Tag: esports

Microsoft Is Bringing Cutting-Edge Tech Into Gaming

Posted on by Lab Team

Read original story on: Engadget

Gaming is growing increasingly immersive as integrations with cutting-edge technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) deepens. In fact, at the E3 event currently underway, Microsoft just announced a new version of Minecraft built specifically for its HoloLens headset that was demonstrated at E3 yesterday. The company has also teamed up with Oculus for Xbox One game streaming and Valve for VR on Windows 10.

These two announcements may have Sony on high alert, as the competitive company does not offer the compatibility that Microsoft now does. ESPN magazine is at the forefront of the rise of competitive gaming, releasing the first ever issue on e-sports, calling the meteoric rise of professional gaming in recent years “the birth of a new sport”. As eSports continues to grow and gain legitimacy, we expect more emerging technologies to be integrated.

 

 

Event Recap: ESL One New York DotA 2 Championship

Posted on by Richard Yao

With Amazon’s billion-dollar acquisition of video gameplay-streaming platform Twitch, competitive video gaming, often called “eSports”, has matured into a multi-billion industry. And today, we experienced this phenomenon firsthand at ESL One New York, ESL’s second major Dota 2 tournament this year, held at Madison Square Garden Theater .

For some, it might be hard to imagine that people would actually pay over $60 just to watch other people play video games. But as Twitch’s success has proven, there’s definitely a market today for speculating digital gameplay. Video game tournaments have been around long before streaming services like Twitch brought it into mainstream spotlight, but all that added attention certainly doesn’t hurt. In fact, around a thousand enthusiastic game-lovers filled up the spacious venue.

As brands follow where the audience goes, eSports might just become the next frontier for marketers to explore. With help from a plethora of sponsors such as T-Mobile, Pizza Hut, Mad Catz, reed pop, and of course, Twitch, today’s event is professionally organized and legitimately marketable.