Virtuix, the company behind the Omni VR treadmill and Omniverse entertainment system, has announced the launch of Omniverse ESPORTS, a cloud-based competitive VR gaming platform.
Omniverse ESPORTS features leaderboards, player rankings and gameplay awards, as well as an online social player hub. What’s more, players in 45 countries can compete for an initial prize pool of $15,000.
“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,” comments 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 announced an initial schedule of monthly prize contests. First up is an Omniverse ESPORTS competition on Saturday, October 27th, 2018, in the U.S. and Canada. This will feature two-player teams battling for the highest score in first-person shooter game Omni Arena (game mode “Core Defense”). The top-twenty teams will receive cash and swag prizes, including $1,000 for the winning team.
- 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
Competitive gaming gives guests a reason to come back
According to Chad Modad, owner of the Omniverse VR arcade in Houston, Texas, this latest esports offering is exactly what his customers want:
“Competitive gaming gives our guests a reason to come back and play every week,” he explains. “They keep going until they beat the top score. And, the prize money is a big motivator too!”
Players can choose from 18 top VR games optimized for the Omni system. Regular hardware upgrades have led to faster player setup, as well as boosting operator ROI, such as Omni Overshoes and a revamped harness without leg straps.
