Mobile World Congress 2018 preview: What to expect (other than the Galaxy S9)

Galaxy S9, plus.

It’s easy to imagine that companies like LG, Huawei, Sony and others were more than a little relieved when Samsung didn’t announce the Galaxy S8 at last year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The mobile- and cellular-focused show has taken over from January’s CES as the place hardware vendors launch their early-year flagships, and there was plenty to get excited about in 2017.

This year, there’s still a lot to look forward to, but some of the big names are stepping back from the fray, mainly to give breathing room to the most dominant name in Android today: Samsung. Yes, the Galaxy S9 will be launching in just a few days, but it’s not the only name on the MWC shortlist this year. Let’s take a look at all the major announcements to look forward to at Mobile World Congress 2018.

Samsung – Galaxy S9 series

Let’s start with the big one: Samsung is set to announce two phones, the Galaxy S9 and S9+. Both are expected to be extremely similar in design and feature set to the Infinity Display-covered Galaxy S8, with a few notable improvements.

The phones will inevitably sport the faster, less power-hungry Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 platform, and around back the fingerprint sensor will move to a more sensible location underneath the camera(s). I mention cameras plural because the larger S9+ will have an extra camera sensor, a là Note 8, likely for long-distance photography and facilitating Live Focus portrait shots. The S9+ is also expected to have 6GB of RAM compared to the S9’s 4GB, giving it a premium feel for those who want additional multitasking opportunities.

But Samsung is touting camera improvements across both of its new phones. Even the smaller S9 is expected to have a variable aperture, giving it the ability to capture excellent photos in low-light but minimize distortion and maximize speed in outdoor, well-lit scenes.

The Galaxy S9 series will be the stars of the show. They will be everywhere and consume all of the oxygen. That’s alright because they’ll also be the best-selling Android phones of 2018 by a wide margin. Samsung probably won’t announce pricing at the February 25th announcement, but the phones are expected to go on sale as early as March 16. Get those credit cards ready!

Samsung Galaxy S9: Everything you need to know

LG V30s

A lot of ink has already been spilled about LG’s near-cancellation and remarkable resurrection of its 2018 flagship, which definitely won’t be called the G7, but the Korean giant likely didn’t want to play second fiddle to Samsung at this year’s conference. It has hinted that it will relaunch the LG V30 with A.I.-related features and something called “LG Lens” — likely a Google Lens knockoff — as the V30s.

It’s possible we’ll see a new color and a more expensive 256GB option — yawn — but LG’s surprised us in the past, so it’s possible it will happen again.

LG’s 2018 flagship: Here’s everything you need to know

Huawei MateBooks and tablets

We already know when Huawei is launching its next P-series flagship: March 27. Unfortunately, that date falls well outside the confines of MWC, so don’t expect any phone news in Barcelona.

In the meantime, you can expect a few new things from the number three smartphone maker: not smartphones. Namely, MateBooks running Windows 10, and MediaPads running Android. Both series are due for their minor annual refreshes, with the MateBook X getting lauded last summer for its beautiful design and powerful internals, while the MediaPad lineup is one of the few Android-based tablets we’d recommend these days.

Huawei P20 invite hints at triple rear cameras as P20 Lite breaks cover

Sony Xperia XZ2

Sony always comes to MWC with new phones in tow, and this year will be no exception. Expected is at least one phone, the Xperia XZ2, and perhaps a second — a new Premium, or diminutive Compact. Either way, Sony’s design language is in desperate need of a refresh, and with the proliferation of 18:9 phones in the market, now seems like a perfect time to do it. Here’s also hoping that Sony finds a way to bring a fingerprint sensor to this year’s flagship, as it did for its mid-range products back at CES.

The company is also well known for unveiling prototype accessories at shows like this, from experimental projectors to bone-conducting headphones. Given that Sony has had limited success with its phones, I’d love to see some hot new thing to pull in our attention for a few minutes. A man can dream, can’t he?

