Steam breaks concurrent player record as gamers stay indoors
The new mark is 20,313,476 gamers playing simultaneously
PC Gaming
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Weavr eSports App Completes First VR Broadcast During Dota2 Event in Hamburg
Formed in January 2019, the Weavr consortium – made up of ESL, Rewind, Dock10, Cybula, FocalPoint VR and the University of York, the idea was to create a technology platform geared towards esports. After an initial test at ESL One Birmingham in August, the app hit a major milestone by making the app publicly available on Android for the Dota 2 event in Hamburg. The event also saw Weavr’s first virtual reality (VR) broadcast take place.
Weavr’s Dota2 Companion allows fans either at the stadium or in their own home to enhance their esport experience with features such as a live intelligent map offering real-time hero status, lane analytics, tower overlays, and AI-powered win prediction. Then there are head to head stats so you can track and compare the performance of players in real-time. One of the more unique features is the Weavr Performance Index, a statistic driven by machine learning showing how each player affects their team’s chance to win.
The VR implementation was far more restricted at this point, broadcast live to some of the ESL Play community in the UK.
“We said at the start of this project that we wanted to move away from linear ‘one-for-all’ coverage towards hyper-personalised experiences. Here at Hamburg we have just taken a huge step towards reaching that goal. Experiences are tailored to each viewer’s interests, they are fully interactive, and provide individualised insights into matches in real-time,” said James Dean, ESL UK CEO in a statement. “And it’s not just fans here in Hamburg who have been impressed; people have also been downloading the app from home. The feedback we have received both here in Hamburg and further afield has been fantastic, and we are already planning for the next stage at ESL One Birmingham which takes place next year.”
“While spending time with the Weavr team at ESL One Hamburg, it became clear that the work they are doing has the potential to grow into something that is an integral part of the esports viewing experience; benefiting both the broadcaster & the viewer,” adds Robson ‘TeaGuvnor’ Merritt, Dota 2 player and coach.
If you’re a fan of Dota 2 and watch the matches then download the Weavr companion app here for Android. Be aware that it’ll only be fully compatible when the Weavr team attend select live events. As further details of the VR functionality are released, VRFocus will let you know.
Bigscreen Beta Will Officially Host The International 2019 DOTA 2 Tournament Next Week
Bigscreen Inc. has been rolling out the updates for its popular cross-platform app Bigscreen Beta, with the most significant being July’s Bigscreen TV feature. This has allowed the app to become more than just a screen-sharing social app, evolving it into an entertainment portal in its own right. While there are a bunch of channels to watch, Bigscreen Beta is looking towards the eSports market to attract new users, announcing The International 2019, the DOTA 2 eSports tournament will be officially streamed via the platform next week.
Taking place in Shanghai, China, The International 2019 has a prize pool of $32 million USD, helping it retain its place as the biggest eSports tournament in the world – the recent Fortnite World Cup had a $30 million prize pool. And for all those fans who can’t head over to China to watch, they don’t need to thanks to Bigscreen Beta.
This isn’t the first time Valve has streamed this competition in virtual reality (VR), originally experimenting with the feature in 2016 for HTC Vive owners. Bringing it to Bigscreen Beta, on the other hand, opens the tournament up to even more viewers thanks to the apps support of multiple platforms such as HTC Vive, Valve Index, Windows Mixed Reality, Oculus Rift/Rift S, Oculus Go, Oculus Quest, and Samsung GearVR.
Watching The International 2019 DOTA 2 tournament live via Bigscreen Beta also means you can customise avatars, change virtual environments, and voice chat with friends and other DOTA 2 fans.
The International 2019 DOTA 2 tournament schedule is as follows:
- 15th – 18th August – Group Stage featuring 18 teams divided into two groups.
- 20th – 24th August – Main Event
- 25th August – Finals (First place nets $14 million)
That’s not all Bigscreen Beta has planned. “As Bigscreen makes a bigger push into eSports, we plan to create an “eStadium” virtual environment where fans can gather together to cheer for their favourite teams,” notes Bigscreen Inc. CEO and founder Darshan Shankar in a blog post.
