Go On Down To South Park And Have Yourself A Time

As much-touted revolutionary virtual reality platform Oculus Rift edges ever-closer to its late-2014 or early-2015 consumer release, we're seeing more and more people and companies experimenting with the technology, with varying results.

Among the cooler outcomes of all this energy and imagination for the seemingly endless possibilities of a fully functional VR head-mounted display is a demo created by US production house Tool that allows users to take a truly immersive walk through a recreated, 3D rendition of the town of South Park, as featured on the show of the same name.

The town's design and layout are informed by the recently released RPG South Park: The Stick Of Truth, as well as city-planning hints and guidelines offered up in the most recent season's opening credits.

If you've got an Oculus Rift development kit and a PC or Mac, you can experience the town first-hand over at the South Park VR website.

For the rest of us, we'll just have to make do with this handy video walkthrough, captured by one of the VR program's testers. Have a look, and if you were heretofore unfamiliar with the Oculus Rift, understand why it is set to completely change the gaming, simulator and technological landscape.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the virtual-reality town and its inhabitants is that it was all put together in less than a month. "In a few short weeks in June of 2014, a small group of superfans at Tool came together and created a unique rendition of South Park," a statement on the company's site says. "Using Oculus Rift technology, users are able to step into the shoes of a citizen taking a stroll around the city."

The simulation was created for this year's Cannes Lions Advertising Festival, for which Tool wanted to make a "core piece that ... would make use of the Oculus Rift in all of its glory".

"We needed a free world experience with a bit of an edge and a beautiful simplicity. So naturally we landed on the world of South Park, which was a perfect blend of everything; in addition, we were huge fans of the iconic show," the statement said.

Looking at this footage, two things become immediately obvious: a) they absolutely freaking nailed it, and b) it will be very unsurprising if people end up accidentally starving to death because they forget to leave the Oculus Rift once they're inside.