With technology moving further and further forward, it can be hard to imagine how these will change established traditions such as our nationally-beloved game of basketball. From digital flooring that can be seen not just on TV but when you’re in the stadium as well, to on-court shot clocks; there seems to be a paradigm shift in accepting these as long as they don’t affect the game itself. Well, the Brooklyn Nets have just unveiled the Netaverse: a 3D representation of all NBA on-court players from each and every conceivable angle.

This is achieved through more than 100 Canon cameras surrounding the court and watching the players’ every move. A virtual copy of the court, players, ball, and referees are created as well and linked to preselected 3D models. Some can say this is similar to how the NBA 2K games record the animations, but on another level, as there are no green screens or body sensors to be found anywhere near the court.

Considered to be a change in philosophy from previous iterations of camera tech, this concept moves away from just ball-centric activity to the perspectives of every player on the court. This means that you can see a player’s perspective when they’re running off the ball, staying in the corner, and way before they go for a rebound. This brings another layer of immersion and fan activity that we’ve never quite seen before.

The team behind this tech is currently thinking of ways to maximize its revenues to maintain the costly operating costs. One way is to create premium subscriptions which allow fans to see exclusive perspectives of their favorite players on the court. We definitely know some people who would pay good money to see NBA in 3D as if they were the players themselves.

Photo: Brooklyn Nets

If this Netaverse concept succeeds and draws in a fanbase, then we can expect other teams to follow suit with its adoption. We’ll have the entire NBA with 3D exclusive content, but of course we’d still maintain the old viewing format for those who prefer everything to be real. Personally, we do too since seeing the fans and the overall arena is a big plus when setting the mood for a Game 7 viewing party.

We see the evolution of this technology coming to fruition when fewer cameras are needed to create 3D mockups of the average person. This could be the way we interact in the eventual Metaverse, with just a 1 or 2 camera setup enabling realistic facial interactions with other individuals online. We’ll have to see how this technology develops and whether big companies will buy into the idea.