VR
If you didn’t get a chance to catch Charli xcx and Troye Sivan‘s SWEAT tour in person, you can still “feel the rush” and soak up the Brat Summer vibes at home. The superstar duo’s tour is making its way to virtual reality, Billboard can exclusively reveal, thanks to iHeartMedia and Meta and produced alongside OBB Media.
Charli xcx & Troye Sivan Present SWEAT in VR will be available exclusively on Meta Quest devices starting Dec. 27 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The show was filmed during one of Charli and Troye’s performances at the KIA Forum in Los Angeles in October.
“The LA shows were incredible because of the energy in the crowd — it was especially good on night 2,” Sivan tells Billboard exclusively. “Having friends and family in the audience made it more special, too. It felt like a celebration with everyone I love and admire right there in the room.”
Trending on Billboard
He continues: “The SWEAT tour was one of the best experiences of my life, and I wanted to immortalize it in a way that felt as immersive and special as it was for me. iHeart, Meta and OBB have been able to make this come to life in VR and it’s the perfect medium to capture the intimacy, the energy, and the joy of those nights so that people at home could truly feel like they were there, or relive it.”
“Performing with Troye every night on the SWEAT tour was truly iconic and I’m so excited for fans to now be able to experience it at home,” Charli xcx added in a release announcing the news.
The 22-date nationwide tour wrapped in October and featured both artists taking turns performing high-energy hits, including Charli’s Brat hits like “360,” “Von Dutch” and “Girl, So Confusing,” as well as Troye’s fan-favorite jams including “My My My,” “Rush” and “One of Your Girls.” The concert, which is available for free in Meta Horizon Worlds Music Valley, will give fans a front-row seat to all the fun with 180-degree views of the show.
“She brings such an insane energy to the stage, and those performances felt like pure magic,” Sivan shares of his onstage partner. “I can’t wait for fans to relive or experience those moments for the first time.”
Charli xcx & Troye Sivan Present SWEAT in VR is executive produced by iHeartMedia’s John Sykes, president of entertainment enterprises, and Bart Peters, senior vice president of production and development; as well as Michael D. Ratner, Scott Ratner, Anthony Anchelowitz, Simone Spira and Kfir Goldberg for OBB Pictures, the Film & TV division of OBB Media; with Glenn Stickley, co-executive producing for OBB Media.
“Charli xcx, Troye Sivan and their teams have built something electric and singular with this show,” Ratner said of the SWEAT tour. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to partner with Meta and iHeartMedia to share this experience with fans around the world.”
Sykes agreed, saying in a statement: “Partnering with Charli xcx and Troye Sivan and with Meta gives us a unique opportunity to offer our millions of listeners the chance to experience two of the most talented artists in music performing on the most exciting new visual platform today.”
Sarah Malkin, director of Metaverse Entertainment at Meta, added, “The SWEAT Tour is the latest in a long lineup of incredible performances that we’ve brought to Music Valley. “Connecting fans to their favorite artists in a totally unique way through virtual reality extends the joy and excitement of concerts to even more people – and we couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with iHeart, Charli xcx and Troye Sivan to do that with this show.”
After the show, fans can catch free concerts from more artists in Music Valley, or experience the thousands of apps available in the Meta Horizon Store. Meta Quest 3S retails for $299, and features 128GB of storage, but you can upgrade to the 256GB device for $399.99. Meta Quest 3S is available at major retailers such as Amazon, Target, Walmart, Best Buy and Meta.com.
That’s that Me-ta, espresso! Meta premiered its new trailer for Sabrina Carpenter’s upcoming VR concert, which is scheduled to take place on Friday, July 19 exclusively in Meta Horizon Worlds’ Music Valley. In the clip, Carpenter is seen dancing around onstage to her Billboard Hot 100 top five hit, “Espresso,” alongside her dancers against a vintage […]
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
With the popularity of VR headsets for gaming, like the Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro, Sony has their own next-generation headset and it’s on sale for its all-time lowest price ever.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
On sale for $449 (reg. $550) at Walmart, the Sony PlayStation VR2 is a virtual reality headset that works with the PS5 to deliver immersive gaming experiences. You use your head, eyes and hands to interact with a virtual world with 110-degree field of view that makes you feel like you’re inside of a game.
Please note: You need a PS5 to use the Sony PSVR2 headset.
Trending on Billboard
And since its from Walmart, you’ll get the PSVR2 shipped to your home for free as soon as it’s available if you’re a Walmart+ member.
