Sports & Fitness

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Celebrating the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on Snapchat

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The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is on – and celebrations aren’t limited to the physical world. A number of innovative activations on Snapchat ensure that fans everywhere can feel like a part of the action.

Snap’s 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Lenses

While AR activations can be fun, they don’t often add much real value for people actually following the sport. Snap’s USWNT (the US Women’s National Team) Team Tracker Lens uses brand new tech and classic Snapchat style to display real-time team and player information. Another lens can be used to preview Stories augmented with content from the U.S. Soccer App.

2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Team Tracker

Curious about other teams to follow? A lens created with FIFA’s “Fancestry” quiz helps fans follow new teams based on a brief personality survey – with a unique digital jersey representing your “Fancestry.”

FIFA Fancestry lens - 2023 fifa women's world cup

Whatever team (or teams) you choose to support during 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, you can show your colors with the Across the Globe Lens with a different selfie lens for every team.

Global country fan lenses Snap - 2023 fifa women's world cup

Or, show your support for women’s sports in general with the TOGETHXR Lens. And, of course, all of the teams have their own stickers and bitmoji fashions to further customize your communications.

Togethxr Lens - 2023 fifa women's world cup

“Snapchat is honored to be a part of the 2023 World Cup,”  Snap’s Strategic Partnerships Sports Lead Emma Wakely said in a release. “Through immersive content coverage, creator collaborations, and new, innovative AR experiences, Snapchatters will have an unparalleled opportunity to express their football fandom like never before.”

Snapchat’s Playbook

Snap’s strategy for the package is an interesting play. For the most part, the engagements are more stylized than those employed last year for the (Mens) World Cup Snapchat celebrations. However, these interactions are more … interactive. Though, Snap’s Live Garment Transfer Technology does make a comeback for an AR jersey activation similar to the one we saw last year.

Perhaps the most in-depth lens in terms of interactivity is the USWNT Team Lens. This activation is most like a multi-player partnership through which Snap augmented the Superbowl last year – but that app was only for fans physically at the Superbowl. And what is AR for if not for expanding experiences to people who can’t be at one given physical location?

Don’t forget, the Snap team isn’t the only one making lenses. To find all lenses, including those made through partnerships or by independent creators, tap the explore tab on the Snapchat camera screen and search “Women’s World Cup” or “2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

Celebrate the Big Games

This has just been a look at Snapchat’s AR integrations around the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. There are also special Stories, Cameo content, Spotlight Challenges, Snap Map features, and more. So pick your team and go crazy.

Celebrating the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on Snapchat Read More »

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ROSE Partners With Premier League for AR Experience Celebrating Summer Series

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Whether you’re an American fan of British football, or a citizen of the British Commonwealth spending time in the States, the Premier League Summer Series might be just what the doctor ordered.

The first-ever Premier League Summer Series will see six football clubs face off in five US cities from July 22 to July 30. Even if you can’t watch the matches live and in person, you can find trophies thanks to an AR experience from ROSE.

“The Hunt Is On.” – Celebrating the Summer Series in AR

Over the years, digital experience company ROSE has worked with industry giants including Mastercard, KHAITE, Patrón, adidas, Bloomingdales, and others. A current partnership with the Premier League and UK strategic consultancy and creative studio Doppelgänger might be their biggest partnership yet – and there are no tickets required.

“Doppelgänger created the idea of an augmented reality-powered trophy hunt experience for fans and in looking for an expert partner in the space, enlisted ROSE to advise on how the experience could be executed and ultimately design and build the experience,” ROSE Associate Creative Director Nicole Riemer told ARPost.

According to Managing Director at Doppelgänger, Max Proctor, “AR and broader metaverse activations are helping the world’s biggest brands to build loyalty and engagement with their audiences by connecting with them in new and exciting ways.”

The Summer Series is a major sporting event and is bringing in even more people into the experience than into the stadiums. Organizers turned to ROSE and WebXR authoring and hosting company 8th Wall – a duo that has worked together on multiple large-scale applications.

“Having been a long-time partner with 8th Wall, we are always looking for new ways to use their technology and use cases that push the way augmented can be used as well as made more accessible for brands,” said Riemer. “In this case study we utilized a number of 8th Wall’s newer features including face segmentation and sky segmentation.”

Experiencing the Summer Series

There are different ways to interact with the activation depending on whether you’re in or around any of the cities. That’s right, you can still join in on the fun, even if you aren’t in any of the cities hosting the Summer Series.

The five cities hosting the Summer Series are:

  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
  • Atlanta, Georgia,
  • Orlando, Florida,
  • Harrison, New Jersey, and
  • Landover, Maryland.

Premier League Trophy Hunt AR experience

“Since the Summer Series is only in five cities, not every fan will have the opportunity to come to a game, but that doesn’t mean that they support their favorite teams any less,” said Riemer. “We created the at-home experience as a way for fans anywhere in the United States to show their support for their team and experience the Premier League trophy.”

Exploring Host Cities

If you’re in one or more of those cities between now and July 19, you can use the Premier League Trophy Hunt mobile AR experience to look for 20 augmented reality trophies (that’s one for each club in the Premier League). Naturally, you need to enter your location to hunt for the AR trophies.

Premier League Trophy Hunt experience in the cities

For each trophy that fans find, they get one entry into sweepstakes for tickets to the games. Fans who find all of the trophies get one entry into another drawing for a signed Premier League jersey.

Supporting Teams From Home

If you’re a fan of the Premier League but won’t be in one of the host cities, you can still engage in the web experience, if differently. Fans anywhere can view the Premier League Trophy in augmented reality, use face filters, and post the results to social media.

Premier League Trophy Hunt AR experience at home

Further, you don’t have to allow your location to use the experience from home. Just pick your favorite team – or join in as a “General Premier League Fan.” You can still have all of the fun of viewing and collecting all of the trophies.

