APP of the WEEK

MELODY VR (IOS & ANDROID, FREE WITH IN-APP PURCHASES))

THE Melody VR app promises much, but fails a little to deliver all of it… at least at the moment. But it is a fascinating platform, which might just mature into an essential one.

It’s basically billing itself as a way to ‘attend’ music shows that you can’t make in person. And cleverly it does not require a VR headset. Obviously, it works a lot better if you use one – and it supports Oculus Go and Samsung Gear VR at the

moment with more coming soon, they say – but you can use it with a smartphone – iOS or Android. This is done by holding up your device, which you then use as a window into the show – you have a 360-degree field of vision to work in, and you can point your phone where you like.

You can also choose various vantage points, so you can move from the front row, to behind the band, or on the balcony.

It is very impressive technically. Where it falls down is the lack of content.

There is a fairly small selection of shows available on mobile. The other potential problem is the cost – 13 songs from 5 Seconds Of Summer costs £9.99, for example (you can buy individual songs for £1.99). Watching a lot of shows is going to get very expensive very quickly.

Despite that, it shows a lot of promise.