Tundra Tracker, the SteamVR Tracking tracker in development by Tundra Labs, has well exceeded its $250,000 Kickstarter goal in less than 24 hours. The project has already exceeded $600,000 and still has 59 days to go.
Backers of the Tundra Tracker Kickstarter today showed strong demand for a SteamVR Tracking compatible tracker that aims to be smaller and cheaper than the market incumbent, the Vive Tracker.
The initial $250,000 goal was crushed within hours of the Kickstarter campaign’s launch, and as of writing the project has exceeded $600,000. At present, the funds are from some 1,570 individual backers who backed tiers ranging from $42 to $630.
While the vast majority of backers so far have chosen the 3x Tundra Tracker bundle (67%), a surprising number of backers went for the largest 7x Tundra Tracker bundle (17%).
Ostensibly many users will be using the trackers for body-tracking in VR; with three trackers that typically means adding tracking points to the feet and waist (in addition to tracking of the head and hands provided by a VR headset). Seven trackers can enable even more accurate body-tracking by tracking the movement of feet, knees, elbows, and the waist.
The majority of the product’s tiers include “basic” elastic straps for attaching the trackers to the body, as well as a storage case. The Kickstarter versions of the trackers also include two base plates which offer different mounting options: a 1/4 tripod screw, or a strap loop.
Image courtesy Tundra Labs
Tundra Labs expects the earliest Tundra Trackers to be delivered to ‘early bird’ backers beginning in July, while the remainder are expected in September. The campaign currently doesn’t have any listed stretch goals.
As the only other SteamVR Tracking tracker on the market, the Tundra Tracker is naturally directly compared to the HTC Vive Tracker 2.0 and recently released Vive Tracker 3.0. The pricing comparison is broken down here:
Tracker Count
Tundra Tracker
Vive Tracker 2.0
Vive Tracker 3.0
1x
$130
$100
$130
3x
$300
$300
$390
5x
$460
$500
$650
7x
$630
$700
$910
For more on how the Tundra Tracker and Vive Tracker compare from a price and feature standpoint, so our previous article.
From the single photo alone, it’s hard to say exactly what we’re looking at. While many will assume an outright AR headset, the device could merely be smartglasses as well.
If this is a proper AR headset (with head-tracking and a reasonably wide field of view) we’re almost certainly looking at some sort of waveguide display, as the kind of bird-bath optics we see in devices like Nreal’s headset would be much bulkier.
However, these could also be simple smartglasses focused on HUD-like functions, with a very small field of view used for basic data display, and without head-tracking.
Further still, it’s entirely possible this device doesn’t have a display at all, and is instead focused on video capture, like Snapchat’s Spectacles.
Only time will tell what Niantic has up their sleeve, but given the detailed rendering and the blatant tease, it seems it won’t be long before we get a full reveal.
DOOM 3 VR Edition launches today on PlayStation consoles, bringing the 2004 classic horror-shooter to PSVR for the first time.
We haven’t gone hands-on with the refreshed VR port yet, however YouTube channel ‘GrizGaming‘ puts together a good look of the game in this no commentary video, which takes you from the very beginning of the game to about a fifth of the way through the main campaign.
In the video, GrizGaming plays on Veteran mode whilst using PSVR’s Aim controller. Veteran is just one step below ‘Nightmare’, which is unlocked once you beat the game on any difficulty. If you’re looking to skip the early giblets and head straight for the demon-slaying madness, skip to around the 15 minute mark.
At least from what we can tell from the video, the game appears to look fairly well realized; the studio also says its overhauled design, art, UI, and even sound effects. The video of course can’t tell the whole story though when it comes to viewing it in-headset.
Like many flatscreen shooters, DOOM 3 is all about classic ‘running and gunning’, but thankfully we’ve noticed a few things that ought to take the edge off eventual comfort issues. Cutscenes are rendered within a viewing window, which is less immersive but undoubtedly more comfortable than having your head tossed around like a camera. The game also includes hand and head-relative locomotion, smooth and variable snap turning, and variable turning vignette for more comfort—all of it intended to keep your lunch where it belongs. Still it’s sure to be an intense experience for VR users since it requires so much turning, fast movement, and artificial jumping and crouching.
One complaint that you can forget about with the overhauled PSVR version is gameplay length though. The 10+ hour campaign also includes the original expansions—the Lost Mission and Resurrection of Evil—although we haven’t seen that content just yet.
We haven’t played yet, so we can’t suggest you pick it up. Just the same though, you’ll find Doom 3 VR Edition on PS4 and PS5 (backwards compatible) for $20 on the PlayStation Store.
