October 5, 2016

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

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10 Comments

MrBeens
October 5, 2016 at 1:36 pm PDT

Sadly, even loading an MP3 of ‘90s favorite “Mr. Jones” by Counting Crows didn’t make any of these four music mini-games and passive experiences any less boring or more bearable. If my friends came over to check out my new $400 VR headset, Harmonix Music VR is the last thing I’d want to show them.
– Ryan Mccaffrey
- MakaiOokami
  October 6, 2016 at 2:47 pm PDT
  
  The quickest way to lose any credibility with reasonably informed people is to quote someone from IGN.
  
  Can’t spell Ignorant without IGN.
Conall-Star
October 5, 2016 at 4:19 pm PDT

at PAX East i played two PSVR demos. This and ‘The Heist’. this was easily my favorite of the two. it’s not really a game, but just a COOL experience. played it with David Bowie’s ‘Under Pressure’. it was just such a blast. my first thought when leaving the harmonix booth is “this is the first thing i will show people on my PSVR”
XvLDark
October 5, 2016 at 4:23 pm PDT

I love the idea of making a music experience “game” definately will check it out, glad that some devs are pushing originality boundaries
mrpodo86
October 5, 2016 at 4:24 pm PDT

Don’t really care about this. But what I do care about as a paying customer is the fact that there will be no external asset mods for Fallout 4. What are the point of mods then? Sony is screwing up again, what a shocker. This is making the Xbox one, PC and even the Wii U look really good right now. Sigh.. I wish things weren’t so restricted for PS4 users. “For the gamer.” That’s hypocritical.
- jefXfree
  October 5, 2016 at 7:30 pm PDT
  
  You should probably only play on PC then.
- MakaiOokami
  October 6, 2016 at 2:54 pm PDT
  
  Especially considering that the mods apparently are having a lot of issues on the Xbone. Microsoft is the kind of company that forced Valve to charge for Left 4 Dead DLC when they wanted to give that away for free, so I bought Left 4 Dead on the PC for cheaper than a “free” DLC pack on the 360.
  
  Microsoft is FINALLY, doing Cross-buy. There are still no good Windows 10 games I can get on the store, but FINALLY it IS possible. Final Fantasy XIV isn’t coming to the Xbox One because Microsoft won’t let them release it without a feature that lets you ONLY play with Xbox One players in an MMO.
  
  Microsoft is the furthest thing from consumer friendly on the Xbox. What you are seeing is them desperately doing anything they can to get a boost. Even if it means people have to troubleshoot their mods, because the mods loaded in the wrong order and now the game won’t launch correctly.
Chsistiano97
October 5, 2016 at 10:37 pm PDT

Want to know another fun popular music game? Parappa the Rapper and Um Jammer Lammy
SpooNManX
October 6, 2016 at 5:52 am PDT

It looks interesting.
I think some non-game VR type experiences are also welcome on the PSVR.

Would it be possible to play your Rock Band 4 DLC music within this?
Reaper527_
October 6, 2016 at 7:48 am PDT

tried it at pax east in 2015 (albeit, on an oculus, not a psvr). definitely seems pretty cool.

not sure if i’d actually pay for it, but if it were a free tech demo i’d definitely use it from time to time.