Laguna Beach startup NextVR Inc. broadcast last week’s Chicago Bulls-Boston Celtics game in virtual reality at a private event at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
The broadcast and the company’s latest demonstration of VR content—which includes a stroll through New York City’s Times Square—were part of the CES trade show, the world’s largest technology convention, which was expected to draw more than 170,000 people.
NextVR’s new content releases in 360-degree virtual reality are seen through mobile phone apps powered by Qualcomm Inc.’s Snapdragon 820 processor. The flagship chip from San Diego-based Qualcomm offers 3-D imaging in 4K Ultra HD resolution at a rate 40% faster than current standards.
“It’s been a huge effort … to put our technology on a chip,” NextVR co-founder D.J. Roller said at the Las Vegas Convention Center. “It further speaks to the rapid adoption of VR and enabling of content for consumers.”
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chip is carried in about 85% of Android phones. New Android smartphones will carry NextVR technology.
NextVR was founded in 2009 and has raised $35.5 million.
