If you didn’t realise it already Valve is firmly dedicated to advancing virtual reality (VR) in as many ways as possible. Whether it’s the partnership with HTC on the Vive head-mounted display (HMD), SteamVR, or bringing esports spectators into the action by streaming the Dota 2 Championships in VR. The tournament is currently underway in Seattle, Washington, and yesterday Valve’s CEO Gabe Newell took to the stage briefly to start the event off, and mentioned how a lot of his time is now spent with VR.
After thanking fans and talking about the tournament Newell said: “I’ve been spending most of my time with the VR team,” reports GeekWire. Valve has also got several VR demo areas setup outside of the main arena, showcasing titles such as Audioshield, Hover Junkers, Space Pirate Trainer and the Dota 2 Spectator mode, to which the CEO commented: “If you have a chance, go check it out, and let me know at gaben@valvesoftware.com what you think.”
Valve released its International Compendium update for Dota 2 a couple of weeks ago, featuring the Dota VR Hub. This allows viewers to watch live matches, replays, and streams in a VR Theater and view a gallery of the heroes in the VR Hero Showcase. The VR Theater includes a minimap so that tournament spectators can select a point on the battlefield, jump into the game world then teleport about at ground level while war rages all around them. Another option is a birds eye viewpoint to get a better overall look at an unfolding battle or then be moved around to pick a better location.
The Dota 2 Championship is now in its sixth-straight year with competitors from around the world hoping to grab some of the $20 million USD prize pool.
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