Hands-On: Harmonix Music VR

PlayStation VR is facing something of an uphill battle ahead of its launch this October. Though its technology is advanced and very immersive, it will start at $399 and require, at minimum, the PlayStation Camera as well as one or more Move controllers in some instances. With that much prerequisite hardware, the VR needs some very unique and compelling experiences to convince people that it’s worthy of such an investment. As it turns out, Harmonix has been working on something called Music VR, and it may well turn out to be one of those experiences.

Fittingly, an unconventional product like Music VR has taken an unconventional route to existence. Last year at PAX, the idea was showcased as a linchpin product for the Oculus platform, but a lot’s changed since then; now, it’s a much more involved experience built exclusively for the PlayStation VR. All of what made Music VR a compelling experience back then still exists today thanks to the intense visualizer components and their proprietary music analysis tech, which breaks a song down in real-time and translates its sonic elements into activity on the screen.

They’re taking this idea one step further, though, with the new component on display this year. Simply called The Easel, this lets you call up a digital easel by pressing the thumb button on the Move controller in your non-dominant hand; this gives you the chance to choose from many different designs and patterns to use. Once you select one, you can create drawings within your virtual reality with the Move controller in your dominant hand. When I say drawings, I really mean insane, pulsing visual landscapes that live and die before your very eyes. It’s always tough to try and describe a VR game because that’s one medium that genuinely needs to be seen and experienced directly, but take my word for it: it’s trippy, it’s intense, it’s immersive, and it’s magical in its own way.

Right now, some of the most compelling virtual reality experiences are ones that work like Music VR: passive entertainment products that overwhelm you with sights and sounds in the absence of more traditional gameplay. Some will want to wait until those deeper, more game-like titles start appearing on VR, and that’s certainly a fair way to approach the fledgling platforms. For early adopters and experience-chasers, however, there’s some really cool stuff on the horizon, especially if you secretly harbor a desire to create pulsating digital drawings.

Harmonix Music VR arrives as a launch title for the PlayStation VR in October.