These are all the phones Sony is launching in 2018

Motorola / Lenovo

Motorola unveiled the highly-regarded Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus at last year’s MWC, and we’re expecting something similar from them this year. We’ve already seen fairly comprehensive leaks of the G6 series, which includes the G6, G6 Plus, and G6 Play, and it appears that Moto is moving into the 18:9 aspect ratio with these devices, though for some reason a front-facing fingerprint sensor etched below the screen is still a thing. I won’t dismiss it outright until I see it in action, but… weird.

Moto isn’t expected to unveil its flagship Moto Z3 flagships until later this summer, but as the company did at CES, we may see one or two new Moto Mods to play with, which would be really neat.

Motorola’s parent company, Lenovo, is also expected to dish out a few new tablet and Chromebook updates, as they did last year. The unique Yoga Book, which was already slated to ship with Chrome OS but eventually came with either Windows 10 or Android, is likely to see a sequel this year and let’s hope that along with Chrome support, Lenovo has fixed some of those capacitive keyboard issues that bogged down input on the original.

The Moto G6 series shows itself in these revealing leaks

ASUS ZenFone 5 series

ASUS usually shows its latest smartphone lineup at either CES or Computex, in January or June, respectively, but this year we’re expecting a full suite of ZenFone 5 phones to be unveiled at MWC 2018.

As with previous generations of ZenFones, expect lots of models, including a base one, a premium (or deluxe) version, a camera-focused one, and perhaps something special. Given that the ZenFone AR never went anywhere, thanks to Google’s sunsetting of the Tango project, ASUS is probably looking for another angle this time around.

The best ASUS phones you can buy

BlackBerry KEYtwo?

At last year’s MWC, BlackBerry Mobile trumpeted the then-Mercury’s real name, the KEYone, and held a lavish announcement event that trumpeted the phone’s worldwide distribution. BlackBerry Mobile has no such event on the books this time around, but it’s possible we’ll see something a little more low key, or even a sneak peek at something new.

The BlackBerry KEYone Bronze edition goes really well with scotch

Alcatel A new start

We already saw what Alcatel plans to announce at MWC because it gave us a sneak preview of its brand new phone lineup at CES. The Alcatel 5, 3V and 1X will relaunch the TCL-owned brand’s low-cost mission, offering the devices between $100 and $300 in North America and Europe. We got to play with each one, and they look great and perform well for their respective prices, but it’s unclear how Alcatel will differentiate itself from the competition at this late point in the smartphone game.

Hands-on with the phones Alcatel will announce at MWC

Nokia By the numbers

Nokia, which is now owned by HMD Global, has found enormous success with its range of well-built, lightly skinned Android phones, particularly in European and Asian markets, and the company is readying a bunch of updates and new devices to launch at MWC 2018. In terms of price points, we may run the gamut: from the sub-$100 Nokia 1 to the premium, Snapdragon 845-toting Nokia 9, I’m excited to see what the company, which is firing on all cylinders, has in store for us.

Nokia 6 review: A great phone with one drawback

What are you excited about for MWC?

This is but a small roundup of the companies and products we’re expecting to see and interact with at the biggest mobile show of the year. What are you excited about? Let us know in the comments below!

Lava Red OnePlus 5T is officially sold out in North America

Now a collector’s item.

The 5T is OnePlus’s best-looking phone to-date, and limited edition colors like Sandstone White and Lava Red have helped to spruce it up way more than its standard Midnight Black option. The Lava Red OnePlus 5T originally went on sale in North America on February 6, and a little over two weeks later, it’s officially sold out.

OnePlus originally said that the Lava Red 5T would only be available “while supplies last”, and that means your only chance of getting the phone now lies with third-party marketplaces such as eBay and Swappa.

The last embers fade in. The #OnePlus5T Lava Red is officially sold out in North America! Thanks for the amazing support 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Sg74MvUFkX

— OnePlus (@oneplus) February 22, 2018

The OnePlus 5T in Lava Red was selling for $559 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and should you find it somewhere else, expect to pay a fair bit more considering it’s now a collector’s item for buyers in the U.S. and Canada.

