The time has come for the Union of European Football Associations to join numerous others in the use of virtual reality (VR) in sports during Euro 2016 this upcoming June. To do this they have up with the Finland-based company Nokia with its new OZO Professional VR Camera PC-01 (but we’ll call it OZO for short).
The OZO will give VR viewers a 360-degree shot throughout the stadium during multiple games, including some of the England, Wales and Northern Ireland matches. While it’s not quite ready for at-home users, the plan is to set up a YouTube account that will broadcast the game footage.
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In an interview with The Daily Mirror pertaining to the new VR aspect, Bernard Ross, head of UEFA TV said, “it’s UEFA’s goal that one day the watching fan will be able to watch a match through immersive virtual reality. They will experience the game as if they are there in the stadium. This demonstration represents the first step towards completing that goal.”
While it’s not available at the comfort of your couch just yet, it’s definitely not too far down the road for soccer fans. NextVR, a live-broadcasting VR company, has already collaborated with the NBA for a few games through this past season. Some were able to experience the VR technology first-hand during a game at the CES conference back in January, all from 2,000 miles away.
NBC Sports Group also partnered up with NextVR to bring “the greatest two minutes in sports” into the virtual world… the Kentucky Derby. Churchill Downs was covered in the VR cameras to cover the entirety of the track to make sure viewers didn’t miss a moment of the iconic race.
It’s amazing to think how far we’ve come in terms of broadcasting sports in the past century, but this is a huge leap forward for the at-home viewer. While the OZO is a whopping $60,000, making it more marketed toward professionals, Nokia is already in the works to build a more suitable product for the general public. Soon enough you’ll be able to enjoy the in-game atmosphere anywhere in the world.