Sony Launches Online Tournament Site

[bapenguin]

Sony (http://www.sony.com) sent out a press release (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?p=374116#post374116) today announcing the launch of an online website designed to organize and keep track of gaming tournaments.Gamers Round Table is a full-featured website paired with a robust standalone program the GRT Tourney Organizer. Together, the website and program allow players, tournament organizers, and administrators access to a full suite of tools for organized play. Users can track players, create and manage events, handle pre-registration, run tournaments, and much more.

The Gamers Round Table program can be used to enter results of a finished tournament, or run in real time as an event is taking place, dynamically handling all bookkeeping such as pairings, points, and tiebreakers. It was used successfully to run large tournaments at Origins and Anime Expo, and is also perfect for local events.

Full Press Release (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?p=374116#post374116).

This sounds like a really cool set of tools. There really isn't much at the site yet, but it definitley has some potential. It doesn't mention if there's any kind of cost involved or not.

[bapenguin]

Sony Online Entertainment announces Gamers Round TABLE ONLINE TOURNAMENT HEADQUARTERS

New Website Utilizes SOE -Denvers (aka Worlds Apart Productions) Technology to Organize, Track Collectible Card Game Tournaments

GENCON, Indianapolis, IN Aug.,10, 2006 Sony Online Entertainment LLC ( SOE ), a global leader in the online games industry, announced today the launch of Gamers Round Table, an innovative organized play system for collectible games. The technology behind Gamers Round Table has been developed by SOE s newest studio, SOE -Denver, also known as Worlds Apart Productions.

Were very excited about the launch of Gamers Round Table, says Scott Martins, director of development, SOE -Denver. The interest and support from game publishers has been outstanding were pleased to be serving a real need in the hobby industry.

Gamers Round Table is a full-featured website paired with a robust standalone program the GRT Tourney Organizer. Together, the website and program allow players, tournament organizers, and administrators access to a full suite of tools for organized play. Users can track players, create and manage events, handle pre-registration, run tournaments, and much more.

The Gamers Round Table program can be used to enter results of a finished tournament, or run in real time as an event is taking place, dynamically handling all bookkeeping such as pairings, points, and tiebreakers. It was used successfully to run large tournaments at Origins and Anime Expo, and is also perfect for local events.

Many leading collectible game publishers have already signed on to Gamers Round Table, including: Bandai (Naruto CCG ), JoyRide Entertainment (Fullmetal Alchemist TCG), and Sabertooth Games (WarCry, Dark Millennium, and UFS CCGs).

The Gamers Round Table website and the GRT Tourney Organizer are currently free to use for all players and organizers of its supported game. For more information, visit http://www.gamersroundtable.com.

[NoName]

This sounds like a really cool set of tools. There really isn't much at the site yet, but it definitley has some potential. It doesn't mention if there's any kind of cost involved or not.
Doesn't everything Sony offers come with a cost? Unless they're trying to use this as a tool to get people to the PS3 and thus make it free, but I doubt that will be the case.

[bean19]

Well, what is the feature set for this? I mean, why would I suggest this to the Counter-strike or TFC leagues that I play in (occassionally, when old guilds are short players or need a ringer)?

I checked out their site, but it is a news page and a forum. . . The forum only shows a support forum too. I don't think their PR person has a good idea of what the features are for the GRT organizer.

[bean19]

Doesn't everything Sony offers come with a cost? Unless they're trying to use this as a tool to get people to the PS3 and thus make it free, but I doubt that will be the case.

Actually, Sony does do stuff for free - like their internet service for the PS3, and there does not appear to be any connection between this product and the PS3. . . though functionality for setting up matches and recording results through this program would be awesome. It definitely SHOULD work that way if they can, but I imagine it is more of a tool for entering results and having those publish to brackets as well as maintaining rankings, etc.

However, the press release and their website don't say anything about the feature set of the program, so who knows.

[soco]

Actually, Sony does do stuff for free - like their internet service for the PS3 <snip>

of which, we still know almost nothing and launch is just around the corner. could be like the free PS2 online :P

the idea i think is a really good one, but i think this is something best done as part of an entire service. of the few links i saw in the database, they seemed to be like priced competitions in specific physical locations. this could be a cool solution to the people into that, but what about tourneys and lan-parties tied to an onine service, with maybe even achievements (entitlements or whatever) for bigger more esteemed events? pulling up gamertags and seeing that you're getting schooled by someone who ranked 1st in some some major competition might make you feel a bit better :)

[saran_js]

Doesn't everything Sony offers come with a cost? Unless they're trying to use this as a tool to get people to the PS3 and thus make it free, but I doubt that will be the case.

