If you won’t be in Houston for the Super Bowl next Sunday but want to feel like you’re there at the big game, new technology is helping make it happen. For the first time ever, NFL fans will be able watch the Super Bowl in virtual reality in near real-time. FOX announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with a company called LiveLike to broadcast highlight packages in VR. The stream features four of the most important plays per quarter, as well as prepared highlights for pre- and post-game. Viewers will have six camera angles to pick from to watch the clips, which will upload… Read More
John Stanton, the investor, Microsoft board member and veteran wireless executive, took over as Seattle Mariners CEO and chairman last fall after leading the group that bought a majority interest in the team from Nintendo of America. On Saturday at Safeco Field, Stanton joined Mariners president and COO Kevin Mather for a public Q&A with fans during the team’s annual Fan Fest event. They fielded questions on a wide range of topics including the business of baseball, the impact of the team’s travel schedule, sports analytics and, yes, the prospects for the eventual return of Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki to the team. GeekWire also asked Stanton a quick tech question as… Read More
Joe Montana is getting back into video games. The Hall of Fame quarterback who won four Super Bowl rings is behind a new studio called Superstar Games that will soon launch Montana 17, the first virtual reality football game that will launch on Google Daydream and Samsung Gear. Montana 17 gives users an immersive on-the-field experience from the quarterback’s perspective. The game is passing-only and featured seven-on-seven gameplay with four quick quarters. For Daydream, you control the QB with an external controller; on the Gear, you use the pad on the headset itself. Montana 17 is also the first VR game to be licensed by the NFL… Read More
Topgolf is coming to Seattle — but only temporarily. The fast-growing high-tech golf entertainment complex operator will take over Safeco Field next month with its first-ever “Crush” event that will give Seattleites a taste of Topgolf. Akin to retailers opening temporary “pop-up” stores often used to test new concepts or new markets, Topgolf Crush will give customers an idea of the full Topgolf experience. Topgolf operates more than 30 facilities across the country that are built around a driving range-meets-bowling-alley concept with microchipped golf balls, allowing people to aim at targets and earn points while enjoying drinks and food. From Feb. 17-20, Topgolf will set up… Read More
Sensoria is adding two former Microsoft execs to its leadership team. The Redmond, Wash.-based startup today announced that former Microsoft president Richard Belluzzo has joined the company’s board. Belluzzo was president and COO at Microsoft from March 2000 to September 2002; he left to become CEO at Silicon Valley-based Quantum for the next eight years. He got his career started at HP, where he worked for nearly 23 years. “Sensoria is a very early leader in what will be a large and dynamic market,” Belluzzo said in a statement. “It is a very interesting company in an up-and-coming field — wearables.… Read More
