With TI6 just around the corner, Valve are making the final updates to its various support structures. Those include the long-promised and now finally-realised VR spectator mode, allowing you to have a more up-close interaction with replays and heroes. This means you can both float around the map as a god, or see live stats and info in a theatre-like mode.
Finally the Dota 2 heroes given the showcase they deserve.
The VR integration comes with three main modes.
- The theater, where livestreams, replays or ongoing games can be watched with various stats displayed along with a normal overhead Dota camera screen. This is basically the Twitch stream with a VR headset on and some extra bits around the side.
- However, it has the option of selecting the minimap with the controller and porting directly onto the field, letting you move around as an omniscient spirit.
- There’s also a hero showcase, where you can see super-high-def versions of heroes and their various hats.
It’s a fairly incredible bit of tech, and eager fans have already been exploring. This image gallery from Reddit makes it look wonderful, and now I want a Vive just for this tournament. As is standard for the Seattle devs it will likely be improved over time, if rather slowly.
This update comes with changes to the compendium to introduce the fantasy football style elements. The full details of these changes are in Valve’s post. They gift Battle Levels – and therefore prizes – for correct predictions or building good teams of players for each day of competition. There’s even booster packs. Don’t let them drag me in.
Here’s how it looks (skip to two minutes to avoid the hat):