Sunday, June 30, 2019
Friday, June 28, 2019
Report: ‘Borderlands 2 VR’ Gets ESRB Rating for PC, Suggesting Nearby Launch
Borderlands 2 VR (2018) landed on PSVR late last year, although Gearbox Software made it clear at launch that it was going to be a timed exclusive, with a minimum of five months given to PlayStation. Now, it appears a Windows PC version of the game has just gotten its ESRB rating, putting it one step closer to PC VR headset users.
As first reported by UploadVR, Twitter user ‘Wario64’ broke the news during E3 2019 that Borderlands 2 VR for Windows PC had garnered an ‘M’ rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).
Borderlands 2 VR (PC) rated by ESRB pic.twitter.com/WBvzqdVG8r
— Wario64 (@Wario64) June 14, 2019
The ESRB website doesn’t show this rating specifically at the time of this writing; it only lists the rating for the previous PlayStation 4 version. Twitter user Wario64 has generally been a reliable source for leaks however, and considering the game’s release on PC VR was all but confirmed by the studio itself even before launch on PSVR, the supposed rating is decidedly credible, if not a complete banality to anyone not following the space.
Admittedly, we weren’t too impressed with Borderlands 2 VR on PSVR, giving it a tepid [5.9/10] on our linear grading scale. Road to VR’s Ben Lang reviewed the game on PSVR when it launched in December 2018, saying that while it technically works in VR, it still hasn’t managed to escape the feeling of being an outright port. On top of that, there’s no co-op mode, no DLC, no VR-specific interactions, middling graphics, and a gamepad-first design.
Although it’s since gotten a few quality of life updates, bringing with it support for PS Aim and improved shooting for all controller types, it’ll be interesting to see if Gearbox takes the opportunity to iron out more of the other gripe-worthy issues we saw on PSVR for the PC VR release.
The post Report: ‘Borderlands 2 VR’ Gets ESRB Rating for PC, Suggesting Nearby Launch appeared first on Road to VR.
Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/borderlands-2-vr-pc-rating/
‘Space Junkies’ Update Brings New Map, Modes, Training Bots & More
Space Junkies (2019), the zero-G VR shooter from Ubisoft, just got its ‘Episode 3’ update, which adds a host of fresh content to the game on all supported platforms, including PC VR headsets and PSVR.
Announced on the Oculus blog, Ubisoft’s Montpellier studio has added a new map to the game called ‘The Jail’, an abandoned alien prison facility. The Jail is now the game’s largest interior map, including multiple levels and cover options.
As for new modes, Space Junkies now has a new 3v3 mode as well as something called ‘Chivalry mode’, which focuses on a new mid/long-range precision bow and arrow weapon.
Ubisoft says you can choose to let off three arrows from your quiver or pull back on the bow longer to merge your shots into a single laser arrow for a more powerful punch. Chivalry mode also limits your equipment to ratchet up the challenge.
“Chivalry was inspired by one of our Gameplay Programmers who likes to Cosplay and play with medieval swords,” explains Ubisoft producer Adrian Lacey. “Players enjoyed close quarter combat in our spherical battlespaces, so we decided to take it a step further by adding the ‘Bowminator’ to increase skill level, encourage precision shooting, and add a tactical layer.”
A new character called the Mental Mollusk is also now available, a member of the Quantic Calamari family.
Space Junkies, once a multiplayer-only game, now has training bots, which finally lets you hone your skills on your lonesome. Ubisoft has added three difficulty modes. You’ll also be able to fight bots while you wait for multiplayer matches to queue up.
Space Junkies is currently 62% off through Steam (Index, Rift, Vive, Windows VR) and the Oculus Store (Rift). The discount lasts until July 9th. The game is also priced at $20 through the PS Store for PSVR.
If you’re looking for an closer look at Space Junkies, check out our in-depth review to find out why we gave it a solid [7.7/10].
The post ‘Space Junkies’ Update Brings New Map, Modes, Training Bots & More appeared first on Road to VR.
Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/space-junkies-update-brings-new-map-modes-training-bots/
Thursday, June 27, 2019
Survios CTO to Teach Full Semester VR Development Course in a Virtual Classroom
Survios, the studio behind a host of VR games such as Raw Data (2017), Sprint Vector (2018) and Creed: Rise to Glory (2018), has been a stalwart pioneer of the medium since the birth of consumer VR. Now, Survios CTO and co-founder Alex Silkin is set to share his experience by teaching a full semester course on expert-level Unreal Engine VR development. Plenty of high-profile industry pros will also be available too as mentors.
What’s more, the course will be taught in VR, so you can connect remotely and learn from Silkin—virtual face to virtual face.
“We’ll meet twice a week in virtual classrooms and build amazing virtual reality content together,” Silkin explains. “I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with VR since 2012 and contribute to the development of many innovative VR systems over these years. I want to share my experience with the community to make it easier for newcomers to break into the VR industry. I am beyond excited to help students invent their solutions for the still relatively untamed landscape of VR development.”
Although the full semester course is priced at just under $2,500, there are also scholarship opportunities for exceptional students. Axon Park has partnered with VR First, an organization which maintains a network of international VR lab-enabled universities and science parks; the partnership will provide needs-based scholarships to get students either low-cost or free access to VR hardware and resources through their partner network of 850 universities.
Prior to Silkin’s course, Axon Park ran the first remote in-VR class at the MIT Media Lab to explore teaching and learning in social VR classrooms. The class focused on VR Development with Unity and was taught remotely by an instructor in LA with students split between two buildings on the MIT campus.
Here’s some of the basic course info, although check out the course website for the full details and application process.
Course Specifics
- Course Name: Unreal Engine VR Master Class
- Duration: 14 weeks (September 4 – December 11, 2019 – current dates with MIT fall semester).
- Frequency: 2 times per week in VR.
- Target Student Demographic: Expert-level Unity (or other game engine) developers who want to master Unreal Engine 4 for VR.
- Prerequisites: Game engine development experience (Unity preferred), 3D linear algebra, C++, visual studio (or similar), and Github (or similar). Must have access to VR ready PC and Oculus Rift or Rift S (hardware access scholarships available at selected destinations through partnership with VR First).
