Samsung and Six Flags Team Up to Create the First VR Roller Coasters in the US

Samsung has been on a groundbreaking run with the new 15TB hard drives, but our researchers discovered that the Samsung Newsroom has been up to more than that. Introducing the newest partnering from Samsung: modern theme park company Six Flags. The debut? A ground-breaking VR roller coaster using the Samsung Gear VR powered by Oculus.

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation and Samsung Electronics America have announced a marketing partnership. This partnership will appoint Samsung as the “Official Technology Partner” of the world’s largest theme park company, says Samsung Newsroom in their official blog. This will include nine Six Flag Parks in North America, creating the first virtual reality roller coasters with the use of Samsung Gear VR.

How Will VR Impact Roller Coasters and Theme Parks?

“This remarkable technology is a definite game-changer for theme park rides and [it] represents everything our brand stands for— delivering the most thrilling and innovative rides and attractions in the world,” CEO and President John Duffey says. “With the addition of these [VR] roller coasters, Six Flags will be introducing more than double the number of new coasters and rides than we did last year.”

Beginning this March, VR roller coasters will spread across the United States, transporting riders to a futuristic space battle to destroy the aliens and send them packing from Earth. Roller coasters strap pilots into their fighter jets, preparing them for combat.

Interactive Fighter-Pilot Themed Roller Coasters

You can take the view in, and riders can see their partners in other aircraft in the area. The aircraft will soar through the air, while riders fire their weapons (the first time that roller coasters have ever used interactive game play). The mothership is heavily protected and drones protect it; you’ll fly past, firing on all the drones in an attempt to bring down the mothership.

The elite fighter squadron will be on six roller coasters, including:

• Shock Wave
• Dare Devil Dive
• The New Revolution
• Ninja
• Steamin Demon
• Goliath

New Superman themed coasters will be created as well:

• SUPERMAN Krypton Coaster
• SUPERMAN The Ride
• SUPERMAN Ride of Steel

Six Flags averages about $1.3 billion in revenue a year across 18 parks in the US, Mexico and Canada. They’ve been around for over 55 years, so it’s going to be interesting to see how this technology will be used in the theme-park industry.