Every NBA League Pass game this season will be available for subscribers to watch on headsets in a virtual environment with NextVR Screening Room.
These games aren’t actually broadcast productions in virtual reality, but fans can watch the games on a virtual movie theater-sized screen and immerse themselves in a 360-degree VR environment while selecting up to 13 NBA games to livestream on the screen.
It’s similar to Major League Baseball enabling MLB.TV subscribers this season to use At Bat VR to watch live games on a traditional feed in a VR environment.
Of course, NBA Digital and NextVR will as part of a multiyear partnership bring a regular schedule of live games in virtual reality this season. The NBA became the first to do so last season. Jeff Marsilio, NBA Vice President, Global Media Distribution, said in a statement that the fan response then was “overwhelmingly positive.”
This season, 27 live games in VR are on the schedule, starting with the Oct. 21 game between the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets, which is free during the NBA League Pass preview period.
NextVR will debut new product features including live volumetric telestration, live infographics and dynamic stats inserted into the virtual scene, and user-selected point-of-view.
“Following a groundbreaking first season of NBA games in VR, we will introduce new product features, including real-time graphics floating like holograms within the field-of-play, deliver sharper images, and introduce more VR devices to fans,” NextVR CEO David Cole said in a statement. “We are continuing to advance the realism and fidelity of our NBA broadcasts and these new features will deliver the most immersive live basketball experience to date.”
Fans with a Samsung GearVR headset or Google Daydream, along with a compatible smartphone, can download the free NextVR app. Just in time for the season, Microsoft Windows Mixed Reality users can also experience games in VR beginning Oct. 17.
