"Enter the Hottieverse" Review: „This is live action VR, bitch!“
Enter Thee Hottieverse virtual reality concert brings hip-hop icon Megan Thee Stallion to your doorstep. It's a great experience.
The project began in the spring of 2022 as a concert series that took place in movie theaters in fifteen U.S. cities, with a total of more than 100 screenings. At each screening, approximately 100 to 130 audience members were provided with Quest 2 headsets. This allowed fans without VR headsets to experience the rapper's VR concert.
The U.S. tour was a success, selling out nearly every date. Since November 2022, the concert has also been available to a wider audience as a VR experience in the comfort of their own home. Viewers can enjoy an exciting show of a different kind, true to the motto: "The girls in the hood are always hard."
VR Concert "Enter the Hottieverse" review in a nutshell
A concert you can see, hear and feel. Megan's entertaining songs and exciting dance moves take on a special character through the VR experience. The image quality is also impressive. The rapper really impressed me with her original style and unique performance. I would have loved to see more songs in this format.
"Enter the Hottieverse" is for you if …
- you want to see an innovative, unconventional artist in virtual reality,
- you like a spectacle, cool video effects and strong hip hop beats,
- and want to experience one of the strengths of VR, closeness and intimacy, in a high-quality virtual concert.
"Enter the Hottieverse" is less suitable for you if …
- you have nothing to do with hip-hop music,
- female empowerment and body positivity,
- or if you don't like Megan's style and music.
Megan up close
Megan Thee Stallion, one of the most successful female rappers in the U.S. music industry today, is known for her outspoken style. The 27-year-old speaks out against misogyny, violence against women and for the rights of black women. Through her often explicit lyrical content, she conveys sex appeal coupled with feminist body positivity, often expressed through the worship of her backside.
Her original dance moves and twerk styles are meant to inspire others to self-empowerment: The Hottieverse is her interpretation of the metaverse created specifically for her community of hotties.
Drum, dance, twerk: The "Enter Thee Hottieverse" VR concert brings interactive elements. | Image: AmazeVR
In "Enter Thee Hottieverse", Thee Stallion performs in virtual space in high-definition 3D video quality. In the VR concert, with its avant-garde sci-fi design, I find myself in a huge, futuristic environment, floating through shiny, silver-metallic, space-inspired landscapes reminiscent of megacities in the distant future. In the middle of it all is "Hot Girl Meg": sometimes dancing on a burning stage, sometimes twerking in a spaceship capsule surrounded by other dancers.
As soon as one song is over, I'm off to distant galaxies, only to find myself gliding through a vagina-looking tunnel and finally at the edge of the "Hottieverse", where Thee Stallion presents her next hit. As bold as Megan's performance and presence is, the concert still feels intimate and surprisingly real because, as a member of the audience, I'm up close and personal with the artist. There are no chairs and no virtual audience.
Take part in VR: drum, dance, twerk
The AmazeVR concert is currently available through the App Lab for Quest 2 and Quest Pro. A short teaser is free; the ticket price for the full virtual experience is currently $12.99.
The full version features four songs to choose from: "Savage," "Body," "Thot Shit," and "Kitty Kat. There is also a short behind-the-scenes video called "Classified" in which the creators talk about the production process.
The high-quality VR concert creates a surprising but pleasant closeness to the star. | Image: AmazeVR
Teams in five different countries were involved in the complex production of the world's first VR concert in this format. For example, new AI tools had to be developed for automated video editing. Finally, high-resolution live video of the hip-hop star was combined with interactive VR environments to create 8K video in 3D.
These interactions enhance the experience: For example, I can create my own beats while drumming during the performance, set off fireworks, or playfully chase water drops. I soon find myself dancing to the beats. Afterward, the most dynamic scenes of the concert, determined based on the recorded motion data, are emailed to me as YouTube videos.
Conclusion: "Enter the Hottieverse" is a VR spectacle like no other
The VR concert impressed me. The rap music, the dance performance, the high video quality and the imaginative graphics make it a spectacle worth seeing and hearing.
Megan herself convinced me with her original style and she knows how to put her refreshing views into entertaining lyrics. She manages to inspire even in virtual space.
What I really like about this format is the intimacy of VR: I get to experience Megan Thee Stallion up close and personal. This gives the purely virtual experience a strong personal touch that you can't even get at a live concert. Also, the journey through the Hottieverse is just fun.
I found the limited scope a bit of a shame: there are only four songs to choose from, which could be due to production costs. Even with the travel time through the Hottieverse, the concert is still well under the length of a normal live concert. The same length in VR might be a bit overwhelming, but I would have liked a few more songs.
Still, Enter the Hottieverse is an all-around successful virtual reality music experience.
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