There are also special entries that you can join in without finding hidden trophies in the host cities. Or, don’t join the entries and just have fun with the filters. The at-home experience is live until July 31.

Supporting Your Team With ROSE

The Premier League is coming stateside. That’s exciting whether it’s coming to a town near you or not. 

“We are honored to have such a passionate Premier League fanbase in the USA, and are very excited to be giving them the chance to experience the Premier League Summer Series on home soil for the very first time,” said Alexandra Willis, Director of Digital Media and Audience Development at the Premier League.

Thanks to ROSE and their partners, fans anywhere can interact with their favorite football clubs in new and amusing ways.

ROSE Partners With Premier League for AR Experience Celebrating Summer Series Read More »

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A Geospatial Web Platform to Enhance In-Person Events? Absolutely, Says Fabric

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Fabric aims to change how in-person events are held, through geospatial web. Starting with sports, the geospatial web and augmented reality platform Fabric can transform live events into an immersive, augmented reality-assisted experience to thrill sports fans.

Better Experiences With the Geospatial Web

The geospatial web is simply the use of geolocation technology within the greater realm of the Internet. For Fabric, it means syncing location, time, and content. By utilizing this technology along with immersive AR tools, spectators can elevate their experiences.

Fabric geospatial web

With geospatial technology, Fabric draws attention to an emerging trend in the experience economy in the sports industry. Using geospatial web technology, brands and sports teams can make in-person events more unique, social, and exciting.

While the concept of the geospatial web has already been around for some time, Fabric spent the past five years finding new ways to leverage this technology. The result is their main geospatial product, called “Space.” Space aims to prioritize human connections during in-person events as opposed to purely digital connections. It serves as a new medium of communication among fans, teams, and brands.

Fabric also offers a no-code platform that lets sports stakeholders, such as leagues and venues, display relevant content for any game or sporting experience.

Merging Sports and Augmented Reality for a Unique Experience

The company believes that sports are the top industry for live, in-person events; hence why they chose to start there. Fabric can facilitate peer-to-peer interactions within the same venue, plus help increase monetization and brand activation. They market Space as an “interactive jumbotron in every sports fan’s pocket.”

a 3D jumbotron Fabric

Space encourages sports spectators to disengage from artificial connections and seek real-time, location-based interactions with other people. And because it takes place at a single event, users know they already have a shared interest with other fans.

Within the app, AR assets called “Fabs” are powered by the geospatial web to encourage real-world interaction. These Fabs are designed to get people to interact more with each other in a unique and fun way, made possible by technology.

Enhancing Human Connections Through the Geospatial Web

Fabric is trying to bring back the experience of human connection, which is enhanced instead of hampered by technology. The company holds a different perspective than that of metaverse pioneers.

According to Fabric, the metaverse can offer unique, shared experiences via virtual reality. But ultimately, the user is, in fact, isolated from other people in the real world. The connection comes through VR via a headset. The “shared” experience is, in a way, manufactured artificially through VR technology.

This version of shared experiences provides advantages and disadvantages, as other technologies do. The metaverse can also open opportunities not available for other people and brands otherwise.

geospatial web Fabric

Meanwhile, Fabric offers an alternative way to experience life with digital technology. Fabric Spaces allow people within the same geographical location—in this case, a sports stadium or arena—to have meaningful, offline and online connections. Add to that the shared real-world experience of attending a sports event, and you have a potentially unforgettable encounter.

Growing the Social Fabric

Fabric began as an idea that founder and president Sarah Kass had while noticing societal issues brought about by connectivity. Together with co-founder and CEO Saul Garlick, they developed the geospatial web platform that became Fabric.

In an interview with Forbes magazine, Kass explained her reasoning for coming up with Fabric. She saw that mobile phones offer unprecedented connectivity but also distance people from others, so she sought to develop a product that could address this paradox.

“I began to frame the problem as ‘how do we grow the social fabric?’ What new infrastructure could propel the growth of social capital in the digital age? Or what new infrastructure would allow us to strengthen the social fabric in today’s time when we’re walking around with all these phones?” she stated in the interview.

As of press time, the Fabric team works with five professional sports teams and leagues. The goal is to provide fans with an elevated sports experience during games and other sporting events through the geospatial web and mixed reality.

A Geospatial Web Platform to Enhance In-Person Events? Absolutely, Says Fabric Read More »

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Virtex Stadium Adds Counter-Strike to Its Virtual Esports Titles

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Esports fans are in for a new experience at the Virtex Stadium. Aside from EchoVR, users can now watch live gameplays of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Counter-Strike 2.

Virtex has partnered with Skybox Technologies to bring this unique spectator experience to gaming enthusiasts. With Counter-Strike as the first significant esports title at the Virtex Stadium, the virtual esports fan base on the platform is bound to grow faster.

An Immersive Experience for Counter-Strike Gamers and Fans

Following the launch of the Echo VR title on the platform, Counter-Strike allows fans to enjoy more top-level gameplay. “As the third most watched esport last year, CS: GO already has an enormous following, and we’re excited to be working with Skybox to deliver a 360° spectating experience unique to every fan,” said Virtex CEO and co-founder, Tim Mcguinness, in a press release shared with ARPost.

virtex stadium esports title counter-strike

Using their desktop and compatible VR headsets, users enter the Virtex Stadium, which is still in closed beta, where they can watch live gameplays recreated in 3D. They can customize their Ready Player Me avatars, meet other fans in the lobby, and enter the virtual arena. They can sit on the stadium seats to watch gameplay in full view or immerse themselves in the battle by diving into the map.

They can see opening duels, site retakes, and clutches up close. Dynamic map controls allow them to maneuver easily and spectate at any site they want. The epic virtual effects and sounds create a deep 3D spectator experience that’s like no other.

