Category: MLB

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This Week In VR Sport: Baseball, More Baseball And The Future Of Sports Coverage

VRFocus is back once again to bring you another edition of This Week in VR Sport. With a number of sports related virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) stories, this week has three stories that are sure to peak your interest. Baseball fans get not one but two experiences this week and a discussion around the future of AR and VR live sports coverage was held at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Virtex Arena Baseball Released, Bringing AR Baseball Mini-Game To Fans

Virtex Arena Baseball

Virtex Apps have released released their mobile AR app Virtex Arena Baseball this week bringing the field of live baseball games to life with mini-games. Tailored for fans who are in the seats of a stadium and designed to be played between innings and other breaks, players will find plenty to do within the Virtex Arena Baseball app.

The app puts players against other fans in the stadium or those at home, allowing them to compete for the highest score in AR mini-games. When the time is right users can open the app, pick a team to support and then which game to join. From there it is all about playing the experience as best you can to ensure you bring home those points.

Some of the upcoming games that the Virtex Arena Baseball app with be able to be used at including the A’s vs. Orioles at the Oakland Coliseum on 4th May. The Yankees vs. the Red Sox at the Yankee Stadium on the 8th May and the Cubs vs. the White Sox at Wrigley Field on the 11th May. More dates and supported games will be announced as the season progresses.

The Virtex Arena Baseball app is available now for both iOS and Android devices that support AR. You can see the title in action in the below trailer.

MLB Home Run Derby VR Released With New Trailer

MLB HomeRunDerbyVR 02

In case you missed it, earlier this week the VR baseball title MLB Home Run Derby VR released for HTC Vive and PlayStation VR. The title lets players jump onto the field and take up a bat to try and score the most home runs and claim a place on the worldwide leaderboards.

The title includes three ballparks which have been carefully recreated in high-fidelity 3D so fans are able to feel like they are really on the field. This includes famous parks such as Marlins Park in Miami, Nationals Park in Washington DC and Progressive Field in Cleveland. Do you have what it takes to step up to the challenge and face off against the world? Can you be the home run champion?

MLB Home Run Derby VR is available now on PlayStation VR and HTC Vive and you can see the trailer for the title in the below Tweet.

Michael Ludden And Mitzi Reaugh Discuss The Future Of AR/VR Sports Coverage

Tribeca Film Festival - Header

At this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, sports fan and director of product for Watson Developer Labs & AR/VR Labs at IBM Michael Ludden talked about the obstacles facing VR and AR in sports. In a panel which also featured Mitzi Reaugh, VP of development and strategy at VR company Jaunt, the two discussed how immersive technology is playing a big role in sports media.

“You guys do some of this, so I don’t want to throw anybody under the bus,” Ludden said, referring to Jaunt’s technology. “But I would say that it’s not quite there yet in terms of usability.” Ludden explained that the capabilities of VR for sports events is extremely limited. Users cannot watch live games, camera positions are limited, there are no options to zoom the camera, and production quality is not to the same standard as traditional broadcasters. “I’m a sports fan and I’ve tried a number of these things, both using Jaunt and other platforms, and frankly for the most part, it’s pre-digested 30-second clips,” said Ludden.

According to Ludden the biggest obstacle is “incentivization mismatch,” since sports arenas and stadiums actually want people in the paying for tickets and to sit at the event, spending additional money on snacks, merchandise, etc. AR was noted for offering another immersive way to enjoy sporting events and that it is well on its way to be a more suitable media. During the panel they note how there is an opportunity to provide headsets that overlay statistics or commentary to those sat in the seats. It would allow events a chance to leverage the technology to provide on-site fans with much more information as those sat watching a home.

AR projections were also mentioned as being an effective way to engage viewers in live sports event, projecting the event onto a tabletop for example which would offer a complete view of the events. Ludden estimated that AR headsets in stadiums could be available as early this coming football season with consumer AR projections still sometime off. As for VR, Ludden is still hesitant about the execution, but expressed some optimism saying: “I think we’ll get there eventually because there’s a demand and there’s a use case.”

That is all for This Week In VR Sport. For more on immersive sport news keep reading VRFocus and remember to check back next week for another This Week In VR Sport.

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MLB Home Run Derby VR Out Now

Fans of baseball can rejoice as today sees the launch of MLB Home Run Derby VR on the HTC Vive and PlayStation VR. The title has been developed by the Games and Virtual Reality team at Major League Baseball, so fans can expect and authentic experience.

MLB Home Run Derby VR will feature three All-Star ballparks from 2017-19 and worldwide leaderboards so players can test their batting skills against other players around the world.

