Alton Towers Opening New 'Galactica' VR Roller Coaster In April

Virtual Reality headsets will be big in 2016, and Alton Towers have noticed the trend. The theme park today unveiled "Galactica," a new roller coaster that will strap people in Gear VR headsets to imitate the experience of travelling through the depths of space.

The "narrative" of the ride begins with a space tourism company called Galactica, with each passenger taking the role of a "Galactanaut" embarking on their first trip. Each person will see the visuals of being launched into space, and transported through a warp tunnel into undiscovered galaxies. 

This will be a rebranded version of its Air roller coaster, presenting the idea of reinvigorating aging attractions with a simple software interface. But what about motion sickness? It's a problem many of us have, so can they address the problem? Luckily, the theme park only have to address the movement of the roller coaster itself, rather than trying to map your bodily movements. However, they claim to have gone one step further with sensors in each individual headset, ensuring visuals are "perfectly synchronised" to your head tilts. There is also a custom tethering system, meaning they won't fall off your head and you won't feel the previous passenger's sweat on your face.

3.5 Gs + space travel visuals will make for a unique experience, which is impossible to recreate in the living room. If you're too worried about the goggles, you can go for a VR-free version too. We look forward to trying this out in April.