Oculus Rift + Roller Coaster = Epic Ride

Germany – the land of fast and expensive cars, fast and expensive highways, and, now, fast and expensive virtual-but-actually-real roller coaster rides.

A German professor has taken your standard super-sized roller coaster, strapped on a few sensors, a laptop, and an Oculus Rift headset to give thrill-seekers the most realistic virtual reality ride in existence.

As shown in the video below, a volunteer gets strapped into the roller coaster, puts on the Rift headset, and is then sent along their way through the loop-the-loops and fast turns.

While experiencing the physical sensation of speed and quick changes in direction that a roller coaster offers, the Rift shows riders a video – linked to be in sync with the coaster ride through the aforementioned sensors – of the maker’s choosing.

For example, you are moving at a fast speed up a steep climb while watching a winged horse pull you along in a carriage and at the same time dodging huge dragons. If medieval vibes do not do it for you, you can change to the post of gunner on a star ships as it blasts its way through an asteroid belt.

“Over the weeks and months, we have been performing more than a hundred test rides and have been making some amazing discoveries,” said the team behind VR Coaster.

Check out the ride, below.