There are a ton of Fallout 4 VR mods out there since it launched on the first generation of consumer VR headsets back in 2017, most of which you can find on NexusMods. If you’re looking for an all-in-one solution that makes the game less of a port and more of a native VR experience though, modder and streamer GingasVR just released a comprehensive modpack that is essentially a survivalist’s dream come true.
The modlist, aptly named ‘GingasVR’s Fallout VR Essentials Overhaul’, includes a bevy of optimizations that aim to fix some of the biggest gripes of Bethesda’s less-than-perfect VR port.
Not only does the modlist bring stability to a majority of the Commonwealth, which includes interior locations, but it also features things like a more intuitive Pip-Boy UI, smarter AI (including companions), and bunch of other things that make the Wasteland a more dangerous place. Bullets are actually rare, enemies are more crafty, and as GingasVR puts it: “you WILL die.”
One of the biggest limiters to everyone grabbing this modlist right now is that it requires not only the VR version of the game, but all official DLCs from the flatscreen version of Fallout 4 from Steam, all of which are included in the Fallout 4 Game of the Year Edition. You can grab that for under $15 if you’re looking in the right place at the right time (eg: Greenman Gaming, periodic sales on Steam, etc).
To GingasVR, the reason for requiring all DLC isn’t just about making a more visually pleasing experience, but rather making it a more immersive survival RPG experience by bringing a level of danger to the game which you might expect, well, when having to scrounge through a post-apocalyptic world filled with mutated malefactors.
This overhaul is NOT easy, this is meant to be an immersive survival rpg. You can customize things to your liking but the default is a game where there is NO Compass and NO HUD. VATS is turned into BULLET TIME (No auto targeting) The AI is also SMART and WILL USE TACTICS against you, Combat is FAST PACED and DANGEROUS there WILL be Random Ambushes! Radiation is actually deadly.
Provided you do have all DLC, you can get started by closely following GingasVR’s comprehensive guide on how to install the modlist using Wabbajack, an automated modlist downloader. Still, automated downloader or not, installing the modlist requires a fair bit of configuration before you can start stalking the Commonwealth, and an SSD with at least 85 GB to spare.
If that seems daunting, take a look at a list of improvements available in GingasVR’s modlist which ought to wash down the bitter pill of having to mess with system settings:
Optimization and Stability in the majority of Commonwealth as well as interior locations.
DLC Fixes
Auto-Eating and drinking in Survival – 2D menus suck in VR (This mitigates the issue but food and drinks will NOT heal you)
Survival Manual Saves
Customizable HUD with as much or little HUD elements as you want
Survival Fast Travel from Settlements (Can also be customized to Fast travel from anywhere)
Hand Model and better VR Pip-Boy Interaction
Sim Settlements And Conqueror ( Complete Auto Build Settlements and ability to raid- CAN be customized or turned off)
BULLET TIME made SPECIFICALLY for the VR version of VATS
Edited and custom made perks So that Perception isn’t useless with bullet time and accuracy changes
Complete Accurate VR Weapons
Reduced loot to realistic levels for the setting (Finding bullets is actually a rare commodity now)
Smart AI (PANPC, Arbitration)
Smart Companions (Better Companions, More Smarter Companions)
Companion Whistle
Every NPC can be killed (Including Kids and Essential NPCS – Only Unlocked after going down the “Evil Path”)
Traveling NPCs
New Guns (Too many to list and all of them work – BE CAREFUL if trying to add other weapon mods)
New Quests and Locations ( Interesting NPCS, Stumble upon Interiors, Heather Casidian)
Easy hacking and Easy lockpicking
New weather from True Storms and Vivid Weather
New Optimized Textures
Darker Nights
Health changes, live dismemberment and non-bullet sponge enemies
New Radio Stations
New Music and no combat music
Better Blood
Stalkers that will periodically hunt you down and try to kill you (Can be customized or turned off- you can also run away and they’ll get bored of you)
Ability to increase carry weight with in-game progression
New Sound effects
VR Mirror to see yourself in 3rd person (Only possible with this list- Unavailable anywhere else)
And A lot more.
What’s your favorite, most essential mod for Fallout 4 VR? Let us known in the comments below!
With nearly all major XR events cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, it’s been a somewhat odd year for the industry. With vaccines starting to roll out in the US, AWE has set a hopeful November date as one of the first XR conferences to return to an in-person event—but offering a money-back guarantee in case things don’t pan out.
