ESL have announced that ESL One: New York 2016 will be streamed in virtual reality, the first event in to stream VR to the masses.

ESL bring a new way of viewing your favourite matches taking place at ESL One: New York 2016 this October. The tournament organiser has announced that viewers will be able to tune in via virtual reality-supported devices. This is an intriguing new way of spectating matches, as its immersion is eerily realistic.

Stuart Ewen, Product Manager at ESL said:

“We’re very excited to be able to launch our very first VR live stream from ESL One New York with the help of SLIVER.tv.This new method of broadcasting is going to give viewers a taste of what it's like to be in the arena at an esports mega event, and give people a brand new perspective on top level CS:GO through an in-game VR camera. Esports helped to pioneer online video streaming, and we couldn't be more proud to take the next step into the future of broadcast media with this initiative.”

Mitch Liu, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SLIVER.tv expressed:

“We’re looking forward to showcasing our brand new LiveVRCast technology in partnership with ESL. Previously, viewers could only watch recorded clips VOD, rather than live content. This will be the first event to use our turnkey live-streaming platform for tournament, league and team operators to broadcast popular esports games like CS:GO in immersive 360 VR.”

As a reminder, ESL One: New York 2016 is a $250,000 prize pool event, taking place in New York, USA this October 1st-2nd at the Barclays Center. The event will have a total of eight participants, six of which are directly invited and two that qualify via the European and North American qualifiers. So far Astralis have come through as the qualified team, leaving but a single slot for a North American team to fill to finalise the team line-up at the event. 

Image courtesy of ESL