If you’re not a member, then you can sign up for a 30-day free trial to take advantage of everything the retailer’s rewards program has to offer with perks, such as free and fast delivery; fuel discounts; streaming access to Paramount+; additional savings with early access to exclusive deals and much more. Learn more about Walmart+ here.
Meanwhile, Sony’s VR headset is on sale at Target and Amazon, as well.
Sony
Sony PlayStation VR2 Headset
$449
$549.99
18% off
Buy Now Walmart
Buy Now at Target
Inside of the headset, you’ll find a dual-screen design that provides 4K Ultra HD visuals and eye tracking for each of your eyes. It also comes with a pair of Sony’s “Sense” controllers next-level haptic feedback, so you can control and feel all of the action in game.
The PSVR2 is ideal for VR2 compatible games and experiences, such as Horizon Call of the Mountain, No Man’s Sky, Resident Evil Village and more — all sold separately. Check out a list of games available at Walmart here.
Aside from the PSVR2, the Sony PS5 Slim is on sale for $449, or $51 off, at Walmart, while the hard-to-find PS Portal handheld remote player is in stock at the retailer too. Both pieces of hardware are compatible with the Pulse Explorer Wireless Earbuds and the PS Access Controller.
The Sony PlayStation VR2 Headset is on sale for $449, or $100.99 off its list price, at Walmart, Target and Amazon. Until then, watch an overview trailer for the VR headset below:
[embedded content]
Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best over-ear headphones, wifi extenders, laptop deals and more.
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: NurPhoto / Getty / PlayStation VR2
According to reports, the PlayStation VR2 is looking like a flop.
Spotted on IGN via Bloomberg’s reporting, Sony has hit the pause button on the production of the PlayStation VR2 headsets.
The website claims the tech giant is trying to clear the backlog of unsold units, signaling what many have been saying about the PSVR2: it’s a flop.
Per IGN:
Bloomberg reported sales of the $550 virtual reality headset have “slowed progressively” since its launch in February 2023, causing a buildup of stock. According to the site, Sony produced “well over” two million PSVR2 units.
The relative success of the PSVR2 was called into question earlier this year when Sony announced a number of upcoming games for the device, none of which were from its first-party studios. Then, as part of a wave of devastating layoffs affecting 900 staff, Sony’s VR-focused London studio was earmarked for closure.
According to Sony, the PSVR2 sold nearly 600,000 units six weeks after its launch, and according to analysts, just over one million units in its first year.
Giving the impression that PlayStation VR2 did not sell well over the holiday season, SIE’s head of global business, Eric Lempel, told The Financial Times that the peripheral was a “bit of a challenging category right now,’ adding he believed “there was a higher expectation generally for what VR would do to gaming.”
Welp.
Meta Is Killing The VR Game
Sales of the PSVR2 were well behind Meta’s Quest 2 and 3 headsets during the holiday season.
The PlayStation VR2’s future is uncertain, but maybe its reported compatibility with PCs, a feature that Sony is currently testing, will help get it in the heads of more gamers.
Until then, the gallery below shows more reactions to the unsurprising news that PSVR2 is not selling well.
1. Fair point
2. More excellent points
3. Sounds about right
5. Sony listen to Nicholas
10. Do they?
HipHopWired Featured Video
Doja Cat isn’t slated to hit the road until this summer in support of her latest studio album, Scarlet, but that doesn’t mean fans won’t have an opportunity to see her live. Meta Quest, the leading VR headset out, and Music Valley announced a new event, Doja Cat: The Scarlet Tour in VR
Doja Cat hit the road last year and rocked out for her legion of fans and now via Meta Quest, those who missed the shows will get a chance of a lifetime to see Doja up close and personal via Music Valley and Meta Horizon Worlds.
The upcoming event features footage from Doja’s sold-out stop in Detroit in 2023 and if you’ve checked out the Scarlet star’s live performances previously, you already know to expect eye-popping visuals and breathtaking vocals from one of music’s best performers.
“Bringing The Scarlet Tour to life was an amazing experience for me. Taking it from an idea to real life and sharing that with my fans at arenas was surreal and rewarding. To now be able to share the live show through VR with Meta and The Diamond Bros for ‘Doja Cat: The Scarlet Tour in VR’ is a perfect way for fans who did not get to come to a show to feel like they did,” Doja shared in a statement. “I can’t wait for everyone to see what we have created.”
The concert was produced and directed by The Diamond Bros and Josh Diamond shared in the following statement, “Doja Cat’s dynamic performance and stage design seemed almost purpose-built for VR. Between the immersive show direction and unique triangular stage, we couldn’t wait to capture it. We are beyond excited to have collaborated with Doja Cat and Meta on creating this unforgettable experience.”