- Curriculum: The course is project-based and designed to help you build a stellar portfolio piece from scratch. Classes are designed to help you learn the core concepts, while providing ample time for project work and support from your instructor and mentors. More details can be found on the syllabus.
- Select mentors: Nick Whiting (Technical Director at Epic Games, Unreal Engine), Ray Davis (creator of Robo Recall, previously ran Unreal Engine), Jacki Morie (Previously at NASA, Disney, DARPA, Board of Advisors Axon Park), Ron Millar (Chief Creative Officer at VRChat, founding team of Blizzard), Oculus founders, and numerous other industry professionals
- Tuition: $2,495
- Scholarship opportunities: Needs-based scholarships will be provided to exceptional students to foster inclusion and diversity in the class.
- Inclusivity & Equality: Neutral avatars will be used in the admissions process and virtual classrooms to reduce unconscious and conscious student and teacher bias and equalize opportunity.
- Additional Features: Dedicated networking with VR industry’s top professionals, career coaching, Virtual Field Trips “VFTs” to explore other social VR enabled tools, like MasterpieceVR, and a virtual job fair where top companies will setup virtual booths to meet the students. Axon Park Alumni are invited to meet IRL after graduation with XR Nomads.
The post Survios CTO to Teach Full Semester VR Development Course in a Virtual Classroom appeared first on Road to VR.
Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/survios-cto-vr-master-class-2019/
Pimax WITHOUT Base Stations? - My TOP 7 BEST VR Experiences you SHOULD TRY!
Do you have a Pimax VR headset without lighthouses or base stations for VR tracking? Here are my top 7 picks of the best VR experiences to try on your Pimax 5K+, 5K XR or 8K that you can play without using the SteamVR lighthouse tracking! My Top 7 Best VR experiences on Pimax without base stations are based on my own opinions and experiences of course, and may be different than yours. All recordings of gameplay in this video were taken while playing on Pimax 5K+ withourt using any basestations or lighthouses at all. Are you interested in getting a Pimax? Get the Pimax 5K+ for only $579.10 with the 15% off PLUS also $50 OFF coupon using my link below! Also, the Pimax 5K XR OLED and 8K is down at $737.55. - Get your Pimax VR headset here with $50 OFF: http://pimaxvr.com/sweviver Video timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:04 How does Pimax tracking systems work? 03:09 #1 VR Simulators 05:43 #2 Watching movies in VR 07:10 #3 Desktop Work in VR 08:08 #4 Play any PC Game in VR 09:09 #5 Play non-VR games in VR with VorpX 10:01 #6 Native VR games: 10:14 Best VR Game Pick #1: Hellblade VR 11:06 Best VR Game Pick #2: Subnautica VR 12:00 Best VR Game Pick #3: Alien Isolation VR 13:03 Best VR Game Pick #4: Yooka Laylee VR 14:01 Best VR Game Pick #5: Ghost Of A Tale 14:44 Best VR Game Pick #6: Luckys Tale 15:30 Best VR Game Pick #7: Infinite Minigolf 16:12 #6 Ad_lt VR content 16:41 Conclusion and ending words Useful links from the video: Yooka Laylee VR mod: https://github.com/Eusth/VookaRaylee Alien Isolation VR mod: https://github.com/Nibre/MotherVR/releases Ghost Of A Tale VR mod tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMiiQgxeMew Pimax 5K XR First look in-depth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5Clnp1afIU Pimax wide FOV in VR Simulators (comparison) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PwLVEcNydQ Pimax 8K X specifications: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdLtsjX0dPI How to get smooth framerate in VR Simulators on Pimax: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhAH59r7JUI Thanks for watching guys, make sure to subscribe and stay tuned for the next video! #Top7 #VR #Experience #Pimax #BaseStations
Play ‘Firewall Zero Hour’ for Free This Weekend, Double XP for Current Owners
Got a PSVR and a PS Plus account? Then you’ll be able to play the tactical team shooter Firewall Zero Hour (2018) for free this weekend, going from June 28th to 30th.
For users that already own the game, developing studio First Contact Entertainment is also simultaneously holding a Double XP weekend, giving pretty much everyone an incentive to jump in and fill up the servers.
There’s a good reason too: ever since the game’s ‘Nightfall’ update, which brought a number of critical changes to the game including microtransactions and weekly challenges, some users have probably fallen off the wagon due to the new multiplayer implementation that requires individual users to strive after their own set of goals.
First Contact Entertainment game director Damoun Shabestari says in a PS blog post that many of the issues experienced in squad and matchmaking have been solved in the 1.26 Patch, and that the studio hopes to keep users engaged.
“It has been a process, this buildout of a reliable and robust platform — one that will set us up for future growth, improvements, and content rollouts,” Shabestari says. “We hope where we take the game from here exceeds your expectations and rewards your continued commitment.”
If you haven’t had a chance to play, Firewall Zero Hour was released in August 2018 to much fanfare; it not only drummed up strong support with PSVR owners by offering one of the first classic team-based shooters on the platform, but also took a prime spot in a PS Aim hardware bundle at the time too. It also supports PS Move, and boasts a continuously growing number of maps that 4v4 teams can duke it out in—one team defends while the other infiltrates. The game typically costs $40, so it’s definitely worth jumping in for free while you can.
The post Play ‘Firewall Zero Hour’ for Free This Weekend, Double XP for Current Owners appeared first on Road to VR.
Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/firewall-zero-hour-free-weekend-2019/
Shake & Squeeze Robot Hands in Aperture Hand Lab - Valve Index Controllers & Pimax 5K+ Gameplay
Meet some interesting robots in Aperture Hand Lab and try out all the Valve Index Controllers capabilities in this VR demo. ► Check out our VR equipment → https://www.amazon.com/shop/caschary ► Subscribe to join our VR adventures! → https://goo.gl/bSJ6L8 Aperture Hand Labs is a game made by Cloudhead Games. Developers of the beautiful puzzle VR game, The Gallery. This game is also published by Valve and the name already says it, it is set in the Aperture Science lab which is the lab from the Portal games. This game is supposed to let you try out everything the Valve Index Controllers are capable of. It sounds awesome to me, so let’s check it out. Our Valve Index should arrive soon! So stay tuned for more Valve Index videos. LINKS ► Play Aperture Hand Lab for free here → https://store.steampowered.com/app/868020/Aperture_Hand_Lab/ ► Get the Pimax 5K+ here → http://bit.ly/2RrzOhX ($50 discount code "CasAndChary") ► Get the Valve Index controllers here → https://www.valvesoftware.com/en/index/controllers SUPPORT US ► Become our Patron (includes exclusive rewards) → https://www.patreon.com/casandchary ► Become a Sponsor on YouTube (includes rewards, like a Champion's badge next to your name) → https://goo.gl/8Ji5dp ► VRcovers for your headset → https://goo.gl/U3ZSRD ► WidmoVR prescription lens adapters for your headset → http://bit.ly/2VOlrtD (5% discount code: "CAS&CHARY") ► Studioform VR head strap against front-heaviness → http://bit.ly/2W7eu6v (5% discount code: "CAS&CHARY") ► Play PC VR games with your Quest → https://go.riftcat.com/casandchary (10% discount code: "JWGTCASCHARY") OUR EQUIPMENT - Our microphone (ModMic Wireless) → https://amzn.to/2MQF0tC - Our VR equipment → https://www.amazon.com/shop/caschary - More info here → https://casandchary.com/vr-equipment/ SOCIAL MEDIA 💬 Join our Discord → https://discord.gg/YH52W2k 💬 Twitter → https://twitter.com/CasandChary 💬 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/casandchary/ 💬 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/casandchary/ A special thanks to these Patreon Champs for their amazing support: - artArmin - Baxorn - Fleef - Olemartinorg - Studioform VR - Wintceas - Andy - Albert - Ben P. - James - D Coetzee VR on! - Cas and Chary VR DISCLAIMER - Links in this description may contain affiliate links. You don't have to use them but if you do, a small referral fee will go to this channel supporting the content. #valveindexcontrollers #aperturehandlab #aperturehandlabs
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Steam Summer Sale Brings Big Savings to Top VR Titles
Summer isn’t the best time to strap a black video box to your face, but it’s a great time to buy up all the top VR titles at a deep discount.
Starting today and continuing to July 9th, the Steam Summer Sale is slashing prices on practically all of the top VR titles on the platform.
Before we head into the chart of our top picks, make sure to check out Steam’s VR Essentials Bundle, which includes eight top games with an added 15% discount on top of it, bringing it to $93. That gets you Space Pirate Trainer, Job Simulator, Thumper, Budget Cuts, Sairento VR, GORN, Superhot VR, and Arizona Sunshine—great if you’re looking to get into VR and don’t know how to empty your wallet first.
Without further ado, here’s our top selection of discounted games:
Under $15
| Title | % off | MSRP | Sale Price |
| Accounting+ | -60% | $11.99 | $4.79 |
| Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes | -67% | $14.99 | $4.94 |
| Thumper | -75% | $19.99 | $4.99 |
| PAYDAY 2: Ultimate Edition | -93% | $80.33 | $5.48 |
| Pavlov VR | -40% | $9.99 | $5.99 |
| DiRT Rally | -80% | $39.99 | $7.99 |
| Space Pirate Trainer | -40% | $14.99 | $8.99 |
| In Death | -70% | $29.99 | $8.99 |
| Obduction | -70% | $29.99 | $8.99 |
| The Forest | -40% | $19.99 | $11.99 |
| Star Trek: Bridge Crew | -70% | $39.99 | $11.99 |
| Duck Season | -35% | $19.99 | $12.99 |
| Arizona Sunshine | -63% | $39.99 | $14.79 |
| Space Junkies | -63% | $39.99 | $14.79 |
| SUPERHOT VR | -40% | $24.99 | $14.99 |
| GORN | -25% | $19.99 | $14.99 |
| Budget Cuts | -50% | $29.99 | $14.99 |
| Job Simulator | -25% | $19.99 | $14.99 |
| Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality | -50% | $29.99 | $14.99 |
| Project CARS 2 | -75% | $59.99 | $14.99 |
| Onward | -40% | $24.99 | $14.99 |
| DOOM VFR | -50% | $29.99 | $14.99 |
| The Mage’s Tale | -50% | $29.99 | $14.99 |
Above $15
| Title | % off | MSRP | Sale Price |
| Raw Data | -60% | $39.99 | $15.99 |
| CROTEAM VR Bundle | -92% | $199.95 | $16.95 |
| Subnautica | -30% | $24.99 | $17.49 |
| I Expect You To Die | -30% | $24.99 | $17.49 |
| Elite Dangerous: Commander Deluxe Edition | -70% | $59.99 | $17.99 |
| Creed: Rise to Glory | -40% | $29.99 | $17.99 |
| BOXVR | -35% | $29.99 | $19.49 |
| Moss | -34% | $29.99 | $19.79 |
| Sairento VR | -30% | $29.99 | $20.99 |
| Windlands 2 | -25% | $29.99 | $22.49 |
| The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR | -50% | $59.99 | $29.99 |
| Fallout 4 VR | -50% | $59.99 | $29.99 |
| X-Plane 11 | -34% | $59.99 | $39.59 |
The post Steam Summer Sale Brings Big Savings to Top VR Titles appeared first on Road to VR.
Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/steam-summer-sale-2019-top-vr-titles/
EXPLORING A NEW ZONE! - OrbusVR: Reborn & Review (Part 5 on Oculus Quest & Rift S)
Don't forget to enter our giveaway! Today, we venture further towards the Lamavora Battlegrounds. At the end, we give you our OrbusVR: Reborn final thoughts in the review. ► Check out our VR equipment → https://www.amazon.com/shop/caschary ► Subscribe to join our VR adventures! → https://goo.gl/bSJ6L8 This is the LAST episode of our OrbusVR: Reborn series. In this last video, we show you one of the new areas: the Lamavora Battlegrounds. We'll show you the different enemies there, the public events and we try to finish one of the main story quests. After the hard work, we do something more relaxing... fishing. LINKS Enter the giveaway here → https://gleam.io/EQLti/cas-and-charys-orbusvr-reborn-key-giveaway Get OrbusVR: Reborn here (cross-buy supported) → https://orbusvr.com/ WATCH THE PREVIOUS EPISODES! ► Part 1 (Introduction: Quest + Rift S Cross-Play) → http://bit.ly/orbusvr-part1 ► Part 2 (Public Events & Missions) → http://bit.ly/orbusvr-part2 ► Part 3 (Dungeons & Quest + Rift S Cross-Play) → http://bit.ly/orbusvr-part3 ► Part 4 (Dragon Breeding & Racing on Quest + Rift S) → http://bit.ly/orbusvr-part4 TIMELINE Throughout the video, we try to finish a story quest while getting distracted, A LOT! :D 00:00 - Intro 00:50 - Highsteppe - Teleportation stone + Today's story quest 02:21 - Lamavora Battlegrounds - Public event 1 04:20 - Lamavora Battlegrounds - Public event 2 05:39 - Lamavora Battlegrounds - How to die to a Boss (Chaos Giant) 06:15 - Lamavora Battlegrounds - Finding the first Quest monster 07:39 - Lamavora Battlegrounds - Public event 3 08:50 - Lamavora Battlegrounds - Finding the second Quest monster 10:05 - Having fun in the Flooded Rainforest 10:57 - How to fish in OrbusVR 13:56 - Final Thoughts on OrbusVR: Reborn 16:20 - Outro + Giveaway Announcement + Bloopers Support us by buying from our affiliate links *: Oculus Quest (US) - https://amzn.to/2H5ECGx Oculus Quest (UK) - https://amzn.to/2Jip6Zg Oculus Quest (NL) - http://bit.ly/2QlCpd2 (Coolblue) Oculus Rift S (US) - https://amzn.to/2Wn20HQ Oculus Rift S (UK) - https://amzn.to/2HOmcci Oculus Rift S (NL) - http://bit.ly/2F8uCdZ (Coolblue) * A small referral fee will go to the channel, supporting the content at no extra cost to you. If you use it, thank you very much. SUPPORT US ► Become our Patron (includes exclusive rewards) → https://www.patreon.com/casandchary ► Become a Sponsor on YouTube (includes rewards, like a Champion's badge next to your name) → https://goo.gl/8Ji5dp ► VRcovers for your headset → https://goo.gl/U3ZSRD ► WidmoVR prescription lens adapters for your headset → http://bit.ly/2VOlrtD (5% discount code: "CAS&CHARY") ► Studioform VR head strap against front-heaviness → http://bit.ly/2W7eu6v (5% discount code: "CAS&CHARY") ► Play PC VR games with your Quest → https://go.riftcat.com/casandchary (10% discount code: "JWGTCASCHARY") OUR EQUIPMENT - Chary's microphone (ModMic Wireless) → https://amzn.to/2MQF0tC - Our VR equipment → https://www.amazon.com/shop/caschary - More info here → https://casandchary.com/vr-equipment/ SOCIAL MEDIA 💬 Join our Discord → https://discord.gg/YH52W2k 💬 Twitter → https://twitter.com/CasandChary 💬 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/casandchary/ 💬 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/casandchary/ A special thanks to these Patreon Champs for their amazing support: - artArmin - Baxorn - Fleef - Olemartinorg - Studioform VR - Wintceas - Andy - Albert - Ben P. - James - D Coetzee VR on! - Cas and Chary VR DISCLAIMER - Links in this description may contain affiliate links. You don't have to use them but if you do, a small referral fee will go to this channel supporting the content. #oculusquest #oculusrifts #orbusvr #vrmmo
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
‘Onward’ for Quest Confirmed to Feature Cross-play with PC VR
Onward, the first-person mil-sim shooter for PC VR, is heading to Quest at some point—that’s what Downpour Interactive founder Dante Buckley announced back at the ESL VR League Season three championship earlier this month. Now, Buckley says the studio is currently also developing Onward to be cross-play compatible with PC VR headsets too.
In a video spotlight with VR League (linked below), Buckley announced that the full consumer release of Onward will feature custom maps, and map building tools so users can recreate whatever maps they’ve always wanted to play in the team-based shooter.
Buckley further says that Onward will also feature a ranking system, something the Early Access game has lacked in spite of its dedicated fanbase.
It’s uncertain how Downpour will implement cross-play between Quest and PC VR headsets and whether the custom map builder will be available on all platforms. In contrast to the VR shooter Pavlov, which is also consequently headed to Quest, Onward’s fist-party map builder might help ensure that the entire game is playable for all platforms. Pavlov relies on Steam Workshop for its user-generated content, which would necessarily fragment the maps available to its playerbase.
We’ve asked Downpour for comment on how the map builder will work between Quest and PC VR, and will update this piece when we hear back.
The post ‘Onward’ for Quest Confirmed to Feature Cross-play with PC VR appeared first on Road to VR.
Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/onward-quest-confirmed-feature-cross-play-pc-vr/
Sci-fi Shooter ‘Scraper: First Strike’ to Launch on PSVR Next Month
Scraper: First Strike (2018) landed on PC VR headsets late last year. Now, Labrodex Studios say the standalone sci-fi shooter is headed to PSVR on July 2nd.
Based on the original IP by Jim Ivon and the novel by Ryder Windham (Scraper: The Rise of Cifer), the game takes place in the future megacity of New Austin, Texas and centers around a war against renegade robots that have taken over the city’s high-rise skyscraper complexes.
If you’re looking for more backstory than that, the studio has included the novel for free for PSVR owners as in e-format book. Funnily enough, the game also includes the novel in-game, so you can sit in the cockpit of your mech and read the source material with the whole world around you.
Scraper: First Strike features fully voiced characters, detailed and dynamic mission system with full locomotion and an open world to explore based on levels in Reactor Building 03. Unlike other shooters, the game’s locomotion system is based on a sort of hovercraft mech, otherwise known as a Modified Hover Pod (MHP). Schematics, scrap, and parts are littered throughout the game so you can apply upgrades as you go.
The PSVR version is said to include 30 unique achievements, and support for PSVR peripherals such as AIM, Move, DualShock and 3dRudder.
