Beat Saber is a rather popular title, in fact, it’s not that far short of a virtual reality (VR) phenomenon as it’s still classed as an early access title on PC. This past month has seen the title appear numerous times on VRFocus, most recently thanks to the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019 and the Game Developer Choice Awards where Beat Saber won the Best VR/AR Game category. Today’s news is slightly different, with a new tournament being announced called Beat Master, scheduled for 2020 as a charitable event.
The Beat Master tournament is all in the aid of a charity called Over and Above, which is the registered working name of the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust Charitable Fund. Over and Above raises funds to help go beyond what the NHS is able to provide for patients, their families and staff. Beat Master aims to help towards a new £1.5 million GBP fundraising appeal to build a new centre on the grounds of North Devon District Hospital to support people with cancer and other illnesses.
So to help the appeal organisers have turned to rhythm action experience Beat Saber. Open to all UK residents aged 18+, the tournament will use the PlayStation VR version for the finals. While the finals take place next year, this year is all about signing up and qualifying. To enter will cost you £20 and you’ve got until 31st January 2020 to signup. The tournament is over 6 rounds and is based around points scored in game rather than failing to complete the match (the NO FAIL mod will be turned on for every match).
Once signed up, for round one you will play two songs – $100 BILLS (Difficulty: Normal) & Angel Voices (Difficulty: Hard) – take screenshots of your scores and good cuts and email them to the organisers. The top 32 scorers will go on to Round 2.
So what do you get for entering? Apart from your money going to a good cause and bragging rights should you win, Beat Master has got some good prizes in store thanks to companies like Force Sabers UK donating to the event. While prizes are still being finalized, there will be a Force Sabers UK Renegade Lightsaber with red blade, Sony PlayStation 4 Pro, 12 months PlayStation Plus membership, Nintendo Classic Mini, £50 Costa Coffee gift card, £50 Game gift card and more on offer.
And if you’re quick you might not even have to pay the entrance fee. Over on the Beat Master Facebook page you have the chance of winning one of five free entries to the tournament. Just follow the instructions and do it before Saturday 6th April 2019.
Head on over to the Beat Master website for further info, and as the tournament progresses VRFocus will keep you updated.