Late last year solo developer Jimmy Alger launched a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign for a virtual reality (VR) experience called Headspace VR. As is quite often the case on Kickstarter, Headspace VR didn’t manage to hit its funding goal. Putting that title on the backburner, Alger has been working on another project, Tunescape, which he’s now released through Steam Early Access for Oculus Rift.
Tunescape is a sandbox experience where you can let your imagination run riot, building almost anything you can think of using an inventory of basic objects. The twist with the software is that you can animate your world to your favourite songs, creating your very own music video. Whether you’re after somewhere tranquil and relaxing or something a little more intense, all you need to do is build it.
As this is an Early Access release, Alger plans on adding further features in the coming months. At present the app is fully functional in its ability to create and animate Tunescapes, supporting music files .mp3/.ogg/.aiff/.wav and local saving. The full release will feature support for HTC Vive as well as Oculus Touch, plus you’ll be able to share and download Tunescapes from other users.
“It’s been a long road to get here,” Alger notes in an email to VRFocus. “But I’m confident that I’ve put together a good piece of software that has the potential to be great.”
The project has been entirely self-funded – like many solo developers – so Alger is hoping to promote the app by people sharing their creations. “I can tell you that I’ve put my very best into this app, but it’s the Tunescapes themselves that will sell people on the idea,” adds Alger. “It’s a completely new way to experience music. Even songs you’ve heard a million times before.”
Tunescape is available on Steam Early Access for $4.99 USD, with the price increasing with future updates and additional features. It’ll eventually release on the Oculus Store as well. For further updates on Tunescape and other project by indie VR developers, keep reading VRFocus.
via Mint VR