Porsche and holoride launch in-car virtual reality attraction

Porsche and entertainment-technology startup holoride are piloting a new location-based virtual reality (LBVR) drive at the Porsche Experience Center (PEC) Los Angeles. Following a series of successful joint projects, this is holoride's first commercial installation of the technology that aims to change backseat entertainment. The pilot program at the PEC LA will assess customer demand and technical stability as a prelude to a potential roll-out to other Porsche Experience Centers worldwide.

By connecting real-time physical feedback inside a moving vehicle to content in a VR headset, riders will be taken on a fully-immersive journey through outer space as they fly a spaceship, including sound effects and visuals that adapt to the movement of the car.

To make this possible, holoride uses driving data from a Porsche of the model line Cayenne, such as steering, accelerating and braking, to adapt the experience to match the movement of the car. This unique approach allows holoride to reduce motion sickness by matching what riders see and what they feel with almost no latency.

says Zabih Aria, Director, Strategy and Digital Business, at Porsche Cars North America. “The new installation in our Porsche Experience Center in Los Angeles is the next step in our partnership that we intend to continue in the future.”

The experience itself features an original game, Cosmic Chase, developed jointly with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based studio Schell Games. Riders will find themselves aboard a spaceship around a group of recruits that form the Earth Alliance and fight off the alien Cymex.

says Nils Wollny, CEO and co-founder of holoride. “We are excited to offer a new type of attraction to automotive and entertainment-savvy audiences in the greater Los Angeles area. This attraction is a perfect example of how automotive experience centers are transforming into exciting destinations that the whole family can enjoy and where no one is left out.”

With this first commercial installment, holoride is one step closer to making its technology accessible for a broader audience.

With respect to the current coronavirus pandemic, the partners are providing a clean and safe experience for riders. This includes sanitizing the headsets between each ride.

About Porsche Cars North America, Inc.

Established in 1984, Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA) is the exclusive U.S. importer of the Porsche 911, 718 Boxster, 718 Cayman, Macan, Cayenne, Panamera and Taycan. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, since 1998, PCNA is also home to the first Porsche Experience Center in North America featuring a module-based 1.6 mile driver development track, business center, and fine dining restaurant, 356. The company operates a second Porsche Experience Center near Los Angeles. That 53-acre complex features a driver development track with eight educational modules totaling 4.1 miles, a business center, and Restaurant 917. PCNA supports 192 independently owned and operated Porsche dealerships in the U.S., including supplying parts, service, marketing, and training. They, in turn, work to provide Porsche customers with a best-in-class experience that is in keeping with the Porsche brand's 70-year history of leadership in the advancement of vehicle performance, safety, and efficiency. PCNA is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Porsche AG, which is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.

At the core of this success is Porsche's proud racing heritage that boasts some 30,000-plus motorsport wins to date.

About Schell Games

Schell Games is the largest full-service educational and entertainment game development company in the United States. Founded in 2002 by award-winning game designer and author Jesse Schell, the company boasts a highly-talented array of artists, engineers, producers, and game designers. Schell Games creates engaging experiences for VR/AR, PC, mobile, console, handheld, online, and social platforms; location-based entertainment and theme park attractions; connected toys; and virtual worlds. In addition to creating original games, the company counts some of the world’s most respected brands as clients, including The Walt Disney Company, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Lego, Yale University, Universal Studios, Fred Rogers Productions, The Smithsonian Institute, and the US Department of Education.

For more information on Schell Games, visit www.schellgames.com

About holoride

holoride creates an entirely new media category for passengers by connecting Extended Reality (XR) content with data points from the vehicle in real time. These data points include physical feedback, like acceleration and steering, traffic data, as well as travel route and time. holoride technology provides a new type of immersion into any kind of VR content, creating a breathtaking, immersive experience, and significantly reducing motion sickness.

The tech startup was founded at the end of 2018 in Munich, Germany by Nils Wollny, Marcus Kuehne, Daniel Profendiner and Audi, who holds a minority stake in the startup.

In April 2021, holoride raised €10 million in its Series A funding round led by Terranet AB, earning the company a €30 million valuation. That same year, holoride won the prestigious SXSW Pitch and was also named Best in Show. It has been hailed “Best of CES 2019” four times, recognized as one of the “100 Best Inventions of 2019” by TIME Magazine and is part of the global innovation platform “STARTUP AUTOBAHN powered by Plug and Play”.