Virtuix, developer of the Omni virtual reality treadmill and Omniverse entertainment system, has launched Omniverse Esports, a competitive VR gaming platform for Omni’s location-based entertainment operators.
Omniverse Esports is cloud-based and includes local and global game leaderboards, player rankings based on achievement points and gameplay awards and an online social player hub. Players in 45 countries can participate in monthly esports contests and gaming tournaments, competing for an initial prize pool of US$15,000 at more than 500 commercial entertainment venues around the world that operate Omni systems.
“The Omni has spread to more than 500 commercial sites on five continents, and we’re excited to bring Omniverse Esports to all of them,” said Jan Goetgeluk, founder and CEO of Virtuix. “Without any extra effort from operators, our competitive gaming platform will drive additional customer traffic to their venues and build a customer base of repeat players. Competitive gaming on the Omni is a true spectacle for the audience, but our main objective is to drive repeat gameplay and, ultimately, good ROI for our commercial operators.”
Virtuix has released an initial schedule of monthly prize contests. The first Omniverse Esports competition will be held on October 27 in the US and Canada, featuring two-player teams battling for the highest score in the popular first-person shooter game Omni Arena (game mode Core Defense). The top 20 teams will receive cash and other prizes, including US$1,000 for the winning team.
Further events are also in the diary:
• October 27: Omni Arena – “Metropolis” level • November 13-16: Omni Arena – “Metropolis” level • December 22: VRZ: Torment • January 26: TRAVR: Training Ops • February 23: Omni Arena – “Coliseum” level
“Omniverse Esports is exactly what our guests want,” said Chad Modad, owner of Omniverse VR, a VR arcade in Houston, Texas, that operates four Omni systems. “Competitive gaming gives our guests a reason to come back and play every week. They keep going until they beat the top score. And the prize money is a big motivator too!”
The Omniverse entertainment system now includes 18 top VR games optimised for the Omni system and location-based entertainment standards. Over the past year, Virtuix also released numerous hardware upgrades to reduce player setup times and boost operator ROI, including Omni Overshoes and a revamped harness without leg straps.
Omniverse Esports is included free of charge with the Omniverse entertainment system.
