(Courtesy of Intel)
On Thursday, technology company Intel announced its acquisition of sports-focused virtual reality company, VOKE VR.
James Carwana, the General Manager of the Intel Sports Group, explained on the company website that VOKE has “captured the attention and the imagination of broadcasters, leagues and teams with their technology and what’s possible.” He added that through the new collaboration, Intel will be able to bring more personalized virtual reality experiences to fans and ultimately alter how leagues, networks and professional teams interact with their fan bases.
Additionally, Carwana said that Intel is continuing to expand upon an existing portfolio to “deliver new, immersive sports experiences for athletes, fans and content producers.” Over the course of the year, it has embedded its technology into some of the biggest sporting events, including the X Games in Aspen and NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto.
It also recently formalized a new business unit called Intel Sports following its acquisition of Replay Technologies in March.
“Virtual reality, or what Intel CEO Brian Krzanich has stated as “merged” reality, is an important building block for delivering a truly immersive sports experience, one that uses computing power to deliver virtual-world experiences more dynamically and naturally than ever before,” Carwana wrote. “Imagine being able to witness a slam dunk from the defender’s perspective or the defensive rush from the quarterback’s perspective. This kind of experience may sound futuristic, but it’s closer than you think.”
Three weeks ago, VOKE — which counts the Sacramento Kings as a strategic investor — announced that it would be live streaming the Kabaddi World Cup in virtual reality.
For the start of the 2016-17 NBA season, the Kings and VOKE made headlines as they opened doors to the new Golden 1 Center with virtual reality streaming. Through working with VOKE, the Kings also became the first NBA team to independently stream a game in VR at the start of the 2015-16 year.
