Finally, vodka, electronic dance music, and virtual reality can all coexist.
The marketing arm of vodka maker Absolut will debut a virtual reality video game on Wednesday that features Grammy-nominated electronic music producer Deadmau5.
The free game, Absolut deadmau5, works with the Google Cardboard VR viewing device, Facebook’s (FB) Oculus Rift, and Samsung Gear VR headsets, according to Absolut’s website.
Absolut said that the game’s players take on the role of Deadmau5 as he prepares “to go on an epic night out.” Players start off in his garage and then guide him through several interactive mini-games as they head to the dance club and, if skilled enough, to his concert performance.
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TheNew York Timessaid some of Absolut deadmau5’s mini games include dodging security guards and crazed fans with the help of Deadmau5’s cat, Meowingtons, who appears as a digital avatar. The game’s makers strapped Deadmau5 in a motion-capture suit to record how he walks, jumps, and dances throughout the game, the Times report said.
Absolut deadmau5 is an example of the way the music industry is dipping its toes into virtual reality, according to the Times. And it follows several other 360-degrees music videos by musicians like Jack White and Duran Duran. Even Sir Paul McCartney, of Beatles’ fame, has shown interest in VR by creating several 360-degrees music performances and short films with the help of VR startup Jaunt.
Still, the expensive price of high-end VR devices like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift—they cost $799 and $599, respectively—as well as the powerful computers required to operate them has made VR seem beyond the reach of the average consumer.
Filmmakers, media companies, and the music industry are only taking on small-scale VR projects, like promotional and marketing-related short films, and are not investing huge amounts of money on bigger projects until VR becomes more mainstream.
The hope is that projects like Absolut deadmau5 that only require a smartphone and cheap Google (GOOG) Cardboard headset to operate will help consumers experience and be captivated by some form of VR, never mind that it’s not as immersive or breathtaking as the higher-end devices.
In an interview with technology publication Ars Technica earlier this month, Deadmau5 explained that the new game “was me getting my feet wet into VR, on a small scale, obviously.”
“Vive guy’s just gonna f***** laugh his ass off [using the Absolut app],” Deadmau5 said about Google Cardboard’s power compared to the higher-end HTC Vive. “But, Vive guy is one in 10,000 right now.”
Tequila maker Patrón Spirits is also experimenting with virtual reality for its advertisement campaigns. Patrón Spirits said in May that it released a new VR app that shows off its Hacienda Patrón distillery in Jalisco, Mex.
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“Increasingly, consumers want to know the origin and backstories of the products they consume,” Applbaum told Coins2Day. “For us, VR was the ideal way to bring people inside our doors at scale.”