Learn how to tickle the ivories with this educational VR experience powered by the experimental Passthrough API.
This past July Facebook released its experimental Passthrough API into the wild, allowing developers to harness the Oculus Quest’s built-in cameras to create engaging mixed reality experiences.
Since then we’ve seen a variety of interactive AR games make their way to the standalone headset, from martial arts simulator Crazy Kung Fu to VR puzzler Gravity Labs.
Over the weekend we caught a small glimpse at yet another mixed reality experience heading to Quest. Originally developed for the Magic Leap One mixed reality headset, Magic Keys uses Passthrough technology to teach you how to play the piano.
In a video shared on Reddit by Dominik Hackl, the developer can be seen interacting with a physical keyboard viewable in-headset via Passthrough. AR visuals layered over the real world tease a rhythm game experience similar to that of Beat Saber or Guitar Hero; using your actual hands, you press keys in sync with their corresponding notes as they float by.
According to Hackl, the first release will feature support for custom midi files, allowing you to import your own tracks and parctice your favorite songs. There’s no official release date as of yet, though Hackle promises a “playable demo APK within the next days.” Most-likely via App Lab or SideQuest.
While it might be the first to utilize the Passthrough API, Magic Keys is far from the first piano learning app we’ve seen on Oculus Quest. Last year VRtuos launched on SideQuest, allowing Quest users to calibrate their real-world keyboard and import their own midi files. As pointed out by Upload, VRtuos’ developer has also teased potential Passthrough support in the near future.
For more information check out the original Reddit post here. If you’re interested, we’ve also gathered a small list of Passthrough games currently available on Quest which you can check out here.
Quelle:
Feature Image Credit:Dominik Hackl
