EA is removing Russian teams from FIFA, NHL games
EA's removal of teams from both franchises marks the company's largest alterations to a game in response to current events to date.
NextVR: Neue Partnerschaft mit NHL sorgt für VR-Eishockey-Highlights der Saison 2019
Die Livestreaming-Plattform NextVR musste kürzlich Abstriche ziehen und Mitarbeiter aus den eigenen Reihen entlassen. Der CEO des Unternehmens, David Cole, versprach damals, dass das Angebot an Livestreams und Ausstrahlungen von den Rationalisierungsmaßnahmen zukünftig unbetroffen bleiben solle. Dabei scheint er Wort zu halten, denn es gibt Aufwind für den VR-Livestream-Anbieter. Eine neue Partnerschaft mit der NHL soll zukünftig für VR-Ausstrahlungen der Eishockey-Ligaspiele sorgen. Allerdings mit einer Einschränkung: Zunächst sollen nur Highlights aus den Spielen und keine Komplettübertragungen stattfinden.
NextVR – Neue Partnerschaft mit NHL sorgt für VR-Eishockey-Highlights der Saison 2019
Eine Kooperation zwischen NextVR und der National Hockey League (NHL) ermöglicht Eishockey-Fans das Verfolgen der Spiele-Highlights der kommenden Saison in VR. Entsprechend werden die Spiele zwar nicht gesamt übertragen, dafür gibt es stereoskopische VR-Videos mit den besten und spannendsten Szenen aus der kommenden Saison 2019.
Innerhalb der VR-App findet sich dafür ein eigener Reiter für die NHL-Videos, in welchem bereits Aufnahmen aus dem All-Star-Spiel vom 26. Januar vorzufinden sind. Das knapp 8-minütige Video ist ein Zusammenschnitt aus Toren und Spielzügen in hoher Bildqualität. Zusätzlich gibt es verschiedene Kameraperspektiven, um einen Rundumblick über das Geschehen zu erhalten.
Danny Keens, VP of Content bei NextVR, findet enthusiastische Worte zur neuen Zusammenarbeit:
“Es könnte keinen besseren Zeitpunkt geben, um die NHL zu unserem wachsenden Portfolio an Content-Partnerschaften hinzuzufügen. Die VR-Industrie entwickelt sich dynamisch weiter und nun können mehr Sportfans denn je in dieses völlig neue VR-Hockey-Erlebnis eintauchen. Die NHL-Fans sind leidenschaftlich und immer auf der Suche nach mehr Action und Adrenalin. Diese Partnerschaft wird ihnen Empfindungen vermitteln, die bisher nur den Fans in der Arena vorenthalten blieb.”
Auch Chris Golier, Vice President der NHL, meldete sich mit Blick auf die Fans Zuhause zu Wort:
“Wir sind immer auf der Suche nach neuen Erfahrungen für unsere leidenschaftlichen Fans und freuen uns, mit NextVR, einem weltweit führenden Anbieter von Virtual-Reality-Content zusammenzuarbeiten. Nicht jeder Fan kann unsere Zeltveranstaltungen persönlich erleben, aber die fesselnden Inhalte von NextVR bringen die Fans der Action auf dem Eis näher als je zuvor und vermitteln ihnen das Gefühl, bei einem Live-NHL-Spiel dabei zu sein.”
Die NextVR-App ist kostenlos auf allen gängigen VR-Plattformen erhältlich.
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Get into the Action as the NHL Partners With NextVR
Specialist virtual reality (VR) broadcaster NextVR has partnered with several of the biggest sporting associations to bring fans up close and immersive 360-degree action. Today, the company has announced a new partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL) in association with Disney Streaming Services, enabling hockey fans to enjoy more of their favourite sport.
To mark the start of the new partnership NHL fans will be able to watch last weekends 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Game which NextVR captured, available for free via the NHL channel on NextVR’s app.
“There couldn’t be a better time to add the NHL to our growing portfolio of content partnerships. The VR industry continues to gather momentum after a blockbuster holiday shopping season, and now more sports fans than ever will be able to immerse themselves in this completely new hockey VR experience,” said Danny Keens, VP of Content at NextVR in a statement. “NHL fans are passionate and always on the look-out for more action and adrenaline. This partnership will give them sensations that only fans at the arena have been able to experience so far.”
The All-Star Game is just the first in a much broader content lineup that NextVR has planned, with future NHL coverage set to feature post-game highlights which will showcase the speed and finesse of NHL‘s teams, the big hits, epic matchups and of course the goals. Neither the NHL or NextVR have said which games will be recorded and when further content will be rolled out.
