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Apple Music VR and the mixed reality headset

I spent part of Friday night attending a concert in virtual reality. It wasn’t very good. By this time next week, however, Apple is expected to have already unveiled its mixed reality headset. I’m hoping part of the pitch includes Apple Music.

My virtual reality headset experience isn’t zero, but it’s very limited. I tried the first version PlayStation VR in 2018, and I spent a few days with the Meta Quest 2 a year ago. Frankly, I don’t recall much about the PS VR experience, but I didn’t see the value in the Meta Quest 2 and returned it.

I bought the Quest 2 with the intent of figuring out what the $300ish VR headset was good for. I quickly decided it was essentially a gaming console like the PlayStation or Xbox. There’s a Netflix app that puts a TV on the wall of a cabin at a ski resort. There’s a web browser capable of streaming Apple Music. And there’s a game store plus Meta’s Horizon Worlds universe.

For my household, an Xbox Series S was more affordable with a better game catalog and multiplayer support. The Quest 2 went back to the store and hasn’t been missed.

While dog sitting for a friend over the weekend, I had access to the more expensive Meta Quest Pro. The VR headset is a work-issued device for my pal who says his remote job encourages attending meetings in virtual reality. He also has an Iron Man game that I meant to try out.

I decided to spend my time trying out Meta’s Horizons World VR space. I love live music, so I chose a VR concert to try out. It really was extraordinarily meh. Admittedly, it wasn’t my kind of music (or even my language), but it was at least one example of what a VR concert is like.

Feeling top heavy …

The “venue” was a SIMS-like multilevel platform that wrapped halfway around the VR performer. Four sets of VR drum sets were available with VR drum sticks that you could pick up with the Meta Quest controllers. You could also launch the camera on your VR phone to snap photos or record short video clips that saved to your gallery.

A fewer other people were in attendance. There were a few kids from North America and South America, and there was a group of friends who seemed to be attending from the same location. If people were talking, you could hear them if you were standing nearby. Waving the Meta controllers in the air made the VR version of you dance and unlock a confetti drop.

The artist performance aspect of the “concert” was weird though. It was like watching a music video designed to fill in the space of the circular stage. My experience is limited to this one time so I’m not sure if other VR concerts feel more like being there instead of feeling like a game character in a game world. Oh, and I didn’t have legs.

Here’s a NSFW example like what I “attended” that someone captured and published on YouTube:

I don’t expect Apple to talk about VR concerts during the headset presentation, but I’m optimistic about the potential for Apple Music VR and viewing live performances. Apple has already been hosting Apple Music Live streams of select artist concerts, and I don’t expect its version of mixed reality to be so video game-like. Aside from Memoji FaceTime calls, I guess.

I think watching live performances and sporting events will be a compelling reason for consumers to be interested in Apple’s mixed reality platform – especially for future hardware versions that aren’t expected to cost $3,000.

I’ve already been watching full Blink-182 concert performances from the same tour in different cities on YouTube. I would love to experience an official VR version that’s ticketed and actually immersive. And in Meta’s defense, I think the generally low-fidelity experience I witnessed isn’t the best example. For instance, this 2D replay of a Foo Fighters concert in VR is more like what I have in mind.

Travel, lodging, and Ticketmaster fees make big concerts cost big money. I’ll always prefer the in-person experience, but VR concerts produced by Apple Music could make attending live shows more accessible despite the headset’s expected price tag.

The countdown for Apple’s headset reveal is racing toward Monday, June 5, at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET.

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Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

Zac covers Apple news, hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and created SpaceExplored.com.