The PS VR Sessions: Harmonix Music VR

The PlayStation.Blog team can’t wait for October 13. With the launch of PlayStation VR in North America, we’re entering a new era of gaming — one that places players directly into the worlds that developers so lovingly create. To prepare for this amazing next chapter in PlayStation history, we all donned that PlayStation VR headset and sampled a bevy of upcoming PlayStation VR titles.

This time around we’re getting lost in the absolute visual magic that is Harmonix Music VR. What first appears as a straightforward collection of visualizers and painting experiences transforms into an enthralling journey through light and sound. Read on for our impressions!

Harmonix Music VR is an eye-opener to the creative possibilities of virtual reality. I didn’t know much about it going in — it’s some kind of VR music visualizer, right? Well, sort of. We’ve seen four different modes to date for this one, a music visualizer (aptly titled “The Trip”) being one of them, but the real standout here is “The Easel,” a mode that turns PlayStation Move controllers into a paintbrush and palette, equipping players with tools to create a living universe that pulses with and reacts to the music. Despite my complete lack of artistic ability, I had an incredible time tracing random lines and shapes in 3D space and watching my musical universe come to life around me.
–Justin Massongill

Brevity is the soul of wit. Less is more. Keep it simple. These adages echoed in my head as I lost myself in Harmonix Music VR, one of the most palpable expressions of virtual reality I’ve experienced to date. It’s impossible to describe how magical it is to paint a line of pulsing color in the air and step around it, seeing it sizzle and pop inches before your nose — like something truly alive. Harmonix Music VR is the perfect way to introduce someone to the medium, and that in itself is a triumph.
–Ryan Clements

This one caught me by surprise. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but Harmonix Music VR ended up being one of my favorite PS VR launch experiences. Like Justin, I was particularly enthralled by the “The Easel,” a mind-bending demonstration of PS VR’s power to transform in-game interactions. Painting light and color in a truly 3D, 360 degree space is nothing short of revelatory. Don’t miss this one — it’s a stunner.
–Sid Shuman