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December 5th, 2023

PianoVision App

PianoVision is a virtual reality (VR) app on the Meta Quest that teaches you how to play piano with hand tracking + mixed reality. There are currently over 1400+ songs and a multiplayer concert mode where you can invite friends to watch you play.

In order to maximize the potential of this app, it’s highly recommended that you get a keyboard for PianoVision.

The Best Keyboards for PianoVision

What keyboard do I need for PianoVision? You’ll need to look for a keyboard that supports “Musical Instrument Digital Interface” (MIDI). MIDI is a technical standard that allows electronic instruments to communicate with computers – very important for this, as it requires connecting to your VR headset or computer.

An 88 key keyboard will be able to play all songs, meanwhile a 61 key keyboard can play almost all songs. 61 keys is good if you’re trying to save money, but avoid anything with fewer keys than that.

1. Best Overall: Yamaha Portable Keyboard (PSRE473)

Yamaha PSRE473 for PianoVision

The Yamaha PSRE473 offers exceptional value for money, making this our number one pick for best keyboard for PianoVision. The sound quality is professional-grade, and it comes with a USB-B MIDI port, fully compatible with PianoVision.

All you need to do is connect the USB-B port to your headset (USB-C).

The only downsides to this keyboard are it’s large and not as portable as the other options. The price might also be out of range for some people.

Setup: Requires connecting USB-B to your Quest headset (USB-C).

Keyboard (check Amazon availability):

Which version to get? Get 61 keys and save your money – it should be enough for almost every song.

2. Best Budget Option: Vangoa Foldable 88-Key Keyboard

If you’re a hobbyist starting out, testing the waters with a cheap keyboard might be a good idea.

The Vangoa Foldable Keyboard is a good budget keyboard for PianoVision. It’s foldable and comes with a handbag, making it very convenient and portable. You can pack it up and take it out very easily.

The keys are semi-weighted, which offers decent resistance, making it feel closer to a real piano.

Vangoa Keyboard

The sound quality is decent for the price, but the speakers are low quality. I recommend generating the sound from external speakers or through your headset.

In terms of design – there are 3 colors to choose from: black, white and purple. They all look pretty good.

Setup: In order to use this keyboard, you’ll need 2 USB cables and a USB hub/multi-port adapter.

  1. Connect keyboard to USB hub.
  2. Connect Quest to USB hub.
  3. Connect USB hub to power.

You’ll need a USB-C to USB-A cable, a USB hub and a USB-C cable extension. Requirements:

Keyboard (from Amazon):

Cable:

Any USB-C to USB-A cable should work, as long as it’s not too short. The one I use.

Cable Extension:

Any USB-C cable extension should do the trick. The one I use.

USB Hub:

The one I use.

3. Cheapest Option: Blackstar 88-Key Portable Keyboard

Cheap Keyboard

This is the cheapest keyboard I could find for PianoVision, although there is technically a 49-key variant of this keyboard you could get for even cheaper. 49-key should still be able to play most songs.

This keyboard great for someone who isn’t serious about learning piano and just wants to have fun performing in VR. It’s portable and easy to use, however, being at this price point, there are a few downsides to keep in mind.

The keys aren’t full length/height, so you won’t get the same feeling as a real piano. They also make clicking sounds which can be annoying at first until you get used to them.

The sound quality isn’t great, but acceptable for the price.

However, what matters is it has MIDI support and is fully compatible with PianoVision.

Keyboard (Check availability on Amazon):

4. Best High-End: Yamaha P71 88-Key Digital Piano

The Yamaha P71 is a full 88-key keyboard with fully weighted keys and offers easy setup for PianoVision, requiring only a USB-C cable (although it doens’t have MIDI, USB gets the job done).

The keys provide a resistance that replicates the feel of an acoustic piano. The loudness of the note depends on how hard you hit the key and this is crucial for those who are very serious about learning piano and wanting to develop proper piano technique and expressiveness. 

As an 8th grade pianist, I’d say this keyboard comes very close to the real thing. In fact, I’ve tried some cheaper pianos that feel worse than this. The sound quality is also quite close to sounding like a real piano.

For those serious about learning to play piano, and plan on sticking with it for years on end, then the Yamaha P71 is my recommendation. For most people doing this just for fun, I wouldn’t recommend it simply because of the price. Save your money and go for one of the other keyboards.

Check price on Amazon

Ways to Connect Keyboard to PianoVision

There are two ways to connect your keyboard to PianoVision:

Method 1: Connecting Keyboard to Meta Quest via USB Cable

This is the easiest solution – all you need is a direct connection between your keyboard and Meta Quest 3. Not all keyboards come with the appropriate cable so you’ll need to purchase them separately.

Method 2: Connecting Keyboard to PC

Alternatively, you can download the PianoVision Desktop app to your computer, and connect your keyboard to the PC via USB cable.

Next, pair the PC to your Meta Quest by going into your VR headset’s piano app. You’ll need to Wi-Fi connect code from your headset.

Related: Learn the different types of USB cables.

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