These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser.
SPECIAL MENTION: Lots of creative artists are using augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR)—and plenty more would like to, if only the technology wasn’t so complicated. Enter Volta, an easy-to-use app that artists can use to edit and build their own mixed-reality environments to be streamed on Twitch or experienced via a VR platform. Volta, which is currently in beta and offered for free, also can be used to enhance live performances. One famous fan: electropop artist Imogen Heap, who live-streamed the creation of her music video Last Night Of An Empire. —Jason Cipriani
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Inside Elon Musk’s War on Washington
- Why Do More Young Adults Have Cancer?
- Colman Domingo Leads With Radical Love
- 11 New Books to Read in February
- How to Get Better at Doing Things Alone
- Cecily Strong on Goober the Clown
- Column: The Rise of America’s Broligarchy
- Introducing the 2025 Closers