Today the Apple Vision Pro will finally get a dedicated sports experience worth the money

Back when the Apple Vision Pro came out, the first model that ran on the M2 chip, some experts speculated that live sports viewing might be the best way to market the headset. Whether Apple took that advice to heart or if it had planned for this from the start, the company is finally bringing that experience to life today.

Watch upcoming NBA games on Vision Pro

Starting today, Apple is bringing certain NBA games to the Vision Pro through the end of March. Today, January 9, Apple Vision Pro owners can use the Spectrum SportsNet and NBA apps to watch the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Los Angeles Lakers at 19:30, Pacific Time.

Future NBA games that will also be streamed to the Apple Vision Pro include:

• Philadelphia 76ers vs Los Angeles Lakers on February 5
• Los Angeles Clippers vs Los Angeles Lakers on February 20
• Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets on March 5
• Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers on March 10
• Washington Wizards vs Los Angeles Lakers on March 30

If it wasn’t abundantly clear by now, yes: Apple is solely focusing on the Lakers for this NBA partnership.

Why should you watch the NBA in VR?

Here’s the thing, Apple isn’t just letting you stream a live game on the Vision Pro like a standard 2D viewing experience. Sports fans who own a Vision Pro aren’t going to be watching these games on large virtual screens that just mimic TVs.

There will be seven different perspectives that you will be able to choose from:

• Scorer’s table
• Areas beneath each basket
• High up overlooking the arena
• The player tunnel
• Broadcast booth
• A roaming courtside perspective

Each perspective will, naturally, be covered in the Apple Immersive format. Everything will be in 3D, with depth, and everything will be scaled properly, as if you were looking at the game in person.

Player rosters, the game clock, and scores will appear in 3D too. Meanwhile, microphones will capture spatial audio in extremely high definition, further adding to the feeling of really being there on the front line.

A major boon for the Vision Pro?

Live sports viewing on the Vision Pro sounds super fun to me, but whether sports fanatics will be willing to shell out $3,499 for the experience is another matter.

VR can bring fascinating worlds to life and let people see things that they could have only dreamed of. But, if Apple plays its cards right and lowers the asking price a bit, it might just be an ordinary everyday event that finally starts getting the Vision Pro off of shelves.