What we want to see from 2K Games’ new NFL game in 2021
For the first time in more than 15 years, Madden will have an actual competitor
You’ll soon be able to wear your favorite NFL jersey in ‘Fortnite’
Epic Games has partnered with the NFL to bring NFL jerseys to Fortnite. Starting this Friday, users can purchase jerseys from all 32 NFL teams with V-bucks. Jersey numbers can be changed at any time, and you can even cosplay as a referee.
The post You’ll soon be able to wear your favorite NFL jersey in ‘Fortnite’ appeared first on Digital Trends.
This Week In VR Sport: NextVR Bring WWE To Viewers, VR Empowering Referees And Pizza Hut Join NFL
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, NextVR have released their highlights of the WWE Summer Slam 2018 for viewers to enjoy, football referees will soon be able to use VR to put themselfs into the shoes of the players and Pizza Hut team up with NFL for a number of promotions including packaging that features an AR videogame.
WWE Sumer Slam 2018 Highlights Come To NextVR App
NextVR, the entertainment platform that puts viewers closer then ever to the action has announced that their coverage of the WWE Summer Slam 2018 is now available to watch once again in the NextVR app. This VR experience gives fans a chance to be ringside to all the action and experience the thrill of each match like never before.
Now available in the app to re-watch whenever they want, fans will be able to enjoy highlights from select WWE Summer Slam 2018 matches and events and feel like they are in the ring themselves. The content can be enjoined on any NextVR compatible VR devices including Samsung Gear VR, Google Daydream, Windows Mixed Reality and PlayStation VR.
VR Could Soon Be Used By Referees To Step In Players Shoes In Football Matches
VR technology will transform the way referees oversee a football match as they will be able to put themselves into the players shoes. This is according to Dave Horrocks, a sports researcher and senior lecturer in football coaching and analytics at the University Campus of Football Business (UCFB) in Manchester, who notes that the improvements in the immersive technology and satellite tracking will see a more immersive VAR system for referees.
“In effect, it means referees will have the technology to virtually become a goalkeeper and face the corner that’s just happened on the pitch to truly see a particular incident of play from virtually any angle,” Horrocks explained talking to the Manchester Evening News.
The satellite VR system is already in use for players and is used to assess and review actions throughout training in order to improve performance on match days. By leveraging the satellite VR system, titled Mi Hiepa and a tracking system called Trac Ab, the new installment of the system would allow referees a chance to step into the players shoes and gain a better understanding of what unfold during a match.
“It will enable the referee to put himself in Neymar’s shoes and know, without any element of doubt, whether he has been kicked or fouled or not,” Horrocks said. “That means the decision he makes will not have any margin for error and will be as accurate as if he had been the player involved in the incident.”
The system is currently in development and still has a way to go but for now Horrocks is hopefully that it’s implementation will occur during the Premier League by next season or the season after.
Pizza Hut Gets AR Packaging As Part Of NFL Promotion
Earlier this week it was announced by Pizza Hut that they have become the official sponsor of the National Football League (NFL) and to mark the event, the food chain have launched a number of new programs including interactive AR packaging.
This new special edition packaging will be available in all US Pizza Hut locations during the American Football season and will allow consumers a chance to interact with it via a app for iOS or Android. Once the camera is aligned with the top of the pizza box players will be able to unlock the ‘Beanbag Blitz’ game that is a virtual variant on the game of Cornhole in which a team of two takes turns throwing beanbags through a cornhole board.
“Pizza has the power to bring sports fans together, and for years, Pizza Hut has served as a gameday centerpiece in living rooms across the country. Now, as the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL, we’re going to celebrate football fans all season long,” said Marianne Radley, Chief Brand Officer, Pizza Hut, U.S. “We look forward to kicking off the season with our new league and team partners to deliver fans incredible in-home experiences and quality pizza each gameday.”
This new AR experience is just one of many plans that Pizza Hut have for the NFL season which will also see prize giveaways and exclusive pizza deals planned to run over the season as well.
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.
Augmenting Dinner – Pizza Hut Gets AR Packaging
This year will mark the first time that Pizza Hut has been an official sponsor of the National Football League (NFL). To mark this, the food chain has launched a number of programs to get the attention of NFL fans and bring American Football and pizza closer together – including its new interactive augmented reality (AR) packaging.
For the new NFL season, Pizza Hut has announced new special edition packaging which will be available in all US Pizza Hut locations during the American Football season. To take it a step further, the packaging can activate a special AR app.
Consumers can download the app onto an iOS or Android device and use the camera to line up the top of the pizza box in order to unlock the ‘Beanbag Blitz’ game, a virtual variant on the game of Cornhole, where a team of two takes turns throwing beanbags through a cornhole board. The first player to reach 21 points will win.
