HADO: The VR Sport of the Future!

E-sports are gaining popularity. Not just in the Netherlands, but increasingly larger and more frequent e-sports events are being organized worldwide. Most of these sports involve players competing against each other online via a computer screen or console, but HADO is changing the game.

HADO can best be described as virtual dodgeball. It's an e-sport that combines physical movement with virtual gaming. Using augmented reality technology, a player sees both the real physical space and a virtual playing field and ball, displayed in the augmented reality headset they wear during the game.

When a HADO game starts, the player can throw so-called 'Hadoken' balls. Players can also defend themselves against attacks with a shield. HADO is played on a field where each team has its own side. You can play HADO matches 2 against 2 or 3 against 3 and it has 4 rounds of 80 seconds each. The team with the most points at the end of these 4 rounds is the winner. Watch a video here to see what a HADO match looks like.

In addition to being a physically intensive sport, HADO is also a very tactical sport. With your team, you can devise and determine a strategy. For each round you play, you get a number of points that you can assign to your Hadoken power-ups. This way, you can increase the speed or size of the balls you throw, shorten your recharge time, or increase the number of shields you have. By tactically distributing these points with your team, you can gain an advantage over the opponents and thus secure the victory.

HADO uses augmented reality technology. This is different from virtual reality, for instance. With virtual reality, everything around a user is virtual. The entire environment is replaced by a digital environment. This is not the case with augmented reality. Instead of replacing the entire physical environment with a virtual one, AR technology only makes a small part digital. In the case of HADO, you still see the real physical environment, but you see a digital Hadoken ball flying towards and away from you. You need to deflect or repel these digital balls with the shield. Want to know more about the differences between VR and AR? Read our blog about the differences between VR, AR, and MR then scroll down.

Originally, HADO comes from Japan. In Japan, HADO has been embraced by a large audience and serious competitions are organized (with serious prize money). In the Netherlands, HADO is less well-known, but the sport is gaining significant traction. There are various centers in the Netherlands (ranging from sports centers to entertainment halls) that already offer HADO. And they all agree: HADO is the sport of the future!

Have you become enthusiastic about virtual or augmented reality technology after reading this article? And would you like to apply this to your own location or environment? That's possible! We would be happy to put you in touch with the right people. Schedule a no-obligation advice discussion with one of our specialists or contact our digital tech specialist directly.

Want to experience HADO for yourself? You can do this at one of the HADO Arenas. Visit hado.nfor more information and to book your session!