Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Live From Little League World Series: MLB Lets Kids Go Yard With VR Home Run Derby

20/08/2019

Live From Little League World Series: MLB Lets Kids Go Yard With VR Home Run Derby The competition offers a unique multiplayer esports experience By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor

Tuesday, August 20, 2019 - 12:06 pm

Print This Story

Story Highlights

Every year at the Little League World Series, an overwhelming power hitter electrifies the viewing audience. This year, it's Mid-Atlantic's Yadi Mateo, a 5-ft.-11 231-lb. player from Elizabeth, NJ. Whether players can clear the 225-ft. walls of Lamade or Volunteer Stadium or can't, representatives of all 16 Little League teams joined the virtual world to hit dingers during the second consecutive Home Run Derby VR Little League Challenge.

The HTC Vive system allows Little Leaguers to step to the plate in professional baseball venues.

We have been activating our Home Derby VR videogame experience at ballparks and special events around the world and have been really pleased with fan response and engagement, says Jamie Leece, SVP, games and VR, Major League Baseball. This is our second year here, and the players have been great; the response from teammates, coaches, and family has been electric. It's such a cool vibe that brings you back to your younger years and where we all built our passion for baseball: playing the game with your friends for the love of the game. That connection came right through to the VR experience and was really cool to watch.

MORE FROM LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES

ESPN Grows the Game With 4DReplay, Kidscast

ESPN's Joe Rainey on the Network's Commitment to the Spectacle

From an Idea to a Biannual Tournament

With esports entering the mainstream, MLB wanted to get involved in this current trend. The initiative began with the league's partnership with HTC and its HTC Vive system, which includes an HTC Vive Pro headset, a custom-made bat with an attached HTC Vive tracker, and a connection to a high-end PC.

After the groundwork was laid, the MLB team wanted to create an environment that encouraged healthy competition, evoked a feeling of physicality, and immersed the individual who participated.

Engine Shop developed a split-screen layout to highlight the multiplayer aspect.

Last year, we thought it would be really cool to organize a competitive videogame contest at the All-Star Game in Washington, where the highest-scoring fans would face off bracket-style to crown a VR Home Run Derby champion, says Leece. The response was so positive, both in-person and viewership, that we wanted to bring it to Williamsport as part of our relationship with Little League.

When the program's testing was completed at the 2018 Little League World Series, the league and production partner Engine Shop took the process back to the drawing board with a litany of feedback and lessons learned.

It was an incredible eye opener for us to see how the participants interacted both within the events and, specifically, with the HRD VR tournament, says Jamie King, head of esports, Engine Shop. No one walks into the batting cage alone: each person, young or old, male or female, has the support of family or teammates behind them. Witnessing their excitement, encouragement, celebration, and consolation revealed to us very important human narratives that we looked to capture coming back for a second time. And understanding the importance of family, or team, at these events can be done only by personally attending and activating at one.

Inside the Game: Installing New Ideas, Designing a Lifelike Environment

With these new tidbits of knowledge, the project made its next appearance at this year's event. The concept of capturing the stories behind these one-on-one battles placed an emphasis on building tension and drama near the conclusion of the competitions.

The team leveraged game-day photos and past videogame designs to construct a virtual Progressive Field.

This year, says King, we made several visual changes to the in-game display to enhance viewers' experiences when watching two competitors simultaneously, as well as to bring to life interesting statistics and data that we could display in real-time. This enabled us to create a deeper sense of drama around the authentic athletic competition taking place, both for the friends and families in person at the tournament and for the wider online audience tuning into the live stream. We also added a second replay machine in order to recap all the action of two competitors hitting home runs at the same time.

One of the biggest elements of the contest that has raised the most eyebrows is the detailed virtual construction of the real-life location of the 2019 MLB All-Star Game, Progressive Field in Cleveland. The process is aided by experience in other forms of digital media.

At MLB, says Leece, we have been developing digital products, specifically games, for several years. All of the MLB Ballparks are represented digitally in our mobile and console games, such as R.B.I. Baseball and Home Run Derby mobile.

