How to Train Your Dragon on Oculus Rift

Oculus Rift found its way to New York Comic Con with an impressive DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon” flying simulator.

In what may have been the best gaming booth in all of NYCC this year, attendees of the convention soared through the air on virtual dragons, experiencing the awesomeness that is the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. Of course, Review Fix had to get in on the action.

The set-up was tweaked for an even more immersive experience. Gamers stepped onto a mock ship and sat on a mount. Once seated, the Oculus was handed to them and surround-sound headphones were placed over their ears. Within arms distance lied the handles used to maneuver the dragon — tilt left or right to turn, pull up to ascend and push down to dive.

If you look down you can see yourself suited up as the film’s main character, Hiccup, as you ride his trusty steed, Toothless, through the world of Berk.

Once in the skies, movement is up to the player. A fan is placed ahead of the handles so it feels as if the air is rushing past your face.

You can get through the demo just flying straight, but that’s no fun. Diving head-first toward the ocean then pulling up at the last second and swooping through gaps between pillars is all too entertaining to pass up. Plus, there’s no crashing in the simulator, so there’s no risk in being creative.

There’s not much to look at during your flight save some creatures passing by, and the visuals aren’t exactly top-notch, but that doesn’t exactly take away from what it would appear DreamWorks wanted players to get from the experience, which is the joy of swooping through the clouds on a freakin’ dragon. Because let’s face it, at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

About Manny Vivas 135 Articles
Manny Vivas has covered the gaming industry for numerous online publications including Examiner.com, TheGamersDrop.com and GotGame.com. He is currently enrolled in Kingsborough Community College where he is pursuing a degree in journalism. Keep up with his latest antics by following him on Twitter.

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