Football commentary goes virtual today when ESPN‘s NFL Countdown will debut EA Sport’s new Virtual Playbook technology. A specialized digital studio camera and an adaptation of EA’s Madden NFL video game will combine to create a virtual field filled with virtual players and live commentators. Commentators can use the gaming engine to analyze team strategy, recreate plays, and simulate “what if” scenarios (what if Eli Manning scrambled instead of throwing to David Tyree on 3rd and 5 with 1:15 remaining, would the Giants still have come home winners?). We don’t know but maybe this new Virtual Playbook technology can tell us. Anyway, starting ttoday our NFL football commentary will be reduced elevated to grown men dancing around inside a video game, interacting with virtual players. Kinda freaky, yet really cool.
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