Sansar Studios’ latest venture gives you the chance to explore all the pop culture references featured in Aech’s legendary ‘garage.’
Spielberg’s upcoming Ready Player One film adaptation is shaping up to be not only one of the most highly-anticipated releases of 2018, but one of the biggest VR-focused feature films of all-time. Based off the 2011 science fiction novel of the same name, the story follows unlikely hero Wade Watts in the dystopian future of 2044 as he searches for the immensely valuable “easter egg” hidden within a virtual reality universe known as the “Oasis.”
The story takes the audience on a journey through some truly incredible virtual locations. However despite all the awe-inspiring scenery and stunning visuals set within the virtual world, one of the coolest areas remains the virtual basement of Watts’ best friend, Aech.
Ready Player One (2018)
Tye Sheridan as Wade Owen Watts/Parzival
A nerd paradise made famous by the 2011 science fiction novel houses some of pop cultures most memorable figures from the Iron Giant and the pod from 2001: A Space Odyssey, to Eagle 5 from Spaceballs and even the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. It’s more-or-less the mecca for any pop culture geek. Sounds pretty great, right?
Well now you can make the pilgrimage to this holy place yourself via Sansar Studios’ new VR experience, Ready Player One Aech’s Garage. An absolute sight to behold, this VR experience features a redesigned version of Aech’s Garage, changing it from a humble garage to a jaw-dropping facility. Inside you’ll find an assortment of classic characters and objects from some of pop cultures most revered films, television shows, video games, pretty much and fictional cult-classic. Exploring the garage will reveal a surplus of goodies to uncover and inspect.
One of the coolest additions by far is the massive Iron Giant. The colossal character stands incomplete within the enormous “garage,” waiting patiently for repair. Climb a set of stairs close to the towering teddy bear to discover a set of schematics written in chalk that can guide you towards his restoration. Much like both the book and the upcoming film, this VR experience is riddled with various other cameos and references. On top of all the references listed above, you can expect to see the Viper 2 from Battlestar Galactica, Pee Wee’s Bike from Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Starfighter from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and ED-209 from Robocop among many others.
“Sansar Studios has spent the last several months working closely with Intel, Vive and Warner Brothers to create an interpretation of Aech’s Garage from the original Industrial Light and Magic design for Spielberg’s Ready Player One,” Linden Lab’s Sheri Bryant told New World Notes. “[It’s] inspired by the virtual universe of the OASIS in 2045, Aechs’ Garage represents the culmination of VR as it exists in the year 2018.”
Sound interesting? Of course it does. To get a taste of what’s to come, head over to Sansar and create a free account, download and install the Sansar client (currently Windows only) and then visit the Ready Player One Aech’s Garage link to access the experience via the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift.