We haven’t had a chance to play Scraper: First Strike, however it currently rates a ‘Positive’ user rating on Steam, and a [3.9/5] on the Oculus Store.
The post Sci-fi Shooter ‘Scraper: First Strike’ to Launch on PSVR Next Month appeared first on Road to VR.
Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/scraper-first-strike-launch-psvr-early-july/
Monday, June 24, 2019
‘Catan VR’ to Launch on PSVR Tomorrow, Cross-play with “major VR platforms”
After launching on PC VR & Oculus mobile VR headsets last year, Catan VR is finally making its way to PSVR.
The VR version of the 1995 classic board game Settlers of Catan first launched on the Oculus Store for Gear VR and Rift in March 2018, with Oculus Go support arriving shortly afterwards when the mobile headset launched back in May 2018. A version for Vive, Rift, and Windows VR came via Steam a few months later.
Starting June 25th, PSVR users will get a chance to jump in too, playing the game in an immersive online environment. Thankfully the game promises crossplay with “all major VR platforms.”
Described as “true to the classic but optimized for virtual reality,” Catan VR was developed by VR studio Experiment 7 in partnership with Klaus Teuber and his sons Guido and Benjamin, along with the Catan and Asmodee Digital teams. The board game takes place in a virtual room with views of the island of Catan itself through the windows.
“The absolute best part about Catan on PS VR is the sense of social presence you get when you jump into a game with friends or online opponents,” says Experiment 7 founder Geoffrey Zatkin.
“Catan VR has a broad vocabulary of game experiences and the excitement of a great roll, the frustration of getting robbed, or the satisfaction of landing a big trade is really evident in the myriad micro-movements that you see other players exhibiting throughout the game.”
Catan VR offers both online multiplayer games as well as solo AI-based matches. According to a PS blog post, Experiment 7 worked directly with Klaus Teuber and his team to develop AI players that both “provide challenging tactical opponents at every difficulty level, but also express the canonical personalities that have made other versions of Catan so compelling.”
There’s no pricing info available just yet, although the game currently sells for $15 on Steam and the Oculus Store for Rift, and $10 on Gear VR/Oculus Go, so we expect pricing to hover somewhere around those two points.
The post ‘Catan VR’ to Launch on PSVR Tomorrow, Cross-play with “major VR platforms” appeared first on Road to VR.
Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/catan-vr-launches-psvr-tomorrow-trailer/
Saturday, June 22, 2019
High-Fidelity Hand Presence in A Township Tale with the Valve Index Controllers & the Pimax 5K+
A Township Tale is a free multiplayer RPG VR game and it has full Valve Index Controllers support. We are checking it out along with the Pimax 5K Plus. ► Check out our VR equipment → https://www.amazon.com/shop/caschary ► Subscribe to join our VR adventures! → https://goo.gl/bSJ6L8 Welcome to our weekly Virtual Reality live stream! Usually, our live stream is centered around one topic, but you can come to ask us anything. Or just come hang out and discover the beautiful worlds of VR with us. Our live stream schedule is every Friday at 9 PM CEST (GMT+2). From today's live stream: ► Get A Township Tale here → https://townshiptale.com/ ► Get the Pimax 5K+ here → http://bit.ly/2RrzOhX ($50 discount code "CasAndChary") ► Get the Valve Index controllers here → https://www.valvesoftware.com/en/index/controllers SUPPORT US Subscribing and watching our videos is by far the BIGGEST support you can give us. However, if you want to do more - you can also become a booster or our champion! All donations will go to improving the channel. BUY US A DRINK & BOOST THE CHANNEL ► One-time donation → https://goo.gl/BM3zV7 BECOME A CHAMPION ► Become a Patron on Patreon (includes exclusive rewards) → https://goo.gl/5Bp3FW ► Become a Sponsor on YouTube (rewards and get a Champion's badge on YouTube chat) → https://goo.gl/8Ji5dp DISCOUNT CODES & AFFILIATE LINKS ► VRcovers for your headset → https://goo.gl/U3ZSRD ► WidmoVR prescription lens adapters for your headset → http://bit.ly/2VOlrtD (5% discount code: "CAS&CHARY") ► Studioform VR head strap against front-heaviness → http://bit.ly/2W7eu6v (5% discount code: "CAS&CHARY") ► Play PC VR games with your Quest → https://go.riftcat.com/casandchary (10% discount code: "JWGTCASCHARY") ► Pimax 5K+ → http://bit.ly/2RrzOhX ($50 discount code "CasAndChary") OUR SPECS - Our lavalier mic (COMICA wireless) → https://amzn.to/315uW6V - Our microphone (ModMic Wireless) → https://amzn.to/2MQF0tC - Our VR equipment → https://www.amazon.com/shop/caschary - More info here → https://casandchary.com/vr-equipment/ SOCIAL MEDIA 💬 Join our Discord → https://discord.gg/YH52W2k 💬 Twitter → https://twitter.com/CasandChary 💬 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/casandchary/ 💬 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/casandchary/ A special thanks to these Patreon Champs for their amazing support: - artArmin - Baxorn - Fleef - Olemartinorg - Studioform VR - Wintceas - Andy - Albert - Ben P. - James - D Coetzee VR on! - Cas and Chary VR DISCLAIMER - We received the Pimax 5K+ review unit for free. Per our guidelines, no review direction was received. Our opinions are our own. - Links in this description may contain affiliate links. You don't have to use them but if you do, a small referral fee will go to this channel supporting the content.
Friday, June 21, 2019
Rift Exclusive ‘Defector’ Launches July 11th, New Gameplay Glimpse Revealed
Oculus has finally revealed the price and release date for Defector, the upcoming Rift exclusive from Oculus Studios and Twisted Pixel. Set for release on July 11th for $20, the game promises to deliver action-movie thrills in VR. Along with the release date reveal, Oculus has offered a brief glimpse of new gameplay.
A new Defector trailer shows what Twisted Pixel hopes to achieve with the game: high octane set-piece action built for VR:
And while the trailer features only the same airplane level that we saw last year, Oculus today also revealed a glimpse of some new gameplay that shows some much more grounded run-and gun action, albeit with some futuristic weaponry and a decidedly satisfying smash:
We’re hoping to see more fun gizmos and gadgets like the blast glove when Defector launches on July 11th. The $20 price tag, however, is a bit of a surprise considering that this is an Oculus Studios title; it suggests that the game isn’t going to be particularly long or replayable.
