'It's a whole new world,' says owner of Saskatoon's virtual reality arcade

Reality got you down? You can always go virtual.

Saskatoon is now home to a new kind of arcade offering virtual reality entertainment.Aspect Virtual Reality Gaming Studio offers a wide array of new experiences, from rowing down a river in an exotic faraway land to taking on the role of a porcupinejust trying to get a hug.

"It's so easy for you to fall into believing it," promised the studio's Jessica Engele."It's a whole new world to explore, experience and learn in."

The studio has been open for a couple of weeks now, and is the result of much brainstorming by Engele and her business partner, who wanted to offer people in Saskatoon a new entertainment option.

Engele herself had never tried virtual reality before the studio's high-tech equipment arrived and she strapped on the headset to try it out. She said that she was blown away, and quickly lost time in the maze of a new world opening up to her.

"It's not until you are in the headset that you experience that whole new reality," she said.

The virtual reality arcade is at 2218 Millar Ave.

• ANALYSIS: Oculus, Sony and others rush to bring VR to your living room

What can you do in this brave new world?

• Oculus Rift: This virtual reality system providesa good introduction tovirtual worlds, letting you sit down with a traditional video game controller.
• HTC Vive:This headset uses what the manufacturer calls "room scale" technology to turn a room into 3D space via sensors, creating aworld you can explore and move around in whileinteracting with objects.
• VRX Motion Simulator:The name says it all. Get ready to strap yourself in and feel it all.