{"id":18674,"date":"2025-04-03T10:12:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T08:12:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.laval-virtual.com\/?p=18674"},"modified":"2025-04-03T10:13:10","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T08:13:10","slug":"interview-flipper-vr-virtual-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.laval-virtual.com\/en\/interview-flipper-vr-virtual-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"Flipper VR: Bringing Classic Pinball into the Virtual Era"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the world of <\/span>virtual reality<\/a> gaming<\/b>, it seems like everything has been done… or almost! Back in 2019, a group of friends dreamed of bringing pinball into<\/span> VR<\/b>. Six years later, their dream has become a reality, and their French-made <\/span>digital pinball <\/b>machine is now available on the market. We spoke with Alexandre Regeffe, co-founder of FlipperVR, who shared insights into the creation, development, and future of his company. He will be showcasing <\/span>Flipper VR<\/b> at Laval Virtual from April 9-11, 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you share some of your personal background? What brought you to virtual reality?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I come from the television and audiovisual world, where I worked for 25 years. Then in 2015, I was asked to record a concert in 360. That’s when I got my first taste of virtual reality. I created a content production company to make content for 360 platforms such as ARTE 360. At this time, platforms like Facebook and Google needed 360-degree contents, as they had integrated the ability to play immersive films. I kept this business going until 2018, when <\/span>the hype around 360 video<\/a> came to an end<\/b>. Many people turned away from this format for technical reasons, so requests dropped off and I stopped my business to start providing technical services.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The quick evolution of the immersive sector requires you to have several strings to your bow.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes, I do. I provide technical services through <\/span>my company Rshift<\/span><\/a>, including shooting and post-production of immersive films. In addition, I write articles on virtual reality for specialized magazines, including an annual review of the Laval Virtual exhibition. I also do training in partnership with INA [<\/span>ed: the French National Audiovisual Institute<\/span><\/i>] and<\/span> I produce immersive experiences<\/b>. Our experience “Le Haut Feu” won the jury’s “Coup de Coeur” last year at Laval Virtual. Finally, the last string to my bow is Flipper VR.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few words about the Flipper VR adventure. How did this project get off the ground?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Flipper VR is first and foremost a <\/span>buddy story<\/b>. In 2019, at the Paris Air Show, during a discussion with friends who are also producers of virtual reality experiences via their Tarbes-based agency Otidea, we exchanged ideas and desires to make a game.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, we went back through our childhood memories and came up with the idea of pinball, an iconic game from the 80s and 90s that brought back strong memories of our teenage years. So we decided to create a pinball 2.0 game with virtual reality. After 6 months, we presented our <\/span>first prototype<\/b> at a trade show in Paris. In 2020, the Covid slowed us down, but also enabled us to complete the development of our game. In 2023, we brought our digital pinball machine to market.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you play pinball in virtual reality?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our digital pinball machine looks like a traditional pinball machine from the outside, only there’s a PC inside. The game board, i.e. the mechanical part, is replaced by a screen. The player puts on a virtual reality headset and is transported into a virtual environment, facing the digital twin of the physical pinball machine. The two versions are synchronized. The player uses the controls of the classic pinball machine, that is, the buttons on each side, except that he or she is playing in a virtual world. This opens up <\/span>infinite gameplay possibilities<\/b>! This pinball machine was born of a bit of a joke, but above all of a touch of nostalgia. Today, we’re proud of this achievement, because we’ve succeeded in developing a functional machine that’s available for sale.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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