AWE is a long running XR-focused conference held annually in Santa Clara, CA. Like many other industry conferences, AWE 2020 had to be moved to an online event last May due to Coronavirus concerns.
With a hope that vaccines will be widespread by later this year, AWE is planning to return to an in-person conference from November 9th to 11th at the Santa Clara Convention Center. As in prior years, the conference primarily consists of speakers & sessions along with an expo hall with booths for demos & networking.
Backing the conference’s enthusiasm that the pandemic situation will allow for a safe in-person event by November is a handful of sponsors already signed on to support the event, including Nreal, Qualcomm, Unity, Meta, PlugXR, 8th Wall, Lenovo, Mad Gaze, Zappar, and others, along with some 80 exhibitors.
AWE says it has also expanded its refund policy, allowing full refunds up to 30 days before the event, or a 50% refund within 30 days of the event. The conference is offering discounted ‘Super Early Bird’ passes through March 31st, starting at $400.
As for running a safe conference, the event’s Health and Safety Guidelines page indicates that attendees will be screened for temperature and masks will be required “for all participants at all times,” among other measures. A vaccine requirement is not mentioned.
Interesting. A new zombie shooting VR game based on the Zombieland movie. We enjoyed the movie, so very curious about this one. Let's check it out together, tonight! ► Our VR equipment kit & tips here → https://www.amazon.com/shop/caschary (affiliate) ► Subscribe here → https://goo.gl/bSJ6L8 Zombieland VR: Headshot Fever is an arcade light-gun game built for VR. This zombie-killing race sport brings light-gun games into the 21st century! Headshot combos slow the clock, meaning the most precise shooter is the fastest - challenge the leaderboards with skill, speed, and accuracy. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LINKS ► Get Zombieland VR: Headshot Fever on Oculus Quest → https://ocul.us/3rvgTTP ► For the competitive type, Zombieland is also doing VR Master League, you can sign up here → https://www.zombielandvrgame.com/ ► Our VR equipment kit & tips here → https://www.amazon.com/shop/caschary (affiliate) May contain affiliate links that earn us a small referral fee from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TODAY'S TOPICS - Cas hosts - Chary defends herself against the zombies!!! - Come chill & hangout with us ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NORMAL SCHEDULE Every Friday at: 🕛 12 PM PT 🕛 3 PM ET 🕘 9 PM CET 🕗 8 PM GMT ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPPORT THE CONTENT EXTRA 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 donate. All donations go to improving the channel. BUY US A COFFEE & BOOST THE CHANNEL ► One-time donation → http://bit.ly/DonateCasandChary BECOME A CHAMPION (LONG-TIME SUPPORTER) ► Become our Patron → http://bit.ly/PatreonCasandChary ► Become a Sponsor on YouTube → http://bit.ly/JoinCasandChary ► Buy our VR Merch → http://bit.ly/casandchary-merch ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OUR GEAR Our VR Equipment & Tips → https://www.amazon.com/shop/caschary Our PC Specs → https://casandchary.com/vr-equipment/ MUSIC Music we use is from Epidemic Sounds → http://bit.ly/CCEpidemicSound ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GET LATEST UPDATES Twitter → https://twitter.com/CasandChary Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/casandchary/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/casandchary/ Join our Discord → https://discord.gg/YH52W2k ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A SPECIAL THANKS to these Patreon Champs 🛡️ for their support: 😘 BaxornVR, Wintceas, Barr'd4Life, Andy, Albert, Ben P., Steve Dunlap, Thomas M. Rice, Andy Fidel, VR Balance, Nathan Schmidt, Old Lady Gamer ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER Links in this description may contain affiliate links. We may earn from qualifying purchases (it doesn't cost you more). VR on! - Cas and Chary VR #zombielandvr #oculusquest2 #casandchary
Sandbox VR, the out-of-home virtual reality destination, went through a rough patch this past year as the company both filed and subsequently emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy following debt restructure. With the United States doing fairly well in terms of COVID-19 vaccinations now, the company appears confident in getting back to business as usual soon, as it plans to open a new location at the Grand Canal Shoppes inside The Venetian Resort, Las Vegas, in addition to operating 15 locations worldwide by the year’s end.
The Las Vegas location is slated to open in “the early summer of 2021,” the company says. Due to the pandemic, Sandbox VR was forced to close all of its locations and lay off most of its staff.
Its rebound strategy is one that may become fairly common in the coming months for battered (but not dead) businesses, namely Sandbox VR aims to fill commercial real estate locations that have also been hit hard by the pandemic.