I’d prefer OnePlus to permanently offer more striking colors like Lava Red rather than running them as limited-time offers, so here’s to hoping that’s something we see changed whenever the OnePlus 6 comes out.

OnePlus 5T and OnePlus 5

• OnePlus 5T review: Come for the value, not the excitement
• OnePlus 5T specs
• Should you upgrade from the OnePlus 3T?
• OnePlus 5T vs. Galaxy S8: Beast mode
• All of the latest OnePlus 5T news
• Join the discussion in the forums

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Amazon

Android Oreo rollout resumes for Galaxy S8/S8+

Hopefully for good this time.

Android Oreo’s availability for the Galaxy S8 has been, problematic. Samsung didn’t start issuing a public update until February 8 (more than five months after Oreo’s release), and then on February 14 it was stopped due to instances of phones randomly rebooting after upgrading to the new software.

Thankfully, users are now reporting that Samsung has finally resumed Oreo’s rollout. The new firmware version numbers are G950FXXU1CRB7 and G955XXU1CRB7, and if you already downloaded the first Oreo update earlier this month, the new software should weight in at a little more than 530MB.

Similar to last time, this update is being made available in Germany and will then expand to more countries over the coming days and weeks.

If you’ve got a Galaxy S8, have you received Oreo on your phone yet?

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

• Galaxy S8 and S8+ review!
• Galaxy S8 and S8+ specs
• Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8’s cameras
• Get to know Samsung Bixby
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

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Add two USB ports to your wall receptacles for just $12 each

Make them more useful.

Topgreener outlets are some of our favorites, and that’s for a good reason. For the most part, they are quite affordable, and they add a lot of value once installed. Using coupon code QLRYKOHG, you can drop this newly-released outlet from $16.99 down to $11.89. At this price, you’ll probably want to grab a few of these for your house.

Each one has two AC plugs and two USB ports, which turns a space that used to charge two devices into one that can easily charge four. The USB outlets have a 3.1A output to quickly charge your devices. Installing this receptacle is quite simple, though there are a few things to know. Be sure to check out this video before trying it for yourself. If you aren’t comfortable trying it on your own, most local electricians charge very reasonable rates for swapping these things out.

You can also check out the 4.8A version for just under $20 with coupon code 15TGUSBDN. Neither comes with a wall plate, so you’ll want to be sure to grab one of those as well.

See at Amazon

Are Nest Products Worth it?

Yes.

Nest is the Apple of all things that aren’t actually Apple. That is, Nest products look really good, work really well — and probably cost a good bit more than something that doesn’t look as good and work as well.

And that makes sense when you remember that Nest was started by one of the guys who helped make the first iPod.

No, there was ever going to be anything boring about Nest as a company. From the internal struggles we’ve seen (and those are just the things we know about publicly) to the purchase by Google and shift to the Alphabet system and return to Google proper — no, it’s not a boring company.

The product side certainly stands out, too. Space-age thermostats. Smoke detectors that do far more than deafen you. Intelligent cameras. An alarm system you’ll actually want to use. And, soon, a doorbell.

No. There’s absolutely nothing at all boring about Nest.

The Nest Thermostat

It’s not surprising that the first Nest Thermostat — the company’s first (and for a long time its only) device — stood out as much as it did. It didn’t look like any sort of thermostat you’d ever seen on a wall before. There was (and still is, in its third iteration) nothing bland about it. A brushed metal ring surrounding a color display. OK, it’s maybe a nod to the really old circular thermostats we had when I was a kid. But it’s no more than a nod. It’s the home Thermostat, designed for the 21st Century.

It’s also not inexpensive, at $250. It’ll save you as much money over its lifespan, though. It’s also easy (and intuitive) to use. And, dammit, it just looks cool as hell.

Same goes for the less expensive ($170) Nest E Thermostat. It’s not as shiny, more Art Deco Miami than shiny New York. But it’s nearly as capable for 30 percent less.

Worth it? Absolutely.

Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd generation)

The third generation of the Nest Thermostat has the biggest display to date and does an incredible job of regulating the temperature of your home — whether you’re there or not.

