Your ticket to live social events in VR is here.
You can now watch live concerts, sports, and comedy shows with friends in VR. A month after the launch of Oculus’ $200 standalone VR headset, Oculus Go, the long teased Oculus Venues app is finally available for download.
Available on both Oculus Go and Gear VR, Oculus Venues attempts to bring the stadium fan experience to VR. You can pick your seat, chat with friends, and connect with thousands of other fans, all to watch concerts, sporting events, stand-up comedy, movies, and more in real time.
I was able to pop into an Oculus Venues press preview event last week, joining a handful of other journalists to experience a NBA Playoff game from the stands. Captured by NextVR, the footage was a pre-recorded demonstration, placing me right on the sideline and below the hoop.
While sitting court-side was nothing new from other NBA games i’ve experienced in VR, chatting with others in the stands was compelling. Having full on conversations with others around me mirrored an actual fan experience and made it feel that much more familiar and welcoming.
Rowdy fan in the row behind you? You can mute individuals or just move to another seat, something I wish I had the ability to do every day in real-life. Oculus also designed Venues with safety in mind from the start, building other tools like being able to block someone and even report activities that violate Oculus’ Code of Conduct. Its as simple as clicking “report” and recording a short clip of the violating actions. Oculus states that community moderators are on-hand in Venues to take action quickly.
For those of you who aren’t intersted in chatting it up with others, there’s also a solo viewing mode in Venues. It’s your choice whether to enjoy the experience on your own or join the crowd.
Oculus Venues is expected to sport a diverse line-up of events, so hopefully there’s something for everyone to enjoy. To kick things off, on May 30th at 7:30pm PT from Red Rocks Amphitheater, you can watch Vance Joy perform live in concert in partnership with AEG Presents.
The action continues tomorrow at 7:00 pm PT as NextVR presents Gotham Comedy Live from NYC.
Here’s a taste of what other Oculus Venues events you can expect in the coming months. You can subscribe to each event in the app to dive straight into the live action.
- May 30 // Vance Joy // 7:30 pm PT
- May 31 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7:00 pm PT
- June 4 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8:00 pm PT
- June 6 // MLB: Arizona Diamondbacks @ San Francisco Giants // 12:45 pm PT
- June 7 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7:00 pm PT
- June 9 // Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and The Head And The Heart // 3:55 pm PT
- June 11 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8:00 pm PT
- June 13 // MLB: Los Angeles Angels @ Seattle Mariners // 1:10 pm PT
- June 14 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7:00 pm PT
- June 15 // Chromeo // 6:50 pm PT
- June 18 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8:00 pm PT
- June 20 // MLB: Atlanta Braves @ Toronto Blue Jays // 9:37 am PT
- June 21 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7:00 pm PT
- June 22 // Everclear // 10:00 pm PT
- June 25 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8:00 pm PT
- June 27 // MLB: Kansas City Royals @ Milwaukee Brewers // 11:10 am PT
- June 28 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7:00 pm PT
- July 2 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8:00 pm PT
- July 5 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7:00 pm PT
- July 9 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8:00 pm PT
- July 12 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7:00 pm PT
- July 16 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8:00 pm PT
- July 19 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7:00 pm PT
- July 23 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8:00 pm PT
- July 25 // International Champions Cup: Manchester United v AC Milan // 8:00 pm PT
- July 26 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7:00 pm PT
- July 28 // International Champions Cup: FC Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur // 8:00 pm PT
- July 30 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8:00 pm PT
- August 2 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7:00 pm PT
- August 3 // Lionsgate Presents: Reservoir Dogs // 7:00 pm PT
- August 5 // Lionsgate Presents: Sinister // 7:00 pm PT
- August 6 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8:00 pm PT
- August 9 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7:00 pm PT
- August 13 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8:00 pm PT
- August 19 // Lionsgate Presents: Apocalypse Now // 7:00 pm PT
- August 20 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8:00 pm PT
- August 26 // Lionsgate Presents: National Lampoon’s Van Wilder // 7:00 pm PT
- August 27 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8:00 pm PT
Oculus states that we can expect content from SHOWTIME coming later this summer, plus more film screenings of Lionsgate titles, new concerts from AEG Presents, live NBA League Pass games and additional shows produced by NextVR, MLB games, and more.
Download Oculus Venues on Oculus Go or Gear VR to view the full schedule of live events available in your area.
