There’s nothing quite like watching sports being played live. The energy from the teams and the crowd will get you hyped up real fast. Of course you could watch it from home, but safe to say that the experience won’t be truly the same. This is why Samsung, in a demonstration of their virtual reality tech, has allowed select fans in Portugal to watch their favorite football game in virtual reality.
This is done using none other than Samsung’s own virtual reality headset, the Gear VR. According to Samsung, “Together with the Portuguese cable operator NOS, SPORT TV, broadcasting specialists Mediapro and the Portuguese Professional Football League, Samsung helped people watch the game via the Gear VR, just as if they were at the stadium – except they were actually in the Samsung Experience Store in Almada and the NOS movie theater at the Centro Colombo shopping mall in Lisbon.”
This was accomplished by using 360-degree cameras. These cameras were located behind each goal-line, and another placed behind each team’s bench, and another placed in the stands. This allowed viewers to swap perspectives, choosing to either be part of the audience, be part of the team, or be in the field itself.
Not content with just bringing football to virtual reality, Samsung also used their VR tech at a surfing event in Portugal, allow viewers to feel like they were there. According to Chris Culbertson of the World Surf League, “The virtual reality content is amazing and regardless of your athletic ability, you can catch a wave like the pros. The cameras enabled fans to see what it was like to be part of the crowd on the beach, in the VIP area and even in the athletes’ lounge, so they could hang out with their favorite surfers.”
Filed in . Read more about Gear VR, Samsung, Sports, Virtual Reality (VR) and Wearable Tech.