Collaborating to Make Fan Experiences More Meaningful

Virtex, a London-based software development company, has been at the forefront of esports. Its Virtex Stadium provides sports and gaming enthusiasts with an innovative VR platform where they can experience esports at a whole new level.

Founded in 2020, Virtex brings together the expertise of tech entrepreneur Christoph Ortlepp and seasoned VR player Tim Mcguinness. Sharing a vision to redefine the esports fan experience, they are collaborating with partners across the tech and esports space to bolster the capabilities of the Virtex Stadium.

virtex stadium esports event

In the past year, the company worked with Skybox Technologies to integrate Counter-Strike maps into the virtual stadium. A provider of spectator and analysis solutions, Skybox helps ensure that in-game models, key modes, and spectator tools are functioning smoothly at the Virtex Stadium.

It provides real-time data and 3D game recreations that allow users to view Counter-Strike gameplay from every angle. It also ensures that map control and all gameplay features work seamlessly to make the 3D viewing experience more enjoyable.

According to Ethan Cooper, CEO of Skybox Technologies, Virtex has done an outstanding job at building out the Virtex Stadium. “We are proud that via the Skybox and Virtex partnership, fans can soon experience live Counter-Strike in a whole new way. It’s an exciting time for our respective companies, and we are looking forward to continuing our partnership with additional game titles and new experiences,” he said.

This collaboration paves the way for more meaningful fan experiences across the globe. Fans can dive into the map and watch the players they follow in action. They can explore different areas during the matches or meet other fans in virtual hangout spaces.

More to Come From The Growing Virtex Community

The partnership between Virtex and Skybox has just begun. Through their continued collaboration, we can expect more tournaments and esports titles at the Virtex Stadium in the next few months. Virtex is also pitching to more partners to widen its offerings and make the platform even more engaging. It wants to collaborate with tournament organizers, teams that want dedicated stadiums for their fans, and brands that want to run activations on virtual platforms.

A die-hard esports fan, Tim Mcguinness is eager to announce more upcoming tournaments they are set to feature in the Virtex Stadium. But, for now, fans can enjoy the closed beta program and be among the first to experience this virtual esports stadium.

AWE USA 2023 giveaway

Virtex Stadium Adds Counter-Strike to Its Virtual Esports Titles Read More »

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FitXR Boosts Its VR Fitness Offerings With Pico and Strava Collaborations

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The global VR fitness app FitXR is expanding its horizons through exciting recent collaborations with Pico, a VR company focusing on all-in-one VR technology, and Strava, a tracking physical exercise company. These partnerships aim to offer a more comprehensive and accessible fitness experience to users across the globe.

FitXR Partners With Pico to Reach New Audiences

Demonstrating FitXR’s commitment to making VR fitness available to everyone, the VR fitness app is extending its reach to the UK, EU, and Asian markets through a new partnership with Pico VR headsets. As VR gains mass market appeal, FitXR’s multi-platform offerings will become increasingly desirable.

FitXR on Pico

FitXR’s offers a myriad of workout options in a single app. Earlier this year, FitXR launched Sculpt, a workout suite inspired by isometric strength training, and Combat, a workout suite influenced by various martial arts. These two new training alternatives expand the VR fitness app’s current suite of workout options, which include HIIT, Dancing, and Box. FitXR emphasizes its mission to create the most diversified training experiences in the metaverse through this expansion.

FitXR is now broadening its reach by introducing its at-home virtual fitness experience to Pico headsets. Now Pico headset users can enjoy participating in multiplayer workouts for some friendly competition or choose to work out individually when they prefer to control their speed.

VR fitness FitXR on Pico

New users can experience fresh music, diverse classes, and innovative workout styles as the VR fitness app consistently introduces updates. And individuals who install FitXR on their Pico 4 or Pico Neo 3 Link headset can take advantage of a 30-day free membership until the end of April.

New Partnerships Aim for a Fun, Consistent Fitness Journey

Taking fitness to heart, the company’s CEO and co-founder, Sam Cole, commented on the new partnership, stating, “We already offer the most diverse and unique fitness experience, and by expanding to the new Pico headset, we’re furthering our aim to provide this to every person, in every household, in every geography, and on any hardware device.”

Peter Li, Pico’s Head of Gaming Partnerships, emphasized Pico’s dedication to delivering a wide variety of high-quality fitness experiences to its users.“For Pico, launching FitXR as a subscription app on our platform underlines our commitment to bring the widest variety of high-quality and customizable fitness experiences to our customers,” Li said in a press release shared with ARPost.

The collaboration highlights the increasing appetite for amalgamating new tech and gaming to create optimal fitness experiences. FitXR enables clients to visit various fitness studios and tailor their workouts to meet their goals. With fully immersive 3D workout environments, they can enjoy fun, engaging, and result-driven fitness experiences. “We never forget to bring the fun. The fun matters just as much as the results,” said FitXR’s CMO, Lisa Raggiri.

Furthermore, FitXR also collaborated with Olympic Boxing Champion Nicola Adams to launch the “Box Like a Pro” training program, covering boxing basics for all skill levels. Adams aims to promote active lifestyles by demonstrating that fitness can be enjoyable.

FitXR Integrates With Strava for Comprehensive Progress Tracking

Apart from the new partnership with Pico, FitXR has also recently teamed up with Strava, a connected fitness subscription platform. By merging data from both platforms, this partnership aims to provide FitXR users with a more comprehensive view of their exercise journey. The partnership reflects FitXR’s drive to offer a more enriched and inclusive digital experience, allowing users to establish and attain fitness goals more efficiently.

FitXR on Strava

Kelly Cosentino, FitXR’s Fitness Chief, stated that as more and more people aim to manage their health and fitness goals, there is a heightened demand for simple access to crucial data across platforms. “FitXR’s integration with Strava provides our members with a holistic digital solution that easily fits into their lifestyles,” Cosentino said in a press release shared with ARPost. “ The collaboration intends to support individuals of all fitness levels by allowing them to monitor every step, action, and motion in both virtual and real environments.

