What’s up, everyone? Blake Howse here, coming to you from my home office on a rainy Tuesday morning.
So when my wife Patty surprised me with tickets to try out the VR attractions at Accelerate Indoor Speedway in the Chicago suburbs for my 34th birthday. Now, while go-karting and other entertainment options like axe throwing or arcade games aren’t really my jam, the idea of trying out a competitive free-roam VR experience with my son John and daughter Jenette sounded awesome.
Overall Enjoyment
We drove for around 30 minutes from our hotel and arrived at a large warehouse-style building in Mokena. After checking in and receiving our wristbands, we went upstairs to have a slice of lukewarm pepperoni pizza, and then we headed downstairs to prepare for our back-to-back VR sessions. Accelerate was offering a Groupon deal for two twenty-minute VR experiences for up to six people, but you can also book shorter sessions in these virtual worlds.
They’ve got two multiplayer VR setups – Reclaim!, a competitive PvP laser tag game inspired by Overwatch and Fortnite, as well as Chaos Jump, a collaborative adventure where you fight robots on exotic planets with cool blasters and vacuum guns. Both experiences require a minimum age of 5, probably due to the mild action sci-fi violence. I was just glad John and Jenette met the height requirements to play!
We decided to start with Chaos Jump since Patty isn’t huge on first-person shooters. I helped Jenette strap on her headset and wireless vest in our assigned playspace while an employee named Bria assisted John and gave us a quick tutorial. The headsets were a newer standalone Oculus Quest model, which provides a completely wireless experience, unlike many tethered VR rigs.
As someone who works on VR tech every day, I appreciated the freedom of movement but did notice some graphics glitches and tracking latency issues, likely due to the warehouse’s spotty wifi. But once we were shooting alien robots on icy tundra planets and lava-filled mines, those small technical hiccups hardly mattered.
Jenette had an absolute blast blasting bots and collecting artifacts with her vacuum gun, while Patty enjoyed following our scores on the TV screens. John did get a little motion sick after about 15 minutes of continuous jumping between worlds. But a short break and ginger ale from the upstairs cafe area cleared that nausea right up.
After our intergalactic battle, we swapped headsets for a round of Reclaim! While I dominated the scoreboards in this team deathmatch, thanks to my FPS gaming skills, Jenette surprised us all by racking up points with her stealthy teleportation abilities. I have to say, battling robots with my kids – even virtual ones – brought me back to our Halo days on Xbox. Good times!
Facility
While the VR experiences themselves were a blast – despite some minor tech issues – the overall facility had room for improvement. For $25 per person just for VR access, I guess I expected more attention to detail when it came to ambiance.
The check-in counter and upstairs cafe area felt more like a DMV than an immersive gaming environment. And housing the VR rigs on the noisy main floor with go-karts and axe throwing didn’t exactly vibe with battling cyborgs in zero gravity or defending dystopian cities from enemies. Some atmospheric lighting, on-theme music, or even basic decor could boost the gamer energy substantially.
Speaking of the atmosphere, the temperature inside the huge metal building was freezing! Even with our adrenaline-pumping mid-fire fight, we were all shivering in between VR sessions. I’d recommend bringing layers or even blankets if you easily get cold. Space heaters near the sitting areas might help too.
On the plus side, the bathrooms were clean, the staff extremely friendly, and I appreciated the spacious floor for room-scale VR movement without worrying about breaking any screens or gear. The major downtown locations and consistent Groupon deals make Accelerate Indoor Speedway a convenient budget option for quick virtual reality fun. Just know it’s more warehouse than futuristic sci-fi thriller.
Pricing
The biggest draw to trying VR attractions at entertainment warehouses like Accelerate is affordability. Their standard VR pricing runs $20 per person for one 10-minute experience and $35 for two back-to-back sessions lasting around twenty minutes total.
That puts their rates right on par with more advanced VR arcades like VR Junkies or Dreamscape, albeit with less custom gear and graphics. For a casual VR encounter with the whole family, I’d say the price is right. But budget extra cash for add-ons like food, wristband fees, axe throwing, or go-kart races which drive up the total cost.
I will say $30 per person felt quite steep for just 10 rounds of axe throwing with an “included tutorial.” And while go-karting for ages 8+ starts at a reasonable $22 for junior karts, their high-performance models will run you $45 for one 8-minute race or $190 an hour. No wonder we saw teenagers celebrating birthdays loading up prepaid race cards!
My recommendation would be to buy discounted VR packages on Groupon or look for special deals on weeknights to help minimize costs. I priced out just one 10-minute VR session for our family of four at $100, including tax…so securing a little upfront savings goes a long way. Private events definitely offer more flexibility for customizing VR time and other activities to meet your budget.
Bottom Line
All in all, would I recommend other virtual reality fans check out the VR attractions at Accelerate Indoor Speedway in the Chicago area? Definitely! Despite somewhat basic warehouse digs, occasional multiplayer technical glitches, and chilly temps, battling bots and blasting friends with sci-fi weaponry made for a fun family bonding experience that didn’t completely break the bank.
I’d love to see more detailed theming and decor to transport players into the worlds visually too. But for an accessible option offering multiple VR titles and a range of other entertainment under one roof, you can’t beat it! Just don’t forget to pack your temperatures – I mean temper – when competing for high scores.
I hope you all enjoyed this insider review of the new VR experiences offered at Accelerate Indoor Speedway & Events locations in the Chicago suburbs. Stay tuned for more first-hand virtual and augmented reality attractions as I continue my quest to bring you the best immersive entertainment experiences across the country!