Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City supporters will be able to experience the biggest match moments from every angle
Share on X

In 2018 alone, technology investments in sports reached nearly $1 billion, but the industry is far from immune to disruption as consumer behaviour is shifting among sports fans too. This is driving technology, leagues and brands to look at new ways to meet the expectations of supporters for more powerful, meaningful, and emotional experiences, and immersive technologies are an ideal fit for delivering that.

“Imagine watching a season-defining moment, then reliving it from any angle including from the perspective of your favourite player as they run up to take a penalty or make an improbable goal-line clearance.” That is the promise that Intel’s latest partnership is selling to Premiere League fans of three of the most popular clubs in Football (or soccer if you’re American)

From March 10^th, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City supporters will be able to experience the biggest match moments from every angle, whether they’re watching a live broadcast and highlights or reliving post-match from their clubs’ official website, mobile app or social media.

Sports tech investment reached $1 billion in 2018
Share on X

Intel True View will highlight the immersive experiences unique to the style and skill of football
Share on X

The feature will be delivered with Intel’s True View technology, which will be rolled out Emirates, Anfield and the Etihad Stadium. It will include a “Laser wall” – a virtual plane giving viewers a clear picture as to where players are positioned on the pitch – and a “Be the player” capability which freezes a particular moment in the match so you can see the pitch from the eyes of a particular player. This last one promises to be not only fun for the fans, but also presents tantalizing possibilities for commentators and even referees, as it gives you unique insight into tactics, decisions, and play outcomes.

“Intel True View enables fans to immerse themselves even further into the game and has the power to add a new depth to match highlights, which can significantly improve the supporter experience. This technology has the potential to add a new dynamic to how people interact with the game and create different conversations with our fans around the world,” explains Billy Hogan, Managing Director and Chief Commercial Officer, Liverpool FC.

The process uses volumetric capture whereby footage is recorded from 38 5K ultra-high-definition cameras that includes height, width and depth of data to produce what are called voxels (pixels with volume). After this content is captured, huge amounts of data is processed with servers powered by Intel Core i7 and Intel Xeon processors. The software then re-creates all the viewpoints of a fully volumetric 3D person or object, and the information is rendered into a virtual 3D environment where you can experience all the plays and angles with 6 degrees of freedom. This will re-create the action on the pitch and present it to fans from various vantage points – effectively allowing fans to choose the point of view from which they want to experience a particular play.

Intel’s True View technology will be rolled out Emirates, Anfield and the Etihad Stadiums
Share on X

“With dedicated supporters across the globe, football fans are passionate about the tactics as much as the goals scored, and Intel True View will highlight the immersive experiences unique to the style and skill of football,” says James Carwana, Vice President and General Manager of Intel Sports, who believes the technology has the potential to transform the experience for fans of the beautiful game: “Immersive media experiences continue to create more opportunities for sports teams and leagues to put the fan experience first,” he adds.

The fact that three of the biggest names in the world’s most popular sport are on board with this shows how major sports brands are getting wise to the power of immersive technologies to engage their fans in new ways.

“We have seen the impact this Intel technology has had in other sports leagues across the world and are excited that it will be installed at Emirates Stadium,” says Peter Silverstone, Commercial Director of Arsenal FC, which has a staggering 780 million fans around the world. “This partnership will give our fans a whole new view of the game, as the technology effectively allows a supporter to step into the boots of players and see the game from their perspective”.

This article originally appeared on VRScout

Intel’s ‘True View’ Puts Fans In the Boots Of Their Favorite Footballers via @alicebonasio https://t.co/x8aa9PYecf pic.twitter.com/Sh5RY1hMpP

— VRScout (@VRScout) February 12, 2019

For companies looking to get into Immersive technologies our VR Consultancy service offers comprehensive support in strategic deployment of Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Immersing Yourself in the Beautiful Game appeared first on Tech Trends.

Virtual Reality (VR) is really FUN. Go on, if you haven’t tried it yet, there’s no excuse not to at least invest a few dollars on a Google Cardboard viewer to see what all the fuss is about.

Admittedly the technology is far from perfect, but I still challenge you to hold back the giggles of delight that usually come with that initial experience. The possibilities for Virtual Reality to fundamentally transform education are also very powerful.

At The Next Web conference in New York my friend – an avid Barcelona supporter – tried out the Beyond Sports virtual reality simulation, which allowed her to literally step into the boots of her favourite footballer – Lionel Messi. Much delighted giggling (that default reaction to one’s first VR immersion) followed, and suffice to say we were impressed.

At The Next Web conference in New York my friend – an avid Barcelona supporter - tried the Beyond Sports virtual reality simulation, which allowed her to step into the boots of her favourite footballer - Lionel Messi
Share on X

So I caught up with their founder, Sander J Schouten, to find out more about how VR will be a real game changer (excuse the pun) for sports as well as education.

“We develop our simulations based on real match data, and then use tools to create a variety of customized experiences, from professional match analysis to personalised fan experiences and specially tailored training programmes, all in Virtual Reality viewable through the Oculus Rift or mobile VR.”

The sophistication of the Oculus seems a long way from Sander’s first love – an original Atari console. But it was that interest in gaming that also led him to an interest in Virtual Reality, which is why he believes that engaging children with technology in fun ways can have a really positive impact in their education.

This is where that game-changing potential of Virtual Reality really kicks in. You get all the benefits of real-world interaction, but in a controlled environment
Share on X

“There’s a really big trend towards gamification of learning, and Virtual Reality immersive environments are going to make those experiences even more powerful,” he explains.

In future he believes there will be much less separation between the “work” and “play” and learning will be a continuous process that blends into our lives, both real and virtual.

“A lot of Sports coaching is based on trying to explain tactics (just think of a coach’s old tactical magnet board in the dressing room) but showing is so much more effective than explaining, and experiencing something first-hand is that much more powerful again.”

Engaging children with technology in fun ways can have a really positive impact in their education
Share on X

This is where that game-changing potential of Virtual Reality really kicks in. You get all the benefits of real-world interaction, but in a controlled environment. This means you’re able to gather data and adapt your tactics and coaching style much more accurately, in a way targeted to each individual’s needs and abilities as well as to the particular requirements of a club, for example. It is easy to see how this is a no-brainer in sports training, but it is also the broader trend for learning in general, as Mark Zuckerberg’s investment in personalized learning clearly indicates.

Since being founded less than a year ago, Beyond Sports licenced its product to several clubs, but they’re only getting started:

“The potential for VR in sports in endless, but there’s a long way to go yet, specially around improving the visuals and implementing better AI. Our primary focus at the moment is to grow our client base in Europe, focusing first on Football clubs, broadcasters and fans. However others sports will soon follow, and we’re also looking at developing a separate product solely focused on the learning side called Beyond Education, which will be launched shortly.” Watch this space.

Tech Trends’  Virtual Reality Consultancy services offers support for companies looking to enhance brand strategy with immersive technologies such as Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post How Virtual Reality Will Shape Up Sports Coaching appeared first on Tech Trends.