HTC and gaming firm, International Gaming Technology (IGT), have entered into an exclusive agreement to bring Vive content and hardware to casino floors.

IGT's Virtual Zone is a competition arena designed for casino environments that enables patrons to compete for cash prizes in VR tournaments and enjoy competitive VR games in a physical installation.

The first Virtual Zone is now live at Boyd Gaming's The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, where players can compete in real time within VR for Slot Dollars.

IGT has published an SDK, which is available to developers wanting to create content for the Virtual Zone. VIVE Studios was the first developer to use the SDK, adapting the Arcade Saga game into a product that is designed to be tournament-ready for casino floors.

Entertaining In A New Way

Joel Breton, HTC Vive VP Global Content said, "Arcade-like installations and experiences are skyrocketing across the globe as VR has proven to be a consistent traffic generator in entertainment venues. We are launching a combined platform that can deploy the best complete experiences for VR tournaments or stand-alone VR arcades. This is also a huge opportunity for more consumers to be exposed to amazing VR content."

Enrico Drago, IGT SVP Global Product Marketing Interactive, Betting & Licensing said, "IGT is committed to developing and delivering the most compelling content for our customers across multiple channels and platforms. Arcade Saga is a testament to the usability and relevance of IGT's SDK. HTC successfully adapted one of its most popular VR titles into a solution that IGT customers can leverage to entertain their players in a new way. We look forward to the further expansion of IGT's VR content library through this program".