Catch up on stories from the past week (and beyond) at the Slashdot story archive

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Games

Garmin Introduces Esports Fitness Smartwatch For Streamers (gizmodo.com) 24

Garmin has launched the Instinct Esports Edition, a "rugged GPS smartwatch uniquely designed for esports athletes and enthusiasts to take their gaming performance to the next level." How is that possible, you ask? Gizmodo explains: Well, for starters, the watch adds an esports activity for tracking so you can monitor your heart rate and stress during a game. Garmin also developed a new PC streaming tool that's called, sigh, STR3AMUP!, so you can create overlays that let viewers know your heart rate, stress, and "body battery" level in realtime. Did I mention this watch is also $300? "Elite athletes around the world depend on Garmin products to monitor and improve their performance," Garmin's VP of Sales Dan Bartel said in the press release. This, so far, is a true statement. The following is more dubious.

"With the Instinct Esports Edition, esports athletes can tap into that same technology to track and examine how their body responds to intense competition. Players can also use Instinct's data to make adjustments in their daily lives, whether it be altering sleep patterns or activity levels, which can result in increased cognitive and physical performance during play." [...] The Instinct Esports Editions specs are truly bananas. This watch has a transflective screen, which is normally found in watches geared toward outdoor activity for visibility under direct sunlight. It's also rated for 10 ATM of water resistance, or a depth of 330 feet. That is double the rating that is widely considered safe for swimming. In terms of sensors, it also sports a compass, barometric altimeter, and thermometer on top of the usual accelerometer and built-in GPS.

This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Garmin Introduces Esports Fitness Smartwatch For Streamers

Comments Filter:
  • Yes, what teenagers aspiring to play in big league esports tournaments really want is a watch designed to make analog clock faces look their best. Also nothing speaks to the fierce spirit of competition like caving in to criminals and fueling attacks on hospitals.

  • Lol. Congrats Garmin on the success of your marketing ploy!

    In all likelihood, Garmin took an existing product and created a new app or equivalent to provide the advertised "functionality." Super cheap, but effective marketing/brand awareness gimmick. Hey, I wouldn't be thinking about Garmin if I hadn't read the article.

  • by MDMurphy ( 208495 ) on Friday October 23, 2020 @07:22PM (#60642036)
    The first accessory to come out will be a bladder sensor. With your opponents reading your vitals they can plan their attack when you're trying to hold it in.

    That will be soon followed by sensors to fake your vitals. (Nod to Gattaca here )
    • by Cederic ( 9623 )

      Isn't there research that suggests the brain operates slightly better when the bladder is sending distress signals?

      Certainly a bladder monitor correlated to game performance would provide additional data to explore that possible link.

      It may be that needing the toilet heightens reflexes and speed of thought, because the body knows it needs to more swiftly resolve its current challenges and go in search of relief. It may also be that the converse is true, and overwhelmed by a distracting demand a person loses

  • Right up there with anyone on an 'E-bike' claiming they're a 'cyclist', and 'racing' people.
    How out-of-shape physically do you have to be to get physically stressed playing a video game?
    • People have argued about this basic topic for longer than you might realize, specifically in the context of chess grandmasters. For decades there have been various claims about how many calories chess players can burn during an intense match. Personally I find many of the calorie claims dubious, but the notion that mentally intense games can be enormously stressful is not in much in question.

      https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/2... [cnbc.com]
      https://www.chessable.com/blog... [chessable.com]
      https://www.reddit.com/r/chess... [reddit.com]

    • by Reeses ( 5069 )

      You can definitely see a rise in heart rate when you're in an intense PVP match or unfamiliar/new parts of a PVE area in a game.

      Generally, as you get used to the latter, it's less stressful. Whereas the former may not improve depending on how badly you want to win.

      • You can raise your heart rate a hell of a lot higher fucking, but you donâ(TM)t see any porn stars competing as athletes on a global stage. You donâ(TM)t even call porn stars athletes. Why? (Yeah, Iâ(TM)m as serious as Garmin calling gaming addicts, athletes.) I guess athletes now include Olympic decathlon winners AND those who can barely make the round trip between the game controller and a bag of Cheetos in the pantry. Between that, 112 genders, and transgender athletes destroying women
    • Right up there with anyone on an 'E-bike' claiming they're a 'cyclist', and 'racing' people.

      Quite ignorant of you. Someone riding an e-bike will get just as much exercise as any other cyclist. They just do it at 45km/h instead of 25km/h.

      How out-of-shape physically do you have to be to get physically stressed playing a video game?

