It’s Saturday, so VRFocus brings you the usual slice of sports teams, companies, and sports stars all getting into swing of embracing virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology.
Sports Illustrated College Football Issue Features AR Covers
If you didn’t catch it, earlier this week VRFocus reported on well-known publication Sports Illustrated embracing AR for its College Football issue.
Using the Time Inc’s LIFE VR app, fans can active AR content by pointing their smartphone camera at one of the fours Sports Illustrated covers, unlocking an exclusive video which provides a preview of the upcoming college football season.
Additionally there’s further AR compatible content inside the issue such as 360-degree videos.
Balls! Virtual Reality Cricket Using Motion Capture for Greater Realism
For fans of VR and cricket there’s not exactly a great deal of choice when it comes playable videogames. If you happen to own HTC Vive there is Balls! Virtual Reality Cricket, an early access title which launched last year. In an effort to make the experience more realistic, developer Stickee Studios has collaborated with researchers at the University of Bath to motion capture all the movements needed.
With help from researchers at the University’s Centre for the Analysis of Motion, Entertainment Research and Applications (CAMERA), the studio used actors to record the movements needed for bowlers, fielders and even umpires, reports Phys.org.
While this particular data will be used for Balls! Virtual Reality Cricket – which will be available through an update – the university also plans on using it for other entertainment applications, aiming to improve other immersive experiences.
Head of Studio at CAMERA, Martin Parsons, said: “Working with commercial partners from the games industry gives us valuable experience with clients to better understand their needs and work outside the ‘research bubble’.”
Golf Pro Rickie Fowler to Offer VR Golf Lessons
Love playing a round of golf but find you tend to aim for a bunker, or your putting needs a bit of work? What you need is some professional instruction, and that’s where Success Series comes in. The new immersive company is a coaching and education platform showcasing champion athletes, and its first sports star is pro-golfer Rickie Fowler.
If you’ve not heard of Fowler, he’s currently the sixth-ranked golfer on the PGA Tour which he’s won four times, with a career high of fourth in the world after a win in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.
Success Series creates 360-degree – and 2D – training videos which can be viewed through its Android compatible app. Currently the platform has five videos available – all Fowler’s – which showcase how to get more yardage on drives and hit bunker shots for example.
“To be involved in the world’s first ever VR sports coaching series is an incredible honour,” Fowler said in a statement. “This new technology will give everyone access to a unique platform and hopefully I’m able to assist the weekend golfer save a few strokes and make their overall game more enjoyable.”
“Our main aim was to create a unique experience for all golf lovers and also an incredible and informative way to provide a golf lesson,” said Anthony Puntoriero, CEO and co-founder of Success Series. “We’re really happy to have a platform that not only provides golfers with solutions but also enhances their experience with Rickie.”
via Mint VR