StrayLight's 3D Virtual Theater Debuts "U.F.O." at SIGGRAPH '95

"Upon Further Observation" Delivers VR to Over 5,400 Attendees

Warren, New Jersey, August 6, 1995 - StrayLight's first 3D sci-fi adventure, "U.F.O. - Upon Further Observation" was introduced at SIGGRAPH '95 in Los Angeles, California. Over 5,400 people will pass through StrayLight's 3D fantasy ride at SIGGRAPH's Location Based Entertainment Pavilion, from August 6 - 11, 1995. This stereoscopic encounter is part of StrayLight's 3D Virtual Theater system - the only immersive head mount based experience allowing the largest number of attendees per hour to journey together through cyberspace. Equipped with individual virtual reality HMDs, motion seats, and surround sound, 3D Virtual Theaters captivate their audience by tapping into their senses of sight, touch, and sound.

During StrayLight's "U.F.O." production, guests actually become the lead character of the story as they are abducted from their backyard by an alien spaceship and race through high speed time warps. Emotions are high as gruesome aliens tap into their psyche, sending shivers down their spine. The pulsating sound effects penetrate through the audience and practically knock them out of their seats.

When theater guests journey through "Upon Further Observation" they must pay close attention to detail, for nothing is as it appears. " 'U.F.O.' reminds me of the Twilight Zone, where at the end you can't decipher reality from fantasy." says Victoria Massulli, StrayLight's Director of Marketing.

" 'Upon Further Observation' is a real cliff hanger, leaving the audience wanting more. After the 4 minute experience, guests don't want to take-off their head mounts, it is as if they are waiting for 'U.F.O. Part 2.' "

StrayLight's productions place a large emphasis on creating dynamic VR experiences, with a unique talent to interweave stereoscopic live video with computer generated imagery. Before the release of "U.F.O.", all content for the Virtual Theaters were completely customized experiences, catering to trade show managers and special event promoters with larger budgets. Now, Virtual Theaters can be rented or purchased with stock experiences for a fraction of the previous cost and the software can still be customized with logo placements or specific marketing messages. Clients can now advertise their products in a unique sophisticated manner, increasing excitement and retention levels.

High resolution, light weight HMDs portray the highest quality Virtual Experiences in the industry. The realism behind StrayLight's stereoscopic graphics require the creation of uniquely formatted visuals for each eye. Every frame has to be rendered twice, once for the left eye and once again for the right eye and then merged into one to achieve the outrageous 3D effects.

3D Virtual Theaters are built modularly and can be expanded to seat several hundred participants per seating. Last year, the first ever 26 seat Virtual Theater was developed by StrayLight for the Cyber Event Group and CableTron Systems to fill a growing need for group VR entertainment. Currently a 12 seat Virtual Theater is traveling to resorts and nightclubs throughout Thailand on a promotional tour for Hennessy Cognac. StrayLight has also installed theaters for AT&T, over 60 theater locations for ITT Educational Services, and The American Hotel and Motel Association.

StrayLight has just released their latest VR entertainment system, 3D·XTC(tm) , a portable VR arcade game retailing for under $20,000. Additionally, over the past two years StrayLight has supplied its CyberTron(tm) , a successful motion-based VR game built on a 2 ring gyroscopic platform, with custom content for numerous promotional events and tours. CyberTron(tm) systems are installed throughout the US, Europe, and the Far East, and are also known as Walt Disney World's first permanent installation of immersive Virtual Reality with two units operating at Pleasure Island Resort in Orlando, Florida. StrayLight's gaming software for both 3D·XTC(tm) and CyberTron(tm) , can be easily customized to include logos and specific marketing messages.

SIGGRAPH is the Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics, which is part of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). A large exposition with over 30,000 attendees, SIGGRAPH '95 combines the technological and artistic advances for visual, digital, interactive, and networked communication.