Month: February 2022

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News Rocket League

What Akrew’s Disappointing Rocket League Debut Means For Their Future

Akrew Rocket League Team

Akrew found success during the pandemic with the creation of Nookazon and Traderie, two platforms where players can trade and sell video game items. Akrew again found success with the launch of their Valorant esports team, amassing a win streak of over 30 games. They looked to follow up on this momentum when they announced their entrance into Rocket League esports. The organization acquired Vibrance, a North American team comprised of Ty “Astro” Bullinger, Fernando “Fefe” Hulzar, Arlin “Oath” Burns, and substitute Rhys “Gear” Peña. Unfortunately, things have not immediately gone as well as they have with Akrew’s other ventures.

Akrew’s Rocket League team just competed in their first series with the organization, the Winter RLCS 2021-2022 North American Regional Closed Qualifier. The team finished in 12th place with a sub .500 record of 8-9, failing to qualify for the third Regional Event. They’re performance in round one against Torrent was already underwhelming and fell below what we’ve seen from Astro and company in the past. They lost the series three games to two, including two straight overtime losses and a scoreless finale. While playing as Vibrance, this same team finished in second place at the Fall 2021-2022 RLCS North American Regional Event Closed Qualifier with a 9-5 record.

Right out of the gate, it would appear as if the team is was showing signs of regression while playing for their new organization. In reality, it’s more likely that the team is simply not improving at a rate fast enough to rise the ranks. This makes sense considering they’ve operated as a mostly independent team up until this point. Rosters they’ve beaten decisively in the past, like Version1 and XSET, have made it to the main event and are seeing increased amounts of success. The ability to not only compete with but also defeat these teams is there; Akrew will just have to find ways to refine their team strategies and execute new ones.

This could actually be the perfect dynamic since Akrew has more than enough resources to enhance the team’s training, and a talented roster for the molding. From an organization standpoint, Akrew will need to invest in the development of the team and remain patient as their players grow and improve. Both Oath and Fefe just joined the team last year in July with Astro being the only on-field mainstay to this point. He’s been with the team since 2020 and was a part of its revival in May of last year. With a talented and young cornerstone to build around, Akrew has the chance to create their own identity for this squad and etch a unique path.

So what does this mean for Akrew’s future in Rocket League? It means that fans are probably going to see roster changes and gameplay adjustments in the coming year. As the organization becomes more abreast in the esports world, it’s important for them to take their time and avoid expanding too fast. Two teams competing in two different games, especially when one is already struggling, is a tall task as is. Fans should definitely be intrigued by Akrew’s Rocket League venture; and keep an eye on what the adjustments they make for the next series.

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Industry Analysis

How the PlayStation VR 2 Will Innovate the VR Landscape

PlayStation VR Graphic

The official PlayStation VR 2 product page is up, and there’s a lot to unpack. In some ways, Sony is playing catchup, and adapting their next VR product to the landscape of the market. In other ways, the PlayStation VR 2 will offer new innovations that users have yet to see from its competitors. 

Sony has finally made the switch from traditional lenses to Fresnel lenses. Fresnel lenses are already standard for VR headsets, but this change is significant for Sony’s product. PlayStation VR 1 featured traditional lenses with a smooth circular design. Fresnel lenses utilize short, clipped ridges that negate the warped light produced by smoother edges, and create a clearer resolution. On top of that, Fresnel lenses are lighter, cheaper, and more flexible.

Fresnel lens left, Traditional lens right

Despite being the more practical option, Fresnel lenses have their own flaws. They can sometimes produce an optical artifact known as God Rays. This is when light rays bounce off the ridges of the lens into unwanted directions. As a result, small shimmers of light appear in the peripheral of the user. There has yet to be a VR headset that corrects this light distortion… until now.

An example of God Rays on the Oculus Quest via Reddit

Sony seems to have invented a way to counteract this effect according to a recent patent filing. The tech giant claims that new innovations for the PlayStation VR 2 will combat God Rays by adding light-absorbing sections of each lens. These sections will be incorporated as a mask that covers the entire panel, or be built directly into the ridges themselves. If Sony succeeds with their new idea, other VR developers will likely look to play catchup and find their own workarounds. Fans have yet to see what the PlayStation VR 2 looks like, yet they can already expect a whole new experience upon its release. 

Notable upgrades include an increase in per-eye resolution from 960 x 1080 panels up to 2000 x 2040 4k. Users of the first PlayStation VR will be able to switch on the new one and immediately tell the difference. As it stands, the PlayStation VR 2 will have a higher resolution screen and wider field of view than its lead competitor, the Meta Quest 2. Sony has also confirmed that the new headsets will indeed have eye-tracking. This should make things interesting when Horizon Call of the Mountain makes its way to PlayStation VR.

There is zero news regarding the PlayStation VR 2 release date, though many have speculated it will arrive during the 2022 Holiday season.

Categories
League of Legends News

How 100Thieves is Crafting Unique NFTs — and Avoiding Backlash

100T dodged much of the typical backlash with their NFT launch by changing the messaging and branding behind it (image via 100T)

Esports organization 100 Thieves made their entrance into the World of NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) earlier this week with the 100 Thieves Championship Chain digital collectible release. As a free NFT was given away to celebrate the team’s LCS Lock-In victory, the relatively small backlash was one of the more notable factors about the announcement.

NFTs have been a contentious subject within esports and gaming, as many organizations rush to capitalize on the current boom. But the response from fans has been tepid or worse, with examples like Ubisoft Quartz seeing universal criticism and Team 17’s MetaWorms project dead on arrival. 