Oculus notes that Defector offers “branching gameplay so that the outcome of each mission is determined by your choices and actions,” as well as optional objectives which offer unlocks which could change the look and feel of the game.
Twisted Pixel’s first VR title, Wilson’s Heart (2017), delivered a polished an atmospheric experience but came up a bit short in the fun department. We’re excited to see how the studio’s VR talent has evolved since then, and what it comes up with when action is the primary focus.
The post Rift Exclusive ‘Defector’ Launches July 11th, New Gameplay Glimpse Revealed appeared first on Road to VR.
Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/defector-price-release-date-trailer-gameplay-oculus-rift-exclusive/
Valve Index Controllers – What You Need To Know About Game Support
Straight out of the box, there might not be a lot of games available that support the Valve Index Controllers fully. At least, not without spending some time tweaking it using the SteamVR Controller Binding tool. Timestamps below! ► Check out our VR equipment → https://www.amazon.com/shop/caschary ► Subscribe to join our VR adventures! → https://goo.gl/bSJ6L8 In this video, I’ll let you know where can you find the games that do have Index Controller support. And I’ll explain what happens if you use the controllers in a game that does not support it and lastly, I’ll show you the SteamVR Controller Binding Tool. So this video is for those that have ordered the Valve Index Controllers. But even if you are on the fence of ordering one, then this video could also be useful to you. Subscribe if you haven’t yet to join more VR adventures like this one! TIMELINE 00:01 What is this video about? 00:58 Valve Index Controllers - Brief introduction 01:51 Valve Index Controllers - Games with native support 04:01 Valve Index Controllers - How do games work without native support? And tips on how to use the SteamVR Controller Binding tool. 06:46 Conclusion LINKS Get the Valve Index Controllers here → http://bit.ly/2IvL61V SUPPORT US ► Become our Patron (includes exclusive rewards) → https://www.patreon.com/casandchary ► Become a Sponsor on YouTube (includes rewards, like a Champion's badge next to your name) → https://goo.gl/8Ji5dp ► VRcovers for your headset → https://goo.gl/U3ZSRD ► WidmoVR prescription lens adapters for your headset → http://bit.ly/2VOlrtD (5% discount code: "CAS&CHARY") ► Studioform VR head strap against front-heaviness → http://bit.ly/2W7eu6v (5% discount code: "CAS&CHARY") ► Play PC VR games with your Quest → https://go.riftcat.com/casandchary (10% discount code: "JWGTCASCHARY") OUR EQUIPMENT - Our microphone (ModMic Wireless) → https://amzn.to/2MQF0tC - Our lavalier (COMICA lavalier) → https://amzn.to/315uW6V - Our VR equipment → https://www.amazon.com/shop/caschary - More info here → https://casandchary.com/vr-equipment/ SOCIAL MEDIA 💬 Join our Discord → https://discord.gg/YH52W2k 💬 Twitter → https://twitter.com/CasandChary 💬 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/casandchary/ 💬 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/casandchary/ A special thanks to these Patreon Champs for their amazing support: - artArmin - Baxorn - Fleef - Olemartinorg - Studioform VR - Wintceas - Andy - Albert - Ben P. - James - D Coetzee VR on! - Cas and Chary VR DISCLAIMER - We received these controllers from Valve for free. Per our guidelines, no review direction was received. Our opinions are our own. - Links in this description may contain affiliate links. You don't have to use them but if you do, a small referral fee will go to this channel supporting the content. #valveindex #valveindexcontrollers #valveindexgames
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Watch 20 Minutes of ‘Asgard’s Wrath’ Gameplay
Sanzaru Games and Oculus Studios showed off a new demo for their upcoming melee adventure Asgard’s Wrath at this year’s E3. We got a chance to not only jump in to see more of the game’s questing, but also get a feel for the scope of the world ahead.
I had around 20 minutes in the new demo—only just enough to sample other important components of the game besides rote combat, which I saw a fair bit of in my first hands-on at GDC in March.
This time around I got to create chimeric buddies from the world’s beasts, solve light puzzles while dungeoning, and accumulate loot for crafting along the way. What most impressed me about the game though was its visual fidelity and rich environments, something I hope to explore more during the game’s purported 30+ hour duration.
If you’re short on viewing time, check out my article ‘Asgard’s Wrath Shows Titanic Ambition & Visual Finesse’ for the play-by-play and my impressions of the E3 demo.
Asgard’s Wrath is slated to arrive exclusively on Rift sometime in 2019.
The post Watch 20 Minutes of ‘Asgard’s Wrath’ Gameplay appeared first on Road to VR.
Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/20-minutes-asgards-wrath-gameplay-e3-2019/
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
PET DRAGON BREEDING & RACING IN ORBUSVR! - Oculus Quest & Rift S Side-By-Side Cross-Play #4
In this second to the last episode in our OrbusVR Reborn series, we will show you the Dragon Pets system and all that you can do with them! ► Check out our VR equipment → https://www.amazon.com/shop/caschary ► Subscribe to join our VR adventures! → https://goo.gl/bSJ6L8 In this video, we show you Dragon Pets, Dragon Breeding, Dragon Racing and we will also venture a little further away to the Flooded Rainforest. This is the second to last episode, next week will be our last one. OrbusVR has gotten an expansion with revamped graphics, new main story, new quests, new classes and more... It's a huge update! So in this series, we check it out! Get OrbusVR: Reborn here (cross-buy + cross-play supported) → https://orbusvr.com/ SUPPORT US Support us by buying from our affiliate links *: Oculus Quest (US) - https://amzn.to/2H5ECGx Oculus Quest (UK) - https://amzn.to/2Jip6Zg Oculus Quest (NL) - http://bit.ly/2QlCpd2 (Coolblue) Oculus Rift S (US) - https://amzn.to/2Wn20HQ Oculus Rift S (UK) - https://amzn.to/2HOmcci Oculus Rift S (NL) - http://bit.ly/2F8uCdZ (Coolblue) ► Become our Patron (includes exclusive rewards) → https://www.patreon.com/casandchary ► VRcovers for your headset → https://goo.gl/U3ZSRD ► WidmoVR prescription lens adapters for your headset → http://bit.ly/2VOlrtD (5% discount code: "CAS&CHARY") ► Studioform VR headstraps against front-heaviness → http://bit.ly/2W7eu6v (5% discount code: "CAS&CHARY") ► Play PC VR games with your Quest → https://go.riftcat.com/casandchary (10% discount code: "JWGTCASCHARY") * A small referral fee will go to the channel, supporting the content at no extra cost to you. If you use it, thank you very much. OUR EQUIPMENT - Cas's microphone (COMICA lavalier) → https://amzn.to/315uW6V - Chary's microphone (ModMic Wireless) → https://amzn.to/2MQF0tC - Our VR equipment → https://www.amazon.com/shop/caschary - More info here → https://casandchary.com/vr-equipment/ SOCIAL MEDIA 💬 Join our Discord → https://discord.gg/YH52W2k 💬 Twitter → https://twitter.com/CasandChary 💬 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/casandchary/ 💬 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/casandchary/ A special thanks to these Patreon Champs for their amazing support: - artArmin - Baxorn - Fleef - Olemartinorg - Studioform VR - Wintceas - Andy - Albert - Ben P. - James - D Coetzee VR on! - Cas and Chary VR DISCLAIMER - OrbusVR sponsored this video. Per our guidelines, no review direction was received. Our opinions are our own. - Links in this description may contain affiliate links. You don't have to use them but if you do, a small referral fee will go to this channel supporting the content. #oculusquest #oculusrifts #orbusvr #vrmmo
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
‘Beat Saber’ Scoring Explained – It’s All in the Technique
With the release of Oculus Quest, more and more players are jumping into Beat Saber. And while it’s easy enough to cut cubes to the beat, there’s a trick to achieving the highest score. Here’s how scoring works in Beat Saber.
Beat Saber requires decent timing to slice directional blocks on the beat, but unlike most rhythm games, getting the highest score is about swing technique, not perfect timing. If you’ve found yourself wondering ‘how do I get the highest score in Beat Saber‘, you aren’t alone—the details of the scoring mechanics aren’t well explained in the game itself, but luckily you’ve come to the right place.
This video from developer Beat Games shows that swinging in a wide arc (both before and after your cut) is key to achieving getting the most points out of each cut, while the alignment of your cut also helps to a degree.
While the video is correct in concept (and applies to all versions of the game), the score and angle values have been tweaked slightly; here’s a breakdown of the three factors at play.
- Swing angle before cut – 100 degrees ideally
- Swing angle after cut – 60 degrees ideally
- Center cut – closer to center of arrow means earns additional points
Collectively, both the swing angle before and after the cut contribute up to 100 points. The centrality of the cut contribute up to 15, meaning you can get a maximum of 115 point per note.
Of course there’s also the combo counter which you can see in-game on the right which stacks up to 8x for consecutive cuts and multiplies each cut score accordingly but drops back to 1x if you miss a block.
The key to going above A to achieve S and SS ranks is holding a steady combo and having the ideal cut technique.
If you’re hunting to top scores, check out the Practice Mode (activated on any song by tapping the graduation cap icon). With Practice Mode in Beat Saber you can play specific parts of the track and even play in slow motion to learn complex block patterns. While you practice, remember that swing angle contributes much more to your score (up to 100 points per block) than cut centrality (up to 15 points per block), so you’ll want to prioritize accordingly.
Released in May, 2018 for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Windows VR, Beat Saber quickly became one of the best selling VR games to date, passing one million units sold in less than a year. The game has since become available on both PSVR and Oculus Quest.
The studio is currently planning on bringing multiplayer, custom avatars, and custom sabers to the game, which would certainly add the already massively fun game a new dimension on top of their soon-to-come custom level maker.
The post ‘Beat Saber’ Scoring Explained – It’s All in the Technique appeared first on Road to VR.
Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/beat-saber-studio-shows-get-highest-score-new-video/
Virtuix Debuts ‘VR Arena’ Attraction at Dave & Buster’s Austin Location
Virtuix, the company behind the VR treadmill Virtuix Omni, debuted their previously announced VR eSports attraction ‘Omniverse VR Arena’ at the Dave & Buster’s location in Austin, Texas this past week.
The location-based attraction accommodates up to four players, and currently features four games at the VR Arena in Austin, with the promise of more coming soon; games are said to last 15 to 20 minutes.
The attraction also features a queuing system that notifies guests by text message when it’s their turn to play, letting them roam Dave & Buster’s in the meantime.
Outside of local play, VR Arena-goers can take part in Omniverse weekly leaderboard contests for cash prizes. Users can enter by signing up for a Omniverse account and going to participating locations that feature Omni VR treadmills.
In addition to the Dave & Buster’s Austin location, Virtuix today announced that they’ve opened one at Sky Zone in McDonough, Georgia.
As a result of a successful Kickstarter that garnered over $1,000,000 from consumers in 2013, the company has since shifted their focus to the enterprise market and in driving repeated engagement with their Omniverse contests. To date, Virtuix says they’ve shipped over 3,000 Omni treadmills across 45 countries.
The post Virtuix Debuts ‘VR Arena’ Attraction at Dave & Buster’s Austin Location appeared first on Road to VR.
Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/virtuix-debuts-vr-arena-attraction-dave-busters-austin-location/
‘Vacation Simulator’ Launches Today on PSVR
Job Simulator (2016), the popular simulator parody game from Owlchemy Labs, served up a sequel on PC VR headsets back in April—its more laid-back cousin Vacation Simulator (2019). Starting today, users on PSVR can get into fun too, and just in time for the summer vacation season.
In case you haven’t heard, Vacation Simulator is a bit different from its whimsical, career-minded predecessor. Instead of running through a number of fun, but largely disconnected activities, Vacation Simulator injects the franchise with not only a story of its own, but a much larger connected world filled with a wide selection of objectives that you can choose to fulfill to move forward in the game.
