The developer of the Omni virtual reality treadmill and VR Arena esports attraction, Virtuix has announced that HTC and HP have become official prize providers for the 2019 Omniverse ESPORTS tournament series.
The cloud-based competitive gaming platform offers weekly and monthly prize contests. Players at participating entertainment venues in 45 countries compete for the top spot on global leaderboards to earn prizes from a $50,000 annual pool. In addition to cash prizes, each month’s winning team will receive a complete HTC Vive VR system. The runners-up will receive an Omen Mindframe headset provided by HP.
VR esports – all the rage
“We are thrilled that HTC and HP will partner with our esports series,” says Virtuix founder and CEO, Jan Goetgeluk. “VR esports are the latest rage, especially for location-based entertainment.”
Using Omni treadmills – as pictured above – each Omniverse ESPORTS tournament last four days, featuring teams of two. In addition, weekly contests for four-player teams will be staged using Virtuix’s VR Arena – as pictured below. At the end of 2019, the best teams in each game will be invited to compete for the title of Omni World Champions.
“The Omni motion platform is the only VR hardware that adds the physical engagement of walking and running to the gaming experience,” says Goetgeluk. “That physical element combined with multiplayer gameplay and competition results in high repeat play.”
Compelling contests
At the latest esports tournament from Virtuix held in November last year, the top 20 teams played on average six times trying to beat the top score. Other physical events have been held in Las Vegas and Shenzhen, China. The first global Omniverse ESPORTS contests will be held January 24 to 27. The plan is then to stage further cloud-based tournaments on a monthly basis. See the full schedule here.
“We are excited to participate in the Omniverse ESPORTS contest series,” says Joanna Popper, global head of VR for location-based entertainment at HP. “Virtuix has built a competitive gaming experience that requires both videogaming skills and physical fitness. Such active esports offer a unique way for entertainment venues to reach a new audience of gamers, build a community of frequent players and showcase the groundbreaking technology that HP is known for.”