Thankfully, the company is comparatively lean, as its multiplayer VR locations don’t need require elaborate 4D sensorial gadgetry like its ill-fated competitor, The VOID.
Interior of a Bay Area Sandbox VR location | Image courtesy Sandbox VR
The VOID had to permanently close all of their locations worldwide—including its flagship store at the Grand Canal Shoppes—when the company encountered similar financial trouble last year. There’s little hope of The VOID getting back on its feet either. The company’s website is down mere months after Disney abandoned it entirely, and its holding company isn’t showing any appreciable signs of life.
Sandbox VR on the other hand is portraying a fair bit of optimism now that vaccines are being administered en masse. The company says it’s seen a 30% increase in demand from before the pandemic at their current locations outside of Chicago, Illinois and in Austin, Texas since local governments lifted restrictions.
“We have been incredibly fortunate to have been able to survive such a devastating year for everyone in the retail and entertainment industry,” said Steve Zhao, founder and CEO of Sandbox VR. “The pandemic has been so isolating for everyone that we are confident once it is safe to gather with friends and family from different households they will be looking for social experiences that offer some fun and escape from the difficulties that 2020 brought.”
It may be a long time until beleaguered VR arcades see pre-COVID levels of support, but with one of the most well-funded VR startups out releasing such a broad opening gambit, others may take heart in knowing there is money to be made in the near future.
This is SenseGlove’s 2nd haptic gloves that allow you to feel in VR! This time it's wireless & works on standalone VR headsets like the Oculus Quest 2. We share how it works, what it's like & tell you what's in store in the future. ► Our VR equipment kit & tips here → https://www.amazon.com/shop/caschary (affiliate link) ► Subscribe here → https://goo.gl/bSJ6L8 Welcome to another VR Discovery. If you’ve been following the channel for a while, you know we like to keep you informed about the incredible things you can do in VR that you may not see every day. I believe that by watching what happens in this space, we’ll get an idea of what’s coming for us consumers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LINKS ► SenseGlove v1 "the Exoskeleton": https://youtu.be/w8YcsbtxsPM ► ManusVR - I Tried SteamVR Haptic Gloves: https://youtu.be/E1fIJlxEamA More in VR Discovery: ► This Is What AR Glasses Will Be Like in 2021: https://youtu.be/NpXee05P3oo ► I Tried MIND CONTROL in VR and it's Insane: https://youtu.be/jQEkvUuNB5w Other ► Get an Oculus Quest 2 (US) → http://bit.ly/quest2-casvr ► Get an Oculus Quest 2 (NL - Coolblue) → https://cb.prf.hn/l/784dkp8 ► Get on Amazon → https://amzn.to/2RSxaDi May contain affiliate links that earn us a small referral fee from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro Start (Watch in full!) 01:02 SenseGlove Nova Intro & Difference SenseGlove v1 01:37 This Video Contents & 100K!! 02:20 Design 02:42 Quick Specs 02:52 Motion Tracking on Oculus Quest 2 & Other Standalone VR Headsets 03:51 Gameplay Start 04:24 Force Feedback 05:49 Vibrotactile Feedback 07:12 My Hands On Impressions 08:27 Current Use Cases & Price 09:13 What's In Store For Consumers 10:03 Final Thoughts & Outro ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPPORT THE CONTENT (and become our VR Champion) ► Become our Patron → http://bit.ly/PatreonCasandChary ► Become a Sponsor on YouTube → http://bit.ly/JoinCasandChary ► Buy our VR Merch → http://bit.ly/casandchary-merch VR DISCOUNT CODES & AFFILIATE LINKS ► ► https://casandchary.com/discount-codes-affiliate-links/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OUR GEAR Our VR Equipment & Tips → https://www.amazon.com/shop/caschary (affiliate link) Our PC Specs → https://casandchary.com/vr-equipment/ MUSIC Music we use is from Epidemic Sounds → http://bit.ly/CCEpidemicSound ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GET LATEST UPDATES Twitter → https://twitter.com/CasandChary Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/casandchary/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/casandchary/ Join our Discord → https://discord.gg/YH52W2k ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A SPECIAL THANKS to these Patreon Champs 🛡️ for their support: 😘 BaxornVR, Wintceas, Barr'd4Life, Ztreak, Albert, Ben P., Steve Dunlap, Thomas M. Rice, Andy Fidel, VR Balance, Nathan S., Adriaan K., Old Lady Gamer ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER This video was not sponsored. Links in this description may contain affiliate links. We may earn a small referral fee from qualifying purchases that helps supports the channel. However, it doesn't cost you more. #hapticgloves #oculusquest2 #casandchary VR on! - Cas and Chary VR
Both Oculus Quest and Quest 2 have the ability to track your hands, but precious few games have integrated the tech. Now, indie developer Dennys Kuhnert and Holonautic are getting ready to release a virtual smorgasbord of hand-tracking-based puzzles and tasks.
