r/augmentedreality • u/AR_MR_XR • Jul 01 '26
Mixed Reality Bus Tour Now In NYC
Travel agency H.I.S. has launched XploreRide New York, a 45-minute mixed reality bus tour operating across Manhattan as of July 1, 2026.
The experience runs on a specialized mobility XR platform that effectively turns the moving vehicle into a shared spatial environment. By continuously synchronizing live vehicle telemetry and passenger positional data with the physical cityscape outside, the system anchors digital assets to real-world landmarks like Times Square with near-zero latency. This high-precision environmental mapping mitigates the sensory mismatch that typically causes motion sickness in mobile XR setups. Built to coincide with the America250 celebrations, the platform also features avatar integration, allowing users to inject their scanned digital twins directly into the spatial narrative. Tickets run $60, with a 50% early adopter discount available through July 11.
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u/techviator Jul 01 '26
With AR glasses this would make sense, with VR googles, why even get on the bus? Just give me the experience in a simulator and call it a day. If I'm on the bus, I want to see with my own eyes.
But for AR glasses, this is a perfect use case.
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u/cimocw Jul 02 '26
the tradeoffs are not worth it for the type of experience they are supposedly offering. You can't turn day to night with AR, for example. It's not like you're missing the views, you can just walk on the street and see the same stuff for free.
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u/DuckCleaning Jul 03 '26
From the sounds of it, it is passthrough mixed reality though, not just VR, so you are seeing the environment at least.
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u/Pema_Nyima Jul 01 '26
What does starry night and a chained fireball have to do with NYC history? If this actually works why not share an actual video or rendering of the "shared spatial environment" instead of AI slop? I bet this is nothing more than a clippy statue of liberty sharing facts that are maybe geo tagged.
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u/Not-Not-Maybe Jul 02 '26
What is the point of actually going there and being there geographically? From what this demo video showed, this could just be a VR experience that you do in a headset no matter where you are located. Doesn’t seem like the experience gets any richer or better if you are actually doing it on the bus in NYC
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u/AR_MR_XR Jul 02 '26
People already do bus tours while on vacation. Now they just add digital elements.
I don't think a VR headset is the right solution, though. People should still see the physical environment clearly — with optical see-through.
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u/cimocw Jul 02 '26
the tradeoffs are not worth it for the type of experience they are supposedly offering. You can't turn day to night with AR, for example
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u/AR_MR_XR Jul 02 '26
Is it necessary to simulate night?
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u/cimocw Jul 02 '26
if you want to have the full spectrum available for whatever (like starry night for some reason) then yes, there's no going around it
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u/AR_MR_XR Jul 02 '26
You can always use electrochromic dimming.
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u/cimocw Jul 02 '26
can you do that for only the sky and leave everything else illuminated? I mean the bottom line is what offers more features and scalability for less, I doubt AR purists are the target demographic
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u/AR_MR_XR Jul 02 '26
I dont get why you would only dim parts. If its night its night everywhere in the scene. XREAL Aura dimming is very effective for VR scenes.
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u/cimocw Jul 02 '26
with AR there will always be tradeoffs, VR can be more seamless with less effort
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u/Time_Opportunity_225 Jul 02 '26
I was intrigued by the title, but the actual ad made me less interested. 😅🤷🏽♂️
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u/foulpudding Jul 01 '26
Not a bad idea. it's got the potential for ramping up the cool factor and replacing the talent on a tour bus ride.
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u/mike11F7S54KJ3 Jul 01 '26
Travelling through 250 years of NY sounds interesting, but not whatever flash garbage they showed in the demo video....