Question of the Day - 23 June 2022

Wow. Where do we start?

We've got virtual. We've got simulated. We've got immersive. We've got holographic. We've got light shows, otherworldly music festivals, giga video screens. We even, in this day and age, have analog. 

And finally, we've got MSG Sphere -- or we will next year. 

This question inspired us to take stock in the world of Las Vegas entertainment and in the attempt, we took a little deeper look than perhaps was intended by the submitter. We hope no one minds that the answer turned into a three-part examination of the state of affairs these days. 

We'll take them, briefly, one at a time. 

As for virtual, the attraction "Virtual Reality" at MGM Grand transports you and "your squad" (up to eight players) to an immersive universe where hordes of the undead, rogue killer robots, topsy-turvy pathways, and the like await. Best of all, players compete wireless (just the VR headsets with total freedom of movement) in the VR arena. Another virtual experience, "Army of the Dead," is located at Area15; you and your crew are trapped inside zombie-infested Las Vegas and have to fight your way out. There are a number of other VR attractions in Las Vegas (VR Adventures at the Linq and several at Pole Position Raceway, for example), but you get the idea. This is an ever-expanding entertainment option and we're confident in saying that more VR is in cards for entertaining the younger demographics as they discover the pleasures of Sin City.

Simulated is similar, but here we're referring specifically to motion simulation. The main motion attraction today is Flyover Las Vegas with two rides, "Wild Wild West" and "Iceland." There's also a motion simulator at Adventuredome at Circus Circus; you can also become an "Airline Captain for a Day" at a full-motion flight simulator for a 737 at an attraction in Henderson. We were underwhelmed by Flyover and it's possible that this hydraulic tech has reached its limits, so we hesitate to say there's much future in this old innovation.

Immersive can mean many things. The first example that comes to mind is Omega Mart, the surreal supermarket at Area15 (itself an immersive environment of its own). Another immersion of a different sort is Lake of Dreams at the Wynn, a multimedia experience that blends puppetry, surround sound, and total lighting, all framed by the 90-foot performance waterfall and 1,500 pine trees, to create the spectacle at the three-acre water attraction. A third would be the brand new digital art installation across from Resorts World, Perception, a 17,000-square-foot "next-level" museum that immerses visitors in the lives and works of celebrated artists; currently, it's Leonardo Da Vinci, creating a full sensory experience with 360-degree projections onto LED screens and 12.1 Dolby audio. Immersive Van Gogh at the Shops at Crystals is similar. 

The Illuminarium, also at Area15, is an immersive trip through space: Journeying across the galaxy, you fly through a technicolor nebula, leave your footprints on the moon, see Saturn’s rings up close, and weave through an asteroid belt. Arcadia Earth is similar, with trips through underwater worlds, fantasy lands, and more art installations.

Escape Rooms can be categorized as immersive and Escape IT is a good representation, inspired by Stephen King's 1986 horror novel and the film franchise IT, one of the most chilling movies ever produced. There are lots of others: The Basement, Prison Break, Ultimate Heist, Lair of the Puzzlemaster, and the like. More and more multimedia options show up here all the time; the future is bright for whatever new ideas emerge.

Next up is holographic and here, we can point to the Whitney Houston Hologram Concert, which we reviewed in the 1/22 issue of LVA. We wrote, "It's good entertainment. But more than that, it’s a show that might be giving us a glimpse into the future, where performers no longer of this world are resurrected to put on perfect shows night after night." The show is closing and if the press release is to be believed, it's so that the tech can be upgraded. We believe that holographic is wide open for technological applications and expect to see much more of it in the not-too-distant future. 

Tomorrow, we'll look at more high-tech entertainment categories.