Steve Ballmer wants sports watchers to see Los Angeles Clippers basketball games from the players’ perspectives.
Listen to Steve Ballmer talk about showing Clippers’ games from players’ perspectives
“Software can figure it out,” says the former Microsoft CEO, now owner of the LA basketball team.
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“Software can figure it out,” he said.
The former Microsoft CEO, now owner of the Clippers, chatted about his virtual-reality vision for his team on a recent podcast hosted by sports commentator and The Ringer CEO Bill Simmons.
“Instead of a center-court camera; I want to see the game the way [Clippers point guard] Chris Paul sees the game. Software can actually let that happen,” Ballmer said, according to a transcript of a portion of the podcast.
Ballmer explained that this wouldn’t require Paul to wear a camera on the court. It sounds like he’s describing using machine-learning software to stitch together footage from cameras placed in different locations on and around the court.
This is not the craziest idea. The NBA is already offering VR experiences to fans and using the technology to train officials and help players practice. But there’s a hurdle to realizing the vision: Having the necessary rights to games.
“There are games that are exclusive. And even for those games, even if we get the stuff figured out with Fox, we’re not going to have the chance to bring that to people,” Ballmer said, adding that he’s still hopeful that can get sorted out.
Listen to the full podcast here.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
