Major League Baseball virtual playground is coming back. Like the metaverse experience for traditional (non-VR) devices, it lets you watch real games unfold in real-time, albeit recreated in a 3D environment. MLB will host interactive watch parties in the environment for select games every Wednesday in September.
Like a baseball-centric take Second Life (for older people in the background), includes 3D avatars that match the players’ movements. Games and exact positions of athletes are tracked using the same Sony Hawk-Eye cameras used for the league Statcast analytical system. Sounds specifically for headphones as an experience Vision Pro and Meta Questbut for now it is limited to traditional screens. Improbable, a London-based company known for its Metaverse experiments, created the technology.
There’s also an audio element, as you can hear play-by-play and game audio and chat with other fans in surround audio. New for this season is a party system that lets you talk directly to your friends. League also brings back a virtual scavenger hunt to keep you interested if the game gets boring.
MLB’s virtual ballpark He made his debut in the 2023 seasonfirst for the All-Star exhibition and then for the final game of the regular season and the Postseason matchup. This season’s virtual lineup begins Wednesday with three more games throughout September:
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Wednesday, September 4, 6:50 PM ET – Tamba Bay Rays and Minnesota Twins
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Wednesday, September 11, 7:45 PM ET – Reds vs. Cardinals
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Wednesday, September 18, 6:35 PM ET – Giants vs. Orioles
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Wednesday, September 25, 6:40 PM ET – Rays vs. Tigers
It’s unclear who this practice is for, but hey, at least it’s free. You can access the virtual playground using any modern device with a web browser MLB’s virtual ball site. You must create or sign in to an MLB account before you will be allowed to go through the virtual turnstile.