“We tapped into technology to deliver a truly immersive gameday experience to fans – specifically combining what they’re most passionate about: their team, the spirit of competition, and of course, pizza,” said Zipporah Allen, Chief Marketing Officer, Pizza Hut, U.S. “Incorporating this AR component into our lineup of new experiences is broadening our digital portfolio and engaging fans in a completely new way.”
The AR app is just the tip of the iceberg with regards to Pizza Hut’s plans for the NFL season, with prize giveaways and exclusive pizza deals also planned to run over the course of the season.
“Pizza has the power to bring sports fans together, and for years, Pizza Hut has served as a gameday centerpiece in living rooms across the country. Now, as the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL, we’re going to celebrate football fans all season long,” said Marianne Radley, Chief Brand Officer, Pizza Hut, U.S. “We look forward to kicking off the season with our new league and team partners to deliver fans incredible in-home experiences and quality pizza each gameday.”
Further information on what plans Pizza Hut have for the NFL season can be found on the official Pizza Hut website. Further news on new AR apps will be here on VRFocus.
Twitch adds a new 24/7 streaming sports channel called Stadium
When you think of Twitch, you don't normally think of traditional sports like football and basketball. The company hopes to change that with a new channel called Stadium, delivering 24/7 events, highlights, and commentary on sports.
The post Twitch adds a new 24/7 streaming sports channel called Stadium appeared first on Digital Trends.
Become A Virtual Quarterback In 2MD: VR Football For PSVR This Spring
Ever since VR Sports Challenge I’ve been waiting for more developers to really embrace really arm-heavy kinetic sports like basketball and football. Accurate motion controllers are a great foundation for those sorts of games and VR Sports Challenge shows it can absolutely work. But all other sports games we’ve seen have been only a shadow of what that game offers and nothing on PSVR has come even close. 2MD: VR Football from Truant Pixel aims to change that.
As the name suggests, this game focuses specifically on American football. You’ll take on the role of quarterback, drop back to pass, and hit your receivers on routes across the field just like any pro QB does on Sunday night. This is an indie game and isn’t licensed by the NFL, so get ready for some good ol’ red team vs. blue team.
As you can see in the trailer above one of the neat bits the game lets you do is actually drawing routes and designing plays on a white board in the locker room. This is a feature that’s been sorely missing from even recent Madden NFL games so I’m excited to see how flexible that system ends up being.
For a game like this it’s honestly just going to come down to the accuracy of the throwing mechanics. After playing Carnival Games VR I’m confident the devs can find a good balance, so let’s hope it turns out okay with the PSVR’s inferior PS Move controllers.
This Week in VR Sport: Virtual Vikings and Augmented Cricketers
It’s almost the end of 2017, a year that has seen many new developments in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) along with its related technologies. A dizzying number of sports teams covering a very wide variety of sports have taken to these technologies to engage with fans, train players and even help with rehabilitation after injury.
It’s going to be pretty interesting to see what 2018 will hold, but 2017 still has a couple more stories to tell.
Minnesota Vikings First NFL Team to Launch VR Oculus App
American football stadiums are gigantic, vast theatres of concrete and steel that tries to host the vast number of fans of the NFL. But even these giant edifices can’t hold all the fans of a given team, and even if that were possible, not all fans can travel.
As reported by Sport Techie, NFL team the Minnesota Vikings have come up with a solution to this by partnering with VR content company Zeality to create a VR app for the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR that lets users explore the Vikings’ home at U.S. Bank Stadium in 360-degrees, with footage from every home game played there since it opened in 2016 available to view through the app.
“Virtual reality and 360 content is very important to our organization,” said Scott Kegley, Vikings Executive Director of Digital Media and Innovation, in a statement. “We understand only a small percentage of our large fan base is able to attend a Vikings game or event. We want to bring experiences to them, and immersive technology is allowing us to do that.”
Said Zeality co-Founder and CEO Dipak M. Patel in a statement: “The Vikings are not only innovating new ways of creating content using immersive media, they are also one of the leaders in delivering these experiences to their fans.”
Legendary Moment in Cricket Recreated in AR
Some moments in sports have gone down in history, becoming indelibly seared into the memories of those fortunate enough to witness them live. One such moment was the day Steve Waugh stunned everyone at the Sydney Cricket Ground to achieve what he described as his ‘perfect day’.
Despite critics saying he was off his from, and rumours of impending retirement, Waugh scored a century and surpassed 10,000 Test runs. That achievement has gone down in cricketing history, and has now been lovingly recreated in AR.
