Sacramento Kings turn to virtual reality for new arena
The Sacramento Kings are making good on their promise to bring technology and innovation to their new arena, even though it has not even been built yet.
The team is partnering with Wisconsin-based Arch Virtual to provide a virtual reality experience for the team’s fans with a new Oculus Rift headset virtual reality app in the team’s new experience center.
In the app, users can get a view of the new downtown Sacramento Entertainment and Sports Center, which will open fall of 2016. The tour includes a virtual look at the arena’s plaza, concourse and arena bowl along with an appearance from DeMarcus Cousins, the team’s star player.
“The new Sacramento Kings arena will be a global benchmark for innovation and technology,” Kings President Chris Granger said. “Arch Virtual’s one-of-a-kind virtual reality tour brings the new arena to life in a way that we couldn’t have done with any other technology or platform. The virtual reality tour is beautifully designed and gives users a full immersive virtual reality tour of the ESC.”
The Kings won public approval for the project in late May 2014 and then opened the experience center, which among other things, showcases the arena’s technology to the Sacramento community by providing a first-hand look at the arena’s design and amenities. Utilizing the latest technology, including virtual and augmented reality, the experience center helps fans visualize the ESC in an interactive way.
Under new owner Vivek Ranadivé, the Kings have implemented a forward-looking “NBA 3.0” philosophy that is driven by utilizing cutting-edge technology along with enhanced ways of community engagement to build a more global brand.
