Experience The Scale Of 'DOTA 2' Heroes With 'DOTA 2 VR Hub'

By Kevin Carbotte
published

On launch day of the HTC Vive, Valve debuted a webpage that featured a number of videos highlighting the capabilities of the newly launched VR system. Buried in one of the various video clips, Valve slipped in a preview of an unexpected VR feature for DOTA 2. Now, that feature is available.

The preview clip showed what looked to be a spectator zone for people who wish to watch live DOTA 2 matches from their Vive HMD. There was a giant screen on the wall that showed a match in progress. To the left and the right, there were life-size avatars of all the heroes participating in the match, and a model of the map was in the center of the room. Valve had been quiet about the status of the VR spectating mode for DOTA 2, leading us to wonder if it would be available in time for The International, Valve’s upcoming DOTA 2 world championships.

We no longer have to worry about that, though. Valve released the DOTA 2 VR Hub as part of the DOTA 2 Compendium update for The International, which went live on July 27. The VR Hub will let you and up to 15 others spectate live matches and watch recorded replays on a large virtual screen. We already knew about the life-size hero avatars that show up in the spectator room on either side. We didn’t know that we’d be able to experience them in full-scale while in battle, though.

You’ll be able to select a point on the map in front of you and transport right to the action. You’ll have control of the camera so you can get a bird’s eye look at the action, or you can get right up to the heroes if you prefer an up-close look. Once you’re on the map, you can teleport around to wherever you want to be.

The DOTA 2 Compendium update is already out. If you have DOTA 2 installed, you’ll have it already. You’ll have to opt into DOTA 2 VR Hub from the Beta tab of the game’s Steam library page. Once you have the DOTA 2 VR Hub installed, it will prompt you to open the VR Hub whenever you launch DOTA 2. The VR Hub will automatically launch if SteamVR is running and you select “Play in VR.”

Curiously, the system requirements for the DOTA 2 VR Hub call for an i7-3930K equivalent or better. If you’re running an older i5, you may run into trouble based on this requirement suggestion.

Kevin Carbotte

 Kevin Carbotte is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware who primarily covers VR and AR hardware. He has been writing for us for more than four years. 

9 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Kimonajane
    Was going to download Dota2 but requires Winblows 10 and DX12 so nope not gonna happen.
    Reply
  • metathias
    In a couple years you wont be able to play anything without 10 , And DX12. I hope your preparing for that inevitability. Only other potential course would be if everyone suddenly started supporting Linux, and Vulkan. Which might happen, But not likely.
    Reply
  • BrownRecluse27
    Why wouldn't a gamer like windows 10, and dx12?
    Reply
  • overgrower
    Maybe his pc cant handle it ? Or he does not like win10 over win8...... And if he is still on 7 well I guess you cant teach a old dog new tricks.
    Reply
  • Crystalizer
    and then there is the privacy and aggressive marketing issue
    Reply
  • Kimonajane
    18348523 said:
    In a couple years you wont be able to play anything without 10 , And DX12. I hope your preparing for that inevitability. Only other potential course would be if everyone suddenly started supporting Linux, and Vulkan. Which might happen, But not likely.
    Yeah, My Q9650 rig is showing it's age, going to build a new rig in a year or two.
    Reply
  • Crystalizer
    18348523 said:
    In a couple years you wont be able to play anything without 10 , And DX12. I hope your preparing for that inevitability. Only other potential course would be if everyone suddenly started supporting Linux, and Vulkan. Which might happen, But not likely.

    I wish linux would be the way to go. I tried steam os, but it had some major problems with integrated gpu and discrete gpu. Couldn't use discrete without some additional package that caused some steam crashes with my laptop and had to be run on desktop mode.. Most of the os functionality was not there in compared to debian, which I have on my laptop. I would go to Linux if some of the software I work with would be there.

    I don't care about dx 12 as much as I care about privacy especially if there are better options available. Although I feel like have nothing to hide I still don't like it when some corporation has some intimate personal profile on me I know nothing about or some conversations that can be used to gain leverage in court if something happens for example at work or if I run a business. I'm not naive enough to believe that the removal of some of the functions that violate privacy will actually prevent it from happening or that the information they have on me will solely be used for good things. It's false hope and seen it happening way too many times. I have google account, I would like to give it up too, but it's something I got when I was younger.
    Reply
  • averagejoe_1984
    I still use Windows 7, with my Skylake and Sandy Bridge. It works great still. I don't trust Microsoft anymore. With Windows 10, they crossed a line. I might have to upgrade to it one day, but I feel less secure with it than Windows 7. I don't worry about hackers. I worry about Microsoft being in bed with government and marketers. A hardware and a software firewall and antivirus do well enough against hackers. Those things won't stop Microsoft from abusing the many data connections back home to Microsoft. They'll look benign. It would feel more like an Orwellian Telescreen to me.

    Games run fine, unless they require software that Microsoft refuses to provide for Windows 7. I HATE that means of forcing upgrades. How dishonest. It's too bad they won't ever have competition. That would require court orders of sharing their code to allow compatibility. People will stick with the OS that runs the software they like.
    Reply
  • Crystalizer
    18348523 said:
    In a couple years you wont be able to play anything without 10 , And DX12. I hope your preparing for that inevitability. Only other potential course would be if everyone suddenly started supporting Linux, and Vulkan. Which might happen, But not likely.

    What you say is not true. Most of the commercial game engines supports all the platforms. Valve has it own os, which is going to be in their steam boxes. Many of the gamer's are currently looking for other options. How about android going to desktop pc:s and mac getting support for games too. Linux getting better driver support.

    Microsoft is desperate to get windows 10 a big success. Their mobile os was disaster. Win 8 got bad publicity and IOS is considered a quality product. I think it's highly likely that the opposite of what you are saying is the thing that is happening, Microsoft has had it's grip and they are loosing it. That's why the aggressive marketing?
    Reply