While it definitely keeps the feel of the first in the franchise, Vacation Simulator offers such a larger number of activities that you can basically pursue at your leisure, from light puzzles to more physical activities, giving you the points you need to access all three vacation areas (Beach, Forest, Mountain).
If you’re looking for an in-depth look at Vacation Simulator, check out our (spoiler free) review and find out why we gave it an extremely solid [8.8/10].
Vacation Simulator goes live today on the PlayStation Store, priced at $30/€33/£27.
The post ‘Vacation Simulator’ Launches Today on PSVR appeared first on Road to VR.
Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/vacation-simulator-launched-today-psvr/
Xbox Game Studios Has (inadvertently?) Acquired Heaps of VR Development Talent
A year ago, in response to Sony consistently delivering high-quality exclusives for PS4, Microsoft made a commitment to rejuvenating its first-party game development efforts and went on a shopping spree, acquiring a handful of respected studios to bolster its first-party game development talent under the Xbox Game Studios banner. Whether purposeful or not, almost half of the studios now belonging to Xbox Game Studios have had a hand in VR development.
Of the 14 studios that now comprise Xbox Game Studios, 42% have shipped a VR game or experience. Considering Microsoft’s outward disinterest in bringing VR to Xbox (despite announcing they would initially), it’s hard to imagine that this was done on purpose, but the concentration of studios in Xbox Game Studios that have VR experience is surprising, and could one day be a boon to Microsoft and Xbox. Here’s a quick look at each of the VR-experience studios under Xbox Game Studios and what they’ve done in VR:
Double Fine – Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin
Announced just last week, Double Fine was one of the most recent studio acquisitions for Xbox Game Studios. Founded in 2000 by legendary game designer Tim Schafer, this is a storied studio known for games like Psychonauts (2005), Brutal Legend (2009), and many more.
Double Fine released the VR puzzler Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin on PSVR in 2017, and brought the game to PC VR headsets in 2018. The studio hasn’t talked about future VR plans following Rhombus of Ruin.
Double Fine also publishes games, one of which was the VR title GNOG, which also hit PSVR in 2017 and eventually PC VR headsets in 2018.
343 Industries – Halo: Recruit
Founded in 2007 to take over the Halo franchise on Microsoft’s behalf from its progenitor studio, Bungie, 343 Industries is responsible for every Halo game since Halo Reach (2010), including the upcoming Halo Infinite which is due to launch with the next Xbox console.
In 2017, 343 Industries (in collaboration with immersive studio Endeavor One) gave the VR world its first official taste of Halo in VR with the release of Halo: Recruit, a brief demo apparently made to drum up interest in Microsoft’s Mixed Reality headsets which launched that year. While 343 Industries said at the time that it was “inspired and excited to do more [in VR],” that hasn’t materialized into anything yet.
Ninja Theory – Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice VR Edition
Founded in 2000, Ninja Theory is the studio behind titles like Heavenly Sword (2007), DmC: Devil May Cry (2013), and the lauded Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (2017).
The studio surprised the VR community when it announced a VR adaptation of Hellblade which would launch as Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice VR Edition in 2018. Though the game wasn’t built from the ground-up for VR, it was largely considered successful port and a unique way to experience the ‘in-your-head’ premise of the game.
Ninja Theory also worked on the recent and well received Star Wars: Vader Immortal – Ep. 1 (2019), and we expect the studio will be on board for Vader Immortal – Ep. 2 and Ep. 3 as well.
Mojang – Minecraft
Mojang isn’t a exactly a household name, but the game the studio developed certainly is—Minecraft (2011). Minecraft has turned into a global phenomenon, prompting Microsoft to buy the indie studio in 2014 for a whopping $2.5 billion.
A VR-capable version of Minecraft (supporting multiplayer with the non-VR version) interestingly launched first on Samsung’s Gear VR headset (which runs Oculus software) back in 2016, though the game still hasn’t been brought to the newer Oculus Go or Oculus Quest. The VR version of Minecraft also came to the Oculus Rift in 2016.
InXile – The Mage’s Tale
InXile is the studio behind the The Bard’s Tale (2004), Torment: Tides of Numenera (2017) and a handful of other titles. In 2017, InXile brought The Mage’s Tale to the Oculus Rift, a magic and fantasy VR RPG set in the same world as The Bard’s Tale. The studio brought the game to other PC VR headsets in 2018 and to PSVR in 2019. In recent years we haven’t heard future plans for VR content from the studio.
Compulsion Games – We Happy Few: Uncle Jack Live VR
Founded in 2009, Compulsion Games is best known for We Happy Few (2018). Alongside the release of the game, the studio also released We Happy Few: Uncle Jack Live VR, a free VR experience for PSVR that put players in the cheerful but dystopic setting of the main game.
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Talented and successful studios are always exploring exciting new gaming technologies to stay ahead of the curve, so maybe it’s just coincidence that many of the studios now under the Xbox Game Studios banner happen to have built VR games. Or maybe Microsoft has viewed VR development experience as a plus during its studio shopping spree—to what end though? It’s hard to say right now because of how silent the company has been about VR on their console after backpedaling on VR capabilities for Xbox One X.
Some think that Microsoft could introduce VR support to their next Xbox, ‘Project Scarlett’, as a mid-cycle add-on, similar to what Sony did with PSVR (and similar to what they’re likely to do with PSVR 2 on PS5). Others think that Microsoft was burnt too many times in their efforts to get Kinect to stick. Only time will tell.
The post Xbox Game Studios Has (inadvertently?) Acquired Heaps of VR Development Talent appeared first on Road to VR.
Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/xbox-game-studios-acquired-heaps-of-vr-talent/
At $600K, Tundra Tracker Smashes Kickstarter Goal in Less Than 24 Hours
Tundra Tracker, the SteamVR Tracking tracker in development by Tundra Labs, has well exceeded its $250,000 Kickstarter goal in less than 2...
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Tundra Tracker, the SteamVR Tracking tracker in development by Tundra Labs, has well exceeded its $250,000 Kickstarter goal in less than 2...
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Today, we're testing the HP Reverb G2 live in a 'normal' consumer room (our living room)! Come hang out & have a cozy cha...
