‘Pistol Whip’ VR Tournament Kicking Off in March with $10,000 Prize Pool

Open to at-home players and VR arcades

By
Scott Hayden
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SpringboardVR, the content distribution platform for VR arcades, has partnered with Cloudhead Games and eSports organizers The Virtual Athletics League (VAL) to bring a Pistol Whip (2019) tournament next month to more than 500 arcade locations as well as at-home players.

The competition is slated to take place over three weekends in March, including an at-home section open to anyone from March 13-14 and a global VR arcade section co-hosted by SpringboardVR from March 18-22. The Grand Finals are set to take place in Salt Lake City, Utah on March 29th, and will include the top three finalists.

Outside of an all-expenses-paid trip to VAL’s headquarters in Salt Lake City, tournament participants will be vying for cash prizes, and other giveaways such as an Oculus Rift S, various swag, custom mixed reality avatars from Wolf3d, and other VIP packages. Here’s a breakdown of the prize pool structure:

Image courtesy VAL

“This tournament is our largest yet, and we are deeply grateful to all those we are working with here to bring this VR esports revolution to the world,” said Ryan Burningham, CEO and founder of the Virtual Athletics League.

More information about the competition and player sign ups forms are available on VAL’s website.

Developed by Cloudhead Games, Pistol Whip essentially marries rhythm and shooting in a package that feels a bit like a mashup between Superhot VR (2017), Beat Saber, and Smash Hit (2015). 

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15 Minutes of 'Pistol Whip' Dual-wielding Gun Kata Gameplay

The core of the gameplay consists of both physically dodging enemy bullets as they approach and firing back at baddies on the beat as you’re automatically pushed forward through a level—all the while underscored by a thumping EDM track.

It’s also garnered plenty of positive reviews since it launched in November 2019. It holds a ‘Very Positive’ user rating on Steam, [5/5] stars on Viveport, and well over 4 stars on the Oculus Store for both Rift and Quest. Not only that, but Road to VR crowned it ‘Best SteamVR Game of 2019’.

Check out our deep dive review of Pistol Whip to learn more about what makes this stylish rhythm shooter tick.

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Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • Mateusz Pawluczuk

    Great idea but what if someone gets a full perfect score with 200s on every shot and with deadeye on :) And then how do you beat that? This could possibly lead to a draw in case we get two ultra-skilled players :)

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