Jump into the world of virtual reality at The VR Zone if you are searching for some arcade nostalgia.
Rondell Ruiz launched The VR Zone on Tragarete Road, Woodbrook, last year to give customers that old-school feeling of going to the arcade with friends and playing video games such as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Samurai Showdown.
“I am a child of the '90s,” he said, recounting memories from his teenage years. “I realised that all those really cool arcades with games like Street Fighter, Samurai Showdown and Ninja Turtles are no more – phased out with time and the availability of newer consoles that everyone can have in their home at affordable prices.”
[caption id="attachment_995081" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Aiden, 9, gets the full virtual reality experience at VR Zone, Tragarete Road, Port of Spain. Photo by Angelo Marcelle[/caption]
Ruiz said he also wanted to introduce his son, Ethan, to something he loved when he was younger so he could enjoy it with his friends and see how happy families are when they come together to try something new.
"These new consoles are so advanced, offering gaming like never before; intense haptic feedback, high-tech controls, and 4K resolution. Truly amazing stuff. Then there was VR.”
Ruiz decided to invest in a virtual reality (VR) gaming set last year as the world was just coming out from lockdowns and virtual meetings. The technology was just starting to become popular.
VR is the use of a three-dimensional artificial environment in computer games known as virtual reality gaming. VR allows the user to suspend disbelief and see the virtual reality environment as genuine. Virtual reality software creates virtual reality environments that transcend the user's perception of the actual world. The devices Ruiz uses are called Meta Quest 2, formerly known as Oculus Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro which are available for customers to experience cutting-edge virtual reality technology.
“I saw a need for up-to-date entertainment that persons of all ages will enjoy,” he said.
Thus began Ruiz's journey to becoming an entrepreneur with his VR gaming business.
The 38-year-old businessman began buying the equipment out of his own savings. “Since this is the first of its kind, establishing what was needed; consoles, games, fixtures, pricing etc took a lot of trial and error to figure out what worked and what didn’t."
These challenges did not deter Ruiz from establishing his business. “It took a bit of time and money to find the right recipe and implementation of all these aspects. Also, covid was a major hurdle that we had to overcome. We started just as the pandemic was winding down.”
[caption id="attachment_995078" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Children enjoy games at the VR Zone Tragerete Road, Port of Spain, while their parents (seated on left), enjoy each other's company. Photo by Angelo Marcelle[/caption]
The VR Zone hosts over 36 top-tier games such as Racket NX, Dash Dash World, Fruit Ninja, and The Walking Dead, to name a few. According to Ruiz, the m
