Conor Donahue, CEO & Co-Founder of ACE Virtual Shooting — Interview Series

If you’re on the market for an authentic shooting experience that captures the prowess of a real-life range, then you might want to consider checking out ACE Virtual Shooting, a platform that conveniently touts “over one hundred shooting stages and mini-games along with numerous VR guns, optics, and other accessories.” Not quite convinced? Then be sure to read on as we delve a little deeper into the finer details of the platform and its ongoing efforts to establish dominance in the virtual reality space.

Thanks for being here with us today. Before we delve into the realm of authentic shooting and VR, would you mind introducing yourself to our readers?

Conor: I’m Conor Donahue, CEO and Co-Founder of Ace Virtual Shooting.

Let’s talk about ACE. From its humble beginnings to its most recent successes — tell us more about the studio’s journey into the world of virtual reality and beyond.

Conor: The simulator technology at the heart of Ace Virtual Shooting began simply as a way to enjoy sport shooting more conveniently and affordably. At an early demo of a prototype version, we saw a very enthusiastic response from competition shooters, law enforcement, military, and hobbyists alike. We then invited hundreds of early adopters to join as founding members and provide further feedback on the hardware and software. In late 2023, we launched our product to the public. We have been thrilled by the interest it has generated. Today we have thousands of members across dozens of countries all enjoying the sport of shooting from the comfort of home.

Ace has become a way for everyone from recreational shooters who enjoy plinking with friends to dedicated skill builders to enjoy the sport from home.

Tell us a bit more about ACE Virtual Shooting. How would you best describe the experience, in a nutshell?

Conor: Ace is a shooting simulator at its core. Much like a racecar or flight simulator, we strive to replicate the core aspects of shooting that make it a thrilling and immersive experience. Ace combines both software and hardware that makes that possible.

Our virtual reality application is built for the Meta Quest 2, 3, and 3S VR platforms. It offers over one hundred shooting stages and mini-games along with numerous VR guns, optics, and other accessories. Members can shoot from behind barricades, blast flying drones, or test themselves on classic competition stages from home.

Our hardware consists of a handset on which the Meta Quest VR controller is mounted. Our Ace handset replicates the weight, feel, and trigger of a real handgun. We also offer Kydex holsters so members can practice holster draws anytime and anywhere. We have handsets that replicate a Staccato P, a SIG SAUER P365-XMACRO COMP, and our proprietary design Ace Arctus handset that has a similar grip angle to a SIG P320.

ACE Virtual Shooting touts an “authentic” shooting experience that allows players to feel the weight and impact of a real-life encounter. The question is, how does the experience encapsulate that level of immersion?

Conor: Ace is designed and built by a team that includes competitive sport shooters and military veterans. So authenticity to the shooting sports is very important. Within the Ace VR app, we have replicated the ballistics, height over bore, target physics, visual optics, and other key nuances of the shooting experience. With our physical handset, great attention has been paid to replicating the weight, trigger feel, magazine release button behavior, and dimensions of a handgun. We believe that thrilling immersion happens when the key details of what you see in virtual reality match what you feel in your hands.

Are we right in thinking that ACE Virtual Shooting also introduces various updates and content packs once every several weeks? Would you mind telling us about the next update that you’re planning to implement?

Conor: Ace is a live service product meaning that the in-house software development team is continuously developing new features and releasing new content. As a result, our members always have fresh stages to challenge their skills and exciting new features to build their skills. We just released an exciting new metrics feature, APS, that helps users improve the Accuracy, Precision, and Speed (APS) of their shooting with real time performance feedback and historical analysis. We are about to release Season 3 that will come with new ways to earn a Season Rank, compare yourselves to other competitors around the world, and earn awards. All of this is delivering on our mission to create the most incredible sport shooting simulation available that gives our members ways to build their skills and have fun.

Let’s move away from Virtual Shooting for a moment. Do you have any plans to broaden your portfolio or collaborate with other studios in the future? If so, would you mind telling us a bit about the projects that you’re working on?

Conor: Right now we are fully focused on building the world's best shooting simulator for everyone to enjoy. We look forward to offering even more handset options and shooting content for our members to enjoy.

How can we stay up to date with ACE? Are we able to share any useful social links, newsletters, or upcoming event details with our readers?

Conor: Our Instragram is the best way to learn of updates

We also encourage people to join our Newsletter located at the bottom of our homepage to learn more.

Would you like to add anything to this thread before we wrap things up here?

Conor: As a military veteran led company, we honor and greatly respect those who serve. That is why we are proud to offer military, veterans, and first responders a 20% lifetime discount on Ace. If interested, apply for the discount program here.

We appreciate you taking the time out to speak with us, Conor. Thanks again, and best of luck with ACE Virtual Shooting!

You can find more information on ACE Virtual Shooting by visiting the official website here.