Can't make it to the actual Golden State Warriors vs. New Orleans Pelicans NBA game at the Oracle Arena tonight? Well, if you happen to own the Samsung Gear VR, you can do the next-best thing, experience it in virtual reality.
The game will be one of the first in the 2015-2016 NBA season, and the NBA will be the first major sports league to offer livestreamed matches in virtual reality to fans, according to the NBA.
Fans watching the match through Gear VR will see the game through cameras that are "strategically positioned to capture all the live action, providing fans with a fully immersive experience as if they were watching from a courtside vantage point," according to the NBA in a statement.
It's important to note the distinction between the "first professional sports event livestreamed to fans in VR" and the "first professional sports event streamed in VR." Other sports have been livestreamed in VR, however, those events have not been widely accessible. NextVR, the company behind the NBA livestream, streamed a soccer match between Manchester United and FC Barcelona back in July, however, the game was not available live.
The Warriors vs. Pelicans game will not be the only NBA game to view via livestream, with a match between the Sacramento Kings and the L.A. Clippers to also be livestreamed the following day. That match will be streamed by the Kings in partnership with VR company Voke, and the team behind the stream hopes to make it different by offering it on a range of platforms. Theoretically, users of the Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard and Gear VR should all be able to experience the game in virtual reality.
The Samsung Gear VR is a VR headset developed in partnership with Oculus VR. The headset is available for between $99.99 and $199.99 and works with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. To stream the game, users will need to download the NextVR app and open it on their device. Despite Turner Sports helping with the broadcast, users will not get the audio from Turner, as they will instead get it from the arena as if they were attending the match.
Via: Fast Company