With the free companion app for FitXR, users can easily send their workout data to Strava after every session. FitXR users can now join Strava’s dynamic community of over 100 million users in 190 nations. Additionally, this partnership allows them to set goals and key milestones, monitor improvement, and share their virtual accomplishments with fellow fitness enthusiasts worldwide.

Pairing a user’s FitXR mobile app with their Strava account is a straightforward task that requires only a few clicks. To initiate the syncing procedure, the user must launch the FitXR app and select the profile icon located at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Next, they should proceed by selecting the “Connected Apps” option from the menu and then choose “Strava.” After that, the user will be presented with a prompt to select the types of data they wish to sync with Strava, with the ability to modify their selections later. Once the user completes this quick setup, their workout information will automatically synchronize with Strava after each session.

This strategic collaboration of FitXR with Strava is pushing the company’s goal to offer a customizable virtual health club experience. The enhanced data connectivity will allow FitXR users to maximize the potential of the virtual activities and accompanying apps that encourage them to stay active.

New Partnerships Drive the Demand for a More Holistic VR Fitness Approach

FitXR’s recent partnerships with Pico and Strava highlight the increasing impact of virtual reality technology in the fitness industry and its potential to transform how individuals approach their health and wellness objectives.

By expanding the accessibility of its immersive training programs to a wider range of users, regardless of their hardware preferences, FitXR is reinforcing its dedication to providing a comprehensive and user-friendly digital experience. Consequently, FitXR empowers people of all fitness levels to track their progress more efficiently and stay motivated in their pursuit of a healthier lifestyle.

FitXR Boosts Its VR Fitness Offerings With Pico and Strava Collaborations Read More »

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FitXR Workout Classes: New Pop Music Collection to Add Variety to Your VR Fitness Routine

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It is no secret that music makes exercise routines fun, but it actually does more than that. In fact, music has been scientifically proven to improve the quality of workouts. One research shows that music is particularly helpful during endurance and high-intensity exercises. It also shows that a faster tempo increases energy demand during exercise. Aside from promoting metabolic efficiency, upbeat music has also been found to be effective in increasing endurance as it distracts people from discomfort.

The VR fitness app FitXR understands the key role music plays in fitness. So the team continues to expand and diversify music content on its platform to cater to individual preferences. FitXR workout classes across five distinct studios are constantly updated with new music collections to give users more motivation to achieve their fitness goals.

New Pop Music Collection Amps Up FitXR Workout Classes

Recently, FitXR launched a new pop music collection that gives users more music options in all workout classes across its five studios—Box, Dance, HIIT, Sculpt, and Combat. It features hits from the best pop, hip-hop, and rock artists. Whether you’re in the mood for a high-intensity boxing class or a beginner HIIT session, you can definitely find the right workout for you.

There’s a whole collection of workout classes with smash hits from Dua Lipa, Lil Nas X, Megan Thee Stallion, and other popular artists. Let Pink and Lady Gaga set the mood and inspire you to finish the 11-minute “Get This Party Started” HIIT class for beginners. Groove to the beat as you do a quick 4-minute workout in the intermediate boxing class “Green Day Blitz.” You can choose from a variety of classes based on your fitness level and time availability.

“FitXR is all about making fitness fun, and music is so often what fuels a workout, and makes it an enjoyable experience,” said Kelly Cosentino, Director of Fitness at FitXR, in a press release shared with ARPost. “This is just another way we’re showing our commitment to creating experiences unique to each member’s personal preference and motivators!”

The new pop music collection is just another addition to FitXR’s already extensive music offerings, which include top billboard artists, independent artists, and international artists. With the app’s wide range of classes and music options, there are no excuses for skipping a workout.

Committed to Elevating Immersive VR Workout Classes

FitXR’s new pop music collection is a testament to the app’s dedication to creating unique and engaging fitness experiences for its users. Continuously adding new music and themed studios to its already robust offerings shows its commitment to making fitness more fun and accessible for everyone.

FitXR workout

Leading the way to the future of fitness, we can expect to see more additions and innovations on the platform. These will allow beginners and seasoned fitness enthusiasts alike to personalize their fitness journey and enhance their overall workout experiences.

FitXR Workout Classes: New Pop Music Collection to Add Variety to Your VR Fitness Routine Read More »

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How XR Fan Engagement Brings Fans Closer to the Game

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Over the years, ARPost has covered the physical nature of XR in athletics and sports a number of times – from how athletes use XR to improve their game, to how gamers can use VR sports to stay fit, to how thrilling and active a good AR team game can be for players and spectators alike. XR is also increasingly being used in another capacity: fan engagement.

Is AR the Future of Fan Engagement?

Athletes are usually sports fans, but are sports fans usually athletes? This article isn’t about how XR can make a sports viewer into a finely-tuned machine, or how a sports viewer can become a star in their own right through things like esports. After all, not all sports fans want to do those sorts of things.

However, it’s probably fair to say that all sports fans want to feel closer to the athletes and teams that they follow. That doesn’t mean getting onto the field, but it might mean getting out of the stands. Sports teams and property managers are increasingly using XR for sports fan engagement to let fans get closer to their passion, if not closer to the action.

In-Arena Opportunities for CBJ Fans

In January, NHL team The Columbus Blue Jackets unveiled “The Fan Zone” in their home Nationwide Arena in partnership with MVP Interactive. Followers of ARPost might remember that MVP Interactive also made appearances in our 2021 article about how and why brand engagement is driving XR development.

