Skip to main content

The T-Mobile Home Run Derby will be shown in VR for the first time ever this year

Watching someone hit a ball more than 400 feet in the air with a glorified piece of wood is a scene best experienced live, but for baseball fans looking forward to tuning into the Home Run Derby this year, there is an alternative that can get you almost as close to the action. Today, Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) has announced a partnership with virtual reality company NextVR to make the 2016 T-Mobile Home Run Derby available for on-demand viewing, in virtual reality.

NextVR will capture the on-field slugfest and crowd reactions with numerous virtual reality cameras set up around the field. From those cameras, fans will be able to see Baltimore Orioles outfielder Mark Trumbo and other MLB stars smack home runs around San Diego’s Petco Park. The VR home run derby will be available to watch on the Samsung Gear VR from the MLB channel on the NextVR app, downloadable in the Oculus Home when you dock your phone into the headset.

Recommended Videos

“MLBAM is a known innovator in sports technology and we are honored to work together as we continue to provide premier entertainment and sporting events in virtual reality,” said NextVR Executive Chairman Brad Allen in a press release announcing the news.

While the MLB has not live streamed games in virtual reality like the NCAA and the NBA have, America’s pastime has been setting up tours in VR. This summer, the MLB will embark on a We Are Baseball tour, a state-of-the-art exhibit allowing fans to experience Baseball Hall of Fame artifacts and footage without trekking to Cooperstown in Otsego, New York. As part of the tour, VR company Jaunt will provide fans with virtual reality experiences of watching spring training from a few MLB teams and even the Kansas City Royals’ ring ceremony for winning the 2015 World Series.

The VR content from the Home Run Derby will be available to view directly after the live airing in the NextVR app. The 2016 T-Mobile Home Run Derby airs tonight on ESPN at 8 P.M. EST.

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…
Why macOS Tahoe is a big deal for Intel Macs
Apple unveiling macOS Tahoe at WWDC 2025.

Apple’s WWDC event kicked off on Monday with the usual slew of fresh announcements and updates showcasing the company’s software plans for the year ahead.

And as with every WWDC keynote, the upcoming shift to new software also signaled diminishing support for older Apple devices.

Read more
Google has a really weird problem at its new London HQ
Google's London HQ, designed by Thomas Heatherwick Studio and the Bjarke Ingels Group.

When Google’s striking new office building finally opens in London later this year, it’ll be home to up to as many as 7,000 workers ... and possibly a few foxes, too.

The cunning creature has taken up residence on the building's 300-meter-long rooftop garden and its unexpected occupation has been an issue for the last three years, according to a Guardian report (via London Centric).

Read more
8 key things you need to know from Apple’s WWDC 2025 event
From a fresh look and updated names, to new features, more intelligence and live translation
iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS 26 shown on devices.

The WWDC 2025 keynote ran for just over an hour and a half. For those of you who don't fancy sitting through the whole presentation, we've pulled out the key things you need to know from the latest Apple event.

1. Welcome to the 26 club

Read more