Last weekend, I took my family to a new virtual reality entertainment venue in New York City called Escape Virtuality. We always look for fun experiences to enjoy together, so when I heard about this place offering immersive VR experiences and high-tech escape rooms, I knew we had to check it out.
The venue is located in Chelsea at 130 W 29th Street, which is just a short Uber ride from our hotel. As soon as we walked in, my inner tech geek was buzzing with excitement. This place has everything — VR treadmills, racing simulators, augmented reality climbing walls, and even VR escape room puzzles. It is like an indoor theme park for the future!
VR Games and Experiences
My son John made a beeline right for the row of VR treadmills. These things are amazing – you strap on a VR headset and then walk in any direction on the treadmill to move around the virtual world. John chose an adventure game where he had to escape from a spooky ghost town, and the treadmill rotated 360 degrees so he could run in all directions from the scary ghouls chasing him. “This is so real!” he yelled. “It feels like I’m actually there!”
Next, my daughter Jenette tried out the augmented reality interactive rock climbing wall. She wore a VR headset that transformed the flat wall into a towering mountain ridge with various obstacles and challenges popping up. There were even virtual birds fluttering around her as she climbed. I watched her face light up with delight when she rang the bell at the top of the wall, thinking she had finished, only to have more of the wall appear so she could keep on climbing.
Escape Rooms
After working up an appetite by playing all the VR games, we took a snack break in Escape Virtuality’s lounge area before tackling one of their multi-stage escape room puzzles as a family. We chose the Ghost Collector room, where we took on the role of ghost hunters trying to capture rogue spirits on the loose in New York City. I really liked how this escape room incorporated elements of virtual reality — when we “captured” a ghost, we could look at it up close with a VR viewer. The puzzles were challenging but not too difficult, perfect for our family with kids ages 12 and 14.
The escape room spanned three different rooms, each with its own unique puzzles and surprises. My wife Patty discovered she has a knack for spotting hidden clues, while I put my video gaming skills to work manipulating objects and unlocking boxes. At one point, I even had to pretend to communicate with a ghost using an Ouija board – the virtual apparition that appeared looked so real it gave us all a fright! We combined our strengths to trap six sneaky ghosts and save New York City with just minutes to spare. High fives all around!
Other Cool Things at Escape Virtuality NYC
We barely scratched the surface of all there is to do at Escape Virtuality NYC during our visit. We passed other groups racing against each other in a full-motion Formula One simulator. These impressive pod-like machines tilt and turn to mimic high-speed driving so realistically that one racer looked quite queasy afterward. “I’ll stick to virtual bungee jumping next time,” he said with a groan.
There was also a section full of VR arcade games where you could do everything from battle robots to travel through outer space. My daughter Jenette wanted to try the VR dance game, while my son John was more interested in the immersive 360-degree videos that let you swim with dolphins or fly over city skylines like Superman. We’ll have to come back again to try it all!
For kids’ birthday parties or grown-up gatherings, Escape Virtuality has private event spaces with catering options too. I could see this being the ultimate spot for a cool tech-loving teen birthday bash, filled with VR gaming and pizza parties into the night! The industrial modern lounge areas with neon lighting give the whole venue an awesome sci-fi vibe.
The Verdict
We had an absolute blast at Escape Virtuality NYC trying out all sorts of virtual reality and augmented reality experiences together as a family. My kids were giggling and screaming with delight the entire time. As a tech professional myself, I loved geeking out on all the cutting-edge VR technology they have. The fact that everything is housed under one roof rather than spread out at various arcades or venues around the city makes it super convenient too. Just show up, strap on a headset, and let the fun begin!
I do have to give Escape Virtuality some constructive feedback though. A few of the VR games and experiences were a bit glitchy, or the graphics weren’t fully rendered. This is often an issue with brand-new equipment. Also, many activities required being harnessed upright into machines, which limited participation for those with disabilities. I’d love to see them add more inclusive seated VR experiences in the future.
Overall though, this is an absolute must-visit destination for anyone who loves virtual reality or just wants to have an outrageously fun time. Our family can’t wait to return to Escape Virtuality NYC to try out all the other games and simulators we didn’t get on our first visit. This place is awesome for visitors and locals alike. Two enthusiastic VR-loving thumbs up!