That’s why 100 T’s relatively uncontroversial release of a digital image of the actual chain they gave their players is so surprising. The team has managed to dodge much of the negative PR. But how exactly did they manage this?

They controlled the narrative

100T Nadeshot introduced the NFT project in a carefully worded video announcement (image via 100T)

Careful use of marketing and branding meant that 100 T’s Championship Chain didn’t initially trigger the automatic backlash that NFTs have garnered. The term NFT is already tainted due to highly publicized scandals, scams, exit cons, etc. Just using the terms “fungible” or even “token” in a release can mean instant death for a launch like this.

Instead, 100T concentrated on the digital collectible aspect, comparing the project to trading cards, comics, and memorabilia. It’s a smart move, as while NFT’s are pretty much radioactive as investments, gaming collectibles and trading cards are surging in value. So while this is also a bubble that is perhaps inflated by disingenuous investment, it’s still a more prestigious and valuable option.

In fact, the first mention of NFTs is in the FAQ section. While savvy consumers will have already noted that you needed to connect a token wallet to get the collectible, the less informed or interested just won’t get that far. The marketing and messaging on this release were targeted at 100T fans who are already investors in crypto, NFTs, and interested in digital collectibles.

It did not make the mistake of attempting to appeal to the general fan base aggressively. This limited the criticism to elements that they’d prepared for. They explained the environmental impact, comparing it to “sending ~2.5 emails.” And they headed off people asking why you’d buy a digital chain by explaining it as an achievement system or a collectible.

They gave it away for free — for a reason

100T’s Championship Chain was a digital replica of a real-world object. Owners of the new NFT will bank on the collectable surging in value in the future (image via 100T)

Giving away the Championship Chain was a smart move for several reasons. Firstly, it’s hard to criticize giving away something for free because it’s free at the end of the day. Secondly, 100T has created a built-in consumer base for its next NFT. 

The release already alluded to the fact that the team hopes “fans can look back on the moments in our history that they were there for and have pride in.” This would suggest the team will be creating more tokens in the future. Whether these will be free or not remains to be seen.

While currently the collectibles “aren’t intended for resale,” there’s nothing to say that will be the case in the future. The high-minded, read between the lines pitch of these tokens is that you will have a collection of 100T Championship collectibles in the future. At some point even further in the future, this exclusive and limited collection will be valuable because of its scarcity. And then, the free token that 100T has given fans will reward both parties with financial boons.

It’s theoretically one of the smartest moves into NFTs we’ve seen in the gaming space so far. But like with most NFT projects, it’s built on assumptions about the future that all parties are now gambling will come true.

Categories
Industry Analysis

What is the Metaverse and Why Meta Invested $10 Billion Into It

Facebook Horizon Worlds

Mark Zuckerberg is all-in on the metaverse! The tech moguls company, Meta, poured $10 billion into their metaverse last year alone. The money has gone to the development of their virtual world, which Zuckerberg hopes to expand for business and personal uses. The future of the metaverse could see users opting to live their lives through these virtual worlds as opposed to normal reality. To understand what this means, one would have to understand what the metaverse is, how it works in the present day, and the future that’s yet to be realized.

Firstly, the metaverse is not a singular place. There are multiple metaverses; some owned by large corporations like Meta, while others are operated independently. Independent metaverses are referred to as decentralized, and have their own unique virtual currencies associated with them. These currencies can be used to purchase things like land, digital assets, and other goods all within the virtual world. Ways of accessing a metaverse would depend on whether or not the world is decentralized; but a PC and VR headset are the most common ways to experience it.

As of now, Zuckerberg’s focus is creating virtual office spaces where people working from home can hold meetings as if they were in person. The COVID-19 pandemic brought us the rise of Zoom and opened the eyes of many companies in relation to the work-from-home model that many look to capitalize on. Meta is also designing virtual homes where users can host friends and socialize in the metaverse as they would in the real world. In 2021, the company opened a virtual reality world of avatars titled Horizon Worlds. Users can access the game via the company’s Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets; which have recently been rebranded as Meta Quest 2 VR headsets.

The almost aggressive rebranding of Meta’s IPs to include the Meta name is a pretty clear signal of what’s to come. The company recently announced that these 3D VR avatars will soon appear on their other apps like Facebook, Messenger and Instagram. The goal seems to be the rapid normalizing and implementation of metaverse activity into everyday life. Pretty soon, it won’t be a foreign concept for people to do their shopping, learning, and even traveling within a metaverse. However, the world has already seen not only the advantages of virtual living, but also the drawbacks that stand to only become more impactful.

The more of a reliance people gain towards metaverses, the more they are at the mercy of these virtual platforms. The metaverse is still in its infancy and there are a lot of unknowns regarding the future of the technology. Blockchain activity is constantly under fire for its perceived effects on the environment, and many who’ve put money into digital assets such as NFTs feel as if they have nothing to show for it in the end. A company like Meta was already able to require Facebook accounts for its VR headset users; and would wield a lot of power if the metaverse became a synonymous part of everyday living. In short, corporations already have leverage over their products and services, but the metaverse could possibly give them leverage over society’s everyday autonomy.

Just to be clear, there is a lot to be excited about as more and more of the virtual world is realized. Meta saw an 8% drop in profits during the final quarter of 2021; which can be chocked up to the $10 billion they’ve invested into their metaverse so far. With not only endless capital, but seemingly endless possibilities, Zuckerberg has the ability to produce something very special.