The HTC Vive Pro Eye requires no controllers to operate. Because of that, first time virtual reality users are invited to use now more than ever. Many professional athletes have never had multiple hours in a day to get familiar with virtual reality, so what the MLB is doing for the fans is great.
Sports are made up of a bunch of tiny moments all compiled together. The sport that follows that example best is baseball. If you turn away for just five seconds, you could miss the biggest play of the decade. No other sport has the pace of baseball. The constant action while constantly slow. A weird mix, but one that appeals. It appeals to so much, that is has been dubbed as the American Sport. This comes after centuries of great players inspiring the ones following them.
For those not in the league, there has always been other ways to get in on the action. Local teams to play on, listening to the radio, watching games inside of the stadium, live television, and now even through a mobile de vice we can access the countries greatest sport.
Now that Vive has gotten in on the action, there is another medium in which users can interact with Baseball: Virtual Reality.
Last year at the MLB All-Star game in DC, we saw a location-based VR game that was essentially a home run derby in the headset. Through this time of the all-star weekend, they had a home run derby in real life, but in the virtual worlds as well. Over three days, 300,000 people watched the events through many services such as Facebook, Twitch, YouTube, just to name a few. This was a big deal for both sports lovers as well as virtual gamers. This game was a smash hit.
Although this was last year, there has been changes made to this program. The MLB worked with teams across the nation as the 2019 season kicked off, making this location-based virtual reality home run derby in every single park. This allows fans to be immersed in their own games while supporting their favorite teams and clubs.
Now that the Eye Pro is replacing all of the headset, this makes the experience even more seamless than before. Rather than having two controllers for the thousands of people in attendance, parks can now rely on the eyesight of those in attendance. This is a big step for gaming inside of games.
The stadium parks that have this game and the Vive Pro Eye are the following:
Arizona Diamondbacks – Chase Field
Atlanta Braves – SunTrust Park
Boston Red Sox – Fenway Park
Chicago White Sox – Guaranteed Rate Field
Cincinnati Reds – Great American Ball Park
Cleveland Indians – Progressive Field
Houston Astros – Minute Maid Park
Miami Marlins – Marlins Park
Minnesota Twins – Target Field
Pittsburgh Pirates – PNC Park
Philadelphia Phillies – Citizens Bank Park
San Diego Padres – Petco Park
San Francisco Giants – Oracle Park
St. Louis Cardinals – Busch Stadium
Toronto Blue Jays – Rogers Centre
