A new 5-minute video for Apple Vision Pro buyers shows highlights from the 2023 MLS Cup in Apple Immersive Video format.
Apple Immersive Video comes from the acquisition of NextVR's technology several years ago, though Apple declines to acknowledge that publicly. Providing 180-degree 3D video captured on high-end equipment at 8K and occasionally merged with computer-generated effects, the tech shows major ambitions from Apple for presenting content specifically tailored for VR headsets.
Apple has shown Alicia Keys rehearsing, a look at dinosaurs, wildlife and high wire adventures, and now this MLS cup video. Featuring an assortment of clips captured from a range of angles, highlights include being so close to a goal you have to turn your head to follow its path from kick into the back of the net, and feeling like you are standing in the middle of a celebrating team.
The video also highlights some of the distracting problems that can happen with captured stereoscopic video. Fireworks exploding in the sky seemed to light up the clouds with some stereo disparity, and lights pointing downward from the top of the stadium cast distracting starburst patterns. Still, for fans of Major League Soccer, getting as close to the game and the players as Apple's cameras will take you is likely worth those minor distractions.
NextVR was known for its best-in-class streaming and capture technologies when it was acquired. For Apple, the high-resolution high frame rate captures seen in the MLS cup video offer the company a real-world testing ground for seeing exactly what captured content works best in this new medium.
