[Fernando Vargas]

Hello everyone.

First of all, let me express my awe with this website. I had seen one or two of its news before, but I wasn't aware there was so much info. And the forum is filled with knowledgeable people wanting to learn.

In the recent months the VR for consumer industry has seen a lot of improvements, but they are only noticed by the few select people that can have their own high-end HMD. VR Arcades are a gateway to new consumers wanting to get more information, and for developers and manufacturers another way to get to them.

VR demos are nothing new. A lot of people like me have put themselves in the line of fire and give public demos. Many of them charging fo the experiences. But quickly a question comes into mind. Is it legal for people who buy an Oculus Rift of HTC Vive with their respective games to charge people for VR demonstrarions(?). Or do you think the Oculus and the HTC vive team would would actually like to contribute to the idea.

What are your thoughts? I am really interested in knowing them.

My best wishes to you all,
Fernando

[Chemy JMHT]

I think somehow is legal, but it would also depends on the content, I saw a some and mostly offering free content for their experiences, like Youtube 360 Videos, some Free 360 pictures and some free games too.

It's a very interesting question, because in some countries you are able to play some games in some stores, some of those games are paid games, but for the store is the only way to show how the experience actually is, because nobody can describe that well something which play with the way you perceive the world around you in the VR worlds.

But in other hand, I know some (old) Arcades need to pay an extra amount just to be able to receive any profits from the game.

I think right now it should be free of charge for those who offer the opportunity to get some profit by doing that, because we all need more interest on VR now and that's a good way to get it.

BTW Welcome to the forum, for your name I can guess you speak Spanish too, Bienvenido, aquí también hablamos un montón de otros idiomas

[badelhas]

I hope it´s legal and I hope I start seeing some of those Arcades places in my country sometime soon.

Cheers

[pkcable]

VR Arcades already exist. We have one locally called Centertec. Myself and a small group of VR fans (around 7 of us) went there this past April. It MUST be legal if they are doing it! I would imagine they have to pay something extra to get a commercial license for the games they use, AND/OR get permission. Some developers might allow use simply for exposure/advertising. I think it might be similar to how they handle PPV wrestling and boxing. What cost YOU 30-60 dollars to buy for your house costs bar's and such more like 500 or more. (often there is a per head charge)

https://www.vrheads.com/our-epic-for...-arcade-philly

[Jonathan Kaufman]

How would it be different than arcades of old. Maybe it would be more legal if the games were rented. Not sure.

[pkcable]

How would it be different than arcades of old. Maybe it would be more legal if the games were rented. Not sure.

Well the way it works at Centertec is you buy VR time in hour blocks at 30 per, BUT sometimes it's discounted via Groupon to 15 or 20 per. 1 to 2 hours is plenty. They were generous with time pausing our clock between games and as we took short breaks or for explanation time. We bought 1 hour each and stayed for over 90 minutes.

[Chemy JMHT]

Well the way it works at Centertec is you buy VR time in hour blocks at 30 per, BUT sometimes it's discounted via Groupon to 15 or 20 per. 1 to 2 hours is plenty. They were generous with time pausing our clock between games and as we took short breaks or for explanation time. We bought 1 hour each and stayed for over 90 minutes.

OK so 50% discount of the real price.

I guess they should pay something extra, but I see here some places when some people just bought the VR headset and is renting it for time or game or something like that but I don't think they pay the extra money, they are just paying the electricity and the rent of the space in the Mall, maybe those situations are the ones Fernando was asking about.

[badelhas]

OK so 50% discount of the real price.

I guess they should pay something extra, but I see here some places when some people just bought the VR headset and is renting it for time or game or something like that but I don't think they pay the extra money, they are just paying the electricity and the rent of the space in the Mall, maybe those situations are the ones Fernando was asking about.

Did anyone got to confirm this?

[Chemy JMHT]

Looks like @Fernando Vargas wasn't around anymore, so @badelhas it's hard to know if he was referring to that or to the real arcades like the one in Japan where they have a lot of experiences.

[EgoAnt]

They are definitely legal (well, depending on local legislation). HTC has Viveport Arcade, which is a program to encourage proper licencing and setup.

[pjs37]

I don't see why the companies would have an issue with these. One of the things Oculus keyed on in early was the only way to really sell these things is if you actually try them. Unfortunately it is expensive to have a bunch of free unit set ups at Best Buys across the country as they learned but the arcades are an excellent gap filer in this respect. Parents who don't know if their kids would actually use a PSVR or whatever can pay the $30 at the arcade and as a result make a more informed decision. Same with people looking to buy their own system. I would rather pay $30 to try all the different games I want before I buy a system.

[pkcable]

I don't see why the companies would have an issue with these. One of the things Oculus keyed on in early was the only way to really sell these things is if you actually try them. Unfortunately it is expensive to have a bunch of free unit set ups at Best Buys across the country as they learned but the arcades are an excellent gap filer in this respect. Parents who don't know if their kids would actually use a PSVR or whatever can pay the $30 at the arcade and as a result make a more informed decision. Same with people looking to buy their own system. I would rather pay $30 to try all the different games I want before I buy a system.

We had a blast that day at CenterTec eh?

[pjs37]

We had a blast that day at CenterTec eh?

Yes we did! I recommend it to everyone now lol

I need to get back on board with my involvement and stuff but real life has been busy. Fortunately I cleared out a space and ordered a third oculus sensor and camera mount so I can give Oculus Room Scale a shot.

[EgoAnt]

Oh! Another cool thing is the Steam site licensing. You can use this for a VR arcade, too. https://support.steampowered.com/kb_...3303-QWRC-3436

[drakeo]

I think that VR in a shape we have right now is such a fresh thing that there are no law regulations for that yet. My friends work for a VR game studio and they sell their projects on Steam, and there is no special license for commercial use, though it is used in some kind of arcades. I think that game studios working on vr see it as an advertising opportunity.

[theGaryMiller]

I don't see legality as an issue when it comes to VR Arcades. I have one near my area and I don't see anyone objecting to it.

[Chemy JMHT]

I think as @EgoAnt said after his research and because of the actual situation of VR, it's not only legal but necessary for VR in order to be known by the most.