SLIVER.tv, a next-generation eSports 360º virtual reality entertainment platform, is officially launching its VR Live Cast and Live Replay platform. It’s designed for top league operators to live stream top titles, including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends and Dota2 in full 360 Virtual Reality.
VR Live Cast utilises patented “Virtual Camera Array” technology that offers viewers, real-time rendering of the 3D game world in a fully immersive 360 VR video experience.
SLIVER.tv’s turnkey VR Live Cast solution includes:
- On-site production services, including secure integration with tournament game servers;
- Real-time 360 capture and Live Replay rendering GPU technology;
- VR streaming and content delivery platform;
- End user esports viewer apps available across all desktop, mobile and VR platforms;
- Post-event tournament highlights and videos on-demand (VODs)
The company has been Beta testing its turnkey solution for the past two months, working closely with ESL ONE NY in October and IEM Oakland in November. The most recent event drew over 130,000 unique viewers across SLIVER.tv’s platform and drove 40% greater engagement and 13x more video content consumed over the first event.
Stuart Ewen, Product Manager ESL, said: “SLIVER.tv’s VR Live Cast technology helped us introduce live VR spectator experiences in esports at ESL One New York and Intel Extreme Masters Oakland in impressive fashion. Broadcasting Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends in-game footage in a VR environment is something that would not have been possible without SLIVER.tv’s expertise. We’re looking forward to watching this technology grow and evolve as we broadcast more and more events in VR.”
SLIVER.tv’s unique VR Live Replay patent pending technology utilises machine vision and algorithms to identify exciting moments and automatically generates slow-motion or bullet-time special effects with close-up and fly-by camera angles. This instant replay is spliced back into the SLIVER.tv live 360 VR stream, and optionally made available to tournament and league operators to incorporate into existing broadcasts to other platforms including Twitch.
Mitch Liu, Co-founder and CEO of SLIVER.tv, said: “We’re truly excited about our VR Live Replay platform as it delivers a new and dynamic perspective on esports spectating beyond today’s current static streaming experience. By leveraging our virtual camera array technology, we’re able to generate both immersive 360 and regular video highlights, replays and special effects from angles that’s never been seen before. We hope to deliver an out of this world experience to esports fans worldwide.”
Esports Insider says: It’s always been interesting to see how VR would be compatible with esports – as many are dubious about it ever being used in a competitive nature. The spectator angle of it is intriguing and although we’ve not tried the SLIVER VR it seems to have great reviews. We could reach a point in the not so distant future where spectators consistently watch in VR – who knows.
