MLB At Bat VR, a new version of the popular mobile app, debuts today on the Google Daydream platform. Live game productions in the enhanced format including MLB's own newly announced deal with Intel have represented the bulk of industry energy in the emerging format. But MLBAM said this presentation of MLB At Bat VR marks a decidedly different strategy by blending live statistics and pitch tracking data with a slightly curved view of the existing linear TV feed. The MLB At Bat VR production will be available for every game, compared to the weekly, specialized productions of the live VR games with Intel. “This is something that stands on the shoulders of our existing products and offers a different way to engage with the game,” MLBAM VP/Games & VR Jamie Leece said of MLB At Bat VR. While MLB is also going forward with the Intel effort for live games in VR, Leece acknowledged there are some inherent challenges producing a full video view of baseball in the enhanced format. “You’ve got around 5,000 square feet or so of court space and surrounding area in basketball, for example. We’ve typically got more than ten times that amount, a much bigger field of play. It changes how you approach all sorts of things like camera cuts.” MLB is pursuing its VR efforts for now without a heavy emphasis on financial returns. “We’re really still at a pre-embryonic stage of VR development. It’s all still very, very early,” Leece said. “This isn’t something we’re doing with a [profit and loss] focus. This is about fan engagement and building new ways to experience the game.” MLB At Bat VR will also offer a selection of post-produced clips, particularly of special events such as April’s opening of SunTrust Park that provide angles and views not available elsewhere.
