Injustice 2 and NASCAR Heat 5 are free to play on Xbox this weekend
The promotion is part of Microsoft's Free Play Days
This is what professional drivers are using to race remotely during lockdown
We talked to an NHRA drag racer to get a peek at a pro-level virtual racing rig
Digital Trends Live: Apple sells iTunes data, Xbox Game Pass, and more
On this episode of DT Live, we discuss Apple selling your iTunes data, Starlink’s plans to be running by end of year, Xbox’s Game Pass, Volkswagen’s hologram control system, robot health inspections, and more.
The post Digital Trends Live: Apple sells iTunes data, Xbox Game Pass, and more appeared first on Digital Trends.
This Week In VR Sport: NASCAR, Basketball and eSports
Every weekend VRFocus brings you a number of sports and eSports related virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) stories as part of This Week In VR Sport. This week, NASCAR have launched an AR experience to let fans enjoy some of the best moments from the NASCAR Playoffs, the Virtual Athletics League are planning more eSport tournaments and ePlay Digital release an update for Big Shot Basketball.
NASCAR Release New AR Experience For The 2018 NASCAR Playoffs
NASCAR fans are now able to immersive themselves in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs thanks to a new AR experience that has been made available via the official NASCAR mobile app. As reported by Yahoo, the new NASCAR Playoffs AR Experience Refreshed by Coca-Cola allows users the change to walk through virtual portals to see the playoffs’ most memorable moments in full 360-degrees of immersion.
For the ten weeks that the NASCAR Playoffs are happening, fans with an AR compatible iOS or Android device will be able to download the NASCAR Mobile app and experience this new feature for themselves.
“NASCAR is always looking for unique ways to engage fans and bring them closer to the sport, especially during the most exciting time in our season,” said Tim Clark, NASCAR Digital Media vice president. “Together with Coca-Cola, we‘re inviting fans to step right into the NASCAR Playoffs and experience the action, pageantry and emotion like never before.”
Fans will place a 3D Coca-Cola can within their surrounding to create the superimposed portal into the NASCAR Playoffs experience. Once they walk through the portal, they will be able to experience the thrilling moments including team celebrations in Victory Lane and other memorable moments from throughout the years.
The NASCAS mobile app is available to download now on the Apple app store and the Google Play store.
Virtual Athletics League Planning More Global VR eSports Tournaments
Following a successful Beat Saber tournament earlier this year, the Virtual Athletics League (VAL), LIV and SpringboardVR have now announced a new global arcade league is being formed to provide further competitions. The news was revealed earlier this week and sees HP and HTC eSports along with seven VR development studios, including Survios, Vertigo Games and CloudGate Studio to see the new league come to life.
Thanks to the success of the Beat Saber tournament, which was originally placed for 50 locations but eventually took place in over 168 around the globe, the companies are planning to reproduce this achievement with several more events during 2018 and 2019.
The first of which took place last month with a global Space Pirate Trainer tournament which run between 27th-30th September. Global tournaments are planned to be held for Arizona Sunshine and Island 359 for Halloween followed by an event for the archery title QuiVR in November.
“The league is also placing a high priority on arcade vs. arcade gameplay, with a core group of elite VR arcades participating in more team-based titles that are VR esports ready. These official launch titles include the giant mech multiplayer shooter Archangel: Hellfire, a jet-propelled shooter Skyfront, and a tactical sci-fi shooter After-H.” Said Ryan Burningham of Virtual Athletics League in a blog post.
VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on the tournaments in the future.
ePlay Digital Release New Update For Big Shot Basketball
Finally this week, ePlay Digital Inc have announced the release of new features for their Big Shot Basketball AR app. This includes new filters for users to use when taking AR selfies, which follows the draft of NBA players to Big Shot users’ rosters. Based on popular SnapChat filters, these new filters will also allow users to add information to their selfie such as the weather, location and NBA team information to personalize the experience. The new filters will be free to use for all players of the app.
The new update also brings compatibility with the recently released Apple iOS 12 and the latest version of ARKit 2.0. This sees advanced scene and pattern detection and improved rendering and lighting effects come to Big Shot Basketball. Users will also be able to purchase “swaps” now as well, which allow a user to exchange an NBA athlete discovered in AR with different athletes from different teams. There are two types of swaps – free and paid. One free swap is given to the player ever four hours with users able to purchase four swaps through the in-app purchase screen of the title at any time.
