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Samsung's CES 2017 4D VR rides rock you every which way

The company's demos make you physically feel what you're seeing in Gear VR goggles.

Shara Tibken
Shara Tibken was a managing editor at CNET News, overseeing a team covering tech policy, EU tech, mobile and the digital divide. She previously covered mobile as a senior reporter at CNET and also wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. Shara is a native Midwesterner who still prefers "pop" over "soda."
Shara Tibken
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1 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung VR rides at CES 2017

To show people what virtual reality can do, Samsung's been offering 4D VR rides at trade shows, its New York office and other venues that make you physically feel the virtual reality videos you're watching on a Gear VR.

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2 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung VR rides at CES 2017

You strap on the VR device as you sit in a special seat that uses hydraulics to physically simulate the virtual twists and turns of a roller coaster or Santa's sleigh. You get jerked back and forth, making it feel like you're on a real ride.

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3 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung VR rides at CES 2017

This demo, space racing, was the most intense Samsung offered.

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4 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung VR rides at CES 2017

It features three seats in a sort of gyroscope. The seats look more like actual roller coaster seating than something for a tech demo.

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5 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung VR rides at CES 2017

You're flipped back and forth as you careen through outer space.

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6 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung VR rides at CES 2017

Samsung's 4D VR demo flips you every which way.


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7 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung VR rides at CES 2017

Samsung's 4D VR demo is a wild ride.

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8 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung VR rides at CES 2017

Another demo, air show, straps users into chairs that move every which way. You're a passenger on a high-powered stunt plane flying over Sydney harbor toward Bondi Beach.

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9 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung VR rides at CES 2017

You're flipped upside down during an acrobatic air show above the beach.

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Samsung VR rides at CES 2017

This is what you see during the flying demo.

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11 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung VR rides at CES 2017

For the skeleton winter sports simulation, you lie flat on your stomach as a Samsung booth worker tightens a strap around your legs. With this demo, you race 1,450 meters down a skeleton track in Vancouver, Canada

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12 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung VR rides at CES 2017

The final demo, boat racing, is the tamest. It tilts you here and there as you speed through South Australia's Murray River on a 12-foot dinghy.

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13 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung VR rides at CES 2017

Another demo is a robot wars game that has you pick up virtual buildings to throw at your opponent.

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