When the Minnesota Twins face off against the Chicago White Sox on July 29 at Target Field, it will be more than just a matchup between two of the American League Central’s current bottom-dwellers. The Twins are adding a technological perk to 5,000 fans that attend the game—a Twins branded virtual reality viewer.
The viewers are made in the same vein as Google Cardboard, being a relatively simple headset that uses a phone as the primary software behind the virtual reality experience. The Twins will be dropping a number of videos that correspond with this virtual reality promotion, helped by SuperSphereVR, a virtual reality production company.
Fans will be able to access this content via the free MLB.com Ballpark app, and once they check into the game through the app at Target Field, the videos will be made available.
It is not clear exactly what types of content will be created, but a look at teams that have held this sort of promotion in the past may help to determine what the Twins and SuperSphereVR will craft.
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The New England Patriots and the Cleveland Cavaliers are two teams that have already used virtual reality headsets with thousands of fans at once. The Patriots gave fans an immersive virtual reality experience that focused on what Patriots’ practices are really like. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, gave their fans actual game footage in virtual reality, with Cavalier’s behind-the-scenes film too.
For the Twins, this is more than just a PR stunt, but a way to get more fans involved in the world of virtual reality content. Seeing as this is one of the new frontiers for showcasing sports content, the Twins are trying to accelerate the medium amongst their fan base.
“We’re excited to bring fans closer to the action than they have ever been,” said Chris Iles, Senior Director of Content for the Minnesota Twins, in a press release. “This technology will allow our fans to become totally immersed within the team, giving them views into our players’ lives and routines that they would otherwise never get to experience.”
The Twins’ partners for this project are also companies hoping to stir some excitement in the realm of virtual reality. In addition to the aforementioned MLB.com and SuperSphereVR, who are helping with the project, FOX Sports North and T-Mobile are also joining up with the Twins on this content play.
T-Mobile will be holding demonstrations in the stadium with some of their Samsung phones, and it makes sense that FOX Sports is helping, as they are probably the biggest sports network to take virtual reality very seriously.