With the release of a hardware console and gaming hub, Zilliqa, is preparing to enter the world of Web3 gaming.
A prototype version of the console was unveiled
A prototype version of the console was unveiled, displaying a sleek design with various ports, including HDMI, Ethernet, and USB-C and USB 3.0 connections. The console’s full specifications are unknown, but Zilliqa touts its user-friendliness, with Web3 capabilities such as a crypto wallet and mining integrated to “hide the complexity of Web3 from the end-user,” according to a press release.
The engineers at Zilliqa spent six months researching, designing, and testing the console to seamlessly integrate Web3 aspects—crypto wallets, mining software, and blockchain technology—into a recognizable gaming experience.
According to Valentin Cobelea, Head of Gaming Technology at Zilliqa, the company “took the approach of hiding the complexity of creating the embedded Web3 wallet.” Cobelea cited the NFT collection NBA Top Shot as an example to emulate.
Players can earn Zilliqa (ZIL) tokens by completing “skill-to-earn” missions, tasks, and quests in-game.
In this case, tokens are analogous to coins or rewards in traditional games, but with the added functionality of blockchain technology.
Furthermore, Zilliqa stated that “players will be able to mine ZIL tokens,” which they anticipate will “lead to further decentralization of the Zilliqa blockchain by increasing the number of miners globally.”
Cobelea stated that the number of revenue gamers could earn, both for skilled participation and mining, “depends on how good the gamers are, and the amount they earn will be reflective of that.”
Although Zilliqa has not released pricing information for the console, it claims that it “can eventually pay for itself.”
What exactly is Zilliqa?
Zilliqa is a layer-1 intelligent contract blockchain founded in 2017 and went live on mainnet two years later. In recent months, it has aggressively pursued efforts to expand its influence in the gaming sphere, joining the Blockchain Gaming Alliance (BGA) in April of this year and forging partnerships with esports teams MAD Lions, RRQ, and more recently, Alien Worlds and XBorg.
The collaboration between Zilliqa and Web3 esports organization XBorg will see XBorg’s community assist with the creation of gaming tournaments and marketing efforts, as well as receiving beta access to test Zilliqa’s gaming hub in October.
Following this testing period, the gaming console is expected to be released in the first quarter of 2023, along with two Zilliqa-native titles, including the first-person shooter (FPS) game WEB3WAR.
