Broadcast during all four days of The Players Championship starting May 11th, 360 video will be livestreamed from the famous 17th hole at the TPC Sawgrass golf course. The collaboration with Intel, Twitter, and the PGA Tour will be viewable on Gear VR headsets or via Twitter and Periscope.

Described as the PGA Tour’s “first live VR production”, the ambitious livestream will feature three simultaneous 360 videos from key vantage points at the 17th hole—the tee, the walkway from tee box to green, and in the water next to the ‘Island Green’—captured using Intel’s True VR cameras.

Since acquiring VR broadcasting company VOKE in November 2016, Intel has been using the stereoscopic True VR technology as part of the Intel Sports Group, aiming to be the leader in VR sports broadcasting.

“The Intel True VR platform will provide golf fans with a new, immersive experience using our end-to-end solution”, said David Aufhauser, managing director, Intel Sports Group. “Working with the PGA Tour, as well as global distribution via Twitter and Periscope, gives us the ability to expand the Intel True VR experience to more fans.”

Photo courtesy Intel

The broadcast will be available on the Oculus Gear VR store via the PGA Tour VR Live app, which compliments the existing PGA Tour VR app, something the organisation has experimented with since February 2016. Those without a Gear VR headset will be able to watch the standard 360 video output on Twitter or Periscope which also marks the first time Twitter has livestreamed 360 video during a major sports event.

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“We tested Intel’s True VR technology on a live basis at the Genesis Open in February, and were very pleased with the quality”, says Rick Anderson, PGA Tour Chief Media Officer. “We decided that executing a live VR experience on one of the most dramatic holes in golf was something that our fans would love, and the fact that we are partnering with Twitter to deliver 360 video will offer tremendous scale.”

Golf fans will be hoping this year’s tournament delivers a few more memorable moments at the iconic 17th.

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The trial version of Microsoft’s Monster Truck Madness probably had something to do with it. And certainly the original Super Mario Kart and Gran Turismo. A car nut from an early age, Dominic was always drawn to racing games above all other genres. Now a seasoned driving simulation enthusiast, and former editor of Sim Racer magazine, Dominic has followed virtual reality developments with keen interest, as cockpit-based simulation is a perfect match for the technology. Conditions could hardly be more ideal, a scientist once said. Writing about simulators lead him to Road to VR, whose broad coverage of the industry revealed the bigger picture and limitless potential of the medium. Passionate about technology and a lifelong PC gamer, Dominic suffers from the ‘tweak for days’ PC gaming condition, where he plays the same section over and over at every possible combination of visual settings to find the right balance between fidelity and performance. Based within The Fens of Lincolnshire (it’s very flat), Dominic can sometimes be found marvelling at the real world’s ‘draw distance’, wishing virtual technologies would catch up.
  • hyperskyper

    360 videos all look trash anyway, but why are they all only on the Gear VR?!?!?!

    • Jim Cherry

      cause samsung = $$$