We knew NextVR was showing off its panoramic video at the NBA All-Star Technology Summit last week, but now the company says the NHL will be getting the same 360 degree treatment, transmitted live and in ‘broadcast quality’.

See Also: NBA Games to Be Recorded in VR Video, Exclusively for Samsung Gear VR

Visitors of the NBA All-Star Technology Summit last week got a chance to try out NextVR’s 360 coverage of the October 2014 Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Global Games matchup in Rio de Janeiro, but if you thought NextVR was stopping at basketball, you’d be wrong (eh).

NextVR is now eyeing the NHL, and has already made a live test transmission of a hockey game just last Saturday, seen here in a first look from the company recording panoramic video of the LA Kings vs. San Jose Sharks game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

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The cinematic 360 video company, which by its own credo plans on “revolutionizing entertainment as we know it,” has already captured several videos of sporting events, Coldplay music videos, and even what they consider to be the “first ever live, broadcast quality transmission of a virtual reality experience” where it virtually brought the California Sun to Engadget’s Michigan-bound Senior HD Editor, Richard Lawler.

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Much like the NBA, the NHL is still in a testing phase of it new live VR transmissions, which are furnished exclusively by NextVR’s suite of patented technology, including capture, compression, live transmission, and display of the VR content—all so fans can get up close and personal to the action, and cherish those sweaty, hockey-hair-centric ‘behind the scenes’ moments with their favorite players.

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See Also: NextVR’s Stereoscopic 360-degree VR Cam Uses $180,000 Worth of RED 6K Cameras

There’s still no word yet as to when (or if) the NHL plans on rolling out its live VR broadcasts to Samsung Gear VR owners, the chosen platform for all transmissions thus far, but its possible that both NHL and NBA will be biding their time until consumer-level VR headsets make it out to the masses—and if you’re as optimistic as we are, it might be sooner than you think.

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Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.