See at Amazon

Nest E

The Nest E is the less expensive version of the Nest Thermostat. It’s got a more muted design and display. The biggest difference besides the price is that Nest E doesn’t have the “Farsight” feature to show you the temperature, time or whether as you’re on the other side of the room.

See at Nest

Nest cameras (indoor and outdoor)

Cameras are a dime a dozen these days. You can spend as much or as little as you want to be able to monitor things inside and outside your home. The question is how easily do you want to be able to monitor things, how much online backup you need, and how much you’ll want to spend doing both.

Again, Nest cameras aren’t the least expensive available. The basic Nest Cam Indoor and Nest Cam Outdoor run $200 each. Nest Cam IQ Outdoor ranges up to $350 apiece. But as the price increases, so does the intelligence of the product. So you have your choice of how stringently you want to monitor.

Same goes for the Nest Aware Monitoring service. Five days of monitoring for $5 a month, or $50 a year. Ten days of online video history runs $10 a month, or $100 a year. If you want 30 days, that’s $30 a month, or $300 a year. But that’s per camera. And it adds up quick. (Though the lowest play — which is brand new as of this writing — lessens that blow a bit.)

Is it worth it? Yeah. But the cost adds up quickly. You’ll probably want to be a little selective if need multiple cameras. (Nest should really come up with a more affordable solution here.)

Nest Cameras

Nest Cameras range from $199 at the low end — for both indoor and outdoor — to a whopping $350 for its smartest outdoor model. But they’re easy to set up, easy to use, and smart as anything else in your home.

See at Amazon

Nest Protect

How did Nest follow up on the thermostat? With a smarter smoke and carbon monoxide detector. While it may seem a little random, it also makes sense. It’s another one of those products that you never really think about, except for when it’s losing power and beeping incessantly, when it actually alerts you to an emergency — or, tragically, when you wish you’d had one.

But smoke detectors have always been very binary. Either they’re alerting you, or they’re not. Nest Protect aimed to be something better, with a little more nuance. If it thinks it starts to smell smoke, it’ll alert you with an advance warning. And not just with a different sort of beep, too. It’ll alert your phone. It’ll actually speak to you. And its light ring will flash yellow. If there’s an actual emergency, it’ll flash red, and scream bloody murder in every way possible.

And it’ll also work in conjunction with the Nest Thermostat, shutting off the system as to not spread smoke through the home.

Is it worth it? Definitely.

Nest Protect

Yeah, at $120 or so this’ll probably be the most expensive smoke and carbon monoxide detector you’ve ever owned. But it’ll also be the smartest and is a great addition to the Nest ecosystem.

See at Amazon

Nest Secure Alarm system

Do-it-yourself alarm systems are hot-ticket items these days, and for good reason. They no longer require all the sensors to be hardwired into a central location.

The Nest Secure system is made up of a number of separate products. Nest Guard is the central hub and keypad. Nest Detect serves as a door/window monitor, and also as a motion detector. Nest Tags make it simple for anyone to tap to arm and disarm the system.

Like all Nest products, it’s not the cheapest on the block. But it’s also extremely simple to set up, and easy to use. You’ll want to be strategic in how you cover your home — it’s definitely not priced for 100 percent ingress protection.

Is it worth it? Yeah. It’s not cheap, but it also isn’t an alarm system we’ve had to fight to use.

Nest Secure

For $499 you get the Nest Guard keypad (and motion sensor), two Nest Detect door/window sensors (and motion sensors), and two Nest Tags. That’ll get you started in a small home, though you may well want to add onto that a bit.

Cellular backup is $50 a month, and professional monitoring is extra. But this is an excellent DIY option.

See at Nest

Nest Hello doorbell

The doorbell isn’t just a way to let you know someone’s there, and it hasn’t been for some time. Walk through your neighborhood and it’s not uncommon to see doorbells with lights and cameras and speakers and microphones — all available to alert you to someone’s presence before they even hit the buzzer. It’s time for Nest to get in the game, and in March 2018 we’ll see the release of Nest Hello.

