By all accounts, 2016 will be the big year for Virtual Reality. With VR products from a number of hardware vendors (Oculus Rift, Sony PlayStation VR, Samsung GearVR) next year, most at an affordable price point, your next question will be content. The most obvious source for content is digital environments created completely in 3D software, but one company, NextVR is planning on delivering live sports in VR.
Armed with more than 23 patents for Virtual Reality Technology, their adaption of RED cameras, specific lenses and internet infrastructure to transmit the broadcast to the world, VR sports is about to be a very big deal.
Take a basketball match for example, everyone wants to be courtside for the atmosphere, but at home you have the advantage of seeing the game from a variety of camera positions around the stadiums. Until now, producers and directors have made the shot selections for the audience, but in real life, you get to choose what you look at and when. With NextVR, the best of these two worlds could come together allowing you to play director, feel like you’re in the stadium, all from you’re comfortable lounge chair.
It’s an exciting prospect for VR, something most of us hadn’t really considered, but as with their thirst to increase audiences, sports are getting on-board in a big way.
TechCrunch has a great hands-on with the technology, go have a read, then come back and leave a comment of what you think. Would you pay to watch VR games of Baskbetball or what about V8 Supercars?
Image credit: Ina Fried and TechCrunch.
