🎮 Inside The Basement VR Experience & Arcade
An interview with owner Keith Johnson on cutting-edge VR, shared experiences,
and why gaming is better together.
Q: Let’s talk VR. What makes your setup different from what people may have tried before?
The biggest difference starts with the headsets we use. At The Basement, we run
Pico 4 Enterprise headsets, which are truly top-of-the-line VR units.
They’re lightweight, comfortable, and balanced — meaning no awkward battery packs,
no cables, and no feeling like you’re carrying supplies across the desert like a mule
with side saddlebags. You put the headset on, and it just feels right.
Q: What about motion tracking? A lot of people worry about that.
That’s another place where our setup really shines. The tracking on these headsets
is excellent, which means we don’t need to strap anything extra to you.
No little green balls on your face.
No trackers on your legs.
No arm sensors taped on.
You just put on the headset, grab the controllers, and jump in. It’s smooth, natural,
and far less awkward.
Q: Is VR at The Basement a solo experience, or can people play together?
Together — 100%.
We offer up to four-player shared VR experiences, which means you can
actually see each other inside the virtual world. You’re not just playing next to
your friends — you’re playing with them.
Battle zombies, compete against each other, or work together in one of our escape
room experiences.
And yes… there’s Alice in Wonderland. When you jump down that rabbit hole…
well, we won’t ruin the surprise.
Q: Can’t people just play online at home with their own headsets?
Absolutely — and we encourage it! If you have a headset at home, use it.
But The Basement is about something different. It’s about togetherness.
At home, VR often turns into one person playing while everyone else watches.
Here, up to four players are inside the experience at the same time —
laughing, reacting, and figuring things out together.
No more watching your cousin play endless levels of Mario without ever getting a turn.
Q: What if you bring more than four people?
First of all — congrats, you have friends 😄
While some players are in VR, others can jump on Xbox, classic arcade games,
or our projected classic NES setup.
There’s always something to do, so nobody’s bored and nobody’s stuck waiting.
Q: What do you really hope people feel after their first VR session at The Basement?
Honestly? A little bit of melancholy.
Not sad because they died too many times fighting zombies…
Not because they couldn’t quite figure out that last puzzle…
But sad because it’s over.
That feeling when you take the headset off and think,
“Wait… already?”
And here’s the good part — that feeling never has to last.
We’re always adding new experiences, new games are being developed all the time,
and there’s always something fresh waiting the next time you visit.
So yes, be a little sad when it ends — but know you’re always welcome back
for another session in The Basement.
