Some traditional publications have been slow to embrace new advancements in technology. That cannot be said of Sports Illustrated, however, who have embraced immersive technology such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) and are once again offering readers an enhanced experience with the AR-enabled covers for the College Football issue.
Sports illustrated has released the 2017 College Football Preview Issue, which features four variant covers spotlighting different star college football quarterbacks, Alabama’s Jalen Hurts, Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett, Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph and USC’s Sam Darnold. Readers can activate an AR experience by using the LIFE VR app, provided by Time Inc. and pointing their smartphone camera at one of the Sports Illustrated covers to unlock an exclusive video from Sports Illustrated, which will provide a preview of the upcoming college football season.
Additional AR content will be available on pages inside the magazine as well, including 360-degree video content. The AR content is presented by Holiday In Express and features Holiday Inn Express Creative director Rob Riggle hosting a video clip titled ‘The Readiest’ introducing the AR content available in the issue. The LIFE VR app is available to download for free for iOS and Android.
The 2017 College Football Preview Issue of Sports Illustrated is the second time that the magazine has introduced AR content, with the first being the launch of the Capturing Everest issue in May 2017. Further information on the AR content and the latest Sports Illustrated issue can be found on the official SI website.
VRFocus will continue to report on new uses and innovations in AR technology.