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AStation opened Cosmos, its fourth mixed reality title at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in September 2026. The titles run on AStation’s Enterverse platform, one added each month since June.
AStation announced Cosmos in a release dated 8 September. The aquarium is the only venue outside Asia running the Enterverse titles, according to the release.
AStation is a founding member of LEXRA, the trade association for location-based XR. LEXRA’s executive director, Bob Cooney, publishes The VR Collective.
Dinosaur Park, a prehistoric forest with a Tyrannosaurus rex, opened on 1 June, according to AStation. Shan Hai Jing, drawn from ancient Chinese legend, followed on 1 July. Wonders, set in the Forbidden City and the Roman Colosseum, opened on 1 August.
Cosmos takes guests through a shark tunnel and into the birth of the universe, according to AStation’s release. Guests watch stars ignite and planets form. They then approach the edge of a black hole, with sea creatures alongside them. The four titles make up the Enterverse library, according to AStation.
“Cosmos is the boldest, biggest swing we’ve ever taken,” said Chris Chen, chief executive of AStation.
Ripley’s Venture Realm opened in June at the aquarium’s Penguin Pavilion, an outdoor area, according to AStation’s June release. Guests wear Apple Vision Pro headsets and walk without tethers through digital scenes layered onto the physical site, AStation said.
The Venture Realm booking site lists sessions of up to 10 players, running 20 to 25 minutes per title. On those figures, 10-player sessions of 25 minutes, held back to back, move at most 24 guests an hour per title. At 20 minutes a session, the figure is 30. The site sells two of the titles, Dinosaur Park and Shan Hai Jing (listed there as Shan Hai Jing Night Odyssey), together for $19.99.
Venture Realm admits guests aged 10 and over and requires every guest to sign a waiver, according to its booking site. For guests aged 10 to 17, the attraction relies on a parent or guardian’s judgment. The booking site cites Apple’s guidance that the headset is designed for users aged 13 and older.
AStation is based in Beijing. Its website lists six venues it opened in China in 2025, including Hangzhou’s West Lake and Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter. The company said global licensing of Enterverse is underway.
For aquarium operators, the booking site’s figures put 10-player sessions held back to back at 24 to 30 guests an hour per title. For platform licensors, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies is AStation’s only venue outside Asia, according to AStation.
What is the aquarium mixed reality experience at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies? It is Ripley’s Venture Realm, which runs AStation’s Enterverse titles on Apple Vision Pro headsets. It opened in June at the aquarium’s outdoor Penguin Pavilion in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Which Enterverse titles run at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies? Four, according to AStation: Dinosaur Park (opened 1 June), Shan Hai Jing (1 July), Wonders (1 August) and Cosmos. AStation announced Cosmos in a release dated 8 September 2026.
How long is a session and how many guests can play? The booking site lists up to 10 players a session and 20 to 25 minutes per title, for guests aged 10 and over. Running sessions one after another moves at most 24 guests an hour at 25 minutes, or 30 at 20 minutes.
Where else does AStation have venues? AStation is based in Beijing, and its website lists six venues it opened in China in 2025. According to AStation, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies is its only venue outside Asia.
