a group booking the room, Wright said.
“The most fun event we ever did in the Dallas store was actually a bachelorette party,” Wright said.
One of the best parts of virtual reality gaming is it does not require previous experience or innate skills, Wright said.
“It's not like golf, it's not bowling,” Wright said. “You'll get lost in the VR world and forget you're in an arena.”
Zero Latency offers seven different virtual reality immersive experiences priced at $49 per person.
- "Zombie Survival": 1-8 players. 30 minutes. Survive a zombie apocalypse while waiting for rescue.
- "Engineerium": 1-8 players. 30 minutes. Complete challenging puzzles in a floating environment on an exotic planet.
- "Undead Arena": 1-8 players. 45 minutes. Be the last one standing in a post-apocalyptic reality show pitting zombies against humans for the chance at becoming rich and famous.
- "Far Cry": 1-8 players (mature audience only). 45 minutes. Race to get off an island where pirates hunt visitors for sport.
- "Sol Raiders" (owner’s favorite): 4-8 players. 45 minutes. Players fight each other for control of an alien energy source.
- "Outbreak Origins": 1-8 players. 45 minutes. Prepare to battle infected zombies while searching for a cure.
- "Singularity": 1-8 players. 45 minutes. Take down robots and drones in a mysteriously damaged space station.
Zero Latency Frisco
1125 Legacy Drive, Ste. 100, Frisco
214-618-0146
https://zerolatencydfw.com
Hours: Mon.-Thu. noon-8 p.m., Fri. noon-11 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun. noon-8 p.m.
