With virtual reality tech, Zero Latency is looking to become the future of gaming.

For the gaming enthusiasts out there, the only thing better than shooting zombies on the console of your choice would be doing it in real life.

On second thought, getting attacked by zombies in real life would probably suck so lets just forget I said that. But the best thing about virtual reality is that you get to experience all the excitement of living inside that world without actually getting eaten by zombies.

Zero Latency in Melbourne is a warehouse that looks like a military training centre.

Located in a warehouse in North Melbourne, Zero Latency actually looks like a place where you might train for a zombie apocalypse. Some serious 28 Days Later vibes…

I walked inside the lobby area and immediately thought to myself: “Shit’s about to go down.” The battle room/arena of death has a pretty serious urban training ground, military base vibe to it. It totally adds to the overall authenticity of the virtual reality experience.

While waiting in the lobby area before I got the chance to whoop some zombie butt myself, I sat and watched a group of guys doing one of the missions. It was hilarious. They were shouting at stuff I couldn’t see and were obviously scared to zombie death. They were totally absorbed in the world they were experiencing.

The lobby has a massive flat-screen which displays the all time record stats for the game in a number of categories:

Distance covered

Kill count

Head shots

Death count

While waiting for our turn we filled out a bunch of details like our email (so our stats could be emailed to us) and our username. You can even choose your physical appearance from the dashboard. Anything from a Disney princess to a muscly bald dude.

My advice would be, if you’re in a group, have a play with funny usernames and outlandish characters.

The preparation routine before our virtual reality mission felt like we were going off to war .

Once you get the administrative stuff out of the way, the Zero Latency team takes you through the rules and what to expect. We were shown how to put on all our gear and were trained up accordingly. At this point our whole team was both terrified and excited at what we were about to experience.

The goggles were surprisingly heavy, as were the jackets which felt like bullet proof vests. We were also given headphones to hear all the action. This process somewhat felt like laser force but way more intense. I kid you not, I actually felt like I was going to war.

Then I picked up my weapon and psychologically prepared myself for what was to come.

Zero Latency gives virtual reality gamers some sick weapons.

You get one weapon, which has multiple functions: An assault rifle with a grenade launcher at the bottom, or a shotgun.

Both are equally fun to use but I would recommend the shotgun in close quarters as long as you have some space to move around. Since it’s a slower weapon you have to take into account so that the zombies can attack between shots. But it’s fun if you want all out close distance firepower.

For long distance shooting, I recommend the assault rifle because you can pick zombies off from a safe distance and be more accurate.

Reloading can be a bit of a pain. There’s a small button underneath the gun which I found a bit awkward when in the heat of battle, but meh, you get used to it.

To switch between weapons, there’s a button on the side of the gun, which you can pretty easily get to with your index finger.

While in the game, you can also pick up some extra weapons. They’re pretty convenient if you can position yourself accordingly in-between butt whoopings.

These extra guns include:

A Rocket Launcher

A Mini-gun

A flame thrower

A grenade launcher

Zero Latency is the virtual reality equivalent of a zombie apocalypse.

As soon as the mission started, I was lost in an entirely different world. The guys I was laughing at when I first came in didn’t seem so funny anymore. I now realised the seriousness of the situation I had entered.

The graphics were surprisingly detailed, although not high definition by any standards. Still super realistic though.

The setting was even multi-layered with lifts to upper levels. The craziest thing was when I was at the highest level standing near the edge of the railing looking down. I hate heights so my stomach began to drop – even in virtual reality.

The mission started off easy enough and before I knew it, the entire team was swamped with zombies and the occasional larger zombie.

The Digital Fox team completed the Zombie Survival virtual reality game.

You can see the first experience of Zero Latency here. It’s worth checking out because it gives Tom’s first person experience of the virtual reality experience and it was quite a ride involving a flamethrower and the overuse of a shotgun.

The aim of the game is simple: compete against your mates and protect your fort from the zombie hordes. In the process, try to get as many kills as possible (especially head kills) and try not to die (easier said than done).

The situation is that you are caught in the middle of a zombie outbreak and your team is bunkered in a fort. A rescue team is on its way but you’ve gotta stay alive until they arrive.

You can work together to build barriers against the zombies while picking them off. Or, when too many come, you just need to go full berserker mode! You can also blow up explosive barrels, which is super fun.

The session goes for 45 minutes and costs $88 per person. It’s expensive but worth it. It’s by far the most immersive gaming experience I’ve ever had. You can have up to six players in a group which is a perfect fit for the game.

There are a few virtual reality games available

Zombie Outbreak

Zombie Outbreak is about, well… a zombie outbreak. There’s an outbreak of creepy, flesh hungry zombies in an apocalyptic city as well as a crew of raiders.

This mission is a race against the clock to restore order to the streets. You’re allowed eight players per team.

Singularity

Aesthetic wise, this one reminds me of Halo. Probably because of the high tech, futuristic space/military vibe of the place. You and your team are sent to investigate a secret military space station that has gone dark.

You’ve got to fight your way through killer robots, rogue drones and a bunch of gun turrets to reclaim the high-tech military black-site. This one allows you six players max.

Engineerium

This one looks a little weird. It kind of reminds me of Super Mario meets Donkey Kong meets Super Smash Bros. You are transformed into a weird alien and you’ve got to work with your clan to ascend through a mind-bending mystical world and hopefully be reunited with your tribe.

Again, this one is six players max.

My Zero Latency virtual reality experience

After 45 minutes of running, shouting and shooting, I was completely exhausted and drenched in sweat. You really notice how heavy the goggles are after carrying them on your head for nearly an hour. Still though, I wanted more.

Overall, I’d recommend Zero Latency to any gaming enthusiasts who want an immersive virtual reality experience. It was so much fun and I honestly believe that places like Zero Latency will be the future of gaming.

Click here to check out their website.