I’ll say it again: BaseLAN is next week! 6 days from now the fun begins. Here’s what you can expect from me and my team at the event.
If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m a little bit of a VR nut. That has a lot to do with the job I have within AYBOnline. I’ve been working for the organization for 12 years now and I’ve held various positions. For the last several years I’ve been in charge of the “Demo Zone,” which is where we show of some of the latest technologies that we can get our hands on. In the past, we’ve shown off some pretty expensive hardware, including racing simulation peripherals from Fanatec, 3D monitors in 3D Surround with stereoscopic classes and 4K displays from Asus and some of the highest end graphics cards money can buy from sponsors such as Zotac.
Three years ago, we had the privilege of being one of the very first organizations to show off the Oculus Rift DK1 virtual reality head mounted display to the public. My first experience with the technology was absolutely mind blowing and I’ve made it a point to be involved ever since. AYBOnline has since gone on to invest in our own DK2 HMD which features head tracking and we’ve shown it to hundreds, if not thousands of people since we’ve had it. This year, with consumer grade virtual reality just around the corner, I wanted to make it a point to show as many people as possible the wonders of VR.
For BaseLAN 29, we’ve scrapped the “Demo Zone” in favor of “The VR Experience.” AYBOnline has partnered with AMD to bring you not one, not two, but four oculus rift demo stations. We’ve got system running some of the latest AMD hardware and we’ll be showing off some of the best virtual reality experiences available to the public today.
In “The VR Experience” area at BaseLAN, we’ll be showcasing Epic’s highly praised Epic Showdown for most of the weekend. We’ll have limited slots demoing some of the more elaborate games, but in order to open the eyes of as many people as possible, the majority of the day will be limited to short passive experiences. If you’ve never had the chance to try out virtual reality, this will be a great chance to experience it for the first time.
In addition to “The VR Experience” area, BaseLAN 29 will feature our second “Indie Alley” where some of Winnipeg local independent game designers will be showing off their wares to all that are interested. I’m told that at least one, possibly multiple, local devs will have VR games to show off as well. Memory Express will be on site with a booth, and rumor has it there will be an Oculus Rift at the MemEx booth as well.
Virtual Reality is about to take off and we want to make sure you are well informed when consumer products finally launch. Make sure you swing by “The VR Experience” at BaseLAN 29, taking place within the Central Canada Comic Con through Halloween weekend. Doors open at 2PM on Friday and we’ll be ready to blow your mind.
Kevin Carbotte is a Contributing Editor for aybonline.com. He knows a little about a lot, and a lot about a little. The opinions in his columns are his and his alone, but you are free to have them.
