The WNBA’s all geared up for its 2025 season kick-off this week, and guess what? Meta’s jumping back on the livestream bandwagon with games airing on Quest through the Xtadium app and Horizon Worlds NBA Arena. You ever just stop and think about how wild technology’s gotten? I mean, watching games in VR? It’s like living in a sci-fi movie or something.
Okay, so here’s the deal: if you’re a Quest user, you can catch 20 live games this season. They’re even throwing in five games with this funky 180-degree immersive video. It’s like being there, but with better snacks at home. Anyway — wait, where was I? Right, streaming stuff.
These games are happening on Xtadium, but heads up, it’s only for folks in the US. Xtadium’s got all the live and on-demand games you can wish for, plus some immersive streaming. You can even do these virtual watch parties with your friends. I know, it sounds like something out of “Back to the Future,” right? Public watch parties will be a thing too, over in NBA Arena on Horizon Worlds (and yes, it’s free).
Starting from May 27th, there’s going to be some WNBA-themed avatar merch in NBA Arena. If you’re into that kind of thing, get ready to deck out your digital self.
Oh, and let’s not forget those oh-so-fun geo-restrictions! Some games might not be available everywhere, thanks to local blackouts. Kind of puts a damper on the fun, but it is what it is, I guess.
Here are some games you might be interested in:
– May 18: Minnesota Lynx vs. Los Angeles Sparks, 3:00 pm PT
– May 22: New York Liberty vs. Chicago Sky, 5:00 pm PT
– May 27: Immersive Game: Chicago Sky vs. Phoenix Mercury, 7:00 pm PT
– June 9: Golden State Valkyries vs. Los Angeles Sparks, 7:00 pm PT
– June 17: Immersive Game: Las Vegas Aces vs. Minnesota Lynx, 5:00 pm PT
– June 18: Phoenix Mercury vs. Connecticut Sun, 4:00 pm PT
…and a whole bunch more, but you get the gist. So many games, so little time. Honestly, just remembering all these dates is kinda making my head spin.
In any case, this whole set-up with Quest and all is like a peek into the future. Or maybe it’s already here, and I just didn’t notice. Who knows.