“The Blue Jackets are one of the few sports organizations taking the lead to bring fans the latest in cutting-edge technology with first-ever immersive experiences to their arena,” MVP Interactive CEO James Giglio said in a release shared with ARPost. “Our team was honored to work with everyone at CBJ to bring technology forward with multi-generational experiences to their Fan Zone.”

Slapshot Challenge 3 - The Columbus Blue Jackets - fan engagement

The 4,000 square-foot space overlooks the team’s practice area and includes a number of XR experiences, as well as the eSports Lounge for CBJ gaming, the team’s official esports arm. As exciting a development as esports is in the general gaming world, we’re most interested in the XR fan engagement activations.

“With the upgraded space and technology advancement of our new Fan Zone, we hope to provide a world-class experience for fans of all ages,” Blue Jackets Vice President of Marketing Ryan Chenault said in the release.

XR in the Fan Zone

In the “Slapshot Challenge” fan engagement activation, fans choose between three different game modes including “Shots on Goalie” pitting their skills against a virtual goaltender. Using a real stick and a ball, the fan’s movements are tracked by sensors to replicate an on-ice experience in a space reminiscent of the Cave VR system.

Slapshot Challenge - AR fan engagement - The Columbus Blue Jackets

The “Goalie Challenge” flips the scenario, both figuratively and physically. In full goalie gear, the fan now faces the screen where a virtual contender appears to launch physical balls their way. While the goalie in the slapshot challenge is entirely automated, the placement of balls fired off in the goalie challenge can be controlled by a friend via a computer interface.

“The Blue Jackets are dedicated to removing barriers to the game of hockey and investment in this space is a meaningful nod to this mission,” said Chenault. “By providing both stick-in-hand and controller-in-hand activations, we can give fans an opportunity to not only watch the game but experience it first-hand.” 

Slapshot Challenge 2 - The Columbus Blue Jackets - fan engagement

There are less intense fan engagement opportunities as well. A “Pose with a Pro MorphingStation” gives fans an opportunity to take a selfie next to a virtual replica of their favorite Blue Jackets. A similar activation allows fans to pose in a virtual Blue Jackets jersey. All of these activations reward the fans with videos and images optimized for social media.

Pose with a pro - The Columbus Blue Jackets - XR fan engagement

Implementation and Stats

On entering the Fan Zone, fans have the opportunity to check in by scanning a QR code and providing an email address to receive their videos and photographs. According to figures provided to ARPost following the launch of the activation, over 1,200 fans entered the Fan Zone on opening night and 375 provided emails to receive their digital mementos.

Further, the “average dwell time across experiences was 24.55 seconds.” This may not seem like a long time, but it is averaged across all of the fan engagement experiences though the challenges likely engaged fans for significantly longer than the AR photo opportunities.

NIL in AR

The “Pose with a Pro” fan activation presented by the Blue Jackets shows that there is a lot of promise in sports fan engagement with virtual replicas of their favorite athletes. That isn’t just limited to professional sports, however.

College sports are tremendously popular but its athletes were, to some degree, barred from benefiting from that popularity for most of the history of college sports. That’s because college athletes were largely prevented from benefiting from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) by the NCAA – the organization that governs college sports.

However, in 2021, the NCAA began loosening NIL rules, opening up potentially lucrative opportunities for college athletes. AR publishing platform LDP Studio claims to be part of the first “NILAR” (name, image, and likeness in augmented reality) agreement. The signee? The University of Tennessee senior tight end Jacob Warren for the Craven Wings restaurant chain.

“We believe AR Hero will change the way college football fans experience the game by engaging more people with the players they know and love,” LDP Studio VP of business development Jessee Black said in a release shared with ARPost. “It’s a really cool and futuristic new concept for QR code use which increases engagement for businesses and brings fun to the fans.” 

NILAR Jadob Warren - fan engagement

AR Hero, the tool that runs the experience, invites users to trigger fan engagement activation via a QR code. From there, fans can take photos and videos with an AR version of Warren that goes through different poses giving plenty of opportunities to fans.

“With AR Hero, fans can feel like they are part of the action and experience the players they know and love in a whole new way,” said Black. “Businesses have the opportunity to create more engagement with fans through ‘NILAR’ as well.”

The First NILAR Agreement?

It’s easy to be skeptical of whether this fan engagement initiative is really the first NILAR agreement. It is very probably the first NILAR agreement in college sports and it just might be the first of its kind anywhere as LDP Studio claims.

Digital twins of celebrities aren’t brand new. However, the ownership of these twins has long been problematic. The owner of a digital twin is usually the studio that commissioned it, rather than the individual that the twin is created from.

NILAR agreements with athletes as well as other individuals have huge potential to give individuals more control over their own digital twins. That’s a big win for those individuals from an economic standpoint, but it’s also a good idea from an ethical perspective.

Getting Sports Fans Out of Their Seats

With good AR fan engagement, everybody wins. Fans get more interactive ways to engage with their favorite content and athletes. Athletes can have an AR proxy that’s available to fans while they’re busy training, on the field, or at home. Teams get new ways to bring fans deeper into the sports that they love (and, yes, collect some much-cherished user data).

The good news keeps getting better. XR fan engagement activations are becoming simpler to use, more interactive, and are even being created in ways that are more mindful of the humans that lend their digital duplicates to these activations.

How XR Fan Engagement Brings Fans Closer to the Game Read More »

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Get Fit While Having Fun With Sports VR Games

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Sports VR games are changing the fitness game. These highly interactive apps have the potential to transform the way we stay fit by making sports and fitness activities more fun, engaging, and convenient.

They allow players to immerse themselves in a virtual environment and engage in physically demanding activities, such as playing virtual basketball or boxing, within the confines of their own homes. With research indicating increased energy expenditure while playing, VR games offer a fun and convenient alternative to traditional workouts.

If you’d like to get some sports into your fitness routine but do not have time to hit the gym or stay out on the field, here are five of the top sports VR games you can try out at home. These games provide a full-body workout that challenges players to improve their hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and physical endurance. They can help burn anywhere from 4 to 13 calories per minute.

