Oculus and NextVR team up to launch live-stream app

As more providers introduce VR solutions for live events, Oculus has launched its Oculus Venues app to house sporting events, comedy shows and concerts shot in VR. To execute the app, the company partnered with NextVR, a platform that broadcasts live events in VR. 

The app will allow users to participate in social engagement alongside NextVR’s immersive content which will be made available for the Oculus Go and Samsung’s Gear VR headsets.

“[Oculus] Venues will satisfy our fans who want to enjoy this type of content on a massively social scale,” said David Cole, NextVR co-founder and CEO, in a statement.

According to an Emerging Technology report by Sabre, VR livestream is contributing to an evolving notion of “being there.” Watching a sport on TV can be objectively better than going to a live game for knowing what’s happening by way of graphics and stats, slow-motion replays, live commentary, and the ability to rewind and pause, the report said. 

Livestream VR also means the audience can get the best of both worlds – it can provide all the stats as well as the ability to sit courtside and be closer to the action, in a more immersive way, for a fraction of the cost of the physical tickets.

The report added that “bringing the viewer into the scene and giving them autonomy to control the scene helps create an inherent connection".