While there are dozens of VR apps that come out almost every day, finding the best among these can be quite the challenge. Here are three of the most popular and innovative interactive music apps around, the ones that we think provide the best complement to your favorite music in virtual reality. Never forget, though, that VR is a fast growing industry – before you know it, there will be even more VR music experiences available. Start with these, by all means, but don’t stop exploring.
VRTIFY
VRTIFY is ‘virtually challenging’ all comers to become the dominant platform for music in VR. It has a lot of features that give it the edge over other music apps out there. First of all, it allows for an extremely immersive experience that virtually puts you ‘on stage’ right next to your favorite performers. With a high-end headset like the Oculus Rift, this is truly an unforgettable experience. VRTIFY has also become a sort of hub for 360 degree music experiences, and allows you to access hundreds of music videos that you can then view in 360 degrees.
So, what makes VRTIFY special?
The answer is, nothing. And everything. There is very little that is new in VRTIFY, but what actually is interesting about the app is that it combines everything that is best in VR into a single package. VRTIFY allows you to not only experience music in VR in the best possible way, but also to explore a vast range of options that are lots of fun for the owner of a new VR headset.
Audioshield
Audioshield is an interactive Virtual Reality game that lets you play with your favorite music in a rather unique way, rather than merely listen to it. When you start up the game, the notes of your favorite songs fly out at you, and you need to deflect them with your controllers. This is rather like another similar game called Audiosurf, where you have to reach the notes of a certain song.
Audioshield creates a far deeper experience of your favorite music than other apps do, since you are, in effect, interacting with your music with your entire body. When you usually listen to music, you’re just engaging the audio centers of your brain, but when you listen to music using Audioshield, you’re bringing a whole new level of engagement to the experience, using your motor reflexes and muscle memory.
Space Dream VR
This is perhaps one of the most innovative and brilliantly original Music Visualizers for the Oculus Rift. Space Dream VR is like a visit to another reality, or another dimension, filled with strange objects and stranger life-forms. While this visualizer is quite heavy resource-wise (look at the video below and think of all the polygons being drawn), and really is in need of a bit of optimization, it is still a unique experience. Just lower the anti-aliasing if you have any problems and it should run smoothly. The program will automatically ensure that the surroundings are in harmony with what you’re listening to.
You can browse the net for music while remaining immersed in VR. As you listen to your favorite music, you can either teleport around the worlds of Space Dream, or even fly through space freely. Or you can let the program take you along on a trip across this strange alternate universe.
There’s perfect support for a range of controllers. The app is free, and is actually a demo for a game being developed by Justin Davis, the one-man team behind this whole experience. When you see those space-whales fly by, you’ll know that trying out this app was worthwhile.
As I said at the beginning of the article, there are new apps coming out every day, each more innovative than the other. Your journey into VR music applications may start here, but it will eventually have to be a journey of exploration.
