Traveling through Terminal 4 on your way to, or through JFK International? Then you might have a chance to jump into VR thanks to Periscape VR’s recent pop-up installation that brings a number of high-quality PC VR games and experiences to international travellers.

Featuring 12 stations fitted with Windows VR headsets, you’ll be able to play the Blu, Job Simulator, Longbow, Fruit Ninja, Notes on Blindness, and MasterpieceVR while killing time. According to a Forbes interview, Periscape will be adding more experiences during the pop-up’s six-month lifespan, bringing the number of VR games and experiences to between 12 and 18.

The installations are open 18 hours a day, and have two attendants on hand to help with first-time VR users. The company says Periscape stations (called ‘VR Towers’) can technically be completely self-serve however. According to Airport Technology, the JFK-based installation is said to be available for six months from its initial June opening.

Image courtesy Periscape VR

VR games are of course pay-to-play, charging around $1-$2 per minute of gameplay. Periscape VR Founder and CEO Lynn Rosenthal says the VR Towers are at over 60% utilization, which represents big bucks for a high-visibility, location-based VR installation.

SEE ALSO
'FRENZIES' Quest Preview – Another Very Promising VR Arena Shooter Testing the Waters

Based on the overall positive reaction, Periscape told Forbes they’re currently in discussions with JFK to install more VR Towers in additional areas of Terminal 4. Rosenthal says the company already has exclusive partnerships with 229 airports, including Paris, Dubai, Shanghai, Singapore, and Atlanta.

Windows “Mixed Reality” VR headsets are a smart choice for the installations, as they don’t require protruding sensors thanks to the headsets’ inside-out positional tracking. A crowd of curious on-lookers never hurt either to drive continuous business, as the crowded airport fills with people looking to kill time between flights.

It certainly isn’t the most expensive thing to do in an airport either (I’m looking at you $5 Dasani water).

Newsletter graphic

This article may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product we may receive a small commission which helps support the publication. More information.


Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • Lucidfeuer

    Does look really “pop-up” to me.

  • Foreign Devil

    so ~$20 USD for 10 minutes of gameplay in a noisy airport? To me that’s verging on obscenely expensive. . but I guess American airport travelers are rich.

    • Lucidfeuer

      Well while most of the marketing and consumer behavior matrices are obsolete BS, there’s an argument to be made that this both deters people from playing but also inflates the perceived value of having a VR headset at home.

      Of course inflating value, wether for event or home VR titles, always ends up in crash…most of the owners I know don’t by VR titles anymore, tired of the ridiculous overpricing scheme.

      • JJ

        ‘most of the owners I know don’t buy vr titles anymore”…. Thats not possible and is pretty ignorant. Of course were still buying titles, games are still coming out left n right that are low priced and worth getting. if none of us bought new games then why is beat saber topping the charts and is a recent game?

        • Lucidfeuer

          Look at year-over-year VR games growth expenditure, that’s how you judge. Of course don’t take my “don’t buy” literally, I meant “way less”.

          • JJ

            gotchya and gotchya! I perceive it as otherwise but I’m not willing to bet my perception against your numbers haha

    • This is ridiculous they would make enough money by setting the price at 10 to 15$ per hour and getting more stations.

    • Peter Hansen

      “…but I guess American airport travelers are rich.”

      They are just that. And not only in the US. Take a look around the typical airport shopping area, and then take a look around the typical city center shopping mile for a comparison. Pay attention to clothes and accessoires, and to what gets bought. People traveling via plane are among the richest sup-population of our planet.

  • LowRezSkyline

    what a ‘great’ way to miss your flight. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been playing in VR, took off my HMD and thought ‘holy fuck it’s 40 minutes later than I thought it was…’.