5 Sports VR Games to Up Your Fitness Game This Year

Gym Class VR

Love shooting hoops? Gym Class VR brings the ball game right where you are. Join players from all over the world for an immersive basketball game. Warm up with jumping jacks, wall squats, and other drills. Form a team with your friends and compete with other teams.

Gym Class VR - sports VR game

This game transports you into a virtual court and makes you feel as if you were playing on a real one. Dribble, pass, and shoot the same way you do in real life. For an extra level of motivation to keep playing, track your progress with statistics, shot charts, and streaks.

Racket: Nx

Court meets arcade in this sports VR game that blends elements of racquetball and pinball to create a fast-paced and exciting workout experience. Racket: Nx takes you inside the glass dome of a pinball machine for a one-of-a-kind racquetball experience.

Racket: Nx - sports VR game

Get your ball ready and hit targets as soon as they light up. Score points and dodge obstacles in the giant pinball arena. With its high-paced, psychedelic, and competitive gameplay, you’ll have a blast as you improve your hand-eye coordination, speed, precision, and agility.

The Thrill of the Fight

Feel the thrill of a real fight with the hyper-realistic gameplay of this sports VR game. The Thrill of the Fight lets you face off with your opponent in a virtual ring set at room scale.

The Thrill of the Fight - boxing match

Dodge hits, throw jabs, cross hooks, and land knockout punches as if you were in a real boxing match. Play the game regularly to learn and hone different boxing styles and techniques. Progress faster through the levels as you improve your skill, timing, and strategy.

Eleven Table Tennis

Smash your way to fitness. With the fast-paced gameplay and intense action in Eleven Table Tennis, you’ll be breaking a sweat in no time. Touted as the best simulation for table tennis, this game mimics actual movements and physics.

Eleven Table Tennis - sports VR game

Whether you are competing online against other players or practicing with an advanced AI opponent, you’ll feel as if you are playing the game in real life. The exercise intensity depends on a player’s skill level from a light workout for beginners to a super intense game for dedicated or highly skilled players.

Sports Scramble

Go berserk with all the fun you’ll be having while playing a mix-matched sports VR game. Sports Scramble combines the distinct elements of different sports to create unique and totally fun VR experiences.

Sports Scramble - sports VR game

Play tennis with a badminton birdie, bowl a strike with a basketball, or score a home run with a racket. This game lets you play in a large tennis court, a zany bowling lane, or a baseball field but makes the experience more exciting—and crazily fun—by giving you unusual sports gear for your game.

Start Your Fitness Journey the Fun Way

Indeed, sports VR games are good workout alternatives that offer more enjoyment, convenience, and accessibility than traditional workouts. By providing an enjoyable and interactive way to exercise, they help people start their fitness journey the fun way and make it a sustainable part of their lifestyle.

However, it is important to be conscious of your mobility and fitness levels and consult a doctor if you have any medical concerns before using VR. Also, while sports VR games are a fun workout option, they should not replace actual sports training and one should be careful not to over-exercise.

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Virtex Stadium Holds First Major Events, Inches Toward Open Access

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A number of the attractions of watching live sports carry over into esports. However, unless you’re watching an esports tournament in person, a lot of those attractions go away. Interactions with other fans are limited. The game view is limited. The game is flattened and there’s little environment ambiance. Virtex wants to fix that.

A History of Virtex

Virtex co-founders Tim Mcguinness and Christoph Ortlepp met at an esports event in 2019. Mcguinness presented the idea of “taking that whole experience that we were doing there in the physical world and bringing it into the virtual world,” Ortlepp said in a video call with ARPost. The two officially launched the company in 2020.

The following year saw the company’s first major hires (and its first coverage from ARPost). The company was focusing on integrating Echo VR and needed permission from Meta (then Facebook), who purchased the game’s developer Ready At Dawn in 2022.

“The first thing we had to do was get something that we could show to Meta,” said Ortlepp. “For us, Echo was a good community to start with.”

Virtex got the green light from Meta. It also got Jim Purbrick who had previously been a technical director at Linden Lab and an engineering manager for Oculus.

“Moderation is an area where he had a big impact on us,” said Ortlepp. “We need live moderators to keep people safe… If now we have two or three hundred people in the platform, what if we have ten thousand people? Can we keep users safe and prevent a toxic environment?”

Meta’s support also meant that Virtex could finally launch its beta application. The beta is still technically closed – meaning that it isn’t on any app store, and you have to go through the Virtex website to access it. However, the closed beta isn’t limited. Testers have the opportunity to participate in “test sessions” – live streamed games every Thursday.

The platform held its first major tournament in December, with another about to kick off as this article was being written. Games are scheduled every week into the spring.

A Tour of the Stadium

Right now, the Virtex virtual world consists of a stadium entrance, a lounge area, and a commentator booth in addition to the stadium itself.

“The purpose [of the entrance and lounge] is really to set the stage for the user, to welcome them,” said Ortlepp.

Virtex Stadium Environment - Exterior

In the lounge, users can socialize, modify their avatars (through a Ready Player Me integration), and even watch a miniaturized version of the live match. The lounge itself is still being developed with plans for mini-games and walls of fame. Connected areas including a virtual store and bar area are also in the works.

In the stadium itself, users can see and interact with other spectators. They can watch a 3D reproduction of the live game in real time, or watch a Twitch stream of the game on a jumbo screen above the stadium floor.

“We feature the video because we didn’t want to take away from esports viewers what they’re currently used to,” said Ortlepp. Virtex wants to give spectators options to explore viewing in new ways, without leaving them in an entirely unfamiliar setting.

