{"id":339613,"date":"2017-04-29T03:17:14","date_gmt":"2017-04-28T19:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?p=1472673"},"modified":"2017-04-29T03:17:14","modified_gmt":"2017-04-28T19:17:14","slug":"exploring-virtualities-a-utah-vr-arcade-and-theater-startup-taking-over-a-dying-mall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/exploring-virtualities-a-utah-vr-arcade-and-theater-startup-taking-over-a-dying-mall\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Virtualities, a Utah VR arcade and theater startup taking over a dying mall"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Next Story<\/p>\n

Elon Musk teases Tesla electric semi truck, up to 4 new Gigafactory\u00a0locations<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Virtualities founder Ryan Burningham has a new idea for abandoned retail spaces \u2014 VR.<\/p>\n

VR theaters and arcades like Virtualities are starting to pop up in warehouses and other empty spaces around the U.S., including Burningham\u2019s startup, located in what used to be a Hot Topic on the second floor of the Gateway Mall on Salt Lake City\u2019s west side.<\/p>\n

The mall was built specifically to show off the fine dining and retail offerings of Utah as the world came to visit during the 2002\u00a0Winter Olympics. I can remember fighting the crowds to watch Sheryl Crow belt it out for the gold medal winners. But what was once a bustling outdoor mall has become eerily empty. One sad fountain on the edge of the Gateway still trumpets the Olympic theme tune every hour on the hour to mostly no one.<\/p>\n

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The first Virtualities space took over an old Hot Topic in Salt Lake City\u2019s Gateway mall.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Part of the ghost town effect is due to the rapid decline in shopping malls throughout the country. Anchor stores have pulled out of some suburban areas as retail mainstays like Bebe and RadioShack successor General Wireless Operations Inc. file for bankruptcy<\/a>. While the mall still seems to be the preferred method<\/a> of shopping among teens, nearly a third of U.S. shopping malls are in danger of shutting down,<\/a> according to analysts.<\/p>\n

But the Gateway\u2019s decline also comes out of a mixed-use shopping and retail development project meant to revive the heart of downtown Salt Lake. Five years ago the Mormon church \u2014 the predominant religion in the area \u2014 updated two large city blocks worth of downtown retail space right across from the famous Salt Lake Temple. The project benefitted both city and church by pulling tourists closer to the city\u2019s main attraction\u00a0but it also encouraged retailers and shoppers to jump ship in favor of the new City Creek mall, leaving Gateway\u2019s 2.26 million-square-feet of retail space\u00a0nearly\u00a0deserted \u2014 and ripe for striking bargain basement deals. That gave Burningham the idea to use the space (and save some overhead in the deal).<\/p>\n

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Ryan Burningham, Virtualities founder<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Virtualities so far has two locations; the first one in the Gateway Mall and a second location Burningham just opened about a month ago in a fading strip mall 30 minutes north of Salt Lake in Ogden, Utah.<\/p>\n

The Void<\/a>, famous for its Ghostbusters VR installation in New York and Dubai, also calls Utah home, 30 minutes to the south of Virtualities in the town of Lindon. That one is more of a VR park, combining a physical set with VR film experiences whereas Virtualities uses a\u00a0large, open space for separate sections including gaming and its theater area, which is basically two rows of swivel chairs customers can use to sit in while strapping a VR device to their heads and watching a short film.<\/p>\n

Both Utah-based businesses are part\u00a0of only a handful of little VR upstarts in the country right now. However, IMAX has been testing out a standalone location with Samsung VR in LA and plans to install five VR movie theaters in the U.S., China and\u00a0the U.K. in the coming months. The company, valued at $2.36 billion, has the means to make much more of an impact \u2014 and on a global scale. If the five test sites prove successful, the company says it will roll out VR cinema spaces in select multiplexes throughout the globe, posing a worrisome problem for these littler companies with fewer resources.<\/p>\n

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Headgear hangs up on the wall inside Virtualities, waiting for customers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But nevermind all that for now. VR is new and, despite the growing trend towards nearly every tech company involving themselves in the industry somehow, not many folks can afford the best devices in the market on their own at the moment. Some forward thinkers, like Burningham, are capitalizing on that by providing the equipment and space so everyday people can experience the tech for themselves.<\/p>\n

Each monthly membership costs a one-time $30 fee plus $58.50 for the first person plus an extra $40 for up to four other people you want to add to your group. And it\u2019s a recipe that seems to be working for Burningham. He says he\u2019s usually pretty busy. There were plenty of folks eager to try VR for the first time when we paid Virtualities a visit\u00a0recently.<\/p>\n

You can check out our recent visit to Virtualities and learn more about Burningham\u2019s idea to convert old retail into VR theaters in the video above.<\/p>\n

*This article is part of a larger series focusing on the Utah tech scene. We\u2019re going to be sprinkling several of these articles and videos throughout the TechCrunch newsfeed for the next couple of weeks, so strap on your ski boots and stay tuned as we guide you through the \u201cSilicon Slopes\u201d!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\" VR theaters and arcades like Virtualities are starting to pop up in warehouses and other empty spaces around the U.S., including Burningham’s startup, located in what used to be a Hot Topic on the second floor of the Gateway Mall on Salt Lake City’s west side. The mall was built specifically to show off the fine dining and retail offerings of Utah as the world came to visit during… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n

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