Just in time for the start of the regular season, the NBA became the first U.S. sports league to launch an augmented reality game on Monday with an app that enables fans to play virtual pop-a-shot.
NBA AR, which is available for free in the App Store, will have fans flicking their iPhones in order to score baskets. The app uses ARKit technology on iOS 11 to create the augmented reality experience. Finding an outdoor flat surface to set up works best, but fans can get buckets nearly anywhere in the world at anytime.
The app captures a player’s surroundings, places an authentic NBA backboard and court into the real-world environment, and uses the accelerometer in the iPhone (6s and later) to flick shots at the hoop before the 30-second shot clock expires.