In Meta’s App Lab, you can find a little mixed reality game called Meli. Read here why you should give this special title a try.
Music, rhythm and virtual reality work well together. Well-designed virtual worlds can give you the feeling of being “in” the music and create a pull like no other medium. techToy Studio now wants to bring this combination to mixed reality and focuses on classical music with Meli. I tried it on my Meta Quest 3.
Hand-tracking conductor of a mixed reality orchestra
In its current demo version, Meli offers only one playable level in addition to the tutorial. It immerses you in Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. However, the developers have already promised ongoing updates with more content.
Meli relies completely on hand tracking. In the tutorial, I am given a baton for my right hand and a glowing orb for my left. I grab both objects with my thumb and index finger. A virtual circle appears in front of me in my physical environment.
In time with the music, curved rays from above, below, left and right move precisely toward the circle. When they land exactly on the line, I have to hit them with a precise movement of my wrist, with my baton or with the ball, depending on the color.
Timing is everything. The hand movement is similar to that of a conductor — a delicate stroke, not a punch or a hit.
Smooth transition from mixed reality to VR
The orb has a second function: occasionally another small circle appears very close to me and slowly moves to different positions. When I place the ball inside it and drag it, an abstract virtual environment that matches the music slowly builds up around me. Mixed reality blends seamlessly into virtual reality — still a powerful experience.
Something similar happens when a two-colored bar flies towards the large circle, and I have to hit it with the orb and the baton at the same time. With each hit, a magnificent mountain range gradually builds up around me.
My initial verdict on Meli in Quest 3
In its current form, Meli is a very short but impressive experience. The smooth transition from mixed reality to VR and back again, embedded and perfectly coordinated with the atmospheric orchestral music, is a special experience that shouldn’t be missed.
Source: Mixed News
