Explore your creativity in this interactive exploration of physics, art, and sound.
Imagine having the power to manipulate the cosmos with the simple brush of a hand. Or using various sounds to shatter the stars and send them spiraling millions of miles away. This is the premise behind Cosmic Sugar, an interactive VR wellness game that combines art, sound, and physics to immerse you in a therapeutic virtual experience.
Using your Oculus Touch controller, you’ll have full control over a variety of light types, including Spray, Spiral, Starburst, and Point Cloud Stamp. Similar to existing VR art apps such as Tilt Brush, you can move in any direction within your available play space while creating your art.
Your other Touch controller can be used to create sound. You can explore a variety of different sound waves, each one capable of disrupting your creation in its own unique way. You can even create light and sound at the same time to explore different pathways of creativity. An easy-to-access menu allows you to save, load, and export your creations, watch tutorials, access the web viewer, and adjust the global sliders to personalize your experience.
Created by David Lobser, multi-disciplinary artist and founder of light.clinic, during a music hackathon as a personal VJing tool, Cosmic Sugar was gradually realized for VR with encouragement from industry leader Jaron Lanier, who sees the technology as a portal for an expectant audience looking to dream in mixed reality.
Don’t think of Cosmic Sugar as just a VR game. It’s also a therapeutic art tool. Each image you create will be unconditionally unique, offering tons in the way of replayability. The virtual experience is designed to stimulate your mind and push your creativity in new directions.
It’s incredibly easy to lose yourself in Cosmic Sugar. It’s not just a tool for creating art using light and sound. It immerses you in a relaxing and engaging world that responds in completely unique ways depending on the personalities and interactions of each individual user.
Originally released in 2016, Cosmic Sugar has continued to evolve since it was first launched. In recent months, light.clinic debuted brand new features and brush shapes. Attendees at the Ars Electronica Festival, Sustain Release, Burning Man, The Electric Daisy Carnival, Luxury Escapism, The People’s Film Festival, Hyperspective, and Pioneer Works all found the VR experience both revitalizing and engaging.
“I’ll keep working on Cosmic Sugar forever,” said Lobser in an official press release. “I can’t see it aging and I hope it’s as relevant a million years from now as it is today.”
Cosmic Sugar is available now on Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2 headsets for $9.99 via the Oculus App Lab and SteamVR for $4.99. There is also a free version available for those looking to dip their toes before purchasing.
Feature Image Credit: Light Clinic