The Twins prior to their July 29 game against the White Sox at Target Field will "hand out 5,000 low-cost Google Cardboard-branded goggles that will turn fans’ phones into virtual-reality viewers," according to Julio Ojeda-Zapata of the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. The team will have a video of a specific player "cued up, and the clip’s virtual-reality qualities will translate into 360-degree viewing." Fans will be able to "crane their heads in all directions to take in the ballpark scene, just as if they were alongside the player." The Twins’ VR promotion "is a collaboration" with MLBAM and L.A.-based SuperSphere VR, which has "previously made VR content" for Fox, Reebok and the NFL. Twins Senior Dir of Content Chris Iles said that SuperSphere will "shoot the Twins’ video later this month, once the team has decided which player will star in this VR production." Ojeda-Zapata reports some teams have "harnessed virtual reality internally for training purposes, but the Twins are believed to be the first team to offer it as public giveaway in place of bobbleheads and souvenir bats." The Twins’ VR smartphone video initially will "only be viewable at Target Field." Iles said that the video eventually "will be made available more widely" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 6/8).
