‘PianoCafe’ Engages Learners with a Creative Twist on Piano Lessons Through Gamification

As with diving into any new hobby, picking up the piano feels a bit like staring up a mountain when you’re just at the base. Daunting, right? So here’s this quirky indie dev, Plai Technologies, trying to make it fun, or, I guess, less intimidating with this mixed reality thing called PianoCafe.

Dropping onto Quest 2 and, uh, anything newer, come July 30th. This isn’t your typical “hit the note” game—like that one, what was it, PianoVision? Nah, this is like, turning your piano keys into ingredients for dishes. Yep, you play chords, you cook meals. Sounds bonkers, but stick with me.

Picture this: you’re a chef whipping up meals for ghost customers. Each chord is an ingredient. C major? That’s bread. F major flings some cheese your way. A minor gives you some meat for that sandwich you never knew you were making. G major tops it off with lettuce. Am I making sense, or are you as hungry as I am?

Now, PianoCafe isn’t your go-to for becoming a maestro. The folks at the studio say it’s for “curious minds and musical beginners.” So, warm-up those fingers, get that muscle memory going, and maybe before you know it, sheet music will look less like alien script.

Oh, and you’ll need a MIDI piano. The magic happens through your electric keyboard, with its 45 to 88 keys—MIDI detection makes sure of that. But, hey, their grand plan? The Quest cameras will eventually pick up on acoustic pianos too. No cables, just music.

While waiting for all this coolness, go ahead and wishlist it on the Horizon Store. July 30th’s your date with culinary music destiny. Bon appétit—or should I say, happy playing?