The expansion of virtual reality beyond just video games is proceeding at full steam.
And if you’re a huge college basketball fan, this year’s March Madness tournament might be the perfect time for you to try streaming the game in VR.
That’s right – you can stream basketball games from this year’s March Madness games to your VR headset. All thanks to Turner Broadcasting, one of the earliest – and most enthusiastic – supporters of VR sports entertainment.
The app, NCAA March Madness Live VR for Gear VR and Oculus Go devices, comes as the result of a collaboration between Turner and CBS, the NCAA, and Intel.
In total, 21 games will be broadcast via virtual reality and people can choose to attend on a per-game basis or buy a single ticket that gives them a pass to all of the games.
How do you get started?
To view the matches, you need to have either a Gear VR headset and phone or Oculus Go headset according to NCAA.com.
Then, you will need to download the app.
You can search for the app on the Oculus app by searching for the app by name. You can also browse the catalog via the headset.
Once you have got it downloaded you should be able to find it in your device’s library. Using the app, you will then have options regarding what to view and how to view it – either live or in a replay.
The experience is bespoke to VR and even features its own unique commentators. There will be multiple viewing angles and immersive sound for an experience somewhat akin to viewing a video game match.
It promises to be the way hardcore sports fanatics will want to watch games in the future but, for now, it is a pretty cool novelty and maybe a glimpse of things to come.
While not as exciting as a game or hot new piece of hardware, the gradual branching out of VR into other spaces bodes well for the segment’s future as a whole.
