American GPS maker and Smart-wristwear maker, Garmin has revealed a new esports smartwatch — the Instinct Esports Edition, a smartwatch designed to help players track and live stream their biometric data during play sessions.
Garmin already produces Instinct Edition watches, but this Esports Edition is specially made with gamers in mind. The watch features a dedicated esports activity function on top of Garmin’s health and fitness tracking technology present on the base Instinct variants. The dedicated esports activity function allows the smartwatch to track and analyze heart rate and stress levels during gaming sessions.
With the launch of the smartwatch, Garmin also introduced its brand new “STR3AMUP!” PC streaming tool. The StreamUp streaming tool is specially designed to work with the Instinct Esports Edition. The tool also allows users to live stream their biometric data to audiences.
The watch can be used in either smartphone or esports mode. Similar to other Gramin watches, in smartphone mode, the watch acts as a normal Garmin Instinct allowing users to sync their activity with the Garmin Connect app. While in Esports mode, the watch displays heart rate, stress levels, time of day, and a game timer.
In the press release, Dan Bartel, Garmin Vice President of Sales said:
Elite athletes around the world depend on Garmin products to monitor and improve their performance. 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 Edition is available now in Garmin stores in select countries and will cost $299.99 (USD). It is available in a black and red color scheme and features a high-contrast display and a rugged light-weight design. The watch provides up to 80 hours of battery life in esports mode and up to 14 days in smartwatch mode.