There are plenty of space games for various virtual reality (VR) platforms, but Fistful of Stars is promising something new and unique – the chance to see a star being born.
The VR experience is based on The Hubble Cantata, a live performance that took place at Prospect Park in Brooklyn last summer. The audience wore Google Cardboard headsets that whisked them away to the heart of the Orion Nebula, to watch the formation of a star up close while being serenaded by a 100-person choir and a 20-piece orchestra. The aim was to show how VR could be a social experience instead of an isolating one.
The Fistful of Stars version has been improved and altered to take advantage of pre-recorded 3D sound, which was taken from a live recording of The Hubble Cantata. The entire experience is based on the images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, rendered into 3D images. Though the experience as a whole is short, director Eliza Nitt is hoping it will have a big impact. “I chose the Orion Nebula because it’s the birthplace of stars,” she said, reports Engadget. “I wanted to be able to take people on a journey into space.”
Attendees at the South By Southwest (SXSW) conference will be able to see Fistful of Stars get its public debut. Some attendees will even have the opportunity to experience Fistful Of Stars for themselves in private screening rooms that have been set up with state-of-the-art sound systems.
Fistful Of Stars is expected to be released for the Gear VR in June.
VRFocus will keep you updated with news on Fistful of Stars and other VR experiences
Fistful Of Stars from Eliza McNitt on Vimeo.