Blind Fans Can Feel Every Play at Suns Games This Season as OneCourt Readies Its First At-Home Devices

By Kaeleb Savon Heck

PHOENIX, Nov. 1, 2026 — As the new NBA season gets underway, blind and low-vision fans at Phoenix Suns home games can borrow a tablet-sized device that lets them follow the ball across the court with their fingertips. The OneCourt haptic display, which turns live game data into vibrations and short audio descriptions, is available free at every Suns home game at Mortgage Matchup Center this season, according to the team and the company.

The Suns are one of a growing list of teams offering the technology. OneCourt's own listings now name 10 NBA arenas and one NHL arena, and the Seattle startup says more than 10 professional teams provide access at every home game. The company is also preparing to put its first at-home devices in fans' hands, a step that could move tactile sports broadcasting out of a handful of arenas and into living rooms, sports bars and dorm rooms.

For blind fans, the pitch is simple: instead of waiting for a radio call or a friend's play-by-play, you feel where the ball is as it happens. "We believe Sports are for Everyone," OneCourt CEO Jerred Mace said in announcing the home product.

How the device works

OneCourt describes its in-arena unit as a raised, tablet-sized display shaped like a basketball court. The device connects to the NBA's real-time game data, and as the ball moves, vibrations travel across the surface beneath the user's fingers to match the ball's position. Key events, such as made baskets, are flagged with distinct patterns.

Users can plug in headphones to hear what the company calls Audio Bites, short generated descriptions of what is happening, and can navigate an audio main menu with a small set of physical controls in the top left corner: a four-way directional pad, volume buttons and two buttons labeled A and B. Pressing A gives the score and time remaining. When play stops, a dull pulse at center court lets the user know there is a break, according to OneCourt's Phoenix instructions.

That design detail matters. Many accessibility products fail blind users because they assume a touchscreen or a visual setup step. OneCourt's in-venue instructions are written around audio prompts and tactile buttons, and the company says its tutorials, including one on buttons and controls, are built into the device's audio menu.

The Portland Trail Blazers, the first team to offer the device at every home game, said in January 2025 that the team worked with the NBA to give OneCourt access to the league's live gameplay tracking data, which OneCourt processes before it reaches the fan as vibrations.

Getting one at a Suns game

According to OneCourt's Phoenix page, five devices are available at Mortgage Matchup Center at no additional cost starting in October. Fans can reserve one in advance through Suns Guest Services by inquiry form, by email at accessibility@suns.com, or by phone at 602-379-7680, or pick one up on game day on a first-come, first-served basis.

Devices are checked out from the Guest Services Office at the Main North Entrance, beside the Ticket Office. Fans must leave an ID or credit card and return the device after the game. It comes in a tote bag with headphones, and fans can bring their own headphones with a 3.5 mm jack. Doors open two hours before tip-off. The device is not waterproof, so the company asks fans to keep food and drinks away from it.

The number of devices has varied over time. Hoodline, which reported on the Suns program on Oct. 30, noted that a March 2025 Cronkite News report said 10 devices would be available at Suns games, while OneCourt's current page lists five. It is not clear whether the lower number reflects a change this season.

The Suns' team page says the franchise has partnered with Ticketmaster "for another season" of OneCourt at the arena. OneCourt says its Phoenix program also involves the Phoenix Suns/Phoenix Mercury Foundation.

A wider rollout

OneCourt was founded in 2021 at the University of Washington. Its in-arena program started with pilot games and then, in January 2025, became a permanent offering at Trail Blazers home games at Moda Center in Portland, with five devices available. The Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks followed with similar programs.

OneCourt's current list of NBA arenas includes the Hawks, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards, Suns, Kings, Indiana Pacers, LA Clippers and Brooklyn Nets, plus the NHL's Colorado Avalanche. The company says it has also worked with Ticketmaster and major leagues at Super Bowl LX, the NBA All-Star Game and the MLB All-Star Game, and Sports Business Journal reported that it has worked with Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks.

When the Trail Blazers announced their program, a parent of a OneCourt user described what the device meant for her family. "We attempted a game last summer and the frustration and heartache the whole family felt as we realized this might be our last live sporting event together was gut wrenching," Leigh Ramsey said in the team's announcement. "This was amazing - inclusive, integrated, and not attention drawing."