A teleport system allows faster movement to different areas of the stadium, including the stadium floor to watch from within the game or even follow players through the action. This is possible thanks to the unique solution that Virtex has developed for recreating the game within the virtual stadium.

virtex stadium virtual reality stadium streaming

The studio also adds special recording and hosting tools like camera bots for streaming games within the stadium to Twitch and YouTube. Aspects of the stadium’s appearance can even be changed to match whatever game is being played.

“We are the platform. Ideally, we don’t ever want to be the content creators,” said Ortlepp. “So we have certain user modes for the ones that are actually operating the tournaments.”

When Can We Expect an App?

Virtex Stadium is up and running. But, the team plans to spend at least the next few months in their “closed” beta phase. For one thing, they really want to have their moderation plan in place before making the app more discoverable. They’re also still collecting feedback on their production tools – and thinking of new ones.

Further, while the platform currently has a decent schedule, the team wants to work with more games and more gaming communities. That includes other VR titles as well as more traditional esports. Ideally, one day, something will be happening in Virtex no matter when a user signs in.

“Where do we take it from here? There are no standards – no one has done this before,” said Ortlepp. “The virtual home of esports is basically the vision. It’s something we don’t claim yet – we have to earn it.”

It’s Not Too Early to Check It Out

Everything about Virtex is exciting, from their plans for the virtual venue itself, to their passion and concern for their community. Ortlepp said that the company is “careful about making dated timeline promises.” In a way that’s a little frustrating but it’s only because the company would rather hold off on something amazing than push something that falls short of their vision.

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New Year, New Goals: Hit Your Fitness Goals This Year With Immersive Workouts From FitXR’s New Studios

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Towards the end of last year, FitXR launched new music collections with over two dozen new workout classes in Box, HIIT, and Dance. The company is all set to help users meet their fitness goals this year as well with new immersive workout classes.

The VR fitness app has recently launched two new studios, Sculpt and Combat, providing their users with low-impact strength and conditioning workouts for the first time, as well as more options for high-impact exercises. With each of the studios offering distinct training styles, FitXR users gain access to more rounded fitness experiences.

“The introduction of these studios reflects a first-ever moment for VR fitness, expanding what’s possible to bring to a workout,” said FitXR’s Director of Fitness, Kelly Cosentino, in a press release. “We at FitXR pride ourselves on demystifying VR fitness and expanding its reach to the masses, showcasing the true impact it can have to help improve overall health and wellness. We hope that these new studios encourage more people to get moving.”

Low-Impact Burn and Tone in Sculpt Studio

Sculpt studio brings us the first-ever low-impact strength and conditioning immersive workout classes that can be done anywhere at any time. It offers a new and exciting way to do strength training without using weights or straining the joints.

FitXR new studio Sculpt- immersive workout

For high-burn results at low impact, the movements created for this studio mimic those from pilates, barre, and isometric strength training. The exercises are designed to burn, tone, and sculpt while improving balance, strength, and endurance.

Each part of the routine targets a particular area to tone specific muscle groups for a more sculpted form. Done regularly, immersive workout exercises in Sculpt Studio help build strength in arms and legs, tone muscles, and boost mental endurance. Upbeat music makes the workouts more exciting as users pulse and hold along with the fast tempo.

Upon launch, Sculpt Studio started offering eight classes led by FitXR trainers Dillon, Elise, Garret, and Sarah. More supercharged classes will be added regularly to keep users motivated to stay fit.

Powerful Results From High-Impact VR Workouts in Combat Studio

Inspired by martial arts, the new Combat studio gets users in good fighting form. The fierce immersive workouts show us that virtually everything is possible in VR fitness.

FitXR new studio Combat - immersive workout

While it also includes boxing moves, exercises in this new studio are more dynamic than Box workouts. They combine signature moves from different forms of martial arts including karate, taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Users learn to do elbow strikes, hammer fists, double punches, high blocks, and other techniques. Because the exercise drills include different combos that simulate the unpredictability of real fights, users also develop faster reflexes, better coordination, and improved concentration.

FitXR trainers Dillon and Billy lead the immersive workout exercises in the four new classes. More classes will be launched regularly to keep users on their toes and in perfect fighting form. To make the workouts more exhilarating and stimulating, users are immersed in a modern urban virtual environment resonating with bold pop, hip-hop, and rock playlists.

Immersive Workouts Are Part of the Future of Fitness

With the two new launches, FitXR now has five innovative studios with distinct features—Box, Dance, HIIT, Sculpt, and Combat. Offering different workout styles for different fitness levels, they give users a vast array of exercises to choose from and find the ones that fit their lifestyle, interests, and needs.

Augmented and virtual reality will undoubtedly play a part in the future of fitness. The global success of FitXR shows that people are more than ready to adopt new technologies in their health and fitness regimens. Immersive workouts with personalized routines will make it easier for everyone to stay fit and healthy whatever their lifestyle is.

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ONTOP Studios Wants to Bring Theaters Back to Life With XR Esports

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Have you ever seen an empty theater and thought that the space had more potential? It doesn’t even have to be an abandoned theater, just a theater with more rooms than it regularly uses, or a theater that isn’t showing movies at all hours of the day. What if those theaters could be used for, say, XR esports? That’s the idea that Nuno Folhadela is exploring with ONTOP Studios.

Meet ONTOP Studios

ONTOP Studios makes AR experiences, filters, and games. Its mission is “turning the world into your playground” through augmented reality. The studio makes independent projects but also works with an impressive list of partners including Vodafone, Samsung, and Snapchat.

ONTOP’s most recent venture, ARcade Sports, involves turning empty theaters into XR esports playgrounds through its social AR games. The idea didn’t come about because Folhadela, the Studio’s founder, has anything against movies.

“My background is in cinema, but I’ve been working in games,” Folhadela said in a video call with ARPost. “My interest is always to bring stories into the real world… Going to the cinema isn’t just about movies, it’s about an experience.”

