Virtual Reality’s Third Wave Is the Third Time the Charm? by Bob Cooney Virtual Reality is hot. Lava hot. Kate Upton hot. Ryan Reynolds hot. But for those of you that don’t remember, we’ve been here before. In 1991, as I was getting ready to debut Laser Storm at the IAAPA show in Orlando, I received a call from my biggest customer (Okay, they were my only customer at that point). Andy Halliday was the president of Edison Brothers Mall Entertainment, and they had a new product they wanted to debut at the show, but there was no exhibit space…
Author: RePlay Editor
Picturing the “Wow” Factor Apple Industries Has Its Eye on a Ground-Breaking Deluxe Booth Apart from making passport pictures, the major reason people use photo booths is to goof around and have fun. Yes, some folks who’ve gotten all dressed up for a heavy date will pop into a booth to immortalize their magnificence. But generally speaking, photos of buddies giving each other the horns and giggling girls all squished together are what pop out of the machine’s slot. With that in mind, Apple Industries began shipping a truly inventive photo machine designed to ratchet the fun factor up and…
George Smith (right), the “Amigo” with the biggest credentials in coin-op, gave his principle presentation to the 130 assembled FEC operators on the second and last day of the F2FEC conference in San Diego. He provided his lists of key games, providing an excellent reference to the money-makers of the moment (he breaks them down into “Premium” and “Economy”). Smith, the supremo of the Family Entertainment Group, does revenue sharing, as well as owns some FECs outright. He’s been around forever and knows his subject. “Develop your passion for this business, hire people who share that passion and make a…
The International Association of Trampoline Parks Board of Directors met with committee chairs and members last week in New Orleans to discuss the group’s plans for 2016. With a huge year for the industry ahead, and over 135 global additions to come (the IATP is expected to have 868 facilities by the end of 2016) the meeting outlined comprehensive and detailed ideas to push their efficacy as a trade organization. Safety, commercial success and expansion were the most discussed issues at the meeting. With the tremendous growth in the industry, IATP said it has become evident that they must implement membership…
Kevin Williams, founder and director of KWP Ltd. and RePlay contributor, will be presenting a seminar at the upcoming Asia Amusement and Attractions Expo (AAA2016). He will be featured in a panel covering the intricacies of theme park construction for senior execs. Kevin’s segment will specifically focus on digital out-of-home entertainment, virtual reality, immersion and other new technologies. These are subjects he’s well versed on due to his work in the industry both consulting and writing. The AAA2016 takes place on March 7-8 at the Zhu Jiang Hotel in Guangzhou near Hong Kong.
Bay Tek’s collaboration with mobile app developer Zymo Interactive is now shipping. The football title, Gridiron Blitz, has a 60″ monitor and a pressure-sensitive action pad that allows players to run, jump and tackle their way through various football drills in this fast-paced game. If they beat the clock on three consecutive levels, players can win a jackpot ticket prize. “We are happy to offer this great interactive, sports game to the masses. It is a beautiful machine that will make a great addition to your other sports games,” said Holly Hampton, Director of Marketing and Innovation at Bay Tek. For…
Apple Industries reported an earning spike for its photo booth operators over the Valentine’s Day weekend of up to 110 percent higher than average. The company attributes part of weekend’s success to their Smile 2.0 operating system and its continual, real-time updates. “Apple continually downloads new art packages to networked Face Place equipment in order to drive more holiday business,” said CEO Allen Weisberg. “There’s a popular holiday practically every month of the year, and we support them with new graphics from New Year’s Eve to Valentine’s Day to Saint Patrick’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day,…
The Nevada Experiment Enacting the Ultimate Oxymoron of “Skill-Based Gambling” by Tom Fricke [Editor’s note: The state of Nevada appears to be pivoting toward an environment that is friendly to a more entertaining style of “skill gaming.” However, the jury is still out on whether the state’s new legal framework will successfully facilitate a new generation of games that appeal to younger visitors (such as the much-sought-after Millennials).] Most states that have regulated casinos leave room in their laws for unregulated games for prizes. Nevada doesn’t. Unregulated gambling isn’t a statewide crime under the state’s criminal code. It’s a statewide…
Can Amusement Games Save Gaming? Recent Changes to Nevada Gaming Laws Will Lead to Opportunity, Confusion and Potentially Disaster for Some in the Amusement Industry by Bob Cooney Coin-op has struggled to hold onto relevance since the heddy days of the video game boom, while the market for home video games has exploded into a multi-billion-dollar industry. As a result, the number of successful coin-op releases, and the production volume of each, have been in decline. With the recent passing of legislation permitting skill-based gambling devices in casinos in Nevada, some members of the amusement industry are presented with unprecedented…
Maximizing Game Room Revenue “How to Do It Right and Make More Money!” –– Part One by Frank Seninsky, President/CEO Amusement Entertainment Management (AEM) & Alpha-Omega Amusements & Sales In the many classes I teach on family entertainment center design and game and attractions layout, clear direction is given on the reasons why following a dozen critical steps always translates into making more money. Yet, time and time again, I see game rooms in which little to no attention is paid to these simple evident truths. Do you really want to increase your game and total facility revenue and bottom…