“We are always looking to create new experiences for our passionate fans, and are pleased to partner with NextVR, a global leader in producing virtual reality content. Not every fan can experience our marquee events in-person, but NextVR‘s immersive content will bring fans closer to the on-ice action than ever before and make them feel like they are at a live NHL game,“ adds Chris Golier, NHL Vice President of Business Development.
The free NextVR app can be downloaded for the following platforms, direct from their own stores: Oculus Go, Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, HTC Vive Pro, HTC Vive Focus, HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality, Pimax, Gear VR, and Google Daydream. For further NextVR updates, keep reading VRFocus.
NHL VR Highlights On The Way Via The NextVR App
Undeterred by recent layoffs, VR broadcasting app NextVR is announcing a new partnership with the National Hockey League today. Get ready for NHL VR highlights.
NextVR is set to showcase highlights of key NHL games from the 2019 season in VR. The app now features a new NHL channel that will store the stereoscopic 3D content. To kick things off the company launched a VR experience captured at the All-Star Game in San Jose, California last Saturday. Content consists of post-game highlights so expect goals, saves and, of course, some good ol’ fashioned beat-downs.
It doesn’t look like there will be any live coverage of the games, but NextVR produces some of the best and clearest video we’ve yet seen in VR. It’s also free to watch around the world, which certainly helps.
“Not every fan can experience our marquee events in-person, but NextVR’s immersive content will bring fans closer to the on-ice action than ever before and make them feel like they are at a live NHL game,” Chris Golier, NHL Vice President of Business Development, said in a prepared statement.
You’ll be able to watch NHL VR content wherever the NextVR app is. That’s basically everywhere: Rift, Go, Gear, PSVR, Vive, Windows VR and Daydream all support the platform. NHL joins NextVR’s coverage of other major sporting events like the NBA.
Earlier this month we reported that NextVR had held ‘significant layoffs’. Speaking to UploadVR, the company cited VR’s slow growth as the reason for the layoffs but insisted that the majority of the company and its work wasn’t affected.
The post NHL VR Highlights On The Way Via The NextVR App appeared first on UploadVR.
NHL Releases All-Star Game Highlights in VR, Promises More VR Content to Come
America’s National Hockey League today announced a new VR video experience, captured during last weekend’s NHL All-Star Game, which is now available via the NextVR app. The league is further promising more VR highlights to come from “select 2019 NHL marquee events.”
Available today via the NextVR app on every major VR platform, NHL is releasing a VR video highlight reel from the All-Star Game, an exhibition match up featuring top talent from the hockey league. The event was hosted last weekend in San Jose, CA, and marks roughly the halfway point of the NHL season.
NextVR is a leading producer of broadcast-focused VR video content, and shoots some of the top quality live-action content viewable in any VR headset, typically consisting of stereoscopic 180 degree footage up to 60 FPS. The company was on hand to capture highlights from the All-Star Game, and the footage is now available globally for free in a new NHL channel within the NextVR app.
And that new channel also heralds more NHL content to come from NextVR, the companies say. While specifics have yet to be revealed, “VR post game highlights from some of the NHL’s biggest events” is purportedly forthcoming. And though NHL’s VP of Business Development, Chris Golier, says that the VR content will make “[fans feel like they are at a live NHL game,” so far no plans have been announced to stream full NHL games in VR, live or on-demand.
And while NextVR produces some content which makes its way to the social-enabled Oculus Venues app, this particular NHL content is currently only available through the company’s own NextVR app which lacks any social functionality.
The announcement with the NHL is good news for NextVR which has been in the VR space since the very beginning—and has repeatedly snagged opportunities to produce VR video content with top sports leagues—but has struggled to find real traction with its content. Earlier this month the company laid off a significant portion of its workforce, saying that it was “staffed for a pretty explosive growth curve” which didn’t pan out as expected.
The post NHL Releases All-Star Game Highlights in VR, Promises More VR Content to Come appeared first on Road to VR.
This Week in VR Sports: NHL Celebrates 125th Anniversary of the Stanley Cup and Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2017
For VRFocus’ weekly roundup of virtual reality (VR) related sporting goodness the NHL is celebrating 125th anniversary of the Stanley Cup and the recent Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2017 saw VR broadcast popularity and engagement growing by 200 percent.
