Jump Into The Light
VR Cinema PlayLab

Jump Into the Light opened in June of 2016 when Dr. Sky Rolnick, Michael Deathless and Mehow Skalski wanted to bring a novel form of futuristic entertainment to the metro area. With a background in software development and programming, including some of the development of the experimental virtual reality device Google Glass, the trio wanted to allow patrons to experience what it’s like to be on the forefront of 21st-century entertainment. People of all ages and generations can experience the interactive VR cinema and photo lab and be instantly transported into a virtual world that appears to be as real as the one we live in.

 

Michael says that one of the primary facets of the entertainment evolution has been bringing a screen with images closer to us. Starting with a movie screen that could be hundreds of feet away, screens have become more accessible and interactive as the distance between them and people have shortened. Computer screens were developed to be within five or ten feet away, then smartphones that can be interacted with as little as one foot away. Now, at Jump Into the Light, they have brought the screen right to the tip of your nose, with their device sitting inside of a headset you strap on to your head. As Michael puts it, the suspension of disbelief is almost immediate, which is how the name Jump Into the Light was born.

Jump Into the Light offers four main experiences at each of their two locations in the city. The experiences total more than an hour of entertainment when put together, with each one offering a different setting and type of virtual reality immersion, from cinemas to interactive developments that put you in control of the environment.

The locations can accommodate a couple dozen people at once, but more room can be reserved at the Hotel Indigo location for corporate events or birthday parties. The St. Mark’s location serves alcohol and food, including vegan options. Private catering is available at Hotel Indigo for larger events.

If a riveting, immersive, state-of-the-art entertainment experience that takes you along for a ride or puts control of a new 360-degree world right at your fingertips sounds inviting to you, then visit one of the two virtual reality locations that Dr. Sky Rolnick, Michael Deathless and Mehow Skalski created, and get ready to Jump Into the Light.

 

Experience 1: Enter the Void
Surrealism cinema meets virtual reality as you take a trip around the world in less than half an hour in this 360-degree adventure of curated films from across the planet. Fly through a Salvador Dali painting, soar over the island of Manhattan in a helicopter and then hop on a surfboard to catch some waves in the Tahitian islands in the Pacific. In Africa, get up close and personal with wild animals before taking a trip to Europe to see a large art fair in London and the Hardon Collider in Switzerland. Other psychedelic scenes will take you on an unforgettable journey.

 

Experience 3: Full Immersion
Walk around a virtual world and complete the tasks of your choice: paint in 3-D in a 360-degree world to create a colorful environment that reflects your imagination and creativity, or battle an onslaught of zombies that come at you from all directions. Ask about other experiences that are being developed and are available at each location.

Experience 4: The Ultimate Selfie
A selfie appropriate for the virtual reality environment. A 3-D body scanner will create a three-dimensional rendering of you that can be easily shared on social media or taken to a 3-D printer to create as lifelike a figurine of yourself as you can get.

 

Experience 2: The Wizard Experience

Here, you are in complete control of the world in front of you. With just a wave of a hand, you can create and move objects in front of you. The interactive experience will take place while sitting down, without the help of a controller. Use your bare hands to customize the space you’re in, and feel free to flip gravity, be as creative as you would like, and experiment with the world you’ve created.

 

Fun Facts

• Jump Into the Light was the first virtual reality cinema to open in New York City.

• One of Jump Into the Light’s founders, Michael Deathless, worked on the development of Google Glass.

• Founder Dr. Sky Rolnick built his own rigs to capture video to put the 360-degree cinematic VR views together.

• Jump Into the Light provides all the equipment for their experiences. Just bring yourself and your imagination.

• The entertainment options range from sitting in a chair to standing up moving around a room while using virtual controls to interact with your environment.

• Food and drinks are served at Jump Into the Light’s St. Mark’s location.

• The Hotel Indigo location just relocated from a previous location at the Bowery.

• Experiences for all ages are offered, from kid and family-friendly videos to battles with zombies or aliens, with a world of exploration in-between.

Getting There

New Jersey:

Take the Garden State Parkway North to the NJ Turnpike North. Take Exit 14 toward the Holland Tunnel. Continue straight onto 12th Street and pass through the tunnel.

 Staten Island:

By Car: Take the Verrazano Bridge to the Brooklyn Queens Expressway East, then take exit 29A toward the Manhattan Bridge.

 

By Mass Transit:
Take X1 bus toward Midtown Central Park via Sixth Avenue. Get off at Fulton Street and walk to the station at Trinity Place and Rector Street station.

For Hotel Indigo: Take the J train toward Jamaica Center and get off at Essex Street. Head north on
Delancey Street and turn right onto Orchard Street.

Hours and Admission:
Sunday: 11am – 11pm
Monday – Wednesday: 1pm – 11 pm
Thursday – Saturday: 11am – 2am

Prices:
General Admission
(Experiences 1 -3)
$45.00 per person, + $3.47 fee

General Admission:
(Experiences 1-3 and Ultimate 3-D Selfie)
$95 per person, + $6.22 fee
Check with each location for a la carte experience prices.

www.jumpintothelight.com

180 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10003