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The Stinger Report #1237 - Asia’s XR Future Investment
At Asia Amusement & Attractions Expo 2025, key trends highlight a shift in immersive technology investments amid global trade tensions. While VR remains present, its dominance has waned compared to previous years, with exhibitors like Movie Power and Oculeap showcasing scaled-up VR attractions and multiplayer experiences using PICO headsets. Notably, Chinese companies are pioneering mixed reality (MR) applications, exemplified by Anchi Amusement’s MR Karting and RaceParx’s MR Go-Kart platform, signaling a new frontier in interactive entertainment. The show also emphasized enhanced visual tech, such as LED displays replacing projection, and AI-driven photo capture, reflecting broader technological integration. However, trade uncertainties, including US-China tariff negotiations, are casting a shadow, affecting manufacturing and sales channels, especially in Western markets. Despite these challenges, Chinese manufacturers are exploring international partnerships and distributor models to sustain growth. The event underscores a global pivot towards more immersive, interactive, and technologically advanced attractions, even as geopolitical factors impact supply chains and market access.
This is the Stinger Report, issue Number 1237, asia's XR Future Investment by Kevin Williams, the last part of the extensive coverage from Asia Amusement and Attractions Expo 2025, looking at the impact of the XR technology trend across the various exhibitors, while we also are the first to look at the impact that current trade conditions will impact the international business. First, to look at the impact that current trade conditions will impact the international business, vr was represented across other booths that populated the vast halls of Aetale 25, but it was clear that VR and the metaverse was not as dominant a genre as seen in previous years. One of those exhibitors was Movie Power. Taking pride of place on their booth was given to a 24 seat version of their VR Space Ride platform offering the unique motion seat VR passive ride-running Pico headsets. This upscaled version of the original fulfilling a full attraction approach to the hardware and could be seen as a mid-scale attraction for some venues, along with a four-rider VR swing machine offering a passive VR experience. Vr swing machine offering a passive VR experience. Moviepower also had a four-player free-roam arena system using Pico headsets and haptic weapons. While there have been examples of free-roam VR from Chinese manufacturers, this style mirrors the more western style of compact arena. Further VR investment was seen from AAAA25 exhibitor Oculiap Yinghua Technology showing HyperX, a six-rider VR motion attraction with an energetic motion system, oculiap having signed last year a partnership with DPVR to utilize their headsets. The company also showed Zombie Frenzy, a VR visor gun system in its upright kiosk, revealed last year. No sign of the Terminator IP version revealed at Deal 2025 during the previous week.
Speaker 1:Well-known name in the Chinese VR scene, fun in VR, zhuo Yuan VR, exhibited a mixture of past and future innovation. The company had their VR Dragon Rider attraction offering five riders a passive VR experience with motion, scent and wind effects, but also had a demonstration of their dome theatre wrap-round screen motion seat enclosure on their booth. Looking to the non-VR future, the presence at the show also indicated a change in sales approach, with significant show special discounts being promoted across their range of VR hardware. Other VR represented included projects from VR Starspace under the tagline Immerse, interact, inspire. The company used the gathering to showcase three new releases with Star VR Hero 360, a one and two-seat complete rotational simulator. Star VR Tower, a rider-based vertical motion sim, and StarVR Cinema Rocket multiple rider VR experience. All these systems, as with many seen at AAA25, were employing Pico headsets and, while reflecting modern livery, still seemed to favor Phase 3 style VR architecture. Modern livery still seem to favor phase 3 style VR architecture.
Speaker 1:Continuing regarding XR investment in the Chinese entertainment scene and we saw the first real deployment of a new MR product into the market form. The industry Exhibitor, anchi Amusement Equipment, the go-karting service manufacturer, revealed on their booth MR Karting More a virtual environment karting experience than an overlaid obstacle approach. This is the latest full VR headset supporting e-karting experience in the industry, using a Pico headset in the demonstration. The new karting platform seen for the first time at the show hopes to be rolled out internationally. Fresh from exhibiting at Deal 2025, western Karting Services Specialist Race Parks, a leader in the go-karting business, attended the Chinese show revealing the launch of their new MR Go-Kart platform. Cart system is a turnkey solution and hopes to offer a complete package for developers of new and existing circuits to employ MR as a bigger draw to the traditional entertainment. The company is also using the Pico headset in pass-through mode. These are the latest MR and VR carting experience to be fielded as an actual product rather than a concept demonstrator, and we expect to report on other developers, one such being Arduina Silver Studios, who deployed an attraction based on their karting VR product at Big C in Europe. We already reported on the Spree Interactive VR bumper car product and likewise we have seen real MR interpretation of the concept based on projection mapping, battle karts and chaos karts. The LBX Collective has a detailed feature on the application of MR in the LBE scene and the latest developments in the karting sector for this technology see the latest Virtual Arena series.
Speaker 1:Regarding the simulation and race sim sector during 8AA 2025, and exhibitors such as Empower Intelligent Technology showing their latest three-screen race rigs and running a GTO 5 race setup in full competition. This was a comprehensive esports presentation of their racing platform, an indication of growing interest in race sim lounges in the sector. This year's DAEA marked the heavy appearance of the latest LED flat display technology hoping to replace the projection alternative. Several operators using LED displays for illuminated floor and wall screens, even as a floor-based game. Examples seen on the illuminating cheer amusement booth, including a new LED interactive floor system replacing the projection mapped alternative. These part of the global immersive culture tourism area. Regarding the Chinese region and tourism where the expo has called home, it was announced that plans have been revealed to develop the Guangzhou International Surfing Sports World a resort, leisure and retail environment comprising 11 distinct zones, a major development schedule for a 2030 opening and whose impact will shape the show in coming years.
