Having installed the virtual reality developer Virtuix’s VR Arena, Pinballz, an amusement centre in Austin, Texas, US, reported that the product has exceeded its expectations.
VR Arena is a four-player esports attraction that features four platforms for walking and running inside VR, an automated staging area that keeps throughput at 20 players per hour and social sharing stations for players to upload gameplay videos embedded with the venue’s logo.
The location’s owner, Darren Spohn, said that during its first 10 days of operation, the attraction generated revenues of more than $10,000 from a total of 820 guests, paying $15 per play or $12 as part of a combo package.
“VR Arena is off to a great start,” he said. “Revenues and player numbers have so far exceeded our expectations and technical issues have been minimal. Virtuix’s VR attraction looks awesome and is a big draw for our guests, especially those in the gaming community. The ability to compete in an esports arena and win weekly cash prizes is a big plus.”
VR Arena includes weekly and monthly esports tournaments, organised and sponsored by Virtuix, Funovation, HP and HTC, with an annual prize pool of more than $50,000. The companies plan to install three more VR Arena systems by June and a total of 20 systems by the end of 2019.
“The launch of VR Arena is a big milestone for our company,” said Jan Goetgeluk, founder and CEO of Virtuix. “The initial reactions and orders since our unveiling at IAAPA 2018 have been overwhelming.”
