Facebook’s Oculus VR division announced that its Oculus Venues social VR app for watching events with your friends is now available on the Oculus Go and the Samsung Gear VR headsets.
It’s like having a front-row ticket to your favorite sporting event or concert, Oculus representatives said during a briefing.
Oculus Venues delivers all the sounds, lights, and energy of being at a live sporting event. With Venues, you can connect with friends and a fan community of thousands to watch concerts, sporting events, stand-up comedy, movies, and more — all live and in real time.
I tried it out using an Oculus Go headset, and showed up in the middle of a Golden State Warriors basketball game. I talked with other users in VR and moved around to see the point of view from various seats within the arena. I could see the action from behind the basket, or move to the sidelines where I was close to the players and the coaches. I liked how I could meet other users and turn them into friends with the click of a button. And the sound of chatter worked in three dimensions. The closer I was to someone speaking, the louder they sounded. Overall, I felt like it was a cool experience that brings the “wow factor” with an experience that you can only have in VR.
Oculus is also launching a series of live events that you can attend, including one tonight, May 30, at 7:30 p.m. Pacific time: a live Vance Joy concert from Red Rocks Amphitheatre in partnership with AEG Presents. The action continues tomorrow, May 31, at 7 p.m. Pacific as NextVR presents Gotham Comedy Live from NYC.
Oculus will highlight Venues in your headset’s Explore feed so you can subscribe to upcoming events, and you can easily launch the Oculus Venues app to dive into what’s happening live.
Above: Oculus Venues gives you the best seat in the house.
Here’s what is coming soon (depending on your location):
May 30 // Vance Joy // 7:30 p.m. Pacific
May 31 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7 p.m. Pacific
June 4 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8 p.m. Pacific
June 6 // MLB: Arizona Diamondbacks @ San Francisco Giants // 12:45 p.m. Pacific
June 7 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7 p.m. Pacific
June 9 // Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and The Head And The Heart // 3:55 p.m. Pacific
June 11 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8 p.m. Pacific
June 13 // MLB: Los Angeles Angels @ Seattle Mariners // 1:10 p.m. Pacific
June 14 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7 p.m. Pacific
June 15 // Chromeo // 6:50 p.m. Pacific
June 18 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8 p.m. Pacific
June 20 // MLB: Atlanta Braves @ Toronto Blue Jays // 9:37 a.m. Pacific
June 21 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7 p.m. Pacific
June 22 // Everclear // 10 p.m. Pacific
June 25 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8 p.m. Pacific
June 27 // MLB: Kansas City Royals @ Milwaukee Brewers // 11:10 a.m. Pacific
June 28 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7 p.m. Pacific
July 2 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8 p.m. Pacific
July 5 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7 p.m. Pacific
July 9 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8 p.m. Pacific
July 12 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7 p.m. Pacific
July 16 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8 p.m. Pacific
July 19 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7 p.m. Pacific
July 23 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8 p.m. Pacific
July 25 // International Champions Cup: Manchester United v AC Milan // 8 p.m. Pacific
July 26 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7 p.m. Pacific
July 28 // International Champions Cup: FC Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur // 8 p.m. Pacific
July 30 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8 p.m. Pacific
August 2 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7 p.m. Pacific
August 3 // Lionsgate Presents: Reservoir Dogs // 7 p.m. Pacific
August 5 // Lionsgate Presents: Sinister // 7 p.m. Pacific
August 6 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8 p.m. Pacific
August 9 // Gotham Comedy Live // 7 p.m. Pacific
August 13 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8 p.m. Pacific
August 19 // Lionsgate Presents: Apocalypse Now // 7 p.m. Pacific
August 20 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8 p.m. Pacific
August 26 // Lionsgate Presents: National Lampoon’s Van Wilder // 7 p.m. Pacific
August 27 // School Night! Live from Hollywood // 8 p.m. Pacific
Oculus also promises exciting 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.
You can download Oculus Venues on Oculus Go or Gear VR to view the full schedule of live events available in your area.
Oculus designed Venues with safety and comfort in mind. For example, you can mute or block someone immediately and report activities that may violate the Oculus Code of Conduct. Community moderators are on-hand in Venues so that Oculus can take action.
