6 Las Vegas Strip offerings for tech-savvy visitors

As hotel-casinos along the Strip work to broaden their nongaming offerings, many are looking to excite guests with glimpses into the future.

Macquarie analyst Chad Beynon said it makes sense to integrate more technology into gaming spaces.

“VR and new technologies have found success outside of the casino industry,” he said via email. “It makes sense for Strip properties to begin to offer these types of features.”

Here are some of those Strip offerings for tech-savvy visitors.

1. Holographic tic-tac-toe

The Linq Hotel is working to transform itself into an “experiential casino space,” offering guests new technology and games before many other Caesars Entertainment Corp. properties.

Visitors can find a variety of high-tech games across the premises, including a $5 holographic game in which players compete against holographic creatures at tic-tac-toe, a balloon-popping game, and rock, paper, scissors. According to a statement from Caesars, this is the first gesture-controlled hologram game and the first time hologram gaming has been introduced in a casino.

2. Zombie VR

Various properties on the Strip offer virtual reality options that put players inside games.

MGM Grand’s Level Up gaming lounge offers guests multiple experiences inside its “free roam” virtual reality arena. Up to eight players take part in the immersive universes simultaneously. Games include “Zombie Survival” and “Outbreak Origins,” where teams have to survive a zombie apocalypse; “Singularity,” which pits players against rogue robots; and “Engineerium,” where teams solve puzzles in a fantasy world.

3. Star Wars VR

The VOID, another VR experience, can be found at The Venetian’s Grand Canal Shoppes. In the newest game, players can find themselves working alongside the Rebel Alliance on the Star Wars planet of Mustafar. Other games put users in the world of “Ghostbusters,” “Wreck-It Ralph” and the 1893 World’s Fair.

4. Alien roller coaster VR

The Big Apple Coaster at New York-New York combines traditional thrill rides with virtual reality. Last year, the hotel-casino began giving users the option to ride with VR goggles that show riders an animated alien, a spaceship and helicopters throughout the ride.

In addition, Caesars Entertainment offers VR Adventures inside The Linq Promenade. Players can find themselves flying over Las Vegas or exploring a haunted house — among other scenarios — at the attraction.

5. Have a robot make you a drink

The Miracle Mile shopping center at Planet Hollywood has introduced robots to the Strip’s bar scene.

At the Tipsy Robot, customers place their order on a touch screen and watch as one of two robotic arms crafts their cocktail. The robots can make up to 120 drinks per hour, according to the Tipsy Robot website, and each drink takes 60 to 90 seconds to make. When business is slow, the arms can also entertain guests with dance moves.

6. Holographic Michael Jackson

For those who didn’t catch a Michael Jackson performance live, the “Michael Jackson ONE” Cirque du Soleil show at Mandalay Bay offers the next-best thing. Along with the usual acrobatics and dance numbers Cirque is known for, the show features a holographic version of Jackson, performing his iconic dance moves as he sings “Man in the Mirror.”

The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson. Las Vegas Sands operates The Venetian and Palazzo.

Contact Bailey Schulz at bschulz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0233. Follow @bailey_schulz on Twitter.