I just waited two hours in line for a four minute ride. As a former Cast Member, I'm usually pretty set against waiting longer than 30 minutes for anything. But I waited.
Was it worth it?
I'd wait five hours. It was that good.
As a VR and AR enthusiast/developer/fangirl, I'm not sure I could love it more. Plenty of articles on the internet, and decades of research, and fervent developers, have more or less concluded that VR could be improved if it was a more immersive experience, engaging ALL the senses instead of just the visual.
I think this ride realizes that dream. Right now it's the pinnacle of all the hopes and ideas stemming from military ops in the 60s to the ground-breakers in the 80s. Flight of Passage gives you smells, and sensations (squirting water), and most importantly: the feeling of movement.
This is not the first time a machine has been built to mimic motion; other VR systems have attempted this in the past (even the Orlando Science Center has something similar - the gyrosphere). However, I think this is the first time it's done fantastically well (at least commercially; I'm not sure what military or research simulators are out there). For Flight of Passage, you're essentially riding James Cameron's alien version of a dragon (called a banshee), and the machine beneath you glides like butter. It even breathes.
The system is based off the popular Soar'n ride, which takes users into a huge domed environment, lifts them off the ground, and gives them a crazy hang-gliding experience. This is also lifted off the ground, and is essentially a flying simulation, but it's personalized. You get your own banshee and there's no one else's feet or head blocking your view. You get a front row seat and boy is it exhilarating! It's a 3D experience, so you have to don glasses.
The glasses part is really my only complaint. The ride is smooth, it feels like you're flying/falling (I actually screamed and put up my hands at some point - it feels like a roller coaster even though it isn't!), and the music and animation is so wonderfully emotional. The animation is DEADLY. I also think the resolution has to be 2k or 4k it was so clear.
Well, it's clear unless you have a smudge on your glasses. So that's why it's my only complaint. The glasses slip and fall off your face as you're riding,and the smudges break the immersion. I'd love to see this ride using a HMD. That's probably not practical, due to needing probably insane amounts of computing power (so many models!! I don't even want to think about how many days/weeks/months it took to render). I'm not sure any HMDs on the market could reliably run it. Also, guests might need more help fitting them/adjusting them, which requires more loading time. Plus, it's another way tech stuff can go wrong (four HMDs might be harder to monitor and troubleshoot than one screen - especially if one headset stops working and you gotta get the guest another one and restart the experience). Plus, safety. The guest is basically unable to see their real surroundings, so hello accidents and disorientation.
Like, I get it. I get why they didn't use HMDs. I'd still like to try it though haha! But Flight of Passage is still a crazy awesome experience just the way it is and I cried during the ride because I love the movie and I love the genius of all the software engineers and modelers and designers who built this thing. Building experiences like that...I could see myself doing that with my life.
Can't wait to experience new VR rides! It can only get better!