Abstract: Described herein are techniques for providing a virtual experience including, but not limited to, the use of a virtual experience “pillar,” or virtual rotation of a virtual area and/or a participant in the virtual area. The entry of a participant into a physical environment via a physical entrance area is detected. The participant uses a head-mounted display (HMD) to view a virtual environment associated with the physical environment, the virtual environment including a virtual entrance coinciding with the physical entrance area. An outer virtual environment, and a virtual pillar upon which a virtual avatar representing the participant stands, are caused to be displayed in the virtual environment viewed by the participant.

Abstract: Described herein are techniques for providing guide-assisted virtual experiences. A virtual experience operator provides participants with the opportunity to engage in virtual experiences at physical locations managed by the operator. These physical locations enable participants to engage with any of a variety of virtual realities provide by the operator—for example, participants may find them themselves in a virtual reality ghost-hunting mission, as a team of fictional soldiers on a mission to retrieve important cargo in outer space, in a horror-type experience at a deserted world's fair, within a number of arcade games, among other possible types of virtual experiences. Participants' engagement with such virtual experiences can be enhanced with the use of human “guides.” These guides represent employees or other affiliates of a virtual experience operator trained to help guide participant teams through some or all of a virtual experience and related phases at a virtual experience location.

Abstract: A lens assembly, related methods and constituent optical elements are described. The assembly may be used to direct and focus light for various applications. In one instance, the lens assembly is used in conjunction with one or more sources of light such as projected images or video as part of a virtual reality system. The lens assembly includes two or more optical elements arranged to receive light or direct light through different spatial regions of the assembly at different focal powers corresponding to a first user viewing zone and a second user viewing zone. In one instance, the first user viewing zone is a peripheral viewing zone and the second viewing zone is a primary or non-peripheral viewing zone (or vice versa).

Abstract: Described herein are techniques for providing a virtual experience including, but not limited to, the use of a virtual experience “pillar,” or virtual rotation of a virtual area and/or a participant in the virtual area. The entry of a participant into a physical environment via a physical entrance area is detected. The participant uses a head-mounted display (HMD) to view a virtual environment associated with the physical environment, the virtual environment including a virtual entrance coinciding with the physical entrance area. An outer virtual environment, and a virtual pillar upon which a virtual avatar representing the participant stands, are caused to be displayed in the virtual environment viewed by the participant.