Google has now announced Season 2 of NFL Immersed, offering viewers another chance to get an in-depth look at the NFL from a VR perspective. With that said, the series is also part of an ongoing effort to further promote its Jump VR platform and YI HALO camera system. For those who may not already be aware, the VR-centric series provides viewers with a way to immerse themselves in the action among the NFL’s players, including some footage shot in-game. Jump, on the other hand, is a Google-made platform that brings together high-quality 360-degree cameras and assorted, often automated software editing solutions, allowing content creators to capture VR-ready footage with relative ease. The platform has been used to shoot a number of different series’ since its introduction in order to gain exposure across multiple genres of the media industry and to show off what the technology is really capable of.
The NFL and other sports organizations have been working to take full advantage of the opportunities represented by VR over the course of the year, so the decision to reteam with Google’s VR division should come as no surprise to anybody who has been following along. The new season of NFL Immersed – created in conjunction with NFL Films – hopes to capture something different from the first season. Namely, the series now aims to redirect attention to focus more on players within the sport. The first three episodes are already available on the NFL’s official YouTube Channel and all three are dedicated to Chris Long, of the Philadelphia Eagles. Future episodes are planned for release, three at a time, each focusing on a different player. The next series will center around Calais Campbell of the Jacksonville Jaguars, with the third installment focusing on players from the 2018 Pro Bowl. That doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of in-game action included. In fact, the team responsible for capturing the footage has lauded the new camera system’s ability to capture in-game details that generally take place overhead – such as field goal attempts – which they say were difficult to get with the previously used system. That’s thanks to the new system’s use of an upward-facing 360-degree camera.
With all of that said, anybody who is interested and has access to one of Google’s Daydream headsets can head over to the videos for a fully immersive NFL experience through the first three episodes. Fortunately, the videos, which are available via the NFL’s official YouTube channel and embedded below, don’t actually require said headset in order to be watched. However, viewers without access to Daydream will need to turn off the 3D setting on the videos and will have to click-and-drag or tap-and-drag to take advantage of the VR effect.