Virtual reality has always been a medium that divides creatives. For some, it’s the future of storytelling, for others, it’s an overwhelming, almost alien technology, one that can never fully replace the intimacy of live performance or the tactile beauty of hand-crafted visuals. But whether you love it or approach it with caution, VR has undeniably created a space: it can transport you inside a video game, surround you in the middle of a film, or – most impressively – place you eye-to-eye with your favorite K-pop stars as well as other musicians from around the world.

That’s exactly what AMAZE VR has set out to do. With ENHYPEN VR Concert: IMMERSION, they didn’t just recreate a live show in headset form; they built an entirely new performance world designed for VR alone. One moment you’re standing in an office as walls shatter around you, the next you’re soaring above a rooftop storm, before finally descending into a flower field where the group performs their closing song.

To understand what it takes to make a one-hour VR concert that feels intimate and spectacular at the same time, we spoke with the team behind IMMERSION. In our conversation, AMAZE VR shared how they worked with ENHYPEN and their management to combine choreography with VR-specific camera work, developed proprietary tools to achieve 12K clarity, and carefully designed the pacing to keep fans close without causing motion sickness. It’s a concert that expands what VR can do and lets fans experience K-pop like never before.

View of the Arts: When AmazeVR first approached the idea of an ENHYPEN VR concert, what was the guiding creative vision? Were you aiming to replicate a live show or to create something that only VR could deliver?

AMAZE VR: We began discussing the show concept and creative direction in late November 2024. As you know, ENHYPEN is a group with a very distinctive universe and storytelling. So rather than simply replicating a live concert, our aim was to weave VR-specific possibilities into ENHYPEN’s world. The goal was to actively include moments that would be impossible in a live show – for example, walls shattering with debris flying toward the audience, standing on a rooftop under thunder and lightning, or soaring through the sky to watch the performance in a field of blooming flowers. At the same time, we wanted to deliver something fans can’t get from a music video or livestream: the vivid feeling of having the artist right in front of you.

VOA: The concert moves from office to factory to rooftop, almost like a narrative journey from night to day. How intentional was that progression, and how did you balance music-video aesthetics with concert continuity?

AMAZE VR: When we designed the flow of the show, we wanted it to begin with a mysterious, cool atmosphere and gradually transition into something more beautiful and heartfelt for the fans. Since ENHYPEN’s charm lies not only in their powerful performances but also in the warmth they share with their fans, we wanted the concert’s progression to reflect that. The journey takes you through mysterious corridors into an office for No Doubt, then breaks into an abandoned construction site for Daydream. From there, you move through the air ducts to the rooftop for XO, Sweet Venom, and No Doubt – and finally, you break through the sky to arrive in a heaven-like flower field where the members perform Highway 1009 and deliver handwritten messages to their fans, closing with Paranormal. We also incorporated a few visual elements and motifs from ENHYPEN’s music videos, not as simple references but as moments of fan service. The idea was to give viewers a sense of recognition and joy when they encounter scenes they already love – while still experiencing them in a completely new, immersive way in VR.

VOA: What specific breakthroughs in Unreal Engine or camera technology allowed you to achieve the 12K ultra-HD clarity and that sense of “breathing the same air” with the artists?

AMAZE VR: Using Unreal Engine was a big breakthrough because it allowed us to save significant time in both creating and rendering the VR CG environments. Since all of our backgrounds also had to be produced in ultra-high-quality 8K stereo, Unreal gave our directors and VFX team the ability to preview visuals quickly, make adjustments in real time, and ensure that the final result stayed close to the original creative intent despite tight schedules.

There’s no built-in way in Unreal to render directly in 8K stereo for VR, so we actually developed our own renderer. The challenge with VR is that if the quality drops or any noise is visible, the viewer immediately realizes it’s “just video,” which breaks immersion. That’s why we invest heavily in R&D to achieve the highest clarity possible. While I can’t go into detail since it’s part of our core technology, I can share that we use AI to upscale our 8K stereo footage to 12K, then compress it back down using a custom encoder so it can be played smoothly in 8K within the headset. We also built our own VR player from the ground up, with a custom projection system designed specifically to handle these massive video files. That combination of AI enhancement, proprietary rendering and encoding, and a custom playback system is what makes it possible to deliver that ultra-HD clarity and the feeling that you’re “breathing the same air” as the artists.

VOA: Many VR users, myself included, can feel disoriented or even nauseous. How did you design the camera movement, framing, and pacing to keep viewers comfortable while still creating such intimate closeness?

