‘PianoCafe’: A Creative Take on Gamifying Piano Lessons

Okay, so here’s the thing. Learning piano? Yeah, kinda scary at first. All those keys staring at you like, “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” But then, boom, this indie developer called Plai Technologies shows up with something wild. They’re cooking up this mixed reality app called PianoCafe. Sounds like a café where you order coffee with a side of Mozart, right? Nope, it’s an app dropping on Quest 2 and beyond come July 30th.

Now, if you’re thinking it’s another one of those ‘hit the right keys’ games, you might want to take a breather. This isn’t about turning tunes into beats. Nah, PianoCafe flips the script by making your piano keys… cooking ingredients. What? Yep, you heard me.

So check it out. You play as this short order chef, but instead of a spatula, you’ve got a piano. Play a chord and — bam! — you’ve got the ingredients for your otherworldly customers. Imagine hitting C major and suddenly, you’ve somehow made bread. F major? Cheese. A minor? Meat. G major? Lettuce. Who knew pianos could be this delicious, right?

To be fair, PianoCafe isn’t claiming to be the ultimate piano teacher. The people making it say it’s for curious folks and beginners — basically, folks who want to get comfy with a piano before diving into the deep, kinda scary waters of sheet music.

Oh! Important note here: you’ll need your own MIDI-compatible piano to play, ‘cause right now it’s kinda techno-magic with MIDI detection. But hang on, they’re working on making this thing work with Quest’s cameras soon, so maybe you can rock out on an old-school acoustic too, MIDI-free!

Anyway, if you’re curious (like, why wouldn’t you be?), you can wishlist this quirky thing on the Horizon Store for Quest 2 and upwards. Set your alarms — seriously, write it on a sticky note or something — for July 30th. Could be fun. Or at least, it won’t be boring!