VR and chill: Fox Sports VR now lets you watch games in VR with Facebook friends

By Keith Nelson Jr. Published June 29, 2017

Facebook has kept people connected for years and now it will keep friends connected in virtual reality. Fox Sports and VR production company LiveLike VR are unveiling a new social component to the Fox Sports VR app that will allow you to watch games with your friends in virtual reality.

To watch the Fox Sports’ offerings in VR with friends you simply enter the experience and click on the Social tab. You can then click Join Friends and authorize the app to connect you to your Facebook account. Any of your Facebook friends who have done the same thing will appear on your friends list and you can enjoy some VR fun with up to four friends. To mix things up, you can also select a random option and be placed in a virtual suite with three other viewers.

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It will not be you looking at your friends jump up and down in VR about a sporting match. You and your friends will be represented by colorful, floating avatar heads with your names over the top of the heads. There will be an option available for you to easily turn the social VR feature off and go back to a singular viewing experience.

A social viewing experience of sports with your friends would not be the same if you could not hear your friends shouting at the TV, of course. LikeLike uses 3D audio so you will be able to hear your friends’ voices and converse. Your friends’ voices get louder as you focus your view on them and lower as you focus it back on the game.

Fox Sports and LiveLike have been bringing innovative twists to the live sports viewing in VR over the last few years. The pair broadcasted 20 highlights from Super Bowl LI this year in virtual reality. Fox Sports VR was also the first app that let you rewind live sports in virtual reality.

The first live game Fox Sports will show the new social features on will be three CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer championship games. The USA-Panama match on July 8 at 4:30 p.m. ET will be the first match. That will be followed by two more matches on July 22 or 23, and July 26, at 9:30 p.m. ET.

You can watch live sports in virtual reality on the Fox Sports VR app using the Samsung Gear VR or a Google Cardboard headset.

Keith Nelson Jr.

Former Staff Writer, Entertainment

Keith Nelson Jr is a music/tech journalist making big pictures by connecting dots. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY he…

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