Virtual-reality gaming venue Zero Latency opens first Illinois location in Schaumburg

Zero Latency, an international virtual-reality gaming venue chain, opened its first Illinois location Friday in Schaumburg with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by numerous local dignitaries.

Mayor Tom Dailly was the first to recognize a different level of energy for this particular new business in the state’s second-largest economy.

“I’m really excited how many people are here,” he said. “We usually don’t get so many.”

The opening marked a nearly two-year journey for Mihir and Rina Patel of Buffalo Grove to transition from enthusiastic patrons to proud franchise owners, along with partner Sagar Patel of Schaumburg.

While on vacation in Germany in May 2023, the couple and their daughter were taken by some of Mihir’s cousins to a Zero Latency location near Munich.

“We played a game, and oh, man, it was so fun, so interactive, so immersive,” Rina said. “It was a blast! On our way back, we couldn’t stop talking about the experience we’d had.”

Already a self-employed civil engineer, Rina applied some of those professional skills to the finding and preparation of the 2,400-square-foot Schaumburg site at 309 W. Golf Road, in the Golf Point Plaza shopping center west of Roselle Road.

Not only does the playing area have to be of a sufficient size, but also free of columns or other obstructions in the middle. That made the search difficult, but the ultimate discovery obvious.

“This was the perfect place, I guess,” Rina said.

“There is no venue this large for virtual reality in Illinois,” Mihir declared.

In fact, they were told by representatives of the Australia-based company’s corporate office that theirs was the best Zero Latency venue in the U.S. so far.

Based on population sizes and income levels, they had narrowed their choices for a first site to Schaumburg, Naperville or Chicago. But living in Buffalo Grove now and Streamwood previously, they knew they’d feel most at home in Schaumburg.

They already are considering a second location in Naperville or Northbrook, and even the possibility of expanding the Schaumburg location without moving by taking over an adjacent tenant space.

But Mihir said the very first challenge the entrepreneurs face is explaining virtual-reality gaming to a wider potential customer base. It’s not a recreational pastime as familiar to everyone, he added.

There are seven different games available. A group during Friday afternoon’s open house was trying out “Undead Arena,” arming themselves with simulated rifles to fight off the horrific creatures that descended upon them as they donned their immersive vision-and-audio headsets.

While remaining aware of each other’s positions in the room, the fictional experience was convincing enough to elicit shouts and screams as they engaged in the adventure.

Mihir said sessions don’t exceed 30 minutes to ensure fatigue doesn’t ruin the memory of the experience.

He pointed out to Dailly the mission statement of the business framed on the wall: “Zero Latency Schaumburg provides next level VR experiences that bring people together, creating vibrant communities through shared, immersive adventures.”

“I like the idea of the team-building,” Dailly said. “That’s absolutely a great idea. I’m very excited to have this here.”