Technologies
Overview
About Ignite Pickleball
Ignite Pickleball is an association dedicated to bringing the fun of pickleball to more communities. Ignite works with facilities, clubs, and organizations to plan, manage, and promote pickleball events and tournaments.
Services
I felt as though they genuinely cared for the project’s success, despite it not being a huge revenue producer for them in the immediacy. The team first connected with me on what exactly we were looking for, and then contacted me every step of the way as they worked to make the vision a reality.
Matt LandoltDirector of Operations at Ignite Pickleball, LLC
Their Challenge
Pickleball, dubbed the “fastest growing sport in America” by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, has seen record growth over the past several years. What started as a combination of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong in Bainbridge Island, Washington has curated over 8 million players across the United States.
Those familiar with the sport know just how dedicated the player base is. Ignite Pickleball wanted to provide more ways to practice and play for those who can’t always make it to the court.
Our Solution
Virtual reality, with its fully immersive capabilities, offers a unique way to engage with this up-and-coming sport. Saritasa worked closely with Ignite Pickleball to design and develop a realistic pickleball simulation. The experience allows players to practice basic pickleball skills, from serving to returns and beyond, in a realistic environment.
Our Approach
What Saritasa Did
Unity Development
Our team built the Pickleball virtual reality experience in Unity for the Meta Quest 2 headset. The experience is a pickleball simulator for training and practice, for pickleball enthusiasts or those new to the sport. The player can practice serves, return shots, drop shots, dink shots, and slam shots.
Custom Physics Engine
The key to delivering a realistic experience was making sure the physics mimicked the real world. Our team worked with an existing physics engine and implemented custom rules to optimize the gameplay experience. The biggest challenge was understanding the velocity of the ball and how it would change based on the player’s hit.
Minimum Viable Product
Knowing that both pickleball and virtual reality are trending topics, Ignite Pickleball was determined to be the first to market with an engaging VR pickleball experience. Time was of the essence. Our team worked closely with Ignite to craft a minimum viable product that contained the core functionality while still delivering in record time.
