The SPREE Arena – Behind the Technology

Alexander Bruckmann, Our Technical Lead explains what differentiates SPREE Interactive from competitors in the market.

If we think back to 2017, the virtual reality world was in an experimental phase with new tech being constantly created. Location-based entertainment VR companies were already attempting to roll out high-end games despite the technology not having the capabilities to keep up.

New systems came with quite a few drawbacks, they were often a complex setup of motion capture cameras, heavy computers and wired controllers. Further to add, the poor hand tracking and connection of the headsets to the system caused irritation for users trying to interact with each other.

The immense fun created by multiplayer interaction is what motivated and drove SPREE Interactive to go a step further and develop a free-roam solution for VR. No one else in the market creates anything like us.

 

Issues facing existing technology:

Coming from both a creative and scientific background, SPREE Interactive has always aimed to find the smartest solutions to fundamental problems that face free-roam virtual reality.

The leading issue in the VR world is orientational drift. Drift causes the orientation of a device to move away from its real-world value over time, due to small errors in the sensors of the device. In a multiplayer environment that heavily relies on people being able to see each other accurately, inaccuracy causes a lot of issues. More recent devices have inside-out tracking that uses cameras. These cameras estimate the position of the headset in relation to their environment, headsets by themselves simply do not know how they relate physically to other headsets. Unfortunately, cameras are limited in resolution and once again, small errors in the positioning aggregate over time, which is exacerbated without calibrating.

SPREE Interactives solution:

The SPREE Arena has been fine-tuned to make the vision of a VR free-roam multiplayer world a reality. Our solution to the problem of drifting headset sensors is very simple: with Sensor Fusion technology we constantly measure the error in the system and correct it through a supportive and lightweight tracking system. This guarantees the most accurate positioning and orientation of the player possible.

This supportive tracking system provides even more benefits to the user: There is no need to calibrate the headsets individually, an issue that systems without supportive tracking are facing. A system with no manual calibration reduces downtime and staffing, enabling operators, such as Family entertainment centres, to focus on maximising gameplay time and ultimately generating a higher ROI.

With the SPREE Arena, players are simply able to jump right into the game after putting on their headsets. Self Calibration means there is no need for the operators to re-measure the system, a process that more heavy tracking technologies require almost every morning. The tracking sensors can be installed on walls or the ceiling, in an unobstructive way. This ease of use and lightweight approach allows the operators to really focus on what’s important: providing a fun and enjoyable virtual reality experience to the most people possible.

Conclusion:

At SPREE Interactive, we’ve made a commitment to making free-roam virtual reality easily accessible and enjoyable to everyone. We’re already working on bringing the next advancements to our users; including more processing power on the headsets and better support for fun and competitive esports games. To top it off, we’re planning to increase the amount of social interaction that players have with each other while playing in the SPREE Arena. We truly believe that people coming together to enjoy fun and interactive games is what it takes to bring virtual reality to everyone and only a SPREE Arena can offer this in the market.