Six Flags to debut virtual reality roller coaster in 9 states

A new thrilling feature will take roller coasters throughout the country to a new level, allowing riders to experience up-and-down twists and turns in real life while battling aliens and dodging skyscrapers in a virtual world.

Six Flags will introduce virtual reality roller coasters at nine park locations.

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Here's how it works, according to CNN:

"Before boarding the coaster, riders strap a VR headset across their face. They won't see where the steel track is going, or what's coming up next. As the ride launches into a series of steep drops, banks and loops, riders are engulfed in high-definition imagery and 360-degree virtual views. There's even a story line to follow as they're screaming their heads off."

According to Six Flags, wearing the headset is optional.

The rides will debut in the spring at parks in Texas, Georgia, California, Missouri, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York and Montreal.

Six Flags introduced it's first VR roller coaster this spring when it rebranded the "Revolution" ride as "The New Revolution."

"It's perfect to have this virtual reality technology that gives you the immersive feeling of being in a different world," said Thomas Wagner, CEO of VR Coaster, which developed the system for Six Flags. "And to combine it with a coaster that delivers motion, G-forces, zero-gravity moments -- it's a totally new kind of attraction."

Wagner said, "People who are ... afraid of coasters like it better in VR, because they feel a little bit safer," but "it's still a roller coaster, and it's still kind of intense."

Cox Media Group