AMAZE VR: Because our target audience isn’t VR gamers but K-pop fans – many of whom have little VR experience – even small or abrupt movements can cause discomfort. On the other hand, if we design camera work only to avoid motion sickness, the experience becomes dull and uninspiring. Striking the right balance was the biggest challenge. I often compare camera movement in VR to designing a ride at an amusement park. No matter how popular a ride is, some people will inevitably feel motion sickness. If we lower the intensity too much just to avoid that, all we’re left with is something as safe, but also as boring, as a carousel. That’s not the kind of thrilling, intimate experience we want to create. For our shows, we avoid camera rotations, like roll or tilt, because the brain detects those shifts immediately, and that’s when nausea sets in. Instead, we plan carefully. First, we shoot rehearsal videos of the choreography. Then we use AI to map each artist’s movements and run countless simulations with a virtual camera. This allows us to refine the path and pacing until we find the most balanced approach, one that feels exciting and close, but still comfortable for the viewer.

VOA: The virtual light stick and finger-heart features mimic live-concert fan interaction. What were the biggest technical or creative hurdles in integrating those interactive layers smoothly?

AMAZE VR: There were a few major challenges in planning and implementing those interactions. From a technical perspective, we’re running very heavy hi-res 8K stereo video, and at the same time the real-time engine has to render fanlights, hands, and finger-heart effects without stuttering. Because image quality is our top priority, the computing power available for 6DoF objects and effects inside the headset is always limited. We deal with this through constant optimization—and of course, we’re also looking forward to more powerful VR hardware becoming available. From a fan-interaction standpoint, the challenge goes beyond simply making something work. As you mentioned, we draw inspiration from gestures that fans actually use at live concerts, but our real goal is to design interactions that feel meaningful—something that creates a sense of connection with the artist and adds genuine fun to the experience.

VOA: How involved were ENHYPEN and their management in shaping the sets, choreography angles, and the direct-to-camera moments that feel so personal?

AMAZE VR: From the very beginning, we collaborated closely with the label to shape the look of each stage and the visual effects that would appear. For choreography and movement, it was essential to adapt everything to the VR space, so we collaborated closely with both the management team and ENHYPEN themselves. We first filmed rehearsal runs of the choreography with adjusted blocking for VR, then used that footage to design the virtual camera paths.

Throughout that process, we had in-depth discussions with the label to fine-tune how each scene would be captured. On set, we rehearsed with ENHYPEN and made adjustments to movements and positions in real time. We emphasized to the members that while choreography is critical, the most important element in VR is direct engagement with the camera—the audience. The members embraced this direction wholeheartedly, and that’s why those eye contact and interaction moments feel so authentic and personal.

VOA: ENHYPEN’s choreography is very precise. What did you learn about filming dance for VR that differs from traditional music-video or concert shoots?

AMAZE VR: One of the biggest challenges in filming ENHYPEN’s choreography for VR was fatigue – because we try to minimize cuts and shoot in long, often one-take sequences. To manage that, we ran many simulations and rehearsals in advance, so that on the actual shoot, we could usually capture the “OK” take within two or three tries. In traditional music videos or concert films, you can rely on cuts and framing to shift quickly between close-ups and wide shots. In VR, however, the viewer essentially becomes the camera. If the visuals switch too abruptly, it can cause motion sickness or make the experience feel like just another flat video. That’s why we put so much emphasis on pre-planning: aligning choreography key points and camera pacing so that close moments with each member feel natural, immersive, and comfortable to watch.

VOA: K-pop relies heavily on the emotional closeness between idols and fans. How do you think VR will reshape that relationship compared to live tours or traditional livestreams?

AMAZE VR: I see VR concerts as something different from live tours or livestreams – almost like a special gift created just for fans. At the same time, VR screenings in theaters have their own unique charm, because you can share the moment with other fans while still experiencing an intimacy that isn’t possible at a real concert. Even just the ability to be face-to-face with your favorite artist at an impossibly close distance creates a unique and lasting memory. And unlike a livestream, where you’re simply watching a screen, VR lets you step into the artist’s world with a level of immersion that feels alive. My hope is that this will become an entirely new kind of content that gives fans experiences they’ve never had before.

VOA: Having created immersive shows for artists from Megan Thee Stallion to ENHYPEN, what next-generation VR tools or creative directions excite you most for future concerts?

AMAZE VR: What I’m most looking forward to is the next generation of VR headsets. As I mentioned earlier, once we have more powerful standalone devices, we’ll be able to go beyond ultra-high-definition video and integrate real-time objects and interactions much more deeply into the show. Another limitation today is the weight of the headsets – audiences often start to feel fatigue after 35 to 40 minutes. As the hardware evolves and head-mounted displays become lighter, I believe we’ll be able to design and direct longer shows without sacrificing comfort. That opens up exciting possibilities for the future of VR concerts.

Written and interviewed by Maggie Gogler

Featured image courtesy of AMAZE VR

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to films, music, and the arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. With rich content already available to our readers, we aim to expand our reach and grow alongside our audience by delving deeper into emerging platforms such as K-pop and Asian music more broadly. At the same time, we remain committed to exploring the vibrant and ever-evolving global landscape of film, music, and the arts, celebrating the immense talent and creativity that define these industries worldwide.}