American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold are holding an immersive virtual reality concert today, 28th February at 5pm PST / 1am GMT.
The event is being run by AmazeVR Concerts and is available on both the Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro VR headsets.
To create this kind of virtual concert, AmazeVR shoots the artist in high-fidelity stereoscopic video. They then build a virtual world using Unreal Engine and design a unique environment for every artist and every concert. This also includes interactive features which add to the immersive experience.
Avenged Sevenfold were spotted performing in front of green screen backgrounds in a Los Angeles warehouse last year. Speaking to The Los Angeles Times, lead singer M. Shadows made it clear that these events are not a replacement for live shows and could never be. He instead envisions a way of doing both, stating that, "It's about fully stepping into what the tech does well, and then fully stepping into what the live show does well".
The third-generation Meta Quest VR headset was released in October and currently costs £479 / $499, while Apple's new Vision Pro is available in the US from $3499. We are still awaiting word of a worldwide launch.
The AmazeVR's first VR Concert production was in 2022 with Megan Thee Stallion and it was also featured at the 2023 SXSW festival in Austin Texas.
Attendees to tonight's show will receive a new song for free. Ticket prices can be found on the AmazeVR Concert app, which is available on either VR headset listed above.
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