Intel and ESL Welcome 173,000 Fans to the Extreme Masters Katowice 2017
Last month VRFocus reported on ESL and SLIVER.tv collaborating on a virtual esports stadium experience for fans watching the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice 2017 event.
The entire competition turned out to be a huge success, 173,000 fans attended the stadium event and surrounding festival over the course of two weekends, with more than 46 million unique online viewers, a 35% growth from last year’s event.
Intel and ESL partnered with SLIVER.tv and WonderWorld VR for the VR experience, delivering an immersive 360-degree space that included live stats, replays, and scores in real-time. The VR stream featured a 200 percent growth in peak concurrent viewers compared to IEM’s first VR livestream in Oakland, with 340,000 unique viewers tuning into the VR broadcast reports ESL
“Intel Extreme Masters Katowice shattered all expectations with record breaking attendance and viewership,” said Frank Soqui, General Manager of the Virtual Reality and Gaming Group at Intel. “The gaming community’s passion for esports was on display and Intel is proud to continue delivering the best gaming experiences to fans around the world, whether that’s with IEM tournaments, driving growth in VR content, or improving how people play with Intel processors and technology.”
The IEM Expo also included VR Games Festival and VR tournament, interactive demos including Intel’s Project Alloy merged reality headset, and VR viewing stations from SLIVER.tv.
NHL Fans Experience The Moment Of A Lifetime With The Stanley Cup
To celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the Stanley Cup, the National Hockey League (NHL) teamed up with advertising agency R&R Partners, creating two ad spots voiced over by Liev Schrieber, highlighting the iconic trophy and a VR experience that allowed fans to get up close to the cup.
Housed inside a 20-foot shipping container at PPG Paints Arena, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins and current holder of the Cup, the experience transported fans to a VR world compiled of historic Stanley Cup wins, clips of the Cup being hoisted by famous players and teams and a final moment with the infamous ‘Keeper of the Cup’ Phil Pritchard and an opportunity to virtually reach out and grab the Cup.
What the fans didn’t realise, the actual cup had been placed in front of them whilst in VR so when they removed the headset there it was in all its glory.
This Week In VR Sport: Zeality and San Jose Sharks Team Up To Produce VR Ice Hockey Experience
Just the one item this week for our regular trip into the meeting of virtual reality (VR) and sport. With the San Jose Sharks and Zeality Incorporated announcing that they are producing a new 360-degree video experience that allows ice hockey fans to be right in the middle of the action.
The two companies have taken advantage of Zeality’s new Immersive Media Engine to provide an experience that will allow fans to get familiar with what it is like to skate on to the ice at the SAP centre, they can also get a look at the locker room and how the team prepares for a game. It’s even possible for users to share their personal experience with others using Zeality’s Re/Lives feature.
“We are pleased to find in Zeality a partner that aligns with our core values and methodologies to undertake this unique opportunity,” stated Flavil Hampsten, Executive Vice President, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at the San Jose Sharks. “The mobile strategy of the Sharks is to provide fans with an app that not only delivers game-day functionality but also exclusive and innovative content. Zeality’s cutting-edge approach allows us to deliver an experience unlike any other in Sports.”
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team In the National Hockey League (NHL) and current champions of the Western Conference. They made their debut in the NHL in 1991 and have won six division titles to date. In 2016 they celebrated the first time the team made it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Zeality are a provider of immersive experiences that specialises in using cloud solutions to deliver to connected devices. They recently introduced the Immersive Media Engine, a 360-degree video platform that allows uploading, hosting, bitrate streaming and video transcoding to all be done from within a single interface.
“The Immersive Media arena is evolving into an ecosystem that fans around the world can experience,” stated Dipak M. Patel, co-founder and CEO at Zeality. “Our capabilities combined with the content and deep fan base of the Sharks presents a fantastic opportunity to boost the overall experience Sharks fans can get. We are thrilled to work with the San Jose Sharks to make the vision of Immersive Media a reality.”
The San Jose Sharks Experience is expected to be available in Spring 2017 through the Sharks mobile app.
VRFocus will bring you more news on how VR is changing the way sport is seen next week at the same time.
‘NHL 17’ simulation picks Nashville Predators to hoist the Stanley Cup
NHL 17 has simulated the 2016 hockey season and predicts that the Nashville Predators will hoist the Stanley Cup. The Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid, last year's first-overall draft pick, is predicted to be the MVP.
The post ‘NHL 17’ simulation picks Nashville Predators to hoist the Stanley Cup appeared first on Digital Trends.