Voxel Virtual Reality Parlor: A full immersion experience

By Andrea Busche

Taking a vacation can be a welcome distraction from time to time – particularly for those of us in northern Minnesota, where our frigid winters can seem to last forever.

Perhaps you don’t have the budget for two weeks in Bermuda, but Voxel Virtual Reality can help you escape reality – at least for a little while.

Jeff Trinh-Sy is a physics, astronomy and engineering teacher. His business partner, Matthew Tande, is an attorney. Together, they opened Voxel Virtual Reality

Parlor in St. Paul, Minn., in 2016.

“We got the name ‘Voxel’ from the name of a three-dimensional pixel,” Trinh-Sy explained. “We provide virtual reality (VR) experiences for anyone who wants to try them, from young to old. We had a customer who was 5 years old, and we also hosted a 72-year old’s birthday. And, while we have a parlor, we’ll also travel. We’ve been asked to do new college student orientations, and we’ve attended events for the Special Olympics.”

What is virtual reality?

Trinh-Sy explained a little more about VR.

“People put on a headset and they are totally immersed in a different environment. We offer a wide variety of ‘experiences’ from safaris to space adventures, fighting zombies to playing sports and going underwater. We currently offer almost 30 different experiences, which we change and rotate from month to month.”

To try this exciting experience, patrons visit Voxel’s parlor, where they can purchase time by the hour. Or, Voxel can come to you; they also offer mobile services, where Voxel’s staff will set up their equipment at your birthday party, bar mitzvah, or graduation party. But they do not

Dreaming of

but stuck in the snow?

sell VR devices. “We sell the experience, but not the equipment,” Trinh-Sy said.

Customers who come in as a group can choose to experience the virtual world together, or individually. Each experience is “room scale.”

“This means that customers are moving around a large space to fully appreciate the freedom they have in VR,” Trinh-Sy said.

In addition to fun experiences, where customers can explore the deep sea or walk with dinosaurs, the VR world also has broader applications. For instance, with house hunting. Some real estate agencies are providing VR walkthroughs for clients who may be purchasing a home in another city. VR can help architects present renderings to their clients, and may someday provide a deeper look into the human body.

Voxel Virtual Reality has also helped create custom VR content for private clients.

“We recently created a VR tour of a courtroom for a law firm,” Trinh-Sy explained.

Try VR for yourself

Voxel Virtual Reality is looking forward to their first appearance at the 54th annual Duluth Boat, Sports, Travel & RV Show at the DECC. Here, participants can try the VR experience as part of their entry to the show –at no extra charge.

Virtual reality experiences at the Boat Show will include six different options, including: Nature Treks (environmental scenes); TheBlu (an underwater experience); Long Bow (using a bow and arrow to protect your castle); Beat Saber (a musical experience, similar to Guitar Hero); VR Supersports (sports such as archery and boxing); and Space Pirate Trainer (knocking down space robots with weapons and shields).

Trinh-Sy explained the company will have several of their staff members available to offer training and assistance.

“People will get a tutorial first, but they’ll find that things are pretty intuitive,” he said.

VR is truly a fun, immersive experience that everyone can enjoy.

“The biggest barrier is that people immediately just think it’s a game for kids,” Trinh-Sy said. “But, without fail, all of our customers say, ‘This is fun!’ It’s truly something the whole family can enjoy together.