How do you make America’s game better? With VR of course! But this isn’t just a typical add on to athletic training. In fact, this could just be the next big thing that changes the game altogether! EON Sports, the worldwide leader in virtual and augmented reality technology for professional athlete training, has partnered with the Yokohama DeNA Baystars to introduce EON Sports’ Virtual Reality Interactive Player Development software and simulation solution, the “W.I.N. Series”.
EON Sports is the world’s leading interactive virtual and augmented reality software provider for sports training and fan experience. Established in 2013, EON Sports VR uses cutting edge visualization software to deliver remarkable experiences that deliver great value and increase engagement. EON Sports’ has partnered with various athletes, teams, and events including the MLB, NPB, FIFA, PGA Tour, NFL, Premier League, Big 10, SEC, ACC, Pac 12, Big 12 and MAC conferences, as well as hundreds of youth and high school teams with its training software. The Baystars are Japan’s first professional baseball team to utilize the innovative technology, and marks a growing list of professional teams using the platform. The team will start using the system to train for the 2017 season.
The “W.I.N. Series” is a state-of-the-art baseball training system that uses the world’s most advanced baseball VR (virtual reality) simulator software developed by EON Sports. Professional baseball players can experience the technology with Head Mounted Display Systems (HMDs) such as Oculus, HTC Vive, or smartphone based headsets, as well as large scale multi projector systems like the EON Icube (multi-projector system that provides the experience of a real world “holodeck”). Utilizing the data accumulated in a ball tracking system and real live game capture, a real pitcher’s throwing motion and ball flight is realistically reproduced. By stepping into the simulation, the player can experience the throwing speed, the trajectory of the ball, and the sharpness of the changing ball as if they were facing the real pitcher. The accumulated data is sourced from different kinds of pitches and can be chosen freely to reproduce the life-like experience.
Takayuki Kajitani, an outfielder for the Baystars was able to experience the technology firsthand and said, “I actually was able to experience the atmosphere in the Icube, standing in the batter’s box. I felt it was very realistic of what I would see in the game. I’m going to take advantage of the Icube to experience the pitching of pitchers who I’ve never played against, and will be able to experience it before an actual match.”
Former Colorado Rockies GM and current MLB Network Analyst and Managing Partner with EON Sports, Dan O’Dowd added, “EON Sports is excited to announce our partnership with the Baystars. They are joining the growing number of professional baseball teams that are using our technology to enhance and change the way players are prepared and developed within the game of baseball. They are one of the most respected franchises in all of baseball, and we are thrilled to work with them on this next generation of player development.”
Currently, multiple MLB (Major League Baseball) teams have adopted the EON Sports’ technology as part of their training. Some MLB teams have outfitted not only their Major League ball parks, but also their minor league affiliate ball parks with the “iCube”. Citing this as an important piece of their athletes training, the Baystars have established a training room dedicated to EON Sports’ technology at Yokohama Stadium, with a full “iCube” installed.