MLB HomeRunDerbyVR 02

The title will allow baseball fans to step onto the hallowed ground of famous parks such as Marlins Park in Miami, Nationals Park in Washington DC and Progressive Field in Cleveland. Players will be able to take up a position in the batter’s box and hit home runs to tally up as many points as possible in the timed home run competition.

The three featured ballparks have been carefully recreated in high-fidelity 3D so fans can enjoy playing baseball in some of the most recognisable locations in the sport as the competition comes to life.

Previously only the Enterprise Edition of the title was available at selected global events such as the MLB Battlegrounds in London, the MLB All-Star FanFest in Miami and assorted off-season events. For those who lack a VR rig at home, 12 MLB ballparks will be hosting an in-venue setup of MLB Home Run Derby VR for fans to play when they attend games through 2018. Participating ballparks include: Arizona, Atlanta, Chicago White Sox, Houston, Miami, Minnesota, Oakland, St. Louis, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa Bay, and Washington. Each location will get a custom version of the respective host ballpark.

The MLB Home Run Derby mobile app has also received a significant update, now including all 30 MLB ballparks and more than 50 hi-resolution renderings of participants from the past eight competitions.

Home Run Derby VR

MLB Home Run Derby VR is out now on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation VR and on Steam for the HTC Vive, priced at $19.99 (USD). For further news on new and upcoming VR titles, keep checking back with VRFocus.

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MLB Batting Game ‘Home Run Derby VR’ Now Available on PSVR, Vive & Rift

Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby VR will let you step into the box and swing for the bleachers. The game, first trialed at All-Star FanFest back in June, is now heading to a total of 10 ballparks for the 2018 season, and also to consumers on PSVR and SteamVR-compatible headsets including HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

Update (04/30/18): Both the Steam page and PSN page are now live, charging $20 for a chance to step into the virtual batter’s box at Marlins Park (Miami), Nationals Park (Washington, DC) and Progressive Field (Cleveland). The original article announcing availability follows below.

Original article (02/23/18): According to a Forbes report, a consumer version of the game will offer support for the platform’s respective motion controllers, and will feature virtual versions of all three All-Star Game locations: Miami’s Marlins Park, D.C.’s Nationals Park, and Cleveland’s Progressive Field, where the 2019 Midsummer Classic will be played.

There aren’t any pricing or other detail at this time, although MLB says they’ll be releasing it at a later date (see update above).

While the list of ballparks featuring the out-of-home version isn’t public yet, the report holds that at least two demonstrations are confirmed; one in Puerto Rico for the Indians and Twins games in April and the other in Mexico for the Dodgers and Padres games in May. Previous demos have included HTC Vive headsets coupled with Vive Trackers attached to physical baseball bats—something that’s definitely a surreal and immersive experience.

The post MLB Batting Game ‘Home Run Derby VR’ Now Available on PSVR, Vive & Rift appeared first on Road to VR.

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This Week in VR Sport: Partnerships, Deals And Even More Deals

It’s the weekend, which means it’s time to consider the world of sport once again on VRFocus as we look at just what news has materialised over the last seven days or so linking the likes of football, basketball, motor racing, baseball and more to immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).

Eurosport Adds Equestrian Competitions To VR LineUp

Eurosport have perviously used 360 degree video to broadcast coverage to VR head-mounted displays but until just recently they had not considered bringing that to the field of equestrian sports. After research and a very strict approval process however the broadcaster was able to bring 360 degree coverage of the jumping and carriage contests at the European Championships held in Gothenberg, Sweden, to the public.

Eurosport discussed their work in a video where they go into how they needed to get specific approvals on every piece of equipment from the people in charge to make sure they weren’t infringing any contest rules as well as discussing some of the technical choices they made.  You can see a version of the video from YouTube below, however to see the video in a higher quality you can view it here.

NESN, Intel Team Up For Broadcasts In Boston

Over to the world of baseball now and the MLB where another team-up has occurred to bring coverage to users via a “VR telecast”, specifically customers who possess a Samsung Gear VR. Announced earlier this week via a press release, NESN teamed up with Intel and their True VR system to broadcast four games featuring the Boston Red Sox in action against the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays.

Available via the NESNgoVR app from the Oculus Store fans have a final opportunity tonight to take in the game from Fenway Park.TV providers that have set up authentication are as follows:

  • Atlantic Broadband
  • Xfinity (Comcast)
  • Cox Communications
  • DirecTV
  • Metrocast
  • Playstation Vue
  • RCN

More information for anyone interested is available at NESN.com/VR.

Behind The Scenes Action Coming To INDYCAR

Speaking of media team-ups there’s been one announced for INDYCAR as well this week. The VR studio behind it? MANDT VR. As a result MANDT VR will be 360 degree content to racing fans from Indianapolis 500 and other races such as the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 and the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma. This will intitially be done on IndyCar.com as well as Facebook and YouTube.

