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Bassist plays Halloween gig wearing a Steam Frame: ‘Interestingly, only one guy asked me about the Frame’
A bassist recorded a Halloween gig through Valve’s Steam Frame VR headset, capturing a 28-second clip while playing Thundercat’s “Them Changes”. The unusual camera angle offered a first-person view of the performance, and the bassist said the headset was a comfortable way to document the band.
They wore it for the full 45-minute show, using a power bank to keep it charged and an Arcturus Vision Camera for colour passthrough. The headset ran at 144 Hz while recording at full resolution and 60 frames per second; the bassist praised its light weight and field of view, though they had to look down more to see the frets and said it became warm. Only one person asked about the headset, and the bassist also suggested its display could show lyrics or sheet music.
In short
- Bassist filmed a Halloween gig through a Steam Frame headset.
- A power bank supported the full 45-minute performance.
- The headset could also display lyrics or sheet music.
Explained simply
Steam Frame is Valve’s virtual reality headset, a device worn over the eyes that can display digital images and record video. Its colour passthrough camera lets the wearer see the real world through the headset, with a camera view that can differ from what an audience sees.
A bassist plays the low-pitched instrument that helps provide a band’s rhythm and harmony. Thundercat is a musician known for playing bass, and “Them Changes” is one of his songs. Recording a gig from the performer’s point of view can show details such as their hands and instrument that are less visible in a conventional audience recording.
Headsets can also display useful information in the wearer’s view, such as lyrics or sheet music. Whether they are practical for a full performance depends on factors including comfort, heat, battery life and how easily the musician can see their instrument.