We’ll have to wait until it’s available before rendering final judgment. But if Nest’s other products are any indication, we don’t see how it couldn’t be.

Stay tuned.

Nest Hello

The humble doorbell is humble no longer. Nest Hello is a not-inexpensive $229. But it promises to be a contender with its high-resolution, wide angle viewing, and tie-ins to other Nest products.

See at Nest

Disney’s lawsuit against Redbox may have backfired

Disney’s attempt to prevent Redbox from buying its discs for rental and resale may have blown up in the House of Mouse’s face. The Hollywood Reporter describes how District Court Judge Dean Pregerson sided with Redbox to shoot down a Disney-mandated injunction. In addition, Pregerson contended that Disney may itself be misusing copyright law to protect its interests and its own forthcoming streaming service.

If you’re unfamiliar with the backstory, Redbox didn’t have a deal in place to procure Disney DVDs and Blu-rays for its disc rental kiosks. So, the company simply bought the discs at retail, often snagging combo packs that include a DVD, Blu-ray and a download code for the movie as well. Redbox would then offer up the discs for rental, and sell on the codes at its kiosks for between $8 and $15.

Such a move enraged Disney, which includes language in its packaging and on the website demanding that users must own the disc if they download a copy. But this is where Pregerson began to disagree, saying that Disney cannot dictate what people do with copyrighted media after they have bought it. Specifically, that there’s no law, or explicit contract term, that prevents folks from doing what Redbox did with Disney discs. Although it’s possible that Disney can amend the wording on its packaging in future to make its objection to reselling legally binding.

The next hearing will take place on March 5th, where Redbox’s motion to dismiss Disney’s action will be considered. Although it’s obvious that the deep-pocketed Disney will likely continue to fight the battle until humanity itself has evolved into a sentient gas. But the decisions that are made through this case will be important on how these copyrights are treated while we transfer into the post-physical media landscape.

Source: THR, Document Cloud

Samsung resumes Android O update for Galaxy S8

Well, that didn’t take long. After pausing the Android Oreo rollout on Galaxy S8s over a reboot glitch, Samsung has restarted the process in Europe. As SamMobile reports, it’s an altogether different firmware version. The rollout has resumed in Germany and it shouldn’t be long before the update starts appearing domestically — just in time for Samsung to reveal the Galaxy S9 at Mobile World Congress in Spain this week! Curious if you’ve already gotten it? Look for firmware versions G950FXXU1CRB7 or G955XXU1CRB7 on your S8 or S8+.

Source: SamMobile

SpaceX successfully launches Falcon 9 carrying internet satellites

SpaceX successfully launched another Falcon 9 rocket today carrying Spain’s radar imaging Paz satellite as well as two of its own satellites, Microsat-2a and -2b. The two experimental satellites will be used to test SpaceX’s plan to deliver internet to people around the globe through thousands of low-orbit satellites.

Today’s Falcon launch carries 2 SpaceX test satellites for global broadband. If successful, Starlink constellation will serve least served.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 21, 2018

In addition to deploying those payloads, SpaceX also attempted to recover the rocket’s nosecone — a piece of the rocket that protects the cargo during launch that the company hasn’t tried to recover during previous launches. A new barge called “Mr. Steven,” outfitted with a large net, waited for the nosecone, or fairing, to return back to Earth. However, Elon Musk tweeted that the boat wasn’t able to catch the nosecone — it missed by a few hundred meters — but the nosecone landed intact in the water. If SpaceX can collect and reuse this particular part during future launches, it could save as much as $6 million per launch. Today’s launch was initially scheduled for last Saturday, but had to be rescheduled twice, first for more testing and then again due to heavy winds.

Going to try to catch the giant fairing (nosecone) of Falcon 9 as it falls back from space at about eight times the speed of sound. It has onboard thrusters and a guidance system to bring it through the atmosphere intact, then releases a parafoil and our ship, named Mr. Steven, with basically a giant catcher’s mitt welded on, tries to catch it.