Music Valley is a virtual desert concert venue with a mainstage screen that has featured the likes of Victoria Monèt, Jung Kook, Jack Harlow, and more. Meta Quest 2 and 3 owners can enter Meta Horizon Worlds and take a trip to Music Valley for free.
Doja Cat: The Scarlet Tour in VR makes its debut via Meta Horizon Worlds on Saturday, January 20 at 5 PM. RSVP here to get reminders leading up to this special event.
Check out a teaser trailer below.
[embedded content]
—
Photo: Meta Quest
BLACKPINK is in your area — this time in virtual reality. A new trailer for the upcoming BLACKPINK: A VR Encore arrived on Tuesday (Dec. 19), catapulting fans right into the heart of Seoul, South Korea, getting a first-hand, virtual look at the BLACKPINK World Tour [Born Pink] finale show at the Gocheok Sky Dome. […]
HipHopWired Featured Video
Meta Quest, the leading VR headset device on the market, has long been ahead of the curve when it comes to curating moments for music and entertainment fans in the sprawling Metaverse. The great minds at Meta Quest are rolling out a new Music Valley concert series, featuring the likes of Victoria Monét, Jorja Smith, and more.
Music Valley is an innovative VR concert series experience that lives in the Meta Horizon Worlds realm and features some of entertainment’s biggest names. The desert venue features a large main stage screen and a dance floor that will allow Meta Quest fans to let loose and even grab some objects while jamming in the Metaverse.
Things jumped off last month in the valley via iHeartRadio LIVE with The Kid LAROI and tonight, (December 4), the aforementioned Victoria Monét will grace the virtual stages at 8 PM ET. In January, Jorja Smith will lend her formidable talents to the Music Valley experience.
Along with those names, K-Pop stars BLACKPINK will be highlighted in BLACKPINK: VR Encore, which was filmed during the Born Pink World Tour finale show at the Gocheok Sky Dome in South Korea with The Diamond Bros serving as producers.
Red Rocks Live will also deliver a VR experience with acts like Louis The Child rocking the major venue of Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado with other acts set to grace the stage in this developing partnership with Dorsey Pictures.
For all those who can’t make the shows when they air, Meta Quest is kindly hosting the concerts for one month after their air date. That means it’s time to sign up for the Music Valley experience and take in all the sights and sounds that extend far beyond concerts with mini-games, DJ sets and more to do inside the valley.
Learn more about Music Valley, including air dates and times, by clicking here.
[embedded content]
—
Photo: Meta Quest
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: META / Meta Quest 3
Meta is still in the VR business and has a new Meta Quest 3 headset on the way.
Quiet as kept, the Meta Quest 2 was the best VR headset on the market. Meta is promising the Meta Quest 3 will build off that promising better performance, new mixed-reality features, and a much more comfortable and sleeker design.
The Meta Quest 3 will start at $500 for the 128GB model. A 256GB model is in the works, and the price will be announced at a later date.
The new headset boasts a smaller design, and that doesn’t mean a sacrifice on the power department. The Meta Quest 3 is 40% slimmer than the previous model and sports three large camera sensors on the front of it, making the Meta Quest 3 stand out from any other.
The controllers, Touch Plus, also receive an upgrade and have a much more compact design while boasting advanced tracking and haptics that owners of Meta’s $1000 Meta Quest Pro enjoyed.
Speaking of the Meta Quest Pro, the Meta Quest 3 will also support Meta Reality, a feature previously exclusive to the Quest Pro. Meta Reality allows users to merge the real world with the virtual one, allowing you to use your dining room table as a battlefield or project a large map on the floor.
If you upgrade from an older Quest model, you can bring all your games and other software because it will all be fully compatible with the Meta Quest 3.
The Meta Quest 2 Is Getting A Price Cut
With the addition of the Meta Quest 3 to Meta’s growing family of VR headsets, the Meta Quest 2 is receiving a substantial price cut and will now only cost $300 for the 128GB model and $350 for the 256GB model.
Both models will also receive a power boost through an update that sees the Quest 2 and Quest Pro internals get a boost. Meta says users of both headsets can expect 26% better processing performance and 19% better graphics performance, plus Dynamic Resolution Scaling allowing for a more smooth and more consistent VR experience.
So basically, if you have been on the fence about VR, this seems like the perfect opportunity to dive in.
The Quest 3 arrives sometime in the fall, pre-orders have not begun, but you can sign up for notifications about the VR headset.
You can head here if you want to know what new games are coming to the Quest 3.
—
Photo: META / Meta Quest 3
HipHopWired Radio
Our staff has picked their favorite stations, take a listen…
-
Pages