Welcome to the weekend, time for relaxing, gardening and looking at what has happened in the world of virtual reality (VR) and sports over the past week. This week basketball and athletics get to take centre stage – or centre court, as the case may be.
Cleveland Cavaliers Basketball Team Lets Audience Participate in the Game Through AR
The Cleveland Cavaliers have introduced a new augmented reality (AR) mobile app which allows members of the audience to practice shooting virtual hoops during the 2017 NBA playoff games.
The app is titled ‘Deep in the Q’ and is available on iOS and Android. Fans who attend Cavaliers games are encourages to hold up their phones and point the camera at the scoreboard, then a virtual basketball hoop will appear, allowing fans to attempt to shoot basketballs into the hoop.
The app was created by YinzCam, which runs the official apps for many NBA teams. Fans who prefer to stay at home and watch the game on TV are not left out, though, as by pointing their phone camera at selected signs for app sponsors Bud Light, they will also be able to play and load their high scores to the online leader board.
“I can’t say enough about the respect that I have for YinzCam and the value that I see in our partnership,” said Mike Conley, the Cavs’ VP of Digital. “As an organization, we are always looking to create unique experiences for our fans and our sponsors, and YinzCam is always up for innovating and collaborating. We are truly partners in the process of bringing this to life.”
“Working with Mike Conley and the Cavaliers is a source of inspiration to us because they push the envelope in technology, and are constantly thinking about the next new mobile and digital experience to delight their fans,” added Priya Narasimhan, the CEO and Founder of YinzCam. “Working with the Cavs, we were able to bring to life the idea of a communal interactive basketball game played by fans competing against each other by simply holding up their phones to view the in-arena scoreboard and then shooting basketballs into a virtual AR hoop in real-time. It doesn’t get any better for us than launching this new product for the Cavs just in time for the 2017 NBA playoffs.”
Crescent City Classic 10k Race Gets 360-degree Video
The Crescent City Classic is an annual 10-kilometre race held in New Orleans. The first race was held back in 1979 and it has been run every year since then, featuring runners from all over the world. The route starts out by the Superdome and follows city streets until finally reaching the City Park and the finish line.
For the race this year, held on 15th April, 2017, a 360-degree video covering the route from Esplanade Avenue up until the finish line was captured, showing just over a minute of the race as it ends.
The end of the race as the first few runners cross the finish line has traditionally meant the start of the Crescent City Festival, which includes a concert, food and drink and is held in the City Park where the race finish line is.
You can watch the short video below.
VRFocus will bring you more This Week in VR Sport next Saturday. Keep checking the site until then for more VR and AR content.