Furthermore, the basis of the animation is grounded by referencing a printed medium and is consistently adjusted to remain accurate.

We are fortunate to start with game-day photos of the ballparks, he adds. On an annual basis, we update the digital ballparks with any physical changes the clubs might make to the structure of the park. For Progressive Field this year, we also had knowledge of how the ballpark would be dressed graphically during All-Star Week and made those adjustments to the grass, bunting, and event signage.

MLB Network's Jackie Redmond and esports content creators RealShelfy and Fuzzy were on the mic for the live stream.

The workflow to bring one of those assets to a 3D VR environment involves a lot of optimizations, he continues. The No. 1 technical challenge when building experiences in VR is frame r
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2019/08/20/live-from-little-league-world-s...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

09/11/2025

Dalet Unveils Agentic AI Media Workflows at IBC2025

Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...

06/10/2025

France Tlvisions Wins Prestigious 2025 EBU Technology & Innovation Award in Groundbreaking Collaboration with Dalet

France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...

18/09/2025

FOR-A America Appoints Jo Aun to Lead US Product Developm...

FOR-A America named Jo Aun as Senior Manager of Product Management and Engineering, reporting directly to Satoshi Kanemura, President and COO. In this new posit...

18/09/2025

MASV Highlights Partner Integrations Fueling Modern Media...

MASV (massive.io), the fastest and most reliable large file transfer platform for media professionals and an IDC Innovator 2025 for Media & Entertainment*, toda...

18/09/2025

Dish TV India partners with ThinkAnalytics to power AI-dr...

ThinkAnalytics, the global leader in video content discovery and persaonalization, today announced that Dish TV India, the leading content distribution company,...

18/09/2025

DirecTV Adds Three Sports Channels to Its FAST Streaming Offering

DirecTV continues to expand its women's sports offerings by adding Sports Fanatics' and Whoopi Goldberg's Free Ad-Supported Television (FAST) All Wo...

18/09/2025

Fall Football Kicks Off With Native HDR Production, NextGen TV Telecast

WASHINGTON NextGen TV viewers are beginning to see what high dynamic range (HDR) brings to their football enjoyment with the launch of the sport's fall seas...

18/09/2025

FCC Extends Deadline for EEO Audit Replies

WASHINGTON After issuing audit letters seeking Equal Employment Opportunity data from a randomly selected group of TV and radio stations in August, the Federal ...

18/09/2025

Warner Bros. Discovery Signs New Deal with Nielsen

NEW YORK Warner Bros. Discovery and Nielsen have signed a new, long-term, multi-year deal that covers measurement for all Warner Bros. Discovery platforms acros...

18/09/2025

CIMM Launches Startup Program and Innovation Showcase

NEW YORK As part of its ongoing efforts to develop better measurement solutions, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) announced the launch of t...

18/09/2025

UPDATED: ABC Takes 'Jimmy Kimmel Live! Off the Air Indefinitely

IRVING, Texas Following threats from the Federal Communications Commission and the announcement that the nations largest station group, Nexstar Media Group, wou...

18/09/2025

RT Prime Time investigation uncovers location data of thousands of smartphones in Ireland for sale

Individual phones could be tracked back to specific residential addresses Sm...

18/09/2025

GeForce NOW Unleashes Dying Light: The Beast' in the Cloud

GeForce NOW is packing a monstrous punch this week. Dying Light: The Beast, the latest adrenaline fueled chapter in Techland's parkour meets survival horror...

18/09/2025

Dolby Atmos arrives in Maruti Suzuki Victoris, expanding premium in-car entertainment in India

September 18 2025, 04:20 (PDT) Dolby Atmos arrives in Maruti Suzuki Victoris, e...

17/09/2025

Tech Focus: Audio Training, Part 2 - Manufacturers Offer Extensive Online Learning

Tech Focus: Audio Training, Part 2 - Manufacturers Offer Extensive Online Learni...

