Major League Baseball to live-stream games in virtual reality – USA TODAY

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Camera pods will be set up throughout MLB ballparks.(Photo: Intel)

NEW YORKMajor League Baseball is about to play ballin virtual reality.

The league is teaming up with Intel to deliver a live-streaming game of the week in VR, starting Tuesday when the Colorado Rockies host the Cleveland Indians. Weekly games will be blacked out in the participating teams local markets, the same way the league handles out-of-market streams on MLB TV and on Twitter.

The non-exclusive Intel-MLB virtual reality partnership is set for three years. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Youll need a Samsung Gear VR (and compatible smartphone) to take in the game virtually, and must also download the Intel True VR app, available free in the Oculus store.

To bring you closer to the field, Intel plans to use an array of 4K-resolution cameras in the home team stadium, giving fans up to four camera angles per game in real time. So you might get to watch from the perspective of the first or third base coaches, or from the dugout. Or inthe case of Chase Fieldwhere the Arizona Diamondbacks play, from the outfield swimming pool view. Camera pods are automated, so you get to choose the views you want.

"Think of it as a highly personalized experience," says David Aufhauser, head of product at Intel Sports Group.

Youll also have the option of watching a fully produced VR broadcast, with audio most likely piped in from the regular radio feed. Intel and the league are not assigning a dedicated announcing crew to the VR broadcast. Stats and highlightswill also be available.

While Major League Baseball has dabbled in VR beforewith post-production efforts around last years All-Star Game and postseason, and through some At Bat VR offerings on Google's Daydream virtual reality platformthe Intel partnership is the first in which full live games will be streamed in virtual reality. It's something rival leagues such as the NBA already deliver on select games.

Whether fans choose to watch an entire three hour baseball game wearing a headsetremains to be seen.

Intel's VR production truck.(Photo: Intel)

Kenny Gersh, an executive vice president for business at MLB Advanced Media, says when it comes to virtual reality we are not even in the first inning yet, and he expects the experiences offered by the end of the three-year agreement to look very different from what will be available next week. But he thinks the pace of a baseball game, in which there are pauses between pitches and innings, will give fans the opportunity to somewhat leisurely toggle among the different views.

For now, Gersh says there are no plans to bring VR to this years All-Star game,playoffs or World Series, in part because of rights issues.

And since Intel will only placeits VR cameras in one ballpark per week, there is no immediate backup in case the VR game on the schedule is rained out.

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For the ideal experience, view in 360 degrees on your mobile phone or in VR headsets such as Google cardboard or Daydream.Subscribe to VRtually Thereon YouTube and browse the Virtual Reality section of the USA TODAY app (iOS|Android) to catch three new episodes every week.

Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow USA TODAY Personal Tech Columnist @edbaig on Twitter

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Major League Baseball to live-stream games in virtual reality - USA TODAY