Sunday, December 22, 2024

Watch today’s basketball game courtside in immersive VR for Meta Quest

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The WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) is once again streaming live games in Virtual Reality this year. Today, July 2, will see the New York Liberty versus Minnesota Lynx at 4 p.m. PT. And you can watch this game in immersive 180-degree VR from courtside seats via the Xtadium app on Meta Quest 3.This year the WNBA will stream a total of 20 live games for VR as part of a multi-year deal between the WNBA and Meta. Out of these 20, five games are being streamed in immersive 180-degree VR format, including the one happening today. 10 games have already been streamed, including one immersive game.

Xtadium is a VR and MR (Mixed Reality) platform for accessing sports on Meta’s Quest headsets. Aside from the five immersive games, the rest can be streamed on a giant virtual screen. This is done in MR, so your real-world surroundings are also visible. Xtadium is, however, only available in the U.S. for now.

It’s not just for playing VR games, you know. | Video credit — Meta

Upcoming WNBA games that will be streamed in immersive 180-degree VR format are:

  • August 17: Los Angeles Sparks versus Chicago Sky at 2 p.m. PT
  • September 1: Phoenix Mercury versus Las Vegas Aces at 1 p.m. PT
  • September 15: Indiana Fever versus Dallas Wings at 12 p.m. PT

Sports is an entertainment category that I think greatly benefits from being streamed in VR, especially with a courtside view. You don’t have to spend exorbitant amounts of money on premium tickets to see the action up close and personal. And if the streaming platform allows you to watch a game with friends and family, like Xtadium does, it might be one of the best forms of entertainment ever.

For those of you in the U.S. wanting to give this a try, all the WNBA games being streamed for VR are free to watch on Quest. Like I’ve said before, Meta is going all in on VR. And I’m here for it.

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