“We continue to update Big Shot Basketball based on feedback we receive through our Beta release,” says Trevor Doerksen, CEO of ePlay Digital. “Expect more and more features as you unlock new levels and as users see their feedback come to life.”
VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on Big Shot Basketball and other AR apps from ePlay Digital in the future.
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.
Life In 360°: Well, Ovals Are Basically 360…
Motorsport. The smell of burning rubber, the sound of a roaring engine, the taste of champagne for the victorious or the bitter taste of defeat.
As mentioned previously on Life In 360° I am a motorsport fan, particularly Formula 1 racing. As such we’ve featured Formula 1 quite a lot, particularly since new owners Liberty Media took over and opened the doors for cars to equip 360 degree cameras there’s been all manner of footage coming out for every race. That, we last featured roughly a month ago; and I do have plans to feature it again very soon, possibly at the tail end of next week.
Until then there are other avenues of motor racing to explore, and of all the motorsports out there yesterday NASCAR went absolutely 360 degree mad. Publishing a whole host of videos in the format from a handheld camera used at Sunday’s race at Sonoma Raceway. All with next to no indication as to what they were about.
Warning: It’s NASCAR, so it’s loud.
So here’s the start of the race…
A pitstop from… someone.
The pedestrian bridge at Sonoma.
At the side of the track:
Here’s Martin Truex Jr doing a burnout.
Victory lane after the event.
And here’s the champagne.
That’s just a selection of a hopping fourteen videos that went up in, well, no particular order whatsoever. you can find more on the NASCAR YouTube channel.
We’ll be back on Monday with another video. Be sure to check back with VRFocus throughout today and the weekend.
This Week in VR Sport: The Next Generation
The weekend is here and it’s the last one for the month of February but that won’t stop us from bringing you a number of stories from the week focusing on sports. From football to stock car racing to a new demonstration of a virtual reality (VR) stadium experience, there is plenty to drive into in This Week In VR Sport.
Virtual Stadium Experience Showcased at MediaCityUK
Since the introduction of VR technology into the world of sports, fans have been itching to see how it can help put them closer to the action. Salford University Centre for Sports Business partnered with DigitalSport.co to demonstration and number of VR and augmented reality (AR) products focusing on the sports sector. One such demonstration, designed by Salford student Elena-Mary Calarasu, made use of 360 camera to record not only a match but also the crowds, before projecting them onto huge screens to create an immersive virtual stadium experience.
Calarasu, a student of Business and IT at the University of Salford Business School explained: “We wanted to get rid of the headsets but still get the same experience. It’s a very social thing. The idea is to bring fans closer to the action. It will allow fans who don’t live near their team to be involved in the action. For example Man City fans who live in China could get a much better experience if this technology is used.”
On top of the massive projection onto the two massive screens the experience can also been enjoyed with a VR headset such as the Oculus Rift. The demonstration shows that with or without a headset, that immersive sports content is very much possible and can be used in a number of different applications.
NASCAR Looking to Virtual Reality to Fuel Future Stars
From football to stock car racing, VR and immersive technology is helping to grow the next generation of racers.
Speaking in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, 20 year old stock car racer William Byron spoke about how the use of the popular iRacing simulator as a teenager helped to home his skills for the real thing. Having won over 100 races and placing in the top five over 290 times. Talking about his early days of racing Byron explained: “For me, I had not been in a racing family and did not have any connection with this, so iRacing was my chance to really see if I had any ability to drive a car, I think from that standpoint it’s a great starter for understanding if you do have some ability and seeing if that can translate.”
The accessibility of iRacing and the included support for VR headsets allows a user to become complete immersed in a race, learning invariable skills for the real thing. Jimmie Johnson, 42-year-old seven-time season champion added: “In today’s world you can get experience in a variety lot of different ways and have the hours needed to jump in a car, unlike my generation, William is a perfect example.”
He continued by adding: “I had to wait 20 times a year to go drive a vehicle for one day. You add up those hours. William can sit in his house and drive for six hours day after day after day. It’s not the real thing but in today’s era it’s pretty damn close.”
The Next eSport Might Be VR Deathmatch
Speaking of future stars, the next generations of eSports champions may find their future success in VR.
During a recent test event at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas, the first two-person VR arena demonstration was create. The aim was to have two players facing off in a head-to-head live-action deathmatch in the title Raw Data. Complete with viewing screens and side-by-side pods, a stage was created to make any eSports fan happy. The event, though only small, was a successful test of the idea, setup and hardware along with a live stream resulting in an exciting event that has a lot of promise.