Waugh donned a motion-capture suit to re-create his famous innings in a project commissioned by the Sydney Cricket & Sports Ground Trust, and developed by technology partner Avanade. The app allows fans to use a mobile device to view an AR recreation of the moment. The experience will also be offered on HoloLens during the Ashes test in Sydney in January.
“It was actually a lot harder than I thought to recreate the shot because when you’re playing it’s just instinct, you don’t think about it. To mirror the exact trigger movements that accompany each shot was difficult to achieve as they were instinctive and not manufactured,” Waugh told CIO.
There will be more from This Week in VR Sport in the New Year.
NextVR to Broadcast NFL Game Highlights in VR Following 5 Games this Season
Are you ready for some VR football highlights? NextVR, a familiar name in VR sports broadcasting—with earlier VR livestreaming initiatives with the NBA, NHL, and more—and the NFL return for a second season of post-game immersive highlight content in VR.
Highlights will be available on-demand following five games in the 2017 regular season, and will showcase the best moments from each, captured and viewed in VR. Hosting the post-game VR experiences are Reggie Bush, Super Bowl XLIV Champion, and Elika Sadeghi, sport commentator. Reggie Bush expressed enthusiasm for the project. “I truly feel that VR is the future. It’s innovative, and I couldn’t wait to be part of it. I’m excited for the fans to watch football in NextVR because they’re going to get a real in-game experience of what we go through as athletes on the field.”
See below for the schedule of games that will have highlights available from the NFL VR Experience:
NextVR will work alongside the NFL Films team to position multiple VR cameras throughout the stadium and along the field to capture footage.
“We are thrilled to be back for a second NFL season with more games in addition to the VR studio shows with Reggie Bush,” said NextVR CEO David Cole. “NFL fans expect the best and want to be as close to the action as possible. At NextVR we continue to evolve and improve the fan experience through our technology in collaboration with NFL Films to deliver a premium virtual reality production.”
A NFL VR Experience Preview Show debuted on October 5th with Reggie Bush and Elika Sadeghi in the NextVR studio discussing the upcoming five game matchups, and expectations for the VR content to follow. Following the final scheduled regular season game available on NextVR, Reggie and Elika will recap the best plays from this season of VR matchups from the NextVR studio. This content is available for free on the NFL channel in the NextVR app available on Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream.
The post NextVR to Broadcast NFL Game Highlights in VR Following 5 Games this Season appeared first on Road to VR.
This Week in VR Sport: NextVR’s Broadcasting More NBA and NFL Games + Juventus FC Launch VR app
It’s now the weekend, time to put your feet up after a long week at work and enjoy some virtual reality (VR) goodness. If you like to mix a bit of sport in with that as well then you’ve come to the right place, with VRFocus’ regular Saturday roundup of This Week in VR Sport.
NextVR to Broadcast Five 2017 NFL Regular Season Games
Virtual reality (VR) broadcast specialist NextVR tends to be the go to company for watching sporting events in 360-degrees, and this week is no different. To start with the company has announced a new collaboration with the National Football League (NFL) to stream five post-game experiences this year.
Hosted by Super Bowl XLIV Champion Reggie Bush and sports commentator Elika Sadeghi, each post-game highlight will showcase the best VR moments from the game and be available to fans on-demand in the NextVR app which can be downloaded for Samsung Gear VR or Google Daydream.
NextVR and NBA League Pass to Showcase Every Game in VR
NextVR’s next announcement comes from its long running collaboration with the NBA, with the broadcaster set to schedule 27 live games in 360-degrees for the 2017-18 NBA season through the NBA League Pass.
To make each stream that little bit special NextVR will be debuting a new feature called Screening Room. This will allow subscribers to watch any NBA League Pass game on a virtual movie theater-sized screen. Every game night, fans can immerse themselves in a 360 VR environment with the opportunity to select up to 13 NBA games to livestream on a massive virtual screen.
“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-ofplay, deliver sharper images, and introduce more VR devices to fans,” said David Cole, NextVR CEO 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.”
Go Behind the Scenes or Soak up the History in Juventus VR
Lastly if you happen to be a fan of football (the European kind), or more specifically Italian soccer legends Juventus FC, then the club has launched a new virtual reality (VR) app for Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR.
The app gives Juventus fans exclusive access to the changing rooms, Allianz Stadium pitch, Juventus Training Center, Juventus Headquarters, J|Medical, or finding themselves side by side with captain Gianluigi Buffon or Paulo Dybala.
