PortAventura Launches First Mixed Reality Roller Coaster

(eap) Starting tomorrow, visitors to PortAventura theme park will be able to experience what is being described as the “first mixed reality roller coaster”. Titled “El Diablo Neo”, the new experience reimagines the park’s classic mine train ride with the addition of mixed reality technology, taking riders on a journey through a mystical world inspired by ancient Mexican mythology. The attraction marks the debut of “PortAventura Neo,” a new product line that blends storytelling, adrenaline, and digital innovation.

Through the use of special headset-style glasses, the updated mine train experience layers a digital fantasy world over the physical environment of the ride. Unlike virtual reality technology – which has already been used in selected theme park attractions and roller coasters around the world – mixed reality is intended to avoid motion sickness symptoms for riders. According to the park, the coaster’s movements and the virtual content are precisely synchronized. In addition, mixed reality helps preserve a sense of shared experience: Rather than blocking out the real world, it overlays the digital layer onto it, allowing riders to remain visually connected to accompanying family and friends.

“We want to reinvent the future of entertainment,” says Andreu Tobella Brunet, Chief Digital Officer at PortAventura World. “This isn’t just about adding a virtual layer to one of our iconic attractions, but about establishing a new line of technological innovation that will fundamentally transform the way visitors experience adventure with us.”

In addition to “El Diablo Neo,” the immersive spooky attraction “Hysteria in Boothill” in the park’s “Far West” area has also undergone a major redesign. According to the operator, this second-generation mixed reality experience now features a clearer narrative arc, enhanced physical effects such as vibrations, warm air blasts, real vegetation, scent effects, and tactile sensations. New “scare moments” have also been added to intensify the overall experience. Tools such as Midjourney, Move AI, Runway, and ChatGPT were used in the creation of characters, voices, and imagery – delivering a level of visual and conceptual detail said to be unprecedented for a theme park setting. The Spanish company Spatial Voyagers, which previously collaborated with the park, once again served as the technology partner for both of the new mixed reality experiences.

With the launch of its new Neo product line, PortAventura Resort reinforces its ambition to be a pioneer in the technological evolution of leisure offerings. Coinciding with the park’s 30^th anniversary this year, the project marks the beginning of a new creative chapter, one that is supposed to fuse storytelling, sensory immersion, and digital innovation into unforgettable experiences. ■