XR/VR Esports
Introducing the VR League, powered by Oculus and ESL (June 1, 2018)
https://esl.com/article/introducing-the-vr-league-powered-by-oculus-and-esl/
First VR Esports (Historical Overview)
Early VR Esports Milestones
2016–2017: The VR League, initially launched as the VR Challenger League, marked one of the earliest formal VR Esports leagues. It was created through a partnership between Oculus, Intel, and ESL (Electronic Sports League).
Key Games Featured:
Echo Arena (by Ready At Dawn): A zero-gravity team sport.
Onward: A tactical military shooter in VR.
Sprint Vector: Competitive movement-based racing.
The Unspoken: Magic-based dueling.
Rec Room Paintball and Space Junkies were later added.
First VR Esports World Finals:
Took place at IEM Katowice 2018.
Marked the first large-scale international competition in VR gaming.
🌐 XR Esports (Concept & Development)
🧠 What Is XR Esports?
XR Esports expands beyond VR to include AR (Augmented Reality) and MR (Mixed Reality) elements:
XR Esports = Competitive gaming involving spatial computing across:
VR headsets (like Meta Quest, Apple Vision Pro)
AR glasses (like HoloLens, Magic Leap)
Mixed Reality environments (room-scale with real-time passthrough or projection mapping)
🎮 Examples and Vision
MR Laser Tag Arenas using headsets or smartphone AR.
AR Drone Racing, where players control drones in physical space enhanced with digital obstacles.
Room-Scale Battle Arenas (e.g., future iterations of Echo VR or Blaston with spatial navigation).
Fitness XR Esports: Titles like Beat Saber, Supernatural, and Les Mills XR could evolve into competitive leagues.
💡 Current & Emerging Platforms
XR Gaming Arcades (Sandbox VR, Zero Latency)
VRChat-based Tournaments using custom-built competitive maps
Apple Vision Pro & Meta Quest Pro games using passthrough MR for local multiplayer
