Be a virtual falcon and dive off Burj Khalifa

Dubai - A new virtual reality experience will let you dive off the iconic Burj Khalifa and 'fly' around the tower.

While taking a helicopter ride around the city, you can now transform into a 'virtual' falcon, dive off the iconic Burj Khalifa and 'fly' around the tower as the wind blows into your face.
A new virtual reality experience - 'Dubai - a rising falcon' - at VR Dubai Park lets you soar in the city's skyline and feel the flight.
Games Cook, a VR games development studio located in the US, recently walked away with a Dh500,000 prize at 'VR and Beyond' competition for developing this creative design and concept. The award was announced by Dubai Future Accelerators, the Burj Khalifa and HTC Vive. The VR experience will also be uploaded onto VIVEPORT, the app store for VR content powered by HTC Vive.
The contest was launched in November 2018 to further business opportunities within the VR ecosystem across the Middle East and Africa. Hundreds of developers participated in the competition to build VR content that provides an experience themed around the Burj Khalifa.
'Dubai - a rising falcon' has a special 4D element in which wind blows on the person in tandem with the speed of their flight, a developer said.
Saeed Al Falasi, executive director at the Dubai Future Foundation, said: "We have intrigued the creative minds of developers and pushed them to showcase their best in producing cutting-edge VR experiences."
He added: "Dubai has and will always be a global hub for innovation and a destination that attracts innovators to co-create the future."
Graham Wheeler, general manager of Europe, Middle East and Africa at HTC Vive, said: "We are extremely pleased with the results of this competition and look forward to bringing those experiences to consumers worldwide."
Ahmad Al Falasi, executive director, group operations, Emaar Properties, pointed out: "As an early adopter of VR technologies to boost tourism, we see strong opportunities for innovation in VR technologies to further strengthen the country's leisure sector."
Organisers said participants in the competition gained access to the Burj Khalifa premises.
- dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai