Chris James, an Iowa State student with a passion for entrepreneurship, has launched his virtual reality product tailored toward Cyclone sports enthusiasts.

James, a junior in entrepreneurship, said his company, True360, aims to reimagine what it is like to watch sports games from home with a product called “Cyclone Viewer.” James’ journey began by capturing animals in zoos, and he even had the opportunity to work with now-infamous Carole Baskin months before the release of “Tiger King.” He eventually found a lane in sports and took the opportunity. 

“How cool would it be if I could capture the sidelines of Jack Trice Stadium or courtside at Hilton Coliseum?” James said. 

The Student Innovation Center aided in the development of True360.

“I had to make a lot of calls and get left on voicemail quite a bit,” James said. 

Eventually, he said he got an “in” from Jim Oliver, the director of the Student Innovation Center, showing off his product to an athletic department administrator.

“I admire him for his persistence. There are a lot of setbacks. There are changes in direction almost inevitably,” Oliver said. “Because when you start on a path and you think you’re onto something and [onto] a solution to a problem, inevitably, you get some feedback from potential customers or users that you try it on.”

James echoed a similar statement, emphasizing the importance of simply making something you find interesting.

“I think it’s very easy to get distracted and think you need all these different business things to be successful,” James said. “But the reality is, just create something that you think is cool and put it out there to see if other people think it’s cool.”

It took “a bunch of calls,” and eventually, the Iowa State Athletic Department let James pursue his vision. 

“I was able to walk around with one of my cameras and capture what it’s like from the players’ point of view,” James said. 

James said his product is very simple to use and all someone needs is a “Cyclone Viewer” and a phone. The “Cyclone Viewer,” is currently manufactured in China and is an unconventional VR headset made mostly from lightweight materials.

“You scan a little QR code card with your phone and then you put [a phone] in the headset. You can look all around as if you’re on the sidelines of Jack Trice Stadium,” James said.

Currently, the product offers five-minute highlight reels of games courtside, but he said he hopes to expand the offerings shortly.

While watching games courtside or on the sideline is not quite possible, he said they are in talks with the Big 12 and ESPN to gain media rights. As of now, he said he has cameras underneath the baskets and around the court in Hilton.

James said he envisions a large market for VR in the future, especially regarding sports. He also said virtual reality will take over a decade to surpass television completely. However, it will soon be more enjoyable and immersive to watch sports using VR rather than television.

“Within the next couple of years, watching sports and virtual reality is going to be better than watching them on TV,” James said. “It’s going to be more immersive. You’re gonna feel like you’re courtside and even put graphics up like stats and such.”

Through his journey, James said he learned many things about business, including not to rush the process. 

“I learned that you can’t necessarily just make something quickly and then expect people to like it. You have to put in the work to get their feedback. Iterate, get their feedback, iterate, get feedback, iterate,” James said. 

Oliver wanted students to be aware of the different classes and things the Student Innovation Center offers. 

“Our goal is to enable students to experience creativity and learn to appreciate interdisciplinary teams and learn by doing. It could be a class project, club activity, startup prototype or just a hobby or interest in how to create something,” Oliver said.

Oliver emphasized the opportunities for digital content, virtual reality, wood, metal, glass and cooking at the Student Innovation Center.

“It’s quite a unique resource. [There’s] nothing like it in any other university,” Oliver said.

James said he will continue pushing his True360 product, with booths set up at tailgates at Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum in the future. He also said True360 is looking to expand into areas other than sports, including some parks across the state.

The “Cyclone Viewer” can be viewed in more detail and ordered here.