The possible application to take this large scale could be a key step in how the eSports industry further embraces VR technology and creates new competitions. You can see the test event in action here.
For more on immersive sport news keep reading VRFocus.
This Week in VR Sport: DJI Racing Headset, New York Jets & NASCAR Debuts 360 Content
It’s been a busy week for virtual reality (VR) news, mainly revolving around all the Black Friday deals going on, with Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR all seeing new headset offers as well as plenty of content on discount. The annual sales extravaganza isn’t exactly over with most offers running through to Monday. If you’re already bored with Black Friday and want a change of pace VRFocus’ regular Saturday roundup of all things sport related should help to provide some informational respite.
DJI Introduces Racing Edition Goggles for Professional Drone Pilots
Drone manufacturer DJI is well known for its mixture of products, from the consumer Sparc and Phantom models, all the way up to the more industrial Matrice 600 Pro. This week the company has revealed a new virtual reality (VR) headset, the DJI Goggles RE (Racing Edition), offering all the functionality and dual 1080p HD screens from the original DJI Goggles but with an upgraded FPV experience.
The new headset offers a completely new look, with a redesigned metallic matte black visor and headband, along with red leather padding for better comfort. DJI has developed an external OcuSync Air Unit and camera module which can be installed or mounted on any drone or aircraft, allowing operators to pilot their drone up to 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) away with a 50 ms latency.
Features include a head tracking gimbal mode, so users can control the gimbal camera just by turning their head, while the OcuSync camera module has a 148° field of view (FOV). If you have two pairs of DJI Goggles RE then a spectator can join in for a pilots eye view.
“Innovation is at the heart of everything DJI develops, with each new product building on the previous model to offer users an unparalleled experience. The DJI Goggles RE are no exception and deliver video footage with ultimate speed, stability and clarity,” said Paul Pan, Senior Product manager in a statement. “And it’s not just racers and enthusiasts who benefit from the new DJI Goggles RE. Whether you fly a DIY drone, a fixed-wing aircraft, or a remote-controlled vehicle, the external camera and transmission module can be mounted and synced with the new DJI Goggles RE to provide you with an immersive experience and put you in the pilot’s seat.”
The DJI Goggles RE retail for £549 GBP/ $549 USD via the company’s website.
New York Jets Fans Will be Getting More Immersive 360 Content
Back in August VRFocus reported on the New York Jets partnering with content creators Xperiel to offer augmented reality (AR) experiences as part of the team’s existing mobile app. As it turns out the NFL team are keen on creating more immersive content, with the Jets 360 Productions media arm hiring experienced media professionals to build a library of 360-degree videos for fans.
The team is looking to produce multi-year storylines across its digital properties, reports SportTechie, with Chris Gargano, Vice President and Executive Producer of the Jets, saying they’re focused on unique content that includes its cheerleaders, players an the fans as well.
“Coming into the season, we wanted to tell very well-thought-out stories,” Gargano said. “We want to tell great stories with great production value so the fan base can engage with these players.”
“We try to have a 360 component on every story. It’s not just supplemental, it’s actually now a part of the experience,” he continues. “You have to pay attention to the industry, and the trends, and the way content is moving. How are sports fans consuming content and how could we best deliver it to them? It’s not necessarily what we want to do it’s what the fans want.”
NASCAR Cup Series Championship Debuts VR Experience for Fans
NASCAR has dabbled with virtual reality (VR) content in the past, but last weekend saw the racing championship take it up a notch. Through a collaboration with broadcaster Ultracast, fans were able to see live, 360-degree views of pre-race events for Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Ultracast setup a 360-degree camera to livestream the driver’s meeting through the NASCAR smartphone app and on NASCAR.com
“The technology around it is still evolving,” Tim Clark, managing director of NASCAR Digital Media, told Frontstretch. “It is literally a sphere-mounted camera that’s got multiple camera lenses in it so it is filming 360 degrees at all times. The user who is watching the video can control the angle they want to watch at.
“It’s a space we’ve been evaluating for a while. Daytona is something we’ve talked about, but we wanted to move a little bit quicker. We thought the championship weekend in Miami made a lot of sense since there is a lot of excitement around the weekend.”
If NASCAR is pleased with Ultracast’s results and feedback from the broadcasts then it may look at expanding content coverage to future races.
