SKY has announced that one of its newest sports and movie services is closing down next month.
Sky Worlds was an experimental project that launched three years ago.
1
It was dubbed by some fans as “absolutely the best way to watch the footy unless you’re at the game or in the pub”.
Users could watch live games and Sky Original movies in 360-degree virtual reality when they wear a Meta Oculus Quest and Quest 2 headset.
Football lovers could catch Premier League matches as if they were seated in the real stadium as the action unfolds on the pitch below.
The move is another blow to Mark Zuckerberg‘s big VR dream as the tech remains very niche.
And it comes as Apple prepares to launch its own headset.
Netflix has already snubbed the Apple Vision Pro saying it won’t build a dedicated app for the wearable.
Is it the end for VR?
Analysis by Jamie Harris, Senior Technology and Science Reporter
Despite all the hype from Facebook owner Meta and Apple, VR and AR (augmented reality) remain quite niche.
Anyone who’s tried a VR headset won’t deny they’re good fun but watching an entire programme with a chunky bit of tech on your head is hardly comfortable.
Remember all the fuss over 3D TVs? Even Sky jumped in on the action with a dedicated 3D channel – also showing football matches – but again, people didn’t like having to wear objects on their face.
VR is unlikely to die the same death as 3D TV – it’s already lasted much longer and the tech is improving, but VR is better suited to gaming experiences more than anything else.
Sky hasn’t revealed why it’s shutting down Sky Worlds, but as a beta project the broadcasting giant has been testing the waters since the end of 2020.
At the time, it was seen as an alternative to attending matches due to coronavirus restrictions.
Most read in Tech
But three years on and it seems the service wasn’t attracting enough heads.
“As of February 29th, we will no longer be supporting the Sky Worlds beta app,” Sky told customers.
But it’s not all bad news for Sky customers.
While the VR app is going, the company has announced that it’s launching a brand new TV channel.
