NBA titles come in a dime a dozen. Ever since the dawn of the NES to the PlayStation down to our Smartphones, the NBA will always have a special place in consoles and/or portable gaming devices. But what about Virtual Reality? Can basketball still be a shooting hit in the VR world?
Apparently, the answer is yes, or in the case of Android Authority, "at least for a little while." 2K Sports, maker of the NBA 2K franchise for consoles, recently launched NBA 2KVR Experience. The title itself is as straightforward as it gets: it is a basketball game in VR land, and it's compatible with the Samsung Gear VR, PlayStation VR and HTC Vive. NBA 2KVR was co-developed by Visual Concepts, who is also responsible for developing a wide array of 2K games, and Foothill Ranch, California-based arcade game company, Specular Interactive.
NBA 2KVR Experience is, bar none, a diamond in the rough. While there aren't many basketball games in the VR environment, NBA 2KVR Experience goes a step higher by transporting players in the Association. They begin by entering the Bankers Life Fieldhouse with Indiana Pacers forward Paul George guiding their way. PG 13 will be the game's "mentor and commentor", and he will guide the players on how to improve and master the tricks of the VR trade.
There's nothing much to see in NBA 2KVR Experience, except that players are inside the home court of the Pacers. Here they can see fans cheering for them as they choose a variety of mini-games like the classic three-point contest, Skills Challenge, Time Attack and Buzzer Beater. There's a virtual hand that will help players guide their shooting form and a bunch of power-ups from Gatorade.
NBA 2KVR Experience is now available for download for $14.99. It's not much of a real basketball game and in the words of Upload VR, the game "is clearly a piece of marketing material". But then again, there are players who will try something new once in a while.