So, why change that experience? The answer, as so many answers do these days, has to do with trends that were already underway before the pandemic caused them to explode.

“After the pandemic, movies really got hit hard. We realized that gaming is what the younger audience is going for,” said Folhadela.

From Movies to Games to Esports

Games are more interactive than movies, but they’re also more social, and both of these elements of storytelling are drawing younger people away from conventional forms of linear narratives, according to Folhadela. But, that’s not the end of the story. Games are more interactive and social than movies, and AR is a more immersive medium than 2D games.

“As a player, [AR] brings everything that we view on a screen into the real world,” said Folhadela. “All of these adventures that you have, are confined onto a flat screen. Now, you can bring all of your adventures with you.”

All of this talk about young audiences doesn’t mean that ONTOP is only interested in kids. Like VR arcades, ONTOP’s theater arenas appeal to visitors of all ages, including entire families.

ONTOP Studios - esports - ARcade Sports - game Morgana

“One man said that it felt like the first time playing with his kids – he was used to them sitting and playing Fortnite and him sitting and watching them,” said Folhadela.

Further, AR gaming can involve a lot of movement. This makes things more exciting for the players, but it also opens up a whole new level of attraction for spectators. At a time when streaming video game playthroughs is already popular, making gaming more human brings a lot of promise by making esports a lot more sporty.

“You really see the players running around so when you see a good player it’s seeing a good athlete. It’s bringing those worlds together,” said Folhadela. “It’s taking the ‘e’ out of ‘esports.’”

Buying Tickets and Paying Bills

So, how does ARcade Sports work? Folhadela describes the esports platform as a “b2b2c” (business to business to consumer) model. ONTOP Studios develops the content and maintains the companion app. Content is then licensed to property managers who promote the availability in their area. Content can even be modified to fit different areas or different business licensees.

“ARcade Sports is a platform, it’s not a game. We are always adding new games and new features,” said Folhadela.

A ticket to play in the XR-enabled esports facility includes a QR code. Scanning the QR code with the companion app lets players enter the same session. The app tracks the players’ performance in the game including their activity levels. Games are tiered based on difficulty, so beginners aren’t left out and veteran gamers don’t get bored.

esports - ARcade Sports - Morgana game

Right now, ARcade Sports is only available at select locations in Portugal. That’s set to change.

“We launched the games locally to understand the mechanics … for many players, this was their first experience with AR,” said Folhadela. “Now that this is at the right moment, we are hoping to expand to the US this year.”

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You

During our call, Folhadela displayed a number of experimental social features that aren’t yet ready to be fully integrated into the platform. However, hopefully, by the time that ONTOP Studios brings its unique brand of XR esports to the US – ideally this summer – there will be even more to keep gamers entertained, whether they’re playing or watching.

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Vibe to Hit Music and Hit Fitness Goals With New Music Collections in FitXR

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FitXR is capping the year off with new music collections of chart-topping hits. The latest collections feature over two dozen new workout classes in Box, HIIT, and Dance that’ll give users a head start in their fitness resolution goals next year.

Themed Collections of Music Hits From Then ‘Til Now

On November 25, FitXR launched its 80s and 90s Favorites Collection featuring iconic hits from Billy Idol, Chic, A-ha, Wham!, Chaka Khan, Survivor, Sister Sledge, the Weather Girls, and Backstreet Boys. Get your fit bod back and work out with throwback music in four Box, three HIIT, and three Dance studio classes.

Right on the heels of this launch is the release of two more collections on December 12. FitXR is bringing us Pop Hits Volume 1 and Holiday Jams for 15 more new classes.

Pop Hits Volume 1 Collection lets you groove to music from Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Pink, Dua Lipa, Zara Larsson, Troye Sivan, Megan Thee Stallion, and the British girl group Little Mix. Enjoy these pop hits in three Box, two HIIT, and three Dance classes.

To feel the holiday cheer you can work out in two Box, two HIIT, and three Dance classes set to music from the Holiday Jams Collection— which will go live just in time to get you looking your best this season while spreading holiday cheer.

We’re in for more awesome music as FitXR prepares to launch Pop Hits Volume 2 in February 2023. Along with more hits from Lady Gaga, Pink, Dua Lipa, and Megan Thee Stallion, FitXR is adding smash hits from Green Day, Tegan & Sara, and Nicky Youre. Music from rappers DMX, Lil Nas X, and SAINt JHN will also pump up classes in this collection.

FitXR: Good Music for Great Workouts

FitXR brings more than good music. At the core of this virtual reality fitness club is a vast library of total body workouts designed by top fitness experts. All on-demand classes are choreographed by professionals and led by world-class trainers.

During the workouts, users are transported to a virtual workout environment as they don their VR headsets. The digital avatars of trainers direct their movements and provide motivation. Multiplayer mode allows users to interact with each other through voice.

An analysis of energy expenditure shows that one workout in FitXR burns approximately 8.34 to 8.84 calories per minute. That’s similar to the energy used in one game of tennis. This substantiates the effectiveness of the virtual workouts even when done in limited space inside homes.

FitXR is available on Meta Quest. A monthly subscription of $9.99 gives members access to on-demand classes within three distinct workout studios—Box, Dance, and HIIT. It also gives them access to a community of professional trainers and fitness enthusiasts where they can share stories, hear advice, and get inspiration.

An Exciting Future for the World of Fitness

Immersive fitness apps like FitXR usher us into a future where having fun and working out overlap. By holding fitness classes in virtual studios, users feel more like they are playing in an arcade rather than having a gym session. This gamification makes them forget they are working out, so they often end up spending more time exercising.

Moreover, virtual studios foster interaction with other people from all over the globe without users having to leave the comfort of their own homes. Indeed, combining music and fitness in a virtual environment is bound to be the norm for group fitness from hereon.

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