The Sacramento Kings will not only tip off the NBA’s season-long schedule of live virtual reality broadcasts for their first regular season game at Golden 1 Center on Thursday, but also feature VR before the game against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Kings in partnership with VOKE VR will share a Facebook Live steam of the team’s virtual reality pre-game show for their home opener.
The Kings have been early adopters of virtual reality, having invested in VOKE. They used VOKE to stream last year’s home opener at Sleep Train Arena so that children at a local hospital and at a school in Mumbai could watch as they became the first team to independently stream a VR game.
Two years ago, the Kings used virtual reality to preview the Golden 1 Center and show fans their new arena before construction even began.
“Around the world, there are fans who may never have the chance to be a part of the spectacle of NBA basketball,” Kings owner and chairman Vivek Ranadive said in a 2015 statement. “By partnering with VOKE, we can share the in-arena excitement in an unprecedented way. Through technology, we’ll connect with emerging fans, find new ones, and provide a truly unique experience.”
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The unique experience the Kings are giving their fans on opening night includes experiencing first-hand the Golden 1 Center, one of the most technologically-advanced arenas in the world.
The Kings organization has it set up so that if you buy tickets and a parking pass on the app, you will receive notifications for last minutes ticket-updates, you will be notified on where the best place to park is, your phone will guide you to your seat and asks if you would like any food or beverages. If the answer is yes, you can place your order and attendants will bring it to your seat.
There are 50 miles of fiber-optic cable and 300-plus miles of copper throughout the arena, providing hundreds of Wi-Fi access points around the building. There is a 6,000-square-foot data center in the stadium and another room that will provide cell service throughout every inch of the building.
The arena is entirely solar-powered with panels covering the roof and sunshine providing about 15 percent of the necessary power. The rest will come from a local solar farm. To save water, low-flow toilets have been installed and the arena is cooled from underneath rather than from large air conditioners in the ceiling.