CHARLOTTE – A Swiss startup company delivered the first U.S. use of its signature product in Charlotte earlier this month, with a key focus on low latency.
The firm, SONIX, debuted its gaming communications system at the Niner Esports Union LAN Party. Niner Esports is a student organization at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the deployment was the first one in the United States after other partnership rollouts in France and Switzerland, the startup company said in a statement.
The firm provides ultra-low-latency software and app that it says “meets the demands of pro gamers.”
“The Niner Esports Union LAN Party is one of the largest scholastic gaming events in the USA, and we were thrilled to be partnering with SONIX for this event,” said Niner Esports President Jorge Sanchez. “With SONIX, our esports athletes and gamers benefited from breakthrough low latency, high-quality audio, and cutting-edge technology to give them the edge they need to succeed in today’s competitive environment.”
The company is still operating a beta version of its application, said Nicolas Abelé, co-founder and CEO of SONIX in a statement. And the firm’s technology can reduce lag time by more than five times compared to other existing market leaders, with lag times as low as 18 milliseconds.
SONIX already has partnership deals in France, with the country’s first video game college, and with an esports team based in Switzerland. The company was named as one of the top Swiss startups of the year, last year.
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Esports on the rise
Across the Triangle, esports efforts continue to accelerate. For example, Peace University launched an esports program in 2022, and a local startup began to provide afterschool programs and camps focused on esports last summer.
Wake Technical Community College launched an esports arena in 2020 and Raleigh hosted a national champonship in esports in 2021.
