Company History
From the SEC Filing:
VirTra Systems, Inc. was organized in 1996 to operate theme concept microbrewery restaurants. In 1997, we acquired First Brewery of Dallas, Inc., which operated the former Hubcap Brewery & Kitchen of Dallas, Texas (later renamed The Schooner Brewery brewpub). As a result of several factors, including relatively strict laws that apply to craft brewers in Texas, we found it difficult to develop this initial business, and we closed our microbrewery operations in early 1999.
In December of 1997, we acquired all rights to 'Net GameLink™ , an interactive entertainment system designed to allow a number of players to compete with one another in a game via an intranet or the Internet. From 1999, when we closed our microbrewery operations, until we acquired Ferris Productions, Inc. as described below, we had been devoting substantially all of our efforts to implementing the 'Net GameLink™ product and our operations were limited to development, construction, and beta-testing of the initial 'Net GameLink™ prototype system.
In February, 2000, we changed our jurisdiction of incorporation from Nevada to Texas. We maintain our corporate office at 440 North Center, Arlington, Texas 76011, and our telephone number is (817) 261-4269. We also maintain engineering, technical, and production offices, and a demonstration facility, at 5631 South 24th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85040, with a phone number of (602) 470-1177.
In September, 2001, we completed the acquisition of Ferris Productions, Inc., a leading developer and operator of virtual reality devices. “Virtual reality” is a generic term associated with computer systems that create a real-time visual/audio/haptic (touch and feel) experience. Virtual reality immerses participants into a three-dimensional real-time synthetic environment generated or controlled by one (or several) computer(s). Ferris Productions designed, developed, distributed, and operated technically-advanced products for the entertainment, simulation, promotion, and education markets. The acquisition provided us with a wider array of products within our industry, an experienced management team, an existing revenue stream, and established distribution channels.
Our “immersive virtual reality™” devices are computer-based, and allow participants to view and manipulate graphical representations of physical reality. Stimulating the senses of sight, sound, touch, and smell simultaneously, our virtual reality devices envelop the participant in dynamic filmed or computer-generated imagery, and allow the participant to interact with what he or she sees using simple controls and body motions. Virtual reality products to-date have typically employ head-mounted displays that combine high-resolution miniature image source monitors, wide field-of-view optics, and tracking sensors in a unit small and light enough to be worn on the head. These products usually surround the participant with dynamic three-dimensional imagery, allowing the user to change perspective on the artificial scenes by simply moving his or her head. Virtual reality devices have in the past been used primarily in connection with electronic games, as, by surrounding the player with the sights, sounds, and smells he or she would experience in the real world, play is made far more realistic than it would be if merely presented in a two-dimensional flat screen display. Our historic areas of application have included the entertainment/amusement, advertising/promotion, and training/simulation markets.
