NBA’s VR plans go the distance

NBA Digital and NextVR are going long, with the Official League Pass VR Partner unveiling a schedule of 27 live games in virtual reality for the 2017-18 NBA season. The slate will feature all 30 NBA teams within NextVR’s signature immersive 3D VR experience, tipping off during a free preview on Oct. 21 pitting the Mavericks/Rockets. The season will also see the launch the NextVR Screening Room that will allow subscribers to watch any NBA League Pass game on a virtual movie theater-sized screen with the ability to select up to 13 NBA games to livestream on a virtual screen. NextVR will also debut new product features including live volumetric telestration, live infographics and dynamic stats inserted into the virtual scene, and user-selected point-of-view for the 27-game schedule.

“By committing to a schedule of VR games, we’ve been able to listen to fan feedback in real-time and deploy improvements on a weekly basis,” said Jeff Marsilio, NBA Vice President, Global Media Distribution. “The fan response has been overwhelmingly positive, and we look forward to seeing their reaction to this year’s new VR capabilities.”

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