When you hear arcade, you probably imagine cabinet games like Galaga or Mortal Kombat, lines with no end, and waiting to pay tons of quarters for minutes of fun depending on how you play.
Nova has come to change that. Nova VR, at 806 S. Westnedge Ave. in Kalamazoo, is a virtual reality business allowing customers to rent a room and use the HTC Vive VR headset.
Virtual Reality is the form of media that is able to put you in the middle of the event and interact to the fullest extent, as long as the technology allows it. Headsets typically cost around $800. Nova allows easy access to test out the world of virtual reality without destroying your bank account. Partners Ryan Edgar and Bill Brieger started designing Nova early last summer and opened the last week of December 2016. They have brought the future of gaming to Kalamazoo in the form of a financially efficient and easy way of entertainment. The partners started by building and designing the inside of the arcade, including the VR rooms and lobby.
“This place was just studs, and we built it from the ground up,” said partner Ryan Edgar.
Nova runs with separate rooms all being accessed on their own desktop towers, built for maximum gaming pleasure. All units were personally built by the owners and employees using EVGA supercharge 1080 Graphic Cards.
Brieger and Edgar created this establishment with the idea of an inexpensive use of the rooms to encourage repeated customers and begin a relationship. Nova allows the customer to rent a room for $20 an hour and play most VR games on the Steam video game store. The games are interactive and immersive while visually beautiful, depending on the developer of the game.
“It was really fun, the staff was super nice and really helpful when we had questions,” said Loy Norrix senior Drew Strand. “ They didn’t want us moving around the room so we wouldn’t hit the walls, but that was impossible because you were immersed in whatever game you’re playing, whether you’re a space pirate or in a bar fight.”
Reserving a room at Nova can either be done over the phone or online at https://www.novavr.net/ and soon you’ll be enjoying Virtual Reality.
Some popular games they have available are:
- “Virtual Rickality” – A story in the world of the TV show, “Rick and Morty”.
- “Gorn” – Fight as a gladiator in an arena with an array of weapons.
- “Space Pirate” – Test your aim as you fight hoards of robots with lasers.
- “Batman VR” – Prove your detective expertise as you solve the murder of your old partner named Night Wing.
- “Arizona Sunshine” – Survive a zombie apocalypse while traveling the scorching desert.
- “Rec Room” – Play online games like Ping Pong and Paint Ball while talking to other players across the world.