17/09/2025

Tech Focus: Audio Training, Part 1 - A1 Shortage Remains a Major-League Challenge for Sports Broadcasting

Tech Focus: Audio Training, Part 1 - A1 Shortage Remains a Major-League Challeng...

17/09/2025

Dua Lipa's Service95 Book Club' Goes Live at the New York Public Library

It was the ultimate convergence of pop culture and literary prestige: Last night, Dua Lipa brought her Service95 Book Club podcast to the stage for a special li...

17/09/2025

The Gauge: Mexico August 2025

During August, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico showed an increase of 0.4% compared to the previous month, accounting for 25% of TV viewing. Discl...

17/09/2025

Jo Aun Joins FOR-A America as Senior Manager, Product Engineering

CYPRESS, Calif. FOR-A America has named Jo Aun as senior manager of product engineering, a new role responsible for guiding the planning, development and rollou...

17/09/2025

PlayBox Neo and CIS Group Power CazeTV with a seamless Pl...

PlayBox Neo, in partnership with CIS Group, a leading provider of media and broadcast technology solutions, has successfully deployed PlayBox Neo's Dual Cha...

17/09/2025

Energy Regulatory Agency Underscores Commitment with Ene...

In a relationship that mirrors societal advances in sustainability, Brightline Lighting and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Headquarters have en...

17/09/2025

Clear-Com Powers Star-Studded Communications at Houston A...

Clear-Com is proud to support the world-class productions of Alley Theatre, one of the oldest and largest nonprofit resident theatres in the United States. With...

17/09/2025

Arch Platform Technologies Announces Strategic Collaborat...

Arch Platform Technologies (www.archpt.io), a pioneer in automated, scalable cloud infrastructure for high-performance workflows, today announced a Strategic Co...

17/09/2025

With over 39bn EUR in assets under management and record-...

Over 300 selected decision-makers from start-ups, corporates, and VC funds worldwide will gather for the third edition of the event, united by a single goal: to...

17/09/2025

Telestream Celebrates Award Win at IBC2025

Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, is excited to announce that its flagship Vantage platform and its next-generation AI capabilities re...

17/09/2025

Mediagenix Celebrates Triple Best of Show Wins at IBC2025...

Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions that profitably connect the right content to the right audience, proudly announces its three Best of Show...

17/09/2025

PlayBox Neo Appoints Transtel Universal as Top Reseller P...

In a move to further establish a firm foothold across South East Asia, PlayBox Neo, the well-respected name in broadcast playout and channel branding, has appoi...

17/09/2025

Wisycom Unveils Two New Solutions at IBC 2025

Wisycom, a global leader in advanced wireless audio solutions, announced two major wireless solutions at IBC 2025 (Stand 8.D30). This includes the Portable RF-o...

17/09/2025

Six Berklee Alumni Win Emmy Awards

Six Berklee Alumni Win Emmy Awards The recipients were recognized for their contributions to acclaimed programs Severance, The Studio, The Penguin, SNL50: The...

17/09/2025

Applications Open for Berklee in Santo Domingo

Applications Open for Berklee in Santo Domingo The weeklong contemporary music program will run January 5-10, 2026. By Colette Greenstein September 17, 2025 ...

17/09/2025

Ukrainian Students Find Creative Consonance' at Berklee Valencia

Ukrainian Students Find Creative Consonance' at Berklee Valencia Through ELIA's UAx Platform, six students from Kyiv joined Berklee Valencia for a week...

17/09/2025

Meet Kenna Hilburn, Avids New Incoming Chief Product Officer

Earlier this year Avid announced Kenna Hilburn as its new senior vice president of product. Recently Hilburn was promoted to Avids new Chief Product Officer, su...

17/09/2025

SES and K2 Space to Accelerate Development of Next-Generation MEO Network

Transatlantic collaboration combines experience and agility to drive innovation in network design and delivery Luxembourg, September 16, 2025 - SES, a leading ...

