Virtual Reality company NextVR is teaming up with the NBA and Turner Sports to present fans of professional basketball with a unique spectating experience tonight. NBA fans will be able to watch the defending champion Golden State Warriors face off against the New Orleans Pelicans streaming live in virtual reality in one of the opening games of the 2015-16 season. Provided that the viewer has a Samsung Gear VR headset and an Oculus Rift device, one will be able to watch the game, as well as the pre-game ring ceremony in which the Golden State Warriors receive their championship rings for beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA finals last year, through the Oculus Rift home app. For full details regarding how to watch the game in virtual reality, check out NextVR’s website.
According to Jeff Marsilio, vice president of global media for the NBA, one can “look to the left and see a basket. You look to the right, and see a basket. You look to the ground, and you see the court. . . it feels like you’re at the game” (USA Today). He also notes that those who watch the stream, while missing the audio or graphical support of a traditional sports broadcast, will “hear and see the sounds of the arena as if they were in attendance.” With the NBA now streaming to more than 215 countries around the globe (USA Today), this virtual reality streaming experience may very well be the closest a global audience will get to attending a NBA game for quite some time.
Are you interested in the streaming of sports in virtual reality or would you prefer to attend a sporting event in person? Make your voice heard and sound off in the comments below.