      I run a full marathon ever 2 years. Yet during a gaming session last night my heartrate peaked at 181bpm. I have a better question. How ignorant do you have to be to assume all video gamers are sitting in chairs covered in cheeto dust? Instead of being a judgmental arse, why not instead ask a question of what people play and stream online.

      • The more relevant question, is why did your heart rate increase that high during game play, and for how long? 180+BPM could be considered unhealthy or even dangerous for some. Given what youâ(TM)ve also stated regarding your exercise, YOU are likely fine, but there are PLENTY of Cheeto-crusted 300-pound players out there that would NOT be. And I can get my heart rate up over 200BPM running from a threat too. For about 20 seconds. Not exactly meeting FDA guidelines for exercise. IF eSports are THA
        • I've seen plenty of cases of people getting heart rates over 200 BPM in Beat Saber. There's definitely athleticism involved at the higher levels.
          • Just because your heart rate is above the average does not mean you are an athlete. Otherwise all coke addicts would be athletes, and we surely don't think that.

        • The more relevant question, is why did your heart rate increase that high during game play, and for how long?

          Thankyou. That is the correct and sane response. Not "why are these fat fuckers so unhealthy", but rather "what is it they are doing".

          Me my heartrate rises when I play Beatsaber, I also once tore a deltoid playing it, but I also have a thing for scary games and that definitely shows up on the heartrate monitor. That said you frequently see measurable bursts of elevated heartrates just by playing normal games which can also induce adrenaline.

          And yes thanks for showing concern. These come in short bursts only

      • by hey! ( 33014 )

        Well, sure. For the average cyclist. Studies that show ebike owners *do* take longer and more frequent rides, resulting in greater exercise volume. But the subject of those studies are average, normal people. The kind of person who starts buying geegaws to measure his heart rate, power output, cadence etc. isn't normal. He's either a masochist or a gadget freak.

        A normal cyclist starts to get unhappy if he has to put out 50 watts for several hours or 100 watts for a few minutes. Roadies are happy putting

      • I'm on a local race team. I ride practically every day. Unskilled people riding what amounts to an electric moped witih big fat tires wide enough for a motorcycle at 45km/h and not pedaing are not gettting ANY exercise, and their lack of bike handling skills makes them a safety hazard. So screw you for claiming I'm 'ignorant', you're not out there every day and I am.
        • what amounts to an electric moped witih big fat tires wide enough for a motorcycle

          Oh I get it. You don't know what an e-bike is. Kind of like saying cars are horrible commute vehicles because you went to a monster truck show once and they look hard to get in and out of.

          If there's one thing that you're very consistent about it's that you have an incredible ability to be a judgmental arse. Even when people point out how much of a judgmental arse you are you somehow still double down. Stay true to your convictions my friend.

          • You likely don't even own a bike let alone ride one so what do you even know?
            I was just out there. These people don't buy 'pedal assist' e-bikes, they're rolling along on motor power alone, not pedaling at all.
            Maybe YOU don't know what an 'e-bike' is, because apparently you've never heard of a 'fat e-bike', a fat bike (big wide all-terrain tires, big enough for a small dirt bike motorcycle) with either a hub motor or a motor in the bottom bracket. I see them *all the time*, and they're *not pedaling*. It'
        • So screw you for claiming I'm 'ignorant', you're not out there every day and I am.

          Oh and I literally have not driven a car in 7 months, so yeah I cycle a classic bicycle multiple times a day for my commute, for my enjoyment and to pick up dinner in one of the countries with the highest number of e-bikes in the world. And you've described basically no one on the road. So yes. You are ignorant. If you feel like you need to attack me instead of realising and correcting your ignorance, that's fine. You're missing the opportunity to better yourself.

          As I said, ask questions rather than making

          • Your 'classic bicycle' and 'commuting' don't impress me at all.
          • Tell you what, buddy:
            1. You used the word 'arse'. We use the word 'ass' not 'arse' here in the U.S., therefore you're either from the UK (more likely) or Australia or New Zealand (less likely) or some other country, but learned English in the UK/Australia/New Zealand (even less likely).
            2. You're either far enough along with your career that you are afforded the privilege of cycling to work if you like, or you're poor; since you own at least one car as well, you're likely not poor. I might've said you're r
  • they rebranded the Forerunner and made a new app?
  • Nothing against gaming, but if eSports players are considered âoeathletesâ now, then you better have a damn good explanation as to why porn stars are not. Enough of your bullshit double-standards. Put BOTH in the Olympics.

"Out of register space (ugh)" -- vi

Working...