“Innovation and excellence have always represented two of the most important values of our club,” commented Federico Palomba, Co-Chief Revenue Officer of Juventus. “Launching this unique app on Oculus’ platform will give millions of VR users and our global fan base the chance to discover Juventus as if they were really here. Having so many supporters in every corner of the world, we are thrilled at the idea of bringing them closer to us.”
This Week In VR Sport: Refreshment And Redemption
Welcome to Saturday, you’ve officially made it through the week. A week in which, at least for those of us at VRFocus was dominated by darkness and rain. We’re a mere day away from diving head-first into October and in the UK at least we’ve waved goodbye to a calm and pleasant Summer and Autumn is most definitely here. The changing of the seasons does not slow the news relating to linking sport to immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), however. So, we’d best go over some of stories that have come out recently – and it turns out that it’s quite an AR filled week.
An AR Helmet Gets A New Lease Of Life
We start off in the world of AR and news that a previously dead-in-the-water project has received a new lease of life. The project in question is that of the Skully motorcycle helmet, one of a number of helmet related AR projects that have been popping up over the last few years – more on those later.
A project that initially raised over $15 million (USD), for creators Mitch and Marcus Weller with $2.5 million of that coming over from Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, the whole project collapsed into bankruptcy following a scandal involving the misuse of company funds for, among other things, visits to strip clubs, hiring a lamborghini and renting an apartment. There was a lawsuit and backers were left somewhat in the lurch. It was all a bit of a mess.
New investors Ivan Contreras and Rafael Contreras have acquired the assets of the company however and the project, once again, lives with a new website and an announcement due on October 16th about the project going forward. What will it be? Most anything is better than what happened, so stay tuned to find out more. You can also find out more on the new website for the project which bears the mantra “determined to make it right”.
Time will, obviously, tell.
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Chiefs Fans: Refresh Your Tastebuds, And Your Memories
Chiefs Fans: Refresh Your Tastebuds, And Your MemoriesIt might well be in the headlines for other reasons at the moment, but no one can deny that when it comes to immersive technologies the teams of the NFL have more than taken an interest. Be it VR or AR we’ve had many a story, often featured as a part of This Week In VR Sport, of teams and the organisation itself partnering with technology firms, introducing new techniques for training and analysis, new ways to watch games, see their teams in action outside of match day and show their colours. Every team from the Denver Broncos, to the New York Jets and from the 49ers to the Patriots have featured previously. As have the Kansas City Chiefs, and it is they once again who are getting involved with the technology – this time with AR.
The Chiefs have announced a new partnership with Coca-Cola and Pittsburgh-based mobile AR app developers YinzCam. Fans will be able to buy specially branded Coke cans which when scanned via a camera mode in the team’s official mobile app (available for both Android and iOS) will reveal a video highlight of the Chiefs in action. With an additional game involving locating six special codes in the highlights for a chance to win a trip to the Chiefs’ match against the Dallas Cowboys in November.
The campaign, called “Coca-Cola Refreshing Moments in Chiefs History” is very similar to other campaigns involving the soft drinks brand that we have seen in the past.
“We’re excited to team up with our long-term partner Coca-Cola for this campaign that features a new interactive and innovative way for fans to engage in the Chiefs Mobile app.” Said Chiefs President Mark Donovan, “Thanks to our partners at YinzCam, we are using new and exciting technology to offer our fans this unique experience.”
“As augmented reality has continued to increase in popularity, we have continued to build out our in-house development team, to the point that AR is now one of our core competencies” CEO and Founder of YinzCam, Priya Narasimhan also added in the press release. “We are proud of our collaboration with the Chiefs to develop this unique partner activation, that not only gives Coca-Cola a dynamic branding opportunity, but creates an entertaining and memorable AR experience for Kansas City fans.”
You can see a representation of the app in action below.
CrossHelmet Triples Kickstarter Target
Remember how we were talking about AR and motorcycle helmets earlier? We’re back there again, though this time it’s more about a heads-up display (HUD) and the ability to see all around you courtesy of CrossHelmet who join the likes of Skully earlier, DAQRI and others who could be bringing advancements in helmet technology to amateur and professional riders alike.
Having launched a Kickstarter campaign earlier this month, CrossHelmet have, with 12 days still to go at the time of writing, have more than securing funding for their product. Blitzing their initial goal of $100,000 (USD) and trebling it to over £300,000. The team are now working towards their first stretch goal.
Speaking via an update on the campaign, the Crosshelmet team said “We’re incredibly humbled that we’re able to launch as part of Kickstarter Japan and thankful to all the people who have helped us plan our campaign.”
VRFocus will bring you more news about CrossHelmet and the next proposed steps for the product when the crowdfunding campaign comes to an end.
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