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04/26/2018
Article
Virtex Arena Launches AR App to Welcome the Start of the Baseball Season

Virtex Arena has released its latest augmented reality sports app, aimed at baseball fans. The season is just kicking off, and several major games will guide the app’s first months.

“We’ve chosen some of the most popular, high-energy rivalries for our app’s debut,” said Virtex CEO Jeff Green.

These include Giants vs. Dodgers which starts tomorrow, A’s vs. Orioles on 4 May. Yankees vs. Red Sox the following day. And Cubs vs. White Sox on 11 May.

Users can use the app to play their own virtual game of baseball. In between innings, a virtual game appears in the middle of the field, and fans use their phones to see and interact with the scene.

“If you’re at the ballpark, you hold up your phone and see the event from your perspective. The view from behind home plate is different from the view at first base, as though the virtual players were actually in the real space before you,” explains Green. Real-time adjustments give different perspectives on AR characters and games on the field.

Baseball has a built-in cadence with downtimes that offer the perfect opportunity for AR games between innings, Green adds. “Virtex gets viewers involved in a much more active, personal way,” he says. “They can feel more directly connected to what just happened or what’s about to happen on the diamond.”

Virtex is creating apps tailored to major league ballparks across the country, including New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. The company looks to partner with teams and sponsors to attract a wide audience, enabling thousands of people to participate in an event that can only happen at the stadium.