At the end of the week Bigscreen Beta will be launching a new environment to enjoy, a new modern-themed cinema. The app is free on all the aforementioned headsets, and as further updates are released, VRFocus will let you know.
Watch DOTA 2 pros fight for millions at The International 8
The International 8 is a big deal. Check out our guide on TI8 for a closer look at how the global tournament works, where to watch it, and this year's biggest players.
The post Watch DOTA 2 pros fight for millions at The International 8 appeared first on Digital Trends.
‘Dota 2’ is hopping on the battle royale train in its own unique way
Dota 2's 2018 Battle Pass brings three new game modes into the mix, including The Underhollow, a battle royale-style mode that tasks players with searching for rare cheese and battling to the death. The playing field shrinks, too.
The post ‘Dota 2’ is hopping on the battle royale train in its own unique way appeared first on Digital Trends.
Win a HTC Vive as Part of 2017 Dota 2 Championships
High-end virtual reality (VR) isn’t the cheapest past time to get into, every so often the big companies run a competition or two, giving away a free headset. Recently, HTC has been doing just that running a survey giveaway offering three VR systems. While that’s now ended there still another chance to grab yourself a free HTC Vive, with the company running a competition celebrating the International 2017 Dota 2 Championships.
HTC Esports sponsors both Cloud 9 and Team Liquid both of whom made it through to the championship – EU Team Liquid were the eventual champions, winning a $10.8 million USD prize.
For those who own HTC Vive (or Oculus Rift) and Dota 2, the entire event was live-streamed in VR for a second year, giving viewers up close access to the action.
If you’re keen on getting the HTC Vive then all you need to do is head to HTC’s competition page and follow the instructions. Not only will the winners get a VR system they’ll also receive one Cloud 9 Black Triblend T-Shirt and one Team Liquid Tech T-Shirt.
There are plenty of ways to enter with a total of 19 entries per person. The competition is open to those in North America, Europe, and Taiwan. Be quick mind, there’s only 11 hours left.
For the latest HTC Vive news, keep reading VRFocus.
OpenAI bot crushes top players at Dota 2 tournament
At The International in Seattle, an AI bot from Elon Musk’s OpenAI venture overwhelmed several of the best pro players in the world at the Dota 2 tournament, showcasing remarkable advances in the development of artificial intelligence.
The post OpenAI bot crushes top players at Dota 2 tournament appeared first on Digital Trends.
Valve has a brand-new game in the works, but it’s not ‘Half-Life 3’
Valve has a new game up its sleeve and it's nothing to do with its Half-Life franchise. While that may leave fans disappointed, DotA 2 players can look forward to an expanded universe in the form of Artifact, a CCG.
The post Valve has a brand-new game in the works, but it’s not ‘Half-Life 3’ appeared first on Digital Trends.
DOTA 2 International Main Event Will Be Livestreamed Today In VR
Today, Valve officially announced that the DOTA 2 International tournament’s Main Event will be livestreamed from the KeyArena in Seattle, WA. It started at 10AM PT today and can be watched live online, on TV, at local pubs, and once again this year, also in VR. More details on viewing options can be found here.
Almost a full year ago exactly, during last year’s DOTA 2 International, Valve added the VR Spectator Mode to its popular MOBA. The mode is of course still alive and kicking and is now referred to as the DOTA 2 VR Hub.
This year’s International Main Event sees players competing for a record-setting prize pool of over $23 million, which is reportedly the largest purse in all of Esports. Last year’s record was $20.7 million so this year’s is off to a huge start. The International takes place from today, August 7th, through Saturday, August 12th.
Watching in VR while people outside of VR play DOTA 2 isn’t exactly the same as a VR game getting competitive tournament support, but it’s still a good sign that Valve, one of VR’s biggest supporters, is adding features to its most popular games. Intel is sponsoring a Challenger League later this year for both The Unspoken and Echo Arena, which should be a big help towards putting VR on the map as a serious category for Esports competition.
What do you think of DOTA 2’s VR Hub? Let us know down in the comments below!
Tagged with: DOTA 2