Tried out: Basketball up close with the Vision Pro

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After various attempts with short films, sports highlights, and other immersive events on the Vision Pro, Apple, in collaboration with the Los Angeles Lakers, the US basketball league NBA, and the TV network Spectrum, has begun to bring entire sports broadcasts to the headset. The first game took place on January 9, 2026. However, you can't watch the games live in the EU; instead, there are – albeit free – full games and recaps available a day later. What does it feel like to sit in the “front row,” as the project is advertised?

Complex Rights Situation

First, you have to overcome some hurdles. The broadcast isn't via Apple's TV app, where you might have expected it, but through the NBA client optimized for visionOS. You download this for free from the App Store and then need to create an NBA ID. This also costs nothing. You need to be careful to choose the correct region – both for your Apple account for the App Store and for the region settings of your NBA ID. Because, confusingly, the recaps are not free depending on the configuration.

In addition, the NBA requires location data to manage the complex rights situation, which differs from region to region. You must grant the app these permissions to avoid problems. If all of this is successful – i.e., creating the NBA ID and logging in – the immersive game should appear directly on the app's home screen. If not, select the menu area with the Vision Pro logo, which also marks the immersive game and its summary.

Thrown back into the passthrough world in between

When the game starts, you essentially switch to your world. What's annoying is that switching back and forth between immersion and the visionOS interface is always accompanied by a brief excursion into passthrough mode, even if you've set the glasses to an environment. However, this is a standard issue with immersive experiences. The game itself is only viewed from a few “seats,” all of which are located within the court area. There's one in the middle and two more behind the baskets. There's also a perspective from the stands for displaying tables.

Unfortunately, Apple and the NBA offer no way to switch between cameras – at least not in the recording. So you have to live with the respective view, although you can of course turn your head a bit, which you often do, especially from the middle position. The footage is shot with expensive Blackmagic URSA cameras that deliver 180-degree images. If you turn around, it goes black.

It's still too pixelated, but it can't be helped

Despite the fact that each camera films with 8160 by 7200 pixels, the image appears quite pixelated, especially in the distance – you notice that not as many pixels can be rendered as the 4K displays of the Vision Pro could actually show. But the technology reaches the limits of bandwidth here – including home Wi-Fi. Nevertheless, you have the feeling of immersion, especially at the beginning of the game.

For example, when dancers run across the court during show interludes, the playing surface is polished in between, or guests are allowed to shoot baskets themselves, you feel like you're there – a certain form of reality is created that you don't get from television. During the actual game, it's annoying that Apple and the NBA primarily focus on the behind-the-basket perspective. Depending on where the players are, it constantly switches back and forth between the home and opponent baskets, which you have to get used to. More perspectives, like the one from the middle of the court, would be desirable here, and Apple should ideally allow switching. This should at least be possible in the recording.

Still a test balloon

All in all, immersive basketball on the Vision Pro is certainly an experience, even if you quickly get the feeling that more should be possible here. The lack of perspective switching feels unnatural; you feel trapped behind the basket. But Apple and the NBA are still experimenting. For true fans, it's also annoying: only Los Angeles Lakers games are offered immersively at all.

So you can tell that this is still a test balloon. I wouldn't pay money for it yet. The subscription for the NBA app currently costs just under 17 US dollars per month; in Europe, the Team Pass starts at 18 euros, and the whole league is available from 20 euros.

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