Provided by PGA Tour
Vision Pro, Apple’s high-end spatial computing headset, went on sale Friday, and several sports leagues built custom applications in preparation for launch day.
During the device review period, the NBA’s Vision Pro app was viral Users have the option to watch up to five matches simultaneously and view live statistics alongside the match broadcast. Other leagues are also taking advantage of the capabilities of the hardware, which starts at $3,500. For example, PGA Tour Vision, an app for Apple Vision Pro, uses technology from AR development partner Quintar to show viewers live shot trajectories and his ShotLink data at certain events.
“PGA TOUR Vision, the first golf app developed for Apple Vision Pro, brings fans everywhere from Pebble Beach to TPC Sawgrass into the ropes and onto the greens of the world’s most iconic courses. ,” said the PGA Tour SVP. Digital Business Director Scott Gutterman said in a statement.
Meanwhile, MLB’s app offers three-dimensional data visualizations combined with streaming video, including views from behind home plate. Users will be seated in a virtual environment similar to a ballpark, with the option of seeing the game displayed on the stadium’s videoboard.
Vision OS now offers many sports viewing options for early adopters, including the Super Bowl on Paramount+, as ESPN, Fox, NBC, CBS, and more make their apps compatible with the platform. Become.
Apple says more than 600 new apps have been created for Vision Pro, but Vision Pro owners can access certain content through Safari, although other companies like Netflix and YouTube don’t. It is said that it will become like this. Apple also released limited clips of immersive sports videos that place headset wearers over the crossbar during a football game or along the first base line at Fenway Park.
The concept of augmented reality or virtual reality for sports fans has been around for years, if not decades, but due to hardware vulnerabilities and a limited accessible market. , these visions have generally been relegated to dreams, as has TV rights holders’ wariness about giving fans another way to watch live content.
Still, the release of Vision Pro is the latest sign that times may be changing. On Thursday, Meta announced that the AR and VR sector earned him more than $1 billion in the final quarter of 2023. The company’s Quest headset performed best among gamers, and its golf, basketball, and soccer simulators impressed fans. So far, Apple has focused on its ability to blend the real world and digital elements within the user’s viewing area. The ultimate impact of this technology on how fans watch games, interact with athletes, and compete with each other remains to be seen.
