Pacific Rim: Jaeger Pilot

Pacific Rim: Jaeger Pilot is a Comic-Con 2014 booth event promoted by Legendary Pictures, Guillermo del Toro and Oculus VR for the Oculus Rift.^[2]^[3] The event deubuted July 24, 2014 at Legendary booth #3920^[4] and was later presented at the Comic-Con 2015 alongside a virtual application for the upcoming Warcraft film.^[5]

Official Description[]

"PACIFIC RIM: JAEGER PILOT is the next evolution of the thrilling universe Legendary is creating with director Guillermo del Toro. Created by the leading pioneers of virtual reality, Oculus VR, the attraction delivers a new benchmark in virtual reality experiences as fans will step into a fully-realized Jaeger Combat Simulator and experience what it feels like to pilot a 250-story robot. Created with original film assets from Industrial Light & Magic and developed within Unreal Engine 4, Pacific Rim: Jaeger Pilot provides a thrilling first-person battle between Gipsy Danger and the kaiju codenamed Knifehead."

—Legendary pictures^[6]

History[]

Advertised as an "experimental exhibit", Legendary Picture's Pacific Rim: Jaeger Pilot allows attendees to play the role of a Ranger inside a Conn-Pod, with the "Drift with the Rift" experience.

The event utilizes Oculus Rift's virtual reality technology alongside assets from Pacific Rim. Using the Oculus Rift headset, attendees will be placed inside the Jaeger to fight a Kaiju. The Oculus Rift simulates "drifts", using a virtual character that tracks the player's movements. Once the simulation is over, attendees receive a personalized Jaeger pilot badge for their participation.

"We are giving them a taste of the set, a physical representation of how elaborate the set can be," said del Toro of the custom environments. "For a moment, they will be in the world of the movie, even if it's a brief visit." del Toro was personally involved in the development of the virtual reality simulator. "[...] this is one stone in the building of a continuous bridge by expanding the experience and mythology," he said. "We create a world and we're keeping it alive."