On January 12, 2026, basketball fans witnessed a technological leap in sports broadcasting as Apple Vision Pro delivered its first full-length NBA game in Immersive Video, featuring the Los Angeles Lakers versus the Milwaukee Bucks. This event, which could signal a transformation in how fans experience live sports, has sparked both excitement and frustration among early adopters and tech critics alike.
According to 9to5Mac, the broadcast was not just a standard TV feed piped into a headset. Instead, Spectrum SportsNet produced a separate, dedicated stream for Vision Pro users, complete with its own broadcast booth. Commentators even offered cues tailored to the immersive experience, such as, “Look to your right in Apple Vision Pro, and there’s JJ Redick, head coach of the Lakers.” This bespoke approach aimed to make viewers feel like they were truly courtside, not just watching from their living rooms.
The technical setup for the Vision Pro broadcast was nothing short of ambitious. There were seven immersive camera angles, including courtside at the scorer’s table, under each basket, in the player’s tunnel, a roaming camera on the court, a high-and-wide arena view, and perspectives from the broadcast booth. The roaming camera captured pre-game festivities—like the national anthem, courtside reports from host Stephen Nelson, and performances by the Lakers Girls—while the courtside and under-basket views dominated the actual gameplay. Between quarters and during timeouts, the feed would switch to other angles, giving viewers a taste of the arena’s atmosphere from multiple vantage points.
For many, the experience was nearly revelatory. As 9to5Mac’s reviewer put it, “I’ve never experienced an NBA game from courtside seats before. Nothing is ever going to top the experience of actually being there, but this felt really, really close.” The reviewer even found themselves glancing up at the virtual scoreboard and shot clock—just as they would in a real arena—testifying to the authenticity of the simulation. There was even a “score bug” on the floor, displaying the score, quarter, time left, and timeouts remaining, though it took a while to notice, as the natural instinct was to look around the digital arena.
Yet, the experience wasn’t without its flaws. Video quality was generally impressive, but some motion blurring occurred during fast breaks. The spatial audio, while immersive at times—such as when a fan’s shout of “Giannis!” prompted a startled turn—was described as “tinny” and less enveloping than hoped. There were also moments when the realness of the courtside view became a double-edged sword: Bucks head coach Doc Rivers occasionally blocked the camera, just as he might obstruct a fan’s view at a live game.
Despite these minor gripes, the immersive broadcast left a powerful impression. “After watching the Lakers-Bucks game in Immersive Video, I opened the NBA website on my Mac and watched some highlights from the same game. It’s hard to put into words just how much better and more, well, immersive the Vision Pro feed was,” wrote the 9to5Mac reviewer. The desire for more was palpable: “Now that I’ve experienced one full-length NBA game in Immersive Video, I want every game I watch to be immersive.”
However, not everyone was equally impressed. A tech critic writing for Stratechery, who had followed the Vision Pro since its announcement and tested the latest M5 model, expressed deep disappointment despite being a self-confessed virtual reality enthusiast. The critic had to use a VPN to access the broadcast outside the Lakers’ home market but was nonetheless eager to see Giannis Antetokounmpo seal the game with a dramatic block and steal on LeBron James—moments that should have been unforgettable in immersive format.
“You have—like almost every video you have produced for the Vision Pro—once again shown that you fundamentally do not understand the device you are selling,” the critic lamented, addressing Apple directly. The main complaint centered on the production style: too many rapid cuts between camera angles, reminiscent of traditional TV broadcasts, which disrupted the sense of presence that immersive video promises. The critic cited Apple’s previous efforts, such as the March 2024 MLS Season in Review and a Metallica concert video, as examples where overproduction and excessive editing undermined the immersive potential.
“What makes the Vision Pro unique is the sense of presence: you really feel like you are wherever the Vision Pro takes you,” the critic argued. They longed for a simpler approach—just one or two fixed cameras, no intrusive graphics or commentary, and the freedom to choose a perspective, much like being at the actual event. “All that you need to do, to not just create a good-enough experience but a superior experience, is simply set up the cameras and let me get from the Vision Pro what I can’t get from anything else: the feeling that I am actually there.”
This tension between innovation and tradition lies at the heart of the Vision Pro’s sports experiment. Since the first U.S. television broadcast of a sporting event in 1939, the evolution of sports coverage has relied on ever-more cameras, elaborate production teams, and carefully orchestrated cuts to create a compelling 2D experience. Fox used 147 cameras for last year’s Super Bowl, including specialized slow-motion and robotic rigs. But what works for television may not translate to immersive video, where the goal is to replicate the feeling of being present, not just watching from afar.
Apple’s experiment is just beginning. The Lakers-Bucks game was the first of six scheduled to be streamed live in Apple’s Immersive format this season, with the promise of tweaks and improvements as feedback rolls in. Apple already broadcasts every MLS game and multiple MLB games weekly and is set to become the home of F1 races in 2026, hinting at more immersive content to come. The technology is clearly capable—both reviewers agreed that sitting courtside (virtually) was astonishingly close to the real thing. But the production philosophy is still in flux, and Apple must decide whether to stick with familiar TV conventions or embrace the radical potential of true immersion.
For now, the Vision Pro’s sports broadcasts offer a tantalizing glimpse of what’s possible, even as they provoke debate about how best to deliver it. As viewers and critics alike clamor for more autonomy, less editing, and a purer sense of presence, Apple faces the challenge of redefining not just how we watch sports, but how we experience them altogether.