Speaker 1:Western exhibitors presenting at AAA25 included Turkish powerhouse DOF Robotics showing their Angry Birds Fury Road children's amusement racer. The platform developed in collaboration with a Chinese manufacturer. Also presented was the latest version of their AI Guests Capture system with AIQ, the kiosk capturing guests' images and transforming them into AI-powered photos. There were other examples of AI-empowered photo capture platforms on the show floor, revealing the explosion in investment in this aspect of the souvenir park business. Chinese developer Supernode Information Technologies, with a simple selfie camera terminal and photo booth that also created AI images based on the captured photo. This aspect of the business is expected to see more developers throw their AI hats into the ring in coming months. We expect in November to be awash with AI-powered customer service systems.
Speaker 1:One aspect of the modern market reflected in limited numbers at AAA was that of competitive socializing. While the China market has several site examples, mainly in the main metropolises, the number of hardware examples on the show floor were limited to the crossover with the billiard event with selected exhibitors. One such example is United Asia Entertainments with an example of their Dartbeat booth. The enclosure comprises two boards and screens with automated scoring and a layout that has places to put drinks and snacks. This is a booth placement of the standard kiosk Dartbeat system. The remainder of the booth included redemption and prize machines from the company, along with their retro arcade upright cabinet containing 11 retro games. How many other Chinese manufacturers will create social entertainment-friendly designs will be interesting.
Speaker 1:Winding up the technology applications from the other co-located events to the vast gathering in Guangzhou and we saw the latest appearance of MR enhanced billiard and pool platforms as part of the Billiards Expo taking place at the same time. These enhanced projection mapped systems have been reported on by us over the years when attending AAA, but this year's appearance takes on a new relevance as, in the Western market, the first competitive socialising venue built round the technology Pool House will be opening its doors soon in London. This could mark a new explosion in this technology, as seen in the interactive darts scene. In conclusion, across the five core sectors under the coverall tagline of the Grand Dior World Culture and Tourism Industry Expo saw a record-breaking 300,000 plus professional visitors.
Speaker 1:The considerable event offered a very useful snapshot of the state of the Chinese and international amusement and attraction trend, especially as so many western operators and manufacturers now have come to depend on the Chinese factory scene for their livelihood, this dependency taking on a new critical dimension regarding the state of the current trade war enacted by the US government. The discussion on every booth was regarding the trading conditions for amusement outside of the Chinese market. As the show took place, the US and Chinese government officials were meeting in Switzerland to bash out a better tariff trading deal and attempt to placate a simmering trade war. The negotiation seeing a return to the China 30% rate for a period of 90 days, seen by many Western observers as the US retreating from their previous bellicose posturing, while at the same time, asian observers cited a serious impact across Chinese manufacturing, seeing some factories close under the current economic trade winds, feeling like they had been temporarily embargoed from the US shores, this having massive impacts to business, and seeing closures and layoffs, the impact of which will be felt on Western shores. Regarding the 8LA25 show, observation was made that many games were shown with both their Chinese name alongside a cabinet with English naming. While the US market may be an anathema at present, the Western European market could offer a bolt hole for some releases, as seen with Ace Amusement's partnership with United Distributing Company, udc, offering a route for their releases into the lucrative market, show organizers holding a global buyer's night after dark ceremony to try and support those international guests. It is expected that sales agents and distribution partnerships will be struck towards protecting the interests of Chinese manufacturers, reverting from a direct sale approach towards representation, sparking a new wave of distributor partnerships like those seen back in the 1980s regarding Japanese amusement content into the Western market. That said, several of the key Chinese manufacturers ready to travel from Guangzhou to Riyadh as the one remaining direct sale market. The men are beckons with the second regional show with Saudi Entertainment and Amusement Sea Expo Saudi Entertainment and Amusement Sea Expo. Watch this space for our coverage of this and the other events during this time.
Speaker 1:China's VR love affair. The fickle nature of the Chinese VR sector, as well as VR development in general, is best illustrated by previous market leader, guangzhou Nine Digital Technology Kachin LTD, who had, in previous years, been a leading exhibitor and corporation in the commercial entertainment sphere. Established in 2014 and stated to have over 100 patents, the company was well known for its 9D VR egg, the unique shaped motion VR pods that had captivated and dominated the scene. In the first flush of interest in the return of VR to the entertainment sector, the company had established partnership with HTC and their platforms had made the West through various distributor deals. Now the company is all but forgotten and airbrushed from history. No sight of them remains other than hardware placed through other operations. One such is the continued appearance of 9DVR egg systems in certain malls through the Emotion Company.
Speaker 1:At AAA25, there was also a lack of any co-located VR festival, as had been reported over previous years. It was revealed that a separate VR event, comprising many who would have previously been at AAA, was held a few days later, called the VRAR Expo Shanghai. This event collected many names from the Chinese consumer VR and AR landscape, as well as inviting international delegates and representatives from Western media. Clearly, the Chinese VR industry is attempting to reboot after the impacts across the sector, with a strong focus on AR smart glasses. Coverage from the Shanghai event revealed continued investment in VR for LBE application in the territory, with increased VR arena development. Ride with the now-usual 2-screen along with their Stormrider platform, while exhibitor Ray's Fun showed Boxing Star, a video game punching platform with the same form factor as the Taito Sonic Blast man 1990 release.