This Week In VR Sport: Zeality Goes Trucking, Bayern Munich Gets Augmented
Here we are again, a Saturday afternoon with another look at what’s going on in the world of immersive technologies – i.e. virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), or anything of that ilk – and sport. So, what do we have this week? Well, a familiar name crops up once again -this time getting involved in the world of motorsport but before that we’ve news on a sport and VR related event taking place next week that VRFocus is a media partner with.
Dedicated VR & Sports Summit Piles On The Speakers
The role of VR and AR in sport is, as you would have guessed, a continuous theme at the World Virtual & Augmented Reality Sports Innovation Summit 2017, to be held in San Francisco, California from November 15th-16th, 2017. After we first talked about it on this column two months back, the event already now has over fifty speakers attending and over 200 senior executives from the worlds of sport and technology as well as world renowned brand and big names in the world of broadcasting.
In fact in terms of sports teams there’ll be speakers featured from: The Seattle Seahawks, FC Barcelona, the Washington Redskins, the L.A. Dodgers, the L.A. Kings, the Vegas Golden Knights, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Cowboys, Boston Celtics, BC Lions Football Club, San Fransisco 49ers, the New York Mets. Indiana Pacers, both the New Orleans Pelicans and New Orleans Saints. The Golden State Warriors and the German national football team!
That’s not including representatives from a whole host of sports governing bodies. The NFL, PGA Tour, FIFA, NASCAR, Rugby World Cup Sevens, the World Surf League, Major League Soccer (MLS), Tennis Canada and the US Olympic committee. It is quite the line-up and for more information and to register for the Summit please click here.
Bayern Munich Look To Augmented Reality
Following on from Italian giants Juventus’ own comments about immersive reality two weeks ago the latest version of the arguably Germany’s biggest team Bayern Munich have added an AR feature to the latest version of the team’s iOS app. In a similar way to how the technology is being utilised by some American sports teams it gives the option to bring two of the team’s players, Manuel Neuer or Arjen Robben into a fan’s selfie.
Not every time a sports team talks about using VR or AR they are being entirely accurate, however. But unlike some of the aforementioned other teams elsewhere, where ‘AR’ is being promoted as, essentially, a glorified green screen, the Bayern app does have some degree of customisation with swapable shirts and other ways to personalise the end result. The customisation on the shirts is also, cunningly, tied in with the club shop allowing fans to then buy their virtual creations.
It has certainly made the organisation consider the future and how the technology could play a future part in their marketing plans. “We believe that AR could be key for us in the near future.” Commented Stefan Mennerich, Director of Media Digital & Communications at Bayern Munich. “We’re already thinking about the merchandising experience via AR and how that could potentially work with sponsors when it comes to exporting the logos of our partners.”
We will, of course keep you up to date with anything that is subsequently announced.
NASCAR Truck Team Is Latest Zeality Partner
Zeality (who will also be in attendance at the World Virtual & Augmented Reality Sports Innovation Summit 2017, incidentally) are once again in the news. This time they are looking to bring immersive media content to motorsport to help increase fan engagement with both the spectacle and the branding.
Zeality, who are working with (amongst others) the San Fransico 49ers, San Jose Sharks, Visa, Reebok and more, will be working with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ GMS Racing Team on future content. Justin Haley the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Champion who joined the team last year at the end of last year was enthused about the possibilities.
“It is so cool that Zeality jumped on board with our No. 24 GMS Racing Team.” He said. “The best part of my job is engaging with fans and Zeality gives us a whole new way to do that. NASCAR has the best fans in all of sports and I’m stoked that Zeality gives them a new platform to interact with our team.”
“Motorsports has a rich and storied history.” Commented Zeality’s Co-Founder and CEO Dipak M. Patel on the agreement. “We are fueling the next chapter, as we believe the future of motorsports will rely on new ways to captivate and engage generations of fans. Interactive immersive experiences like AR, VR, MR, and 360 media, enabled by Zeality’s platform, will allow fans to connect and engage in exciting new ways. We’re excited to be partnering with Justin as he represents the future of Motorsports and the promise of a whole new way of thinking.”
Zeality are now a sponsor of the Haley truck as well, which you can see in this video taken late yesterday in a video that will be part of the company’s non-VR content.
Watch @Justin_Haley_ give you an inside look at GMS Racing and his new @ZealityVR truck in this Zeality re/live video! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/nRE4ngrhCK
— GMS Racing (@GMSRacingLLC) October 28, 2017
VRFocus will be back at the same time next week with more VR, AR and MR sports.