Zero Latency is an Australia-based creator of a VR attraction platform and content. Since its founding in 2013, the company has launched five co-op VR games supporting up to eight players. The company’s latest game, Sol Raiders, is the first to pit players against each other in a 4 vs. 4 format. Road to VR got to preview the new title and see how Zero Latency is tackling the unexpected challenges that come with PVP at a VR attraction.

With 25 locations now in operation around the globe, Zero Latency is one of the leading VR attraction platforms today. The company develops the hardware, software, and content for the platform, which allows up to eight users to simultaneously play a shared virtual reality experience which unfolds in a large physical playspace that’s 60 × 30 ft (~18.3 × 9 m).

Zero Latency claims impressive growth over the last three years, culminating in 300,000 unique players and 420,000 unique plays in 2018 alone. At roughly $50 USD per play (with regional variances), the company’s platform appears to be generating tens of millions in revenue annually.

With three years of operation under their belt, the company is forging ahead with a new challenge: bringing competitive PVP gameplay to their platform. While the current roster includes five titles spanning co-op shooters and family-friendly fantasy explorations, the newest addition, Sol Raiders, will put players in direct competition with each other in a 4 vs. 4 format.

But building something that actually feels competitive is just the first of many challenges which come with pitting players against each other in a free-roaming VR platform. To learn more about Zero Latency’s approach to Sol Raiders. I visited the company’s Las Vegas location at the MGM Grand hotel and casino to preview the game first-hand.

Stepping into Zero Latency

Photo by Road to VR

The MGM location has been open since 2017; it’s located inside the venue’s ‘Level Up’ lounge which caters to a millennial crowd through traditional arcade machines, pool, beer pong, and now VR. Neon ‘Virtual Reality’ signs draw patrons to the Zero Latency kiosk where players trade $50 for 30 minutes of gameplay, choosing between any of the five available titles (soon to be six with Sol Raiders).

Photo by Road to VR

After entering some info on a desk-mounted iPad, players are ushered through a small corner door that leads to a small room where they are pre-briefed on their chosen game, then fitted with hardware. The Zero Latency hardware consists of backpack-mounted computers, customized OSVR headsets, headphones, and pump-action gun peripherals. The headsets and guns are dotted with glowing orbs which are used to track players and their weapons.

Photo by Road to VR

Once everyone is suited up, players are led into the next room, an unassuming space with black floors, walls, and ceilings, with little more than some extra equipment hanging on the wall and a white grid on the floor. A veritable void it may be, but this of course is where the magic happens.

Once inside, players are instructed to put on their headsets and headphones, and find themselves in futuristic glowing pre-game lobby where usernames entered earlier at the kiosk float about eight pillars of light. Users are asked by a ‘game-master’ (who is overviewing the game and can speak to players over their headphones) to step into the pillar which corresponds with their name, allowing the platform to uniquely identify all players and collect data on their gameplay for a post-game breakdown.

A similar approach is used to break up the eight players into two teams of four; after the name assignment, blue and orange pillars appear on opposite sides of the playspace, and stepping inside designates your team affiliation.

From here, players are transported with their teammates to a brief training space where they learn how to use their multi-purpose weapons: pulling the trigger works like a semi-auto laser rifle (which can overheat with too much use), while pumping the action readies a ‘charged’ spread shot which works like a shotgun. The multi-purpose weapon is a smart design choice which offers weapon variety without needing to implement a true weapon management system (thereby keeping the experience streamlined and accessible).

Image courtesy Zero Latency

After a minute or so of learning how to shoot the weapons, players are dropped into the first of three unique objective-based maps, a symmetrical arena consisting of corridors toward either end of the stage, with a somewhat open space in the middle. Above that middle open space is a floating orb which acts as a push/pull style objective; players aim their weapons at the orb and hold their triggers to push the orb toward the opposing side. A point is scored once the orb is moved far enough to the other side, and it is then reset to the middle.

Players start at either end of the map and quickly engage each other, exchanging volleys of fire while trying their best to hide around corners and cover exposed angles. Once you take enough damage you’ll die and need to respawn back at your starting point, but therein lies a major challenge which Zero Latency has solved with a very clever system.

Continue Reading on Page 2: The Rift and Distorting Virtual Space »

1
2
3
Newsletter graphic

This article may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product we may receive a small commission which helps support the publication. More information.


Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • Justin Davis
  • Albert Hartman

    how was the attendance and general interest at MGM’s ZL location?

    • benz145

      Hard to say because it was closed specifically for press sessions. However, the location has been there since 2017, and casinos in Vegas are not very interested in wasting space that could be used for something more profitable, so that fact that it’s still there is a good sign that they like how its performing so far, I would guess.

      • Alexandra

        Online work opportunities increasingly becoming a emerging trend all over the over world nowadays. The latest research tells higher than 73% of people are working for internet work at their home without any problems. Everybody hopes to spend some time daily with his/her friends by getting out for any attractive place in the world. So web based income enables you to accomplish the work at any time you want and enjoy your life. However finding the best track and building a proper destination is our strategy in the direction of financial success. Already lots of people are getting such a solid income of $44000 every single week by taking advantage of recommended and efficient strategies of earning money online. You can start to get paid from the 1st day at the time you have a look at our website. >>>>> http://l2u.su/qbVJ

  • silvaring

    How do they simulate the feeling of being on an elevated platform looking down at another real human player in the distance if that human opponent is in actuality on the same level and just a few feet away? ??

    • benz145

      Good question. At certain points, the player’s physical position and virtual position become unmatched. This isn’t a problem though as long as all virtual player locations are synchronized and the content is built to prevent the player’s real locations from overlapping.

      For instance, imagine two players standing next to each other. One player takes a step backwards onto a lift which takes them up 10 feet. For the player up the lift, they now need to look down over the ledge to aim at the player on the ground, while the player on the ground needs to look up to aim at the player on the lift. In reality, both players are just feet away from each other on the same level, but one player is looking up and one player is looking down. It’s fascinating and a little bit funny to see happening from the outside view : P.

  • Very nice in-depth article!

  • ComfyWolf

    This is old, but I’m curious, if the living players can’t see the dead players then couldn’t the dead players run into the living players intentionally to mess with them?