A post shared by Elon Musk (@elonmusk) on Feb 22, 2018 at 6:07am PST

The launch took place at Vandenberg Air Force Base earlier this morning. We’ll update this post once we have information about the deployment of the two Microsats.

Via: TechCrunch

Net Neutrality Repeal Made Official With Entry Into Federal Register

It’s been two months since the Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 in favor of repealing Net Neutrality rules that were put in place by the United States government in 2015. That decision has been made official today by being entered into the Federal Register, and will become law starting April 23, 2018.

Following the vote, lawsuits began to appear in efforts to block the rollback of Net Neutrality, with one multi-state lawsuit being led by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and 22 other Attorneys General. As pointed out by TechCrunch, now that the Restoring Internet Freedom order “legally exists,” every opponent in the U.S., “from citizens to attorney generals to governors and senators,” will be able to begin their own lawsuits over the decision.

Prior to today, many actions contemplated and indeed announced by opponents of the rule were technically not possible, since the rule was technically not yet in force. A state can’t, for example, argue that its own laws are infringed upon by a rule until that rule legally exists.

Today is the moment that the net neutrality repeal legally exists, and you’re going to see a lot — a lot — of actions taken against it, all over the country.

The decision was heavily debated leading up to the vote in December, with proponents arguing the internet will now go back to a “light-touch regulatory scheme” it faced prior to 2015 and the advent of Net Neutrality. Opponents of the repeal vocalized fear that internet service providers will now be able to slow down internet speeds — or block access completely — to certain websites they see as competitors, among other concerns.

Specifically, the FCC’s vote reclassifies ISPs as “information service” providers — as they were between February 1996 and February 2015 — instead of classifying them as “common carriers” under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934. According to the Federal Register document published today, the decision to do this was made to restore broadband internet services as a “lightly-regulated” market. This means that one of the only major stipulations placed on ISPs like AT&T and Comcast is that if they do throttle a user’s internet for any reason, they must disclose it. For its part, AT&T has said it is “committed to an open internet.”

A report by Recode in January examined how major technology companies responded to the Net Neutrality debate, with Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google spending about $50 million in 2017 lobbying the government on the issue. Apple alone was said to have spent $7 million on lobbying last year with a focus on encryption and immigration as well as Net Neutrality, growing from $4.5 million in 2016.

Apple’s push against the repeal of Net Neutrality included a letter from August 2017 urging the FCC not to roll back the rules. Apple’s letter discussed internet “fast lanes” and “slow lanes,” where paid fast lanes could result in an “internet with distorted competition.” Apple ultimately said this ruling could “fundamentally alter the internet as we know it,” and if it passed it would be put in place to the detriment of consumers, competition, and innovation.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

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College esports is set to explode, starting with the Fiesta Bowl

As executive director of the Fiesta Bowl, one of the largest college football tournaments of the season, Mike Nealy was more familiar with shoulder pads than mousepads. Six months ago, he didn’t know people were making money playing video games professionally, he’d never heard of Twitch, and the last time he picked up a controller, it was attached to an Atari 2600.

That all changed after a conversation with John Pierce, an esports consultant and former marketing head for the Phoenix Coyotes and US Olympic Committee. Pierce outlined the professional-gaming boom to Nealy and explained how it could tie into the collegiate football scene. He put Nealy in touch with Blizzard, the studio behind Overwatch.

A few months later, on February 17th, the Fiesta Bowl hosted the Overwatch Collegiate Championship at Arizona State University, selling out the Sun Devil Fitness Complex. Organizers filled the space with a giant stage, 12 gaming PCs, two massive screens, dozens of lights and cameras, and a raised commentator desk.

The four finalists (UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, UC San Diego and the University of Toronto) each sent six players and support staff to Tempe, Arizona, where they volunteered with the local Boys & Girls Club, were treated to dinner, participated in a media day and battled for the collegiate title — all things the Fiesta Bowl does with student football players when they roll into town.

