Everyone wants to see the field in their headset!
It's difficult to find ways to watch football from a virtual reality (VR) headset, but it's something we're all interested in. Live content is still unavailable to watch in your VR headset, even with the new Sling TV app, but that doesn't mean there are no ways for you to watch your favorite sport inside of a headset. While there aren't any apps that will allow you to watch the game from a 360° (or even 180°) view, there are a few ways to watch the game from inside a headset.
Why is it so hard to watch the Super Bowl in VR?
NFL officials have previously stated that they didn't want their fans to watch games from a VR headset. The main reason for this was to prevent fans from "secluding" themselves. They want viewers to have their Super Bowl parties and watch in groups and not in VR headsets by themselves, but that is becoming less and less of a viable reason as we continue to progress in the world of virtual reality. That's because we have apps like Oculus Rooms allow you to watch live stand-up, concerts, and more with other audience members.
The other reason, based on an interview with was that officials believed it would be "too difficult to tell a story in VR." They expressed concerns that viewers wouldn't be able to follow the game properly if given the chance to watch from a 360-degree angle on the field. Many sports like basketball and soccer have allowed VR coverage with little to no issue in the past so perhaps there is a chance for more NFL content to come to our headsets in the future.
In the meantime check out these options that have covered NFL content in the past.
CBS is here to save the day
CBS Sports is offering a of the Super Bowl on their website. It's compatible with a number of devices and, even though it's not listed, your Oculus Go is one of them.
All you have to do is follow the link below while using your headset. The page loads perfectly inside of your Oculus Go and does not block any of the features on the website. Since watching videos from the browser inside of your headset has never been an issue before, we have no reason to believe it won't play the stream when it goes live.
There won't be a 360-degree view for you as if you were actually there, but it will provide a way for you to watch up close and in your headset.
NextVR
NextVR is the most universal app when it comes to watching your favorite sports in VR because it is compatible with nearly every headset you can think of. The NFL has worked with NextVR in the past to test out the waters of viewers being able to watch the games from a headset. There were only three games that fans could watch from this app and every one of them was aired in VR only after they had aired on live TV.
You won't be able to watch the Super Bowl live in NextVR, but be sure to check in to see if they have any content in the form of highlights after the game!
Check out the Next VR website to see where you can download the app to your headset!
Fox Sports VR
Last year Fox Sports VR covered the Super Bowl with near-live highlights coverage. There are still no 360-degree video options to watch football in VR, but it was still just as cool to watch from a virtual couch! This is the only app in VR that has officially supported any NFL coverage in the past and that makes it your best bet to try. Even apps like only support ESPN, but not NFL.
If you find yourself without Super Bowl plans this year make sure you check out this app for any more near-live highlights.