Disneyland is actually a good place for VR geeks!

[PalmerTech]

Star Tours is a stereo 3D motion spaceship simulator that does not skip on extreme movements, Soarin' Over California is an extremely wide field of view flight simulator with scent projectors and motion seats, and the "World of Color" show is probably the best short-form media experience I can remember having. Seriously, it moved me, and I could not stop thinking about it for several hours! It is basically a light show with colored water jets, multiple hologram-style mist video projection screens hundreds of feet tall and wide, blasts of fire, and waves all synced to music. I was in the front row special seating area, if you go, try to get in there (You can get a ticket at the two fancy restaurants in the park) so that you are as close as possible.

A Disneyland VR meetup at some point could be pretty cool!

[cybereality]

Totally, I went there years ago as a kid and it was amazing. I did see Star Tours (though maybe they've upgraded it since then). I also remember Universal Studios (in Florida) to be really great. The Back to the Future ride was off the chain, and it wasn't even in 3D. And they had an Alfred Hitchcock 3D short film, and it was some of the best 3D I've ever seen.

[T3rra]

I find it fun to look at all the rides and the way you could change it/mold it to the VR experience, like being on a roller coaster on a different planet I always thought that was really cool. Imagine fitting sensors onto cars, on a closed course, and emulating riding a "hovercar" on a different planet (back that with in car AC and you've got a feel good (or bad) experience (it's like you're on a barren planet with only sand in all directions.....

I usually browse things like that on youtube

[PalmerTech]

Totally, I went there years ago as a kid and it was amazing. I did see Star Tours (though maybe they've upgraded it since then). I also remember Universal Studios (in Florida) to be really great. The Back to the Future ride was off the chain, and it wasn't even in 3D. And they had an Alfred Hitchcock 3D short film, and it was some of the best 3D I've ever seen.

They did a HUGE upgrade in Spring 2011, it is a much better experience than it was before. The BTTF ride was also great when I tried it in Universal Studios Hollywood; Unfortunately, they replaced it with a Simpsons ride.

I am not a big Harry Potter fan, but I want to try Harry Potter: The Forbidden Journey. It is a ride with robotic arms on a track that fly you through mixed projected/real world spaces. Here are some pics I found:

[rhinosix]

The Harry Potter ride is probably my favourite at Universal. They use some nice tricks to immerse you. You travel sideways, so you can't see what's coming up next. And transition between animatronics and 3D video makes the digital parts feel more real. Walking through the castle before you ride gets you into the atmosphere. Though the lines can be pretty long.

Found a video on Youtube:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx3gn6cU2CY[/youtube]

The Spiderman ride was cool too. At Epcot I loved Mission Space:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlPEcfOVCCI[/youtube]

It might be old tech, but it's pretty immersive.

Disney can seem kitsch, but I loved seeing stuff like the Carousel of Progress and Epcot, which show Walt Disney as a visionary and futurist. I think ASIMO is part of the Carousel of Progress now.
Disney Research always seems to be doing good science.

I actually liked the Winnie the Pooh ride at Tokyo Disneyland. There's a part where you 'bounce with Tigger' and the floor/ vehicle moves up and down to make you feel like you're bouncing:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU88Bw_ivT8[/youtube]

[FingerFlinger]

My first experience with an HMD was the Aladdin's Carpet Ride at Disney World years ago, and it blew my mind. Then I found Randy Pausch's last lecture and the back story made the memory that much cooler!