Seeking a virtual reality breakthrough

Crowds wait in lines before going to watch the final of National Electronic Sports Tournament in Xiamen in November. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Zhang co-founded The Choice, a room-escape chain, in 2011. The company has a dozen branches in big cities in China, providing a role-playing game in which people are trapped in a sealed room and have to solve puzzles within a period of time to escape.

"Even in cities with a large population like Beijing, the branch has to change its theme every several months to maintain its appeal to customers," says Zhang.

With the help of virtual reality technology, changing themes won't require physical renovation.

Tan says that cooperation between his company and The Choice is under way.

In May, The Choice opened its first virtual reality experience center in U-Town Mall in Chaoyang district, Beijing.

In an area of 300 square meters, people come in to shoot enemies, slash zombies, fly helicopters, and race cars, spending half an hour on average for a cost around 100 yuan.

If one wants to buy a virtual reality device, the cost ranges around 3,000 to 7,000 yuan ($430 to $1,000).

"There are now around 4,000 VR experience centers around the country," says Zhang, "and the famous director Zhang Yimou invested in one that just opened in Beijing's Wangfujing in November."