“My perception was this out-of-shape kid that’s eating Cheetos and playing a game, and can’t talk socially, and is a basket case athletically,” Nealy said. “No, these are normal kids. …This is just a different avenue. They’re smart, intelligent and very capable individuals that have found a niche and are doing something that they enjoy doing.”

Nealy gets esports now, and he’s not alone. Esports generated $756 million in revenue in 2017, mostly through sponsorships and ads, and that number is expected to hit $1 billion this year. Popular games like League of Legends and Overwatch have implemented regulations to improve conditions for pros and stabilize the industry. Traditional sports teams are buying esports franchises and launching leagues as dedicated arenas pop up across the US.

Universities are taking notice, too. Illinois’ Robert Morris University was the first school to establish a varsity esports program in 2014, offering scholarships to skilled League of Legends players. Today, more than 60 colleges and universities have esports programs recognized by the National Association of Collegiate Esports (established in 2016); many more schools have unofficial programs, some of which are extremely successful.

Take UC Berkeley for example. It doesn’t have a NACE-sanctioned program, but it supports players through the school’s Rec Sports system. Cal Rec Sports paid for the UC Berkeley Overwatch team’s flight and lodging in Arizona and helped players secure sponsors like Under Armour and Brita.

My perception was this out-of-shape kid that’s eating Cheetos and playing a game.

Mike Nealy, Fiesta Bowl executive director

There’s no dedicated gaming space on the UC Berkeley campus, though Overwatch team coach and fourth-year cognitive-science major Kyle Feng says it’s only a matter of time. The school is taking a real interest in esports, thanks in part to Feng’s team. They picked up their second win in a row at the Overwatch Collegiate Finals, defeating UC Irvine 3-0, taking home $6,000 in scholarship money per player.

“Expanding at a collegiate level is extremely smart right now because it’s such a big industry,” Feng said. He wants all universities to have varsity esports programs and gaming rooms if only to even the playing field at tournaments like the Collegiate Finals. In the college scene, teams with dedicated coaches and practice areas regularly compete against groups of friends who simply play together on the weekends, sometimes from their dorm rooms.

That was the case this weekend when UC Berkeley and UC Irvine — a school with one of the most robust esports programs in the country — competed against UC San Diego and the University of Toronto, neither of which offer support to esports teams on campus.

No surprise, then, that Berkeley and Irvine had the upper hand in last weekend’s finals.

“UCSD hasn’t really embraced the idea of esports,” San Diego offense player Ernie “Jinora” Lum said. “So having the opportunity to come out to this event is definitely a milestone for all of us.”

Despite the lack of support, UCSD did take a positive step before the finals, according to Lum: It published an article about the team heading to the Fiesta Bowl championships.

“We just pulled a bunch of people off of Facebook,” Lum said. “We came together instead of having someone pull us together. And we made it all the way here. It’s kind of amazing.”

“We just pulled a bunch of people off of Facebook.”

Blizzard helped pay for UCSD’s trip to Tempe, but otherwise, players were on their own. It was a similar story with the University of Toronto, which doesn’t offer support or organization for esports players, even though its League of Legends team is renowned in the college scene.

“It’s really hard to get recognition from the administration,” said Toronto support player Marco “Funanah” Chu. “Being able to come here and see how other teams — especially UCI, they have a lot of esports backing — I wish Toronto could be like that.”

The stories out of UC Irvine are vastly different. Instead of fighting for dedicated gaming rooms and financial backing, Irvine players receive support that will look familiar to any student-athlete, including scholarships and a brand-new esports arena (the first of its kind in the country). It’s still on a small scale compared with the investments made in college football, and the school doesn’t actually fund the program — entrance fees to the arena and sponsors like Logitech, iBuyPower and Vertagear provide that money. UC Irvine supports two esports games, League of Legends and Overwatch, offering about $5,600 in scholarship money for League players and $2,500 for Overwatch fiends.

One of the most powerful aspects of UC Irvine’s esports program is that the administration actively seeks out talented players. Tank player Nick “LearnTooPlay” Theodorakis was in community college last year, and he performed well in a regional Overwatch tournament hosted by Blizzard’s collegiate esports arm, Tespa. Afterward, Acting Director of UC Irvine Esports Mike Deppe sent Theodorakis an email inviting him to attend the university — and play Overwatch.