17/09/2025

Fox TV Stations Join Madhive's Local Live Sports Marketplace

NEW YORK Madhive has announced that the Fox Television Stations have joined its Live Sports Marketplace....

17/09/2025

Sony Electronics Partners with Newhouse School at Syracuse University

SYRACUSE, N.Y. Sony Electronics has announced that it is partnering with the Newhouse School at Syracuse University to provide state-of-the-art equipment, hands...

17/09/2025

Roku's First TV Smart Projector Now Available in the U.S.

SAN JOSE, Calif. Roku has announced that the first smart projector using its Roku TV operating system, the Aurzen Roku TV Smart Projector D1R Cube, is now avail...

17/09/2025

Meet the Streamlabs Streaming Assistant, Accelerated by NVIDIA RTX

Today's creators are equal parts entertainer, producer and gamer, juggling game commentary, scene changes, replay clips, chat moderation and technical troub...

17/09/2025

Portrait Artist of the Year returns to Sky Arts with a dazzling line-up of celebrity sitters on 1 October

Wednesday 17 September 2025 UK artists capture icons of stage and screen, inclu...

17/09/2025

FOR-A America Appoints Jo Aun to Lead U.S. Product Development

Jo Returns to FOR-A as Senior Manager of Product Management and Engineering...

17/09/2025

AIR's Big Comeback with DPA Microphones

For the Moon Safari anniversary tour, AIR opened the doors to their backstage. Just a few hours before the Paris concert, DPA met with two key figures of the te...

17/09/2025

The Late Late Toy Show hits the road in search of Ireland's brightest young stars

Auditions will be held in Dublin, Cork and Galway The County Parade returns f...

16/09/2025

SVG All-Stars: Leigh Michaud, Manager, Remote Operations, ESPN

SVG All-Stars: Leigh Michaud, Manager, Remote Operations, ESPNThe UConn grad rose from ESPN's mailroom to become one of its most valuable ops leadersBy Bran...

16/09/2025

Live From IBC 2025: Friday's Latest From Halls 1-4, Outdoor Exhibits in Amsterdam

Live From IBC 2025: Friday's Latest From Halls 1-4, Outdoor Exhibits in Amst...

16/09/2025

Live From IBC 2025: Saturday's Latest From Halls 5-7 in Amsterdam

Live From IBC 2025: Saturday's Latest From Halls 5-7 in Amsterdam By SVG Staff Friday, September 12, 2025 - 17:00 Print This Story The SVG Europe and ...

16/09/2025

Live From IBC 2025: Sunday's Latest From Halls 8-10 in Amsterdam

Live From IBC 2025: Sunday's Latest From Halls 8-10 in Amsterdam By SVG Staff Saturday, September 13, 2025 - 17:00 Print This Story The SVG Europe and...

16/09/2025

Live From IBC 2025: Monday's Latest From Halls 11-14 in Amsterdam

Live From IBC 2025: Monday's Latest From Halls 11-14 in Amsterdam By SVG Staff Sunday, September 14, 2025 - 17:00 Print This Story The SVG Europe and ...

16/09/2025

Amazon Prime Video Picks Up Four Hours of Early-Round Masters Coverage in 2026

Amazon Prime Video Picks Up Four Hours of Early-Round Masters Coverage in 2026 By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. Tuesday, September 16, 2025 - 10:15...

16/09/2025

VERSANT Inks Deal for League One Volleyball as Women's Sports Rights Slate Grows

VERSANT Inks Deal for League One Volleyball as Women's Sports Rights Slate G...

16/09/2025

ESPN VP, Corporate Communications, Katina Arnold Named SVP, Disney Advertising Communications

ESPN VP, Corporate Communications, Katina Arnold Named SVP, Disney Advertising C...

16/09/2025

IBC 2025 in Review: SVG Europe's Full Collection of Video Interviews From the Show Floor

IBC 2025 in Review: SVG Europe's Full Collection of Video Interviews From th...