VR Junkie is the first of its kind in Auckland City and the only New Zealand VR gaming studio that is part of the largely successful American franchise VR Junkies. Located in the Iron Bank Building on Auckland’s K’Road, the newly established facility is essentially every nerd’s dream.
Upon entering you are taken to their own area that is separated by large tarps, there you are given the headset and controllers that take you into the virtual reality world.
With New Zealand’s largest range of legally licensed games, customers can explore Zombie infected worlds to futuristic Tron like universes and even enchanted medieval forests.
Being dinosaur enthusiasts, Island 359 seemed like a good place to start. This would prove to be a mistake. The virtual dinosaurs that slowly grew in size and aggression we’re terrifying, and your instincts were to run, very far away. But you can’t because you’re in a room.
Following this anxiety-inducing experience, we turned to a nice but very addictive game of Basketball. A bit of Elvish archery was also thrown in, along with a period spent shooting zombies in a dystopian Arizona, an eye-opening experience which eventually ended with a child-like game that involved the basic task of milking a cow (and keeping it from being sucked up into space by aliens.)
An interesting side project that the company facilitates is Virtual Reality medical education tools. With this, you can enter the medical world, look at and even pull apart the human body. You can dissect a brain and see each piece of it labelled with its name or walk around a 3D image of a spine. This isn’t much of a game but more of an education device that’s great for med students and even doctors.
A great rainy day activity or party venue, VR Junkies can be found in the Ironbank Building at 150 Karanghape Road, Auckland Central.
