Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Are you ready for some VR football? Fox kicks it off this weekend

College football is ready for its virtual close-up this weekend. Fox Sports and LiveLike will livestream the game between Ohio State and Oklahoma in VR this Saturday.

The broadcast will feature five cameras, which will be placed around the stadium for “best impact.” LiveLike allows users to switch between camera perspectives on-the-fly during the broadcast. The fan becomes the producer of the football broadcast, while feeling like they’re front-row in a sold out stadium.

“We’re thinking about places you normally aren’t going to get to in a stadium, and where you get to see action from an interesting angle,” explained Mike Davis, Senior Vice President of field and technical operations at Fox Sports Media Group. “We’ll have a wide shot to see the game as if you were sitting in a higher region of the stadium. Then we’ll have two cameras on the 20 by the team benches to be there with some good angles of the red zone action. And we’ll have two cameras in the end zones, probably on the goal posts. LiveLike cameras aren’t very big, so you can do something like that.”

We’re thinking about places you normally aren’t going to get […] where you get to see action.

Fox Sports has been at the forefront of experimenting with virtual reality over the past 18 months, having partnered with NextVR on NASCAR races, international soccer, boxing, Big East college basketball, and a pair of U.S. Open golf tournaments, all viewed through Samsung’s GearVR.

Now, Fox has broadened its virtual reality scope through LiveLike, which will livestream key NCAA football match-ups this season in what Fox Sports calls a “virtual reality luxury box experience.”

Unlike NextVR, LiveLike works across all current virtual reality platforms, and will even allow fans who haven’t invested in a headset yet to check out a scaled-down “magic window experience” on any touch-enabled iOS or Android device. Fox Sports will be promoting the VR experience during its pre-game broadcast, as well as from the booth during the game.

Virtual reality, real fans

LiveLike co-founder and chief brand officer Miheer Walkavar told Digital Trends that the Fox luxury box will launch as a solo experience this Saturday. But the plan is to add multiplayer to the mix later this year. The software is designed to allow two to four people in a suite at once. Real voice chat will allow friends to gather and talk while they check out the 180-degree action in front of them.

Davies said the inaugural Ohio State vs. Oklahoma game will allow fans to look up at the JumboTron in VR to catch the live 2D broadcast with replays of the action. There will also be information like team rosters, schedules, and stats. Since the suite is a full 360-degree experience, statistics, replays and other information can be placed around the suite in the future.

Fox_CFB_Suite2_PR
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Fox also plans to capture VR highlights of each game. When fans visit the suite in the future, they can watch some of the outstanding plays from the Ohio State vs. Oklahoma game in the replay room.

“We didn’t want to overload the experience this first time, but we have many ideas that will work well with this interactive environment,” Davies said. “They’ll see other things like more in-depth stats, and we’ll get into linear replays on command that you control, and we think the idea of virtual reality replays is interesting. But first, we’re just trying to get people used to the fact that they’re going to drive the VR experience.”

Miheer said every aspect of the virtual suite can be customized, which means Fox Sports could sell, or give away, different elements like team posters and swag to make a fan’s hangout like a virtual man cave. That opens up new opportunities for sponsors and brands to connect with college football fans.

Trying the waters, for now

“This weekend is the beginning of at least four different games this season and we think LiveLike has a cool take on what VR and sports can be,” Davies said. “We’ve tested this technology in soccer and motorsports, and there are a lot of other sports we want to try, but we also want to look at additional college football games in the future.”

Statistics, replays, and more can be placed around the virtual room.

Davies said one of the things he’s most excited about is multiplayer, which is something Fox Sports wants to do.

“We’re taking a walk before we run approach, but we’re looking to include multiplayer in future game offerings,” Davies said. “It’s an answer to the complaint that virtual reality is an isolated experience, and we’re trying to find ways to make it more social.”

Kickoff, in reality and virtual reality, for the future of NCAA football on Fox Sports begins September 17 at 7:30pm EST. Fans can watch Ohio State at Oklahoma using the Fox Sports VR app available on iOS, Android, the Oculus Store and Samsung’s Milk VR store. 

Download for iOS Download for Android

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
John Gaudiosi
John Gaudiosi has been covering video games for over 25 years, dating back to his work for The Washington Post while in…
The 5 best Wi-Fi adapters for PC in 2024
The Ugreen AC1300 Wi-Fi adapter in a desktop PC.

Whether you're designing it yourself or getting a pre-built PC, it can be easy to get a computer and realize that it doesn't have a native Wi-Fi adapter. Or, maybe it does, but you're internet speeds are getting faster, game downloads are getting bigger, you've already upgraded your router and need an adapter to match your newfound power requirements. No matter the situation, an external Wi-Fi adapter that you can add to your PC setup or even laptop setup will be worth your time. Here, we investigate the best Wi-Fi adapters for PC use. Most are incredibly affordable and just snap into a free USB port and start working.
The best Wi-Fi adapter for PC in 2024

Buy the

Read more
How to pin a website to the taskbar in Windows
A man sits, using a laptop running the Windows 11 operating system.

Windows includes many interesting tools, but if you’re like many people, more and more of your digital life is happening in your web browser and nowhere else. That being the case, you’ll want to keep your most important websites close at hand. The easiest way to access them in Windows is the Start menu and the taskbar, treating them more or less like programs in and of themselves.

Although easy overall, getting a website from your browser to your taskbar is slightly different depending on which browser you’re using.

Read more
This LG 34-inch QHD gaming monitor is discounted from $1,000 to $529
The LG UltraGear monitor on a table.

If you want a top-tier display to go with your gaming PC, check out the 34-inch LG UltraGear QHD curved gaming monitor. Not only will it be a worthy screen for your powerful gaming desktop, but it's also currently on sale from Walmart with a $471 discount that nearly halves its price to just $529 from $1,000. We're not sure how much time is remaining before this offer expires, but like most monitor deals of this caliber, it will probably end sooner than you think. Buy it now if you don't want to miss out.

Why you should buy the 34-inch LG UltraGear QHD curved gaming monitor
Gamers who are playing the best PC games should have a screen that will let you appreciate modern graphics. That's certainly the case with the 34-inch LG UltraGear QHD curved gaming monitor, as its quad HD resolution promises sharp details and lifelike colors, while its curved screen fills your peripheral vision for more immersive gameplay. The gaming monitor also features a 144Hz refresh rate, which is at the top of our computer monitor buying guide's recommended range, and 1ms response time. With these specifications, you'll enjoy smooth movements and quick reaction times, which are extremely important in multiplayer matches.

Read more