When I launched my startup Another World, it began as a single VR arena in Siberia. Today, it has grown into a global network of more than 250 venues. The company pulled this off by lowering hardware costs, adapting games for standalone headsets, and building the operational tools that made free-roam VR less of an expensive experiment and more of a scalable business. The lessons extend far beyond gaming — offering insights for any hardware startup looking to move from concept to global deployment.
Free-roam VR: how it all began
Back in 2018, free-roam VR was still more of a futuristic showcase than a viable business. Launching an arena required backpack PCs, body-mounted sensors, dedicated servers, and a team of technicians on-site to keep things running. A single setup could easily run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars — limiting the format to large entertainment centers in cities like London, New York, or Tokyo.
The experience itself was exciting but fragile. Sessions had to be manually calibrated across dozens of sensors, backpack computers often overheated, and one small tracking error could ruin immersion for the entire group. The economics were equally challenging: payback periods stretched into years, and most VR games were designed as one-off experiences. Once customers played through a scenario, they rarely returned. With high equipment costs and the constant need to attract new visitors, the model was unsustainable for most operators.
Yet the potential was obvious. By 2018, the global VR gaming market was already valued in the billions and growing by more than 20% annually. The audience was there, but the barrier to entry was simply too high. For small and mid-sized entrepreneurs, the format was out of reach.
Transition to standalone headsets and a new architecture
Another World was one of the first teams to tackle these limitations head-on. Instead of relying on backpack PCs and full-body tracking, they shifted the heavy processing work into standalone Oculus headsets and rebuilt their network architecture from the ground up. A single lightweight server handled player synchronization, while the headsets themselves ran the games.
This shift required significant engineering work: graphics were optimized, movement mechanics were redesigned, avatars were recalibrated to match players’ real dimensions, and excessive load on the devices was eliminated. The payoff was dramatic — the cost of a full setup plummeted from hundreds of thousands of dollars to about $15,000.
The transition from backpack PCs to standalone headsets simplified the technical setup and made scaling faster: operators no longer had to manually configure dozens of parameters before each session.
The transition also simplified operations. Instead of technicians spending long stretches configuring dozens of parameters before each game, sessions could be set up in minutes. At the same time, the company introduced operator-facing tools: a dashboard that monitored headset charge levels and calibration, standardized game-launch templates, and remote management features. Suddenly, running an arena was no longer limited to flagship venues in wealthy capitals; it became feasible in mid-sized cities and emerging markets.
Optimizing for a broader audience
The move to standalone headsets solved the cost barrier but introduced a new challenge: the devices lacked the processing power required for the level of graphics and physics players had come to expect from backpack PC systems. For multiplayer sessions, the team had to find a balance between performance and visual expressiveness.
The solution was to embrace a stylized visual aesthetic, closer to Minecraft or The Lego Movie than photorealistic shooters. This design choice not only reduced processing demands but also made the games more accessible to families and younger audiences. Bright, cartoon-like visuals invited repeat play and carried none of the intimidation of hyper-realistic VR.
Motion comfort became another focus. The team spent months testing how fast virtual elevators should move, how teleportation transitions should feel, and how much motion a player could handle before discomfort set in. Fine-tuning these elements made it possible to keep the excitement of multiplayer free-roam while dramatically reducing motion sickness, which was a key barrier for mainstream adoption.
Digital infrastructure for stable operations
Once the hardware and content challenges were under control, we turned our attention to long-term sustainability. A single memorable session was not enough; the model had to encourage repeat visits.
The company layered in a digital platform that gave players persistent accounts, complete with rankings, progress tracking, and rewards that carried across all venues. For operators, the team rolled out a powerful device manager that tracked headset status, flagged calibration issues, and made troubleshooting simple.
This infrastructure turned VR arenas into more than one-time novelties. Partners could introduce new scenarios without complicated setup, while players began to see the experience as a platform, something worth returning to regularly rather than a one-off attraction.
What’s next: new formats and audiences
With the technology affordable and operations streamlined, the industry has started experimenting with entirely new formats.
Another World is currently testing multi-level arenas that introduce vertical navigation and new gameplay dynamics. They’re also designing family-friendly games where safety and simplicity are paramount, alongside competitive formats with esports potential, giving players a reason to come back not just for the spectacle but for ongoing competition.
Partnerships with well-known entertainment franchises are another major focus. Adding recognizable characters and storylines lowers the barrier for first-time players who might otherwise overlook VR as a regular leisure option.
Crucially, these innovations don’t replace the existing model; they build on it. By combining affordable hardware, scalable infrastructure, and flexible content, we have created a foundation that allows operators around the world to experiment freely without pushing costs back into the prohibitive range. It’s a case study in how lowering technical barriers can unlock entirely new markets — not just in VR, but across hardware-driven industries.