Panorama UI is leveling up Counter-Strike 2 watch parties in a big way

In-game Major watch party anyone?

Image via Valve

Counter-Strike 2 will already see huge changes to every facet of the game, but a player on April 26 has discovered a feature that is bound to shake up the viewing experience—and it comes courtesy of an update added five years ago.

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The Panorama UI was introduced to CS:GO in 2018, with CS2 bringing new changes to the beloved system. “CS2 mappers” can now create an in-game viewing spectacle, where gamers can watch their favorite videos or streams before rushing B.

Mapper and modder Angel_Foxxo discovered the feature in the Source engine discord, and now fans can watch all the ohnePixel they want in their CS2 matches. The videos appear on the player’s screen, almost completely integrated with the map behind it.

This could be an incredible opportunity for community servers. Players could migrate to a CS2 community server to watch tournaments with their favorite teams alongside their fellow Counter-Strike players—all while moving around the map at the same time.

Fans could already watch their favorite teams battle it out through the main menu thanks to Valve, but now we might be in a new era of Counter-Strike viewership.

Panorama was originally introduced into CS:GO to fix FPS rates and refresh the complete look and feel of the menus. The update overhauled several features that have become the norm; players could see more details through in-game leaderboards, weapons, and player skins in the main menu, and a whole lot more that makes Counter-Strike feel the way it does today.

Related: Counter-Strike players are convinced Valve isn’t sending out any more CS2 beta invites

This new UI feature has only been discovered in the short time since the beta’s release. With a large portion of the community still unable to access the beta entirely, this viewing system is a good sign for what’s to come.

We’ll just have to wait until everyone gets beta access.

Author
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Harrison Thomas
CS:GO, Overwatch, and Valorant Staff Writer - Played CS:GO since 2012 and keep a close eye on other titles. Give me a game and I'll write about it. Ranks are private information. Contact harry@dotesports.com