I spent much of 2024 playing darts most days. Like thousands around the country, I was inspired by teenage sensation Luke Littler’s incredible run at the World Championships last year.
I’d always liked darts, but it sent my interest through the roof, and after chucking a few arrows I was hooked and quickly discovered it’s an enjoyable way to chill out on an evening, when you can find a spare half-an-hour (I had a baby this year so those spare minutes are few and far between).
So I was absolutely thrilled to get the opportunity to test out Target’s groundbreaking new gadget – the Omni autoscorer. What’s an autoscorer? Well, it’s a pretty remarkable bit of kit that automatically adds up your darts score for you.
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You pair it up with Target’s app, DartCounter, on a mobile or tablet, and it will call your scores and deduct them from your total. When you’re down to a finish it also tells you what you need, it really is like playing with a real referee.
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Pros:
- Extremely accurate scoring
- Transforms darts playing experience
- Impressive dartboard light
Cons:
- Expensive if you don’t play darts regularly
Setting it up
The Omni arrives neatly packaged with all the bits and bobs you need to get started neatly divided up. Set-up is pretty straight forward and it only took around 30 minutes in total.
The legs need attaching to the main light ring which is simple enough, while there’s a part of the set-up where you have to lock a chip into another slot that comes with a slightly terrifying warning that you can damage the whole device if you don’t do it correctly.
It naturally made me a tad nervous as I went about locking it in, but so long as you follow the instructions it’s all good.
I was interested to see how the Omni would work as far as stability is concerned. Due to space constraints, I use a stand for my dartboard which is a bit less stable than if it was wall mounted, so I was wondering if there’d be any wobble that would affect how it worked.
The arms of the Omni connect to the board via magnets in the same way many ring lights work, but these magnets feel like they’re harbouring the power of Zeus. They are the mother of all magnets and don’t half lock onto the outside ring of the board solidly.
After seeing how strong they were, any concerns about stability were quickly dispelled, while I love how simple it makes the Omni to take on and off. I also have a dartboard in the conservatory downstairs that gets more use over the summer months, so knowing the Omni can quickly be moved between boards is a big plus.
Once you’ve sorted all that, you simply have to download DartCounter (the Omni comes with a 3 month free trial of the premium version which allows you to play against others online), add the device and connect it to your Wifi. To my relief, all that went nice and smoothly, leaving just one final step before it was good to go – calibrating the board.
Again, this was all straightforward, you simply line-up the Omni’s cameras with the appropriate numbers and it does the rest.
First impressions
Once the set-up was complete the first thing I was struck by was how cool it looks. It basically looks like a stylish ring light, while the four cameras are neatly concealed and unobtrusive.
I already had a Target Corona Vision ring light before the Omni and it does stick out a bit further from the board than the Corona. I didn’t account for this when I first plugged it in and gave my head a whack as I stood up – so watch out for that.
The light aspect of the Omni is simply phenomenal and leaves every inch of the dartboard beautifully illuminated. I also love how the circular design of the light means you don’t get shadows under darts in the board like you do on some traditional dartboard lights that only provide lighting from the top of the board.
Trying it out
After the setup was complete, I was so excited to take to the oche and start throwing some arrows. The first three left my hand and I braced for an excitable “one hundredddd and eightyyyy” call. Sadly that will have to be consigned to my dreams for now as I’m pretty sure I hit something pathetic like 26, but hearing the app call out your score for the first time was pretty dazzling.
I set about playing my nemesis – DartCounter’s robot called Dartbot. Dartbot has adjustable difficulty settings to match your ability and offers the chance to play against an opponent when you don’t have a fellow darts player around to challenge.
I’m currently stuck between around levels six and seven, which feels around the right difficulty for me to have a competitive game without being whitewashed by a robot. But how has the Omni fared during these games?
Quite simply, it is absolutely phenomenal. Having a device to call out your scores and automatically deduct the points from your total is like magic, while I also found that it added a welcome pressure to each throw that mimicked being watched while playing a game against a real opponent.
The Omni is also compatible with DartCounter’s online platform, meaning players can take on others around the globe without leaving their homes. One of the common complaints around this format concerns cheating, but playing a fellow Omni user removes that concern.
Another feature I really like about the Omni is a heatmap it gives you after a game. This gives you a broad overview of where your darts are landing and can help to identify any common errors you’re making.
Take me, for example, I have an unbelievably annoying habit of straying into the one segment when aiming for a treble 20. Looking at the heatmap after the game allowed me to see where I’m making daft mistakes and adjust my throw and stance accordingly to combat it.
What’s not so great?
To date I’ve had one dart that was called incorrectly. It landed on the wire in the 3, next to the 19 segment, and the Omni called a 19. However, given the vast number of darts I’ve thrown, just the one incorrect call is very impressive.
At £449.95, it’s obviously not cheap, so it’s going to be one of those products that’s only worth buying if you play darts regularly. If you only play on occasion then you probably won’t get your money’s worth at that sort of price point, but if you do then I’d say it’s good value given the amount of tech involved.
What else is out there?
The main rival to the Omni comes from Scolia. Scolia systems also aren’t cheap, starting at around £445 and going up to £1699.95 for the pro version.
I haven’t tried out Scolia myself, though I’ve heard lots of good things from people in darts Facebook groups.
Board, darts and surround
I was also fortunate to get the chance to try out some of Target’s other new products, including the Tor dartboard, Rob Cross 95k darts and a Luke Littler board surround.
I’m a big fan of the Tor dartboard, retailing at £69.99 on Target, and was particularly impressed with its self-healing properties. I’ve thrown thousands of darts at it and there’s barely a mark on it.
The only issue I had is that the bullseye looks to be slightly off centre on the board I received, which is a shame as it’s excellent otherwise.
I can’t fault the Rob Cross 95K darts (£99.95 from Target) . They come beautifully presented in a box that also features some Rob Cross K Flex flights, 26mm and 30mm Swiss Storm Surge points, plus a Swiss Point tool.
I wasn’t 100% sure about them at first. They’re different and less grippy than the darts I’d been using a lot lately – Shot Viking Ravens (£96.17 on Amazon). My first few throws with the 95Ks were a bit all over the place.
However, I changed the points to some 40mm ones I already had, and the flights to intermediate length and found a drastic difference. I’ve since thrown them a lot and really like them.
The barrel is beautifully balanced and would suit most players, wherever you grip the dart. They’re 95% tungsten and feel quality in the hand – oh, and they look absolutely tremendous.
The Luke Littler surround (£44.95) is a must-have for fans of the Nuke, perhaps emphasised by the fact it’s currently out of stock. There’s not a lot to say about the surround, other than it looks great and does a good job of halting darts if your throw goes astray and you miss the board.
I also feel like surrounds really help me to focus on the board, so if you’ve never tried one I would recommend them.
Where to buy the Omni
Pros:
- Extremely accurate scoring
- Transforms darts playing experience
- Impressive dartboard light
Cons:
- Expensive if you don’t play darts regularly
The Omni retails for £449.95, with Target taking pre-orders ahead of its next shipping date on January 31. Very is another online retailer selling the Omni at the same price.