“I’d always wanted to go to UCI, so it just worked out really well,” Theodorakis said. “Now I’m there, I’m doing business econ and just having an amazing time.”

While many universities play catch-up, outside organizations are stepping in to help college players build esports programs at their schools. For instance, Find Your Grind and ReKTGlobal this week announced a $450,000 annual scholarship fund for students interested in esports. Tespa, Blizzard’s collegiate-esports initiative that helps organize student esports groups and tournaments — including the Fiesta Bowl championships — has 220 chapters in schools across North America.

“If you were to compare that to a fraternity or a sorority, it would be top 10 in the world in terms of size, and that’s all for gaming,” Tespa founder Adam Rosen said.

Rosen and Tespa helped Fiesta Bowl administrators — including esports newcomer Mike Nealy — plan last weekend’s grand finals. The Fiesta Bowl folks brought the event-organization chops, while Tespa served as the esports and Overwatch guru. The championship demonstrated the potential benefits of friendly alliances between traditional sports and esports.

“This event, specifically, is super-exciting to us,” Rosen said. “It actually came together pretty quickly, but it’s something that we all believe, as we look back five years, will be a turning point for esports and what we’re doing.”

Universities are attempting to organize and embrace a new generation of student-athletes, even as questions about the nature of esports remain unanswered. It has “sports” in the name, but the jury is still out on whether competitive gaming is an actual athletic activity.

“It’s something that we all believe… will be a turning point for esports.”

This question isn’t just pedantic — it makes all the difference to groups like the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which regulates university sports across the country. In December the NCAA announced it was investigating the collegiate esports scene. Marketing firm Intersport was tasked with putting together a report for the NCAA, led by executive director of esports Kurt Melcher, who happened to also be the founder of Robert Morris University’s inaugural gaming initiative.

“The current NCAA structure, as we know, in some ways fits and in some ways does not fit collegiate esports as it stands right now,” Melcher told ESPN in December. He estimated there were 500 collegiate programs in the wild, NACE-sanctioned or otherwise. But without a clear structure behind them, the industry was fractured. Students and faculty were constantly cobbling together programs wherever they fit.

“We are seeing that 30 percent of formalized programs are in student services, 30 percent are in athletics, 20 percent are in an academic house setting where there is game design or computer design,” Melcher said. “I think that is part of the process, seeing if this is a space that [the NCAA] should become involved in, and how, if possible.”

The NCAA hasn’t decided what role it should play in esports yet, but the conversation is happening. The association will need to figure it out soon if it wants to get in on the ground floor of esports: Professional gaming is becoming mainstream in a real way. More than 10 million people tuned into the debut week of the Overwatch League in January, and Blizzard confirmed it’s raising the franchise fee for season two. Twelve teams across the globe paid $20 million each to buy into the OWL in season one, but ESPN sources expect that figure to hit as high as $60 million for season two.

Jessica Conditt / Engadget

And that’s just Overwatch, one of the newest titles in esports. Games like League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Call of Duty and Dota 2 also have rich competitive scenes, offering millions of dollars in prize money each year and regularly selling out massive sports stadiums.

Meanwhile, last weekend, the Fiesta Bowl Overwatch Collegiate National Championship sold out the Sun Devil Fitness Complex. For players and faculty, this was just the beginning.

“We at the Fiesta Bowl, we are known as one of the premier college-bowl games,” Nealy said. “Which is true — we wouldn’t have just done this if we didn’t think this was a serious situation.”

On the Overwatch side of things, Rosen agreed.

“We’re trying to build a world where we have events like this on every campus throughout North America and beyond that into the world,” he said. “And that these events, which this year is filling up the Sun Devil Fitness Center, will grow to be filling up stadiums just a few short years from now. So that’s the path we’re on, and I think, looking back, we hoped we’d reach a point like this, but we didn’t expect that it would come so quickly.”