Shut the frack up !!! If you got nothing good to say... don't say anything.
First Sony news to come up on Ev Av today and the first reply to this is some sh*t from somebody who just follows the crowd in dissing Sony.

So, did this reply you put up make your day ? Did it make you feel any better ? Oh wow ... I posted some reply dissing Sony.. I feel that I can now take on the world, and since I dissed Sony today, I just saved a poor orphan from starvation.

Frack you !!!

<Not in a fracking good mood> :(

[Vandenh]

CCG (did anybody read the press release)???? This has nothing to do with PC/Console gaming. Move along...

[bean19]

First Sony news to come up on Ev Av today and the first reply to this is some sh*t from somebody who just follows the crowd in dissing Sony.

1. You can cuss on Evil Avatar if you want.

2. I often bitch about the price of the PS3 and the poor lineup of games, and yet I defended Sony on this point. The "crowd" here, I think, is the same "crowd" that is the majority of hardcore gamers. The PS3 lineup doesn't have a killer-app for at least a year (MGS 4) and is quite thin until then with only about 3 standouts, and $500 or $600 if you want HDMI, Wi-Fi, the larger HD, and memory stick ports is really expensive.

However, this isn't the point of this post and to rise to the bait of someone blasting Sony for other problems simply goes off subject.

[Eran Hawke]

The 'free' online gaming offered by the PS3 isn't free. You have to buy a 500$ PS3 and then a $60 game.

I'd be shocked if sony is doing this for free.

Then again I am shocked they put any effort into this at all instead of making some games for my PSP. :(

[NoName]

Shut the frack up !!! If you got nothing good to say... don't say anything.
First Sony news to come up on Ev Av today and the first reply to this is some sh*t from somebody who just follows the crowd in dissing Sony.

So, did this reply you put up make your day ? Did it make you feel any better ? Oh wow ... I posted some reply dissing Sony.. I feel that I can now take on the world, and since I dissed Sony today, I just saved a poor orphan from starvation.

Frack you !!!

<Not in a fracking good mood> :(
Wow, someone needs some more sleep...

I said Sony offers few things for free, which (I believe...) is true. I offered a reason that they might provide a tournament service for free, and then stated my opinion that I didn't believe that would take place.

Nowhere was I trying to "diss" Sony. The comments are for people to give their thoughts and opinions on a news subject. If you don't like someone thinking Sony won't offer a service for free... I dono, I can't see why in the world that got under someone's skin :confused: .

If you feel like being an ass go hang out at Kotaku.

[Jack B]

Anything that makes running tournaments easier, sounds like a good idea to me. However, it should be integrated into Sony's Live service to be really effective. I'm not sure a website is the answer. Tennis Tournaments, Softball tournaments, etc, etc, have had programs like this for years.

It's nice that Sony is trying to funnel people through a single (hopefully free) website, but it's nothing new.

Microsoft was going down the right path a couple of years ago with their XSN Sports service, which was integrated into Live on the original Xbox. It was about a 3 out of 10 (IMO) and was eventually forgotten. It worked OK for Golf, but was very poor for the major sports mostly due to scheduling problems getting people organized to play at the same time.

The idea of integrated tournaments beyond what is done by 2k Sports and Rockstars Table Tennis, with true scheduling, including emails, league, team bulletin boards (instead of just Live gamer messages), standings, stats, etc, is very much needed.

They really need the email scheduling from inside the Xbox 360 or PS3 with a live calendar and especially an easy to use emailing, messaging, and reminder service inside the 360 or PS3. That would work. Now if they'll just build it....

I think a website is promising, but far from what is truly needed.

[Soap]

Shut the frack up !!! If you got nothing good to say... don't say anything.
First Sony news to come up on Ev Av today and the first reply to this is some sh*t from somebody who just follows the crowd in dissing Sony.

So, did this reply you put up make your day ? Did it make you feel any better ? Oh wow ... I posted some reply dissing Sony.. I feel that I can now take on the world, and since I dissed Sony today, I just saved a poor orphan from starvation.

Frack you !!!

<Not in a fracking good mood> :(

Wow, how many people pissed in your Cheerios this morning?

It's a legitimate question. If any company offers a service, wouldn't you be interested in the cost?

Although...

If you read thoroughly through the press release you'll realize 2 things:

1) It's a FREE service

2) This is related only to COLLECTIBLE CARD GAMES (CCG).

[Royal Fool]

Haha... yeah, it's only for trading cards. Odd, since it's made by Sony... but I guess they're trying to get in on that lucrative market.

Not gaming-related at all, at least not in the Evil Avatar sense.