There is little in life better than experiencing your favorite band at a concert or festival. You can feel the bass reverberate through your body, sense the electrifying atmosphere all around you and then there’s the band itself – live and in full color. Of course, that all comes at a cost. Tickets are often expensive – assuming you’re even able to get hold of them in the first place. Camping isn’t for everyone either.
The free Magenta Virtual Reality app always promises to have the best VR content in one place, whether entertainment, sports or music. It transports you to a whole different world of sounds and images and, when you turn your head or smartphone, the app identifies the movement and replicates it in the virtual world.
The app is currently available only for Android, although an iOS version is to follow. Content can be viewed through VR glasses such as Oculus or Google Daydream or by using Cardboard, a frame that you slot your Smartphone into. Alternatively, you can watch it directly on your smartphone. The app is available to download at www.telekom.de/virtual-reality (German only).
I got the chance to try out the newly launched app at the company’s IFA booth. On opening the app, I found myself in a type of room, surrounded by screens that enabled me to pick from music, sports and entertainment. As a passionate festival-goer, I naturally went for music! I have to admit, in all honesty, that I was a bit skeptical before I tried it out. Could a 360° video really offer anything like a genuine concert experience? And would it make me feel sick?
The music section of Magenta Virtual Reality offers all the content available in MagentaMusik 360. And, let me tell you, I rocked out at the Rock am Ring festival – but without any of the pushing and shoving, or the stench of sweat! I was on stage with the bands at a rock concert, looking out at thousands of people having the time of their life. I’m fairly sure that few festival-goers get to enjoy a view like that. Of course, it goes without saying that festivals are not just about the music – drinking cans of beer in the pavilion or dancing in the mud at the Wacken festival are all part of the experience. Unfortunately, you can’t get all that with VR, although there were plenty of partying fans raising a glass to me through the 360° camera at the Rock am Ring campsite. As soon as I put the glasses down, I found myself back at Deutsche Telekom’s booth at IFA, looking at eager faces.
Besides enjoying 360° music content, you can also opt for sports and cheer on teams competing in the Telekom Cup, or watch documentaries and learn a foreign language through the entertainment content.
