Random: Garmin Launches Smartwatch for Esports Athletes

Many of you will own a Garmin watch for tracking your runs, bike rides, or gym sessions. However, the timepiece manufacturer has spotted an emerging market in esports, and it’s concocted an all-new wearable for this intrepid crop of gaming athletes. The Instinct Esports Edition works like other sports watches, and will allow “esport enthusiasts to track and livestream their biometric data for a more immersive playing experience”.

A lot of functionality is shared with its Forerunner range, so you get stress data, body battery, and heart rate information, although this time the aim is to ensure that “players are fit and mentally prepared ahead of games and competitions”. Fascinatingly, one of its flagship features is its ability to send stress and heart rate data to your computer, so you can broadcast this as part of your live Twitch streams.

The watch also includes an esports profile, so you can “track and analyse your body’s performance while gaming”. To be fair, it does also include more traditional activity tracking, such as running and cycling, as well as Garmin’s sleep monitoring functionality. How many calories do you reckon you can burn during an intense esports gaming session? It’s got to be a good 50 calories or so, right – assuming you don’t chomp down on Doritos while playing!