Speaking on the deal in a press release, co-founder and CEO of MANDT VR Neil Mandt commented that, “As a car enthusiast, I’m particularly thrilled to be partnering with INDYCAR to produce virtual reality experiences tied to such a beloved sport. With such a huge following and robust history, INDYCAR has not only enriched the discipline of racing but has also become an American icon. By providing a new medium for consuming INDYCAR content, we hope to encourage future generations to carry on the tradition of racing culture.”

INDYCAR were also delighted with the deal.”INDYCAR will continue its momentum by engaging present fans while seeking new and younger audiences.” CJ O’Donnell, Chief Marketing Officer of INDYCAR. “Social media, video content, and now virtual reality will be central to this strategy. By partnering with MANDT VR, we will deliver highly immersive experiences for fans of all ages. I am certain this will bring them closer to the speed and excitement our sport delivers.”

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This Week in VR Sport: Soccer, Major League Baseball and Lacrosse

It’s the weekend, and that means its time to take a look into what been happening in the intersection between the sporting world and the world of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). This week, Canadian soccer (Football to everyone outside North America), Major League Baseball and Lacrosse all have entries.

Toronto FC Introduce AR App

Canadian football (soccer) team Toronto FC have partnered with YinzCam to give fans access to a special selfie filter, presented by Coca-Cola Zero, that allows users to paint their faces in their teams colours, or logo and don a team jersey. Once a preferred combination of filters is selected, users can then share it over social media or save it to their smartphone.

“Our fans are passionate about the sport of soccer and this TFC Face Paint feature allows them to express that passion in a creative, new way,” said Neem Ba Ha, MLSE’s Director of Product Development. “But this is just the first step in our investment in augmented reality through our partnership with YinzCam. To us, AR is not just an entertainment or gamification piece. We believe AR can also be used to deliver content in new ways and even as a utility to improve the game-day experience for our fans.”

Toronto FC are planning additional AR and mobile initiatives over the coming weeks, including an opportunity to win prizes for the best Toronto FC Face Paint picture.

We are very proud of our partnership with Toronto FC and Coca-Cola to introduce this new AR experience for soccer fans in Toronto,” said Priya Narasimhan, the CEO and Founder of YinzCam. “But we are even more excited about all that is to come for MLSE and its teams, who are always looking to push the boundaries of technology and incorporate new functionality for their mobile fan base.”

MLB and Google Produce New Video Series

Major League Baseball has teamed up with Google to produce a series of VR videos featuring rising young stars in the MLB. There are currently four episodes of the series titled ‘On The Verge’ available through the MLB At Bat VR app, which is available for Google Daydream.

The various videos in the series will follow various young athletes on the field, in the clubhouse and in the batting cage to show the growing careers of Josh Bell (Pittsburgh Pirates), Mookie Betts (Boston Red Sox), Manuel Margot (San Diego Padres), and Jose Berrios (Minnesota Twins).

More On The Verge videos will be added to the At Bat app as the season progresses.

Lacrosse In 360-Degrees

Lacrosse is not a well-known sport, but it does have a reputation among those who know if it of being somewhat dangerous. Not surprising, considering is consists of throwing a solid ball around a pitch using little except a stick and a small net. It’s fast-paced, risky, rough and often very exciting while being surprisingly strategic.

Major League Lacrosse have released a series of 360-degree videos showing a full playlist of significant moments during the training sessions for various teams to show what the sport is all about.

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Daydream And MLB Launch Documentary Style VR Series On The Verge

Daydream And MLB Launch Documentary Style VR Series On The Verge

Athletic leagues have regularly utilized 360-degree video to give fans that can’t attend events in person a way to get a similar feeling from the comfort of their own homes. The MLB cut a deal with Intel in June involving broadcasts of their games, but the latest project is an immersive experience of a different kind. Partnering with Google’s Daydream, the MLB created On the Verge which is a series that will give fans a chance to see some of their favorite baseball players get under the spotlight outside of a game.

In addition to the episode for Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Josh Bell shown above, episodes featuring Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox, Manuel Margot of the San Diego Padres, and Jose Berrios of the Minnesota Twins are all currently available. The series focuses on younger stars in the league and shows them in the batting cage, clubhouse, and other areas in a documentary-style production. Clips of their performances are mixed in with interviews with the players themselves that take place around their stadiums.

There are many different tools available for production of content like this series and this team utilized the Google Jump, a rig that was also used in the creation of New York Times’ noir 360-degree series that featured Don Cheadle. The four available episodes of On The Verge can be seen on YouTube but can also be viewed on the MLB.com At Bat app on Google Daydream.

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