Coming home: a device priced like a game console

The bigger shift may come from OneCourt's at-home product. In April, the company opened preorders for a first-generation home device and an All-Access subscription that uses official NFL, NBA and MLB live data. According to Sports Business Journal, the home unit is thinner than the arena version, "looking more like a handheld gaming device," and comes with three magnetic covers outlining a baseball field, basketball court and football field. It connects to a phone over Bluetooth and works with the OneCourt app.

Sports Business Journal reported prices starting at $369 for the device, with bundles of $420 for the device plus three months of service and $549 for the device plus 12 months. The company said fans would get every game for every team with no blackouts. OneCourt said it would take a limited number of orders and targeted December delivery for the first units.

Mace told the publication that price was the part he was proudest of, citing the "disability tax" that people with disabilities often pay for specialized technology. "It's more like a game console than it is a medical marvel or piece of technology that is so expensive," he said.

In May, the American Council of the Blind (ACB) announced a partnership with OneCourt that gives ACB members early access to the home product and a promo code for one free month of the All-Access subscription while supplies last. "OneCourt's technology is about more than just keeping up with the score—it's about experiencing the pulse of the game in real time," ACB executive director Scott Thornhill said.

Analysis

Blind sports fans have long had audio, mainly radio play-by-play and, at some venues, audio description. Audio is powerful, but it is also filtered through someone else's choices and timing. An announcer may be telling a story about a player while the ball is crossing half court. A tactile display gives the fan direct, continuous information about where the action is, which they can combine with the crowd noise and the radio call to build their own picture of the game.

There are open questions. Five devices per arena is a small number for an NBA crowd, and borrow-and-return programs depend on staff training and devices being charged and working. Hoodline, summarizing CNBC's coverage, noted that rollouts are still early and that some accessibility experts caution that live-game devices for blind fans could become another heavily publicized technology that disappoints and fades away. The home product will face its own test: whether blind fans will pay a few hundred dollars plus a subscription, and whether the hardware holds up over a full season.

The experts' warning is a fair one. What may give OneCourt a better shot than most is that it is built on data the leagues already collect, it is designed around audio and touch rather than adapted from a visual product, and the company says it worked with blind and low-vision people during development, according to KJZZ reporting cited by Hoodline. The proof will be whether blind fans keep coming back for it after the novelty wears off.

What's next

• This season: Devices are available at every Suns home game at Mortgage Matchup Center. Reserve through Suns Guest Services at accessibility@suns.com or 602-379-7680.
• Other arenas: OneCourt says details on reserving devices at other listed NBA and NHL arenas are "coming soon" on its Experience OneCourt Live page.
• At home: OneCourt targeted December delivery for its first home units, according to Sports Business Journal. ACB members can use the code ACB26 for a free month of service while supplies last.
• Questions: OneCourt support can be reached at support@onecourt.io.

Sources

• OneCourt, "OneCourt with the Phoenix Suns": https://www.onecourt.io/phoenix-suns
• Phoenix Suns, "OneCourt": https://www.nba.com/suns/onecourt/
• Hoodline, "Phoenix Suns Let Blind Fans Feel Every Play With Vibrating Courtside Tech," Oct. 30, 2026: https://hoodline.com/2026/10/phoenix-suns-let-blind-fans-feel-every-play-with-vibrating-courtside-tech/
• OneCourt, "Experience OneCourt Live": https://www.onecourt.io/experience-onecourt-live
• Sports Business Journal, "OneCourt launching at-home product, targeting December rollout," April 27, 2026: https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2026/04/27/onecourt-launching-at-home-product-targeting-december-rollout/
• PR Newswire, "OneCourt launches Tactile Broadcast for Blind and Low Vision Sports Fans at Home," April 28, 2026: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/onecourt-launches-tactile-broadcast-for-blind-and-low-vision-sports-fans-at-home-302755166.html
• American Council of the Blind, "American Council of the Blind Partners with OneCourt to bring Tactile Broadcasts for Blind or Low Vision Sports Fans at Home," May 18, 2026: https://www.acb.org/american-council-blind-partners-onecourt-bring-tactile-broadcasts-blind-or-low-vision-sports-fans
• Portland Trail Blazers, "Portland Trail Blazers Become First Professional Sports Team to Feature OneCourt's Haptic Display at All Home Games, Powered by Ticketmaster," Jan. 8, 2025: https://www.nba.com/blazers/news/portland-trail-blazers-become-first-professional-sports-team-to-feature-onecourts-haptic-display-at-all-home-games-powered-by-ticketmaster