A survey by ESPN earlier this month suggested U.S. sports fans are cool with the idea of watching televised events without spectators instead of waiting for sports to restart only when fans can be there in person.
The coronavirus pandemic halted professional sports events around the world, though some countries, including the U.S., are making tentative moves toward restarts.
Aware that the stadium atmosphere could be a little on the dull side if there’s no one there supporting the teams, Japanese firm Yamaha has come up with the ingenious idea of using an app and a bunch of loudspeakers to fill a venue with the noise of fans watching from home.
Yamaha recently tested the “Remote Cheerer” system at the 58,000-seat Shizuoka Stadium ECOPA using 58 speakers placed among the empty seats.
Fans can tap on a number of preset responses offered on the app such as applause, cheers, and jeers to express their feelings as the game unfolds. The noise from tens of thousands of remote spectators will then blast out of the speakers, creating a more exciting atmosphere for both the players and those watching at home. It’s also possible to choose the part of the stadium from which the audio is delivered.
Best of all, there’s a button fans can tap to shout comments that will be instantly broadcast by the speakers. Just watch your language.
Commenting on the recent trial, Keisuke Matsubayashi of the Ogasayama Sports Park ECOPA said, “At one point during the system field test, I closed my eyes and it felt like the cheering fans were right there in the stadium with me. That’s when I knew that this system had the potential to cheer players on even in a stadium of this size.”
Yamaha points out that cheering teams and individuals is an essential part of sports, with passionate fans helping to inspire players to raise their game. It wants its innovative system be adopted by professional baseball and soccer teams in Japan as they make preparations to restart their seasons.
The company suggests that in the future the app could also be used by fans who are hospitalized, unable to get a ticket, or living far from the venue.
Certainly, while the pandemic forces event organizers to keep stadia empty, the Remote Cheerer looks like a fun way for fans to interact directly with players so they can feel at least some of the excitement of a regular stadium-packed sports clash.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.
Apple's next cheaper iPhone could get a brand-new processor while keeping its most stubborn display compromise. Digital Chat Station tips the iPhone 18e for a 2027 release with a 2nm A20 chip and a 6.12-inch OLED screen still limited to 60Hz.
The rumored camera setup includes a single 48MP rear camera and a possible 24MP selfie camera. There's new hardware to consider, but buyers hoping Apple would extend that upgrade generosity to smoother scrolling could be disappointed.