When the NBA season tips off tonight between the New Orleans Pelicans and the reigning league champion Golden State Warriors, tens of thousands of people will be crowded into Oakland's Oracle Arena to watch it live. A couple of million more will be following along at home or in sports bars via the game's live telecast on TNT. And a few hundred people will be piled on top of the scorer's table, enjoying their courtside view. At least, that's the perspective they'll have; they'll actually be at home, watching the first-ever live stream of an NBA game in virtual reality.
NextVR, a company that has been at the forefront of both streaming and sports applications for virtual reality, has already recorded NBA and NHL games for later VR playback, as well as locally streaming this year's U.S. Open golf tournament to people at onsite VIP tents. But when Steph Curry and the rest of the Warriors gather at halfcourt to receive their rings from league commissioner Adam Silver in a pregame ceremony, it'll be the first time that the Southern California company is attempting to do it both live and nationwide.
If you have a Samsung Gear VR headset, you'll be able to tune in via the NextVR app—though you'll be confined to one stationary view during the ring ceremony and another one during the game. Both cameras will offer a 180-degree field of view for the user; during the game, if you turn around, you won't see the stands, but instead a series of logos from the NBA, Turner Networks, NextVR, and others. In the past, NextVR has used that space to show standings and statistics, though there's potential to be able to do much more. "There's this gray area of what is the best use of VR," says the company's executive chairman, Brad Allen. "You can add in graphics elements, replay, social media elements—but it takes you a little bit out of the presence of sitting at an NBA game courtside. Do you want game sounds, or do you want the radio announcer? Ultimately you're gonna be able to say 'I want the fully produced experience,' or just be sitting there by yourself."
The company won't just have the one camera, however; during the game, a handful of others will be positioned throughout the arena, essentially rehearsing for the future. "They'll be recording," Allen says "but they'll be testing to see what looks better: 10 rows off the court, or in a luxury box looking down on the court." NextVR had five cameras at the U.S. Open, and allowed users to switch among the views at will—whether it was a fairway on the front nine or on the green of a pivotal hole.
The idea, of course, is to extend that to any future NBA VR telecasts that may happen. When asked about the league's plans on that front, the league's Vice President of Global Media Distribution, Jeff Marsilio, would only say that "if this is successful, there'll be more opportunities to bring experiences like this to our fans. That's a long way of saying there's nothing to announce right now, but everything we've done in the past–being early in VR, early in 4K—has shown we're willing to push the envelope with technology."
For all its progress with virtual broadcasting sports, however, NextVR is best known for streaming this month's Democratic presidential debate in VR—an event that launched a handful of "we're not ready for VR" pieces. But while that effort might have gotten a cool reception from the media, Marsilio isn't worried. "I've been watching a lot of VR over the course of 19 months," he says, "so I'm familiar with what the tech's limitations right now. I was extremely impressed with what NextVR was able to do, especially with switching cameras. You need to look past what might be challenges with existing hardware—whether it's resolution, fogging of lenses, whatever—and see the promise of the technology. In a debate, it can be very important to see facial expressions. In a basketball game, that's cool, but i think you'll be able to see the action without needing to see someone's face at the other end of the court."