Hand Physics is launching April 1st, bringing its Touch-less game to the official Oculus Store. Ok, that’s not entirely true; it also supports Touch controllers, but it was primarily created to make use of Quest’s innate optical hand-tracking.
In the game you’re tasked with running through various whacky objectives, including painting eggs with your fingers, building cube towers, using magnets and telekinesis, shaking hands with your clone, petting a virtual cat—all of it timed and scored.
In its pre-release stage, the game has already celebrated its fair share of success. The game has been previously available in beta via SideQuest where it was downloaded over 185,000 times, garnering a user review of [4.6/5].
Dennys Kuhnert, co-founder and CTO of Holonautic, has been previously involved in creating the studio’s Early Access physics-based game Holoception (2019), which lets you take either a first or third-person view inside a world full of stick figure violence reminiscent of Flash games and videos from the early ’00s.
We’re hoping to get a look at the full version before its released on Quest next week, so make sure to check back soon. You can currently wishlist the game here.
Carbon Studio has revealed a new cinematic trailer for its upcoming mouthful-of-a-game, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall. While the cinematic trailer doesn’t show any real gameplay, the studio also offered up a brief glimpse of actual gameplay and narrowed the game’s release date to Summer 2021.
Announced last year, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfallis due to launch this Summer on Oculus Quest and SteamVR. Carbon Studio has revealed a new cinematic trailer and some details on the game’s setting within the expansive Warhammer universe.
Set in the Age of Sigmar universe, Tempestfall’s campaign begins following the devastating event known as the Necroquake in the Realm of Death, known as Shyish. This massive explosion of dark magic has triggered the Nighthaunt forces to rise up all across the Mortal Realms. In response a retinue of Stormcast Eternals, the embodiment of Sigmar’s wrath made manifest, and gifted with superhuman speed, strength and endurance has been especially assembled. The quest to lead this retinue and investigate this new threat to the Mortal Realms, and the dangerous task of a hands-on investigation in Shyish, falls to you, Lord-Arcanum Castor Stormscryer.
If any Warhammer aficionados want to chime in on the above, we’d love to know what the heck that means, at least until we have the chance to find out ourselves by playing through the game.
Speaking of playing the game, Carbon Studio is promising a broader gameplay reveal soon, but for now the studio has shared a telling glimpse of the game’s combat:
It’s clear the studio is building on some of the combat design seen in Until You Fall, in which spatial prompts representing enemy attacks appear and require the player to align their weapon to successfully block. On top of that we can see a gesture-based attack cast by the player making a stabbing motion with their weapon.
We’ll be looking forward to seeing more of the game’s combat approach. In the meantime, here’s some fresh screenshots:
The latest beta update to SteamVR has brought improvements to the way users can use their PC desktop inside of VR through the SteamVR dashboard. Now you can choose to display specific applications instead of your entire desktop, and you can dock window views to your controllers which will persist inside your VR application.
SteamVR has long supported the ability to conveniently view and interact with your PC desktop through the SteamVR dashboard, but the latest beta update, version 1.17.2, adds simple but powerful new features.
First is the ability to add individual windows to the SteamVR dashboard, which makes it as easy to jump between specific applications as it is to jump between multiple monitors.
Second, any of the virtual desktop views, including individual applications, can be docked to your right or left controller. Doing so will make the window persist inside of your VR application even when you close the SteamVR dashboard. This is handy for making background applications—like chat or video feeds—easily glanceable even when inside the headset. You can also interact with the application attached to your hand using a virtual pointer (when your dashboard is open). Below you can see the new functions in action:
If you’d like to get a preview for yourself, here’s how:
Opt into SteamVR Beta
In your Steam games list, right-click on SteamVR > Properties > Select the ‘Betas’ tab
In the drop down list, select ‘SteamVR Beta Update’
Allow SteamVR to update
The new SteamVR dashboard functionality is already pretty useful, but it also looks like a sign of things to come. For instance, right now there’s only room for four total virtual desktop views (be they desktops or application views), while additional views don’t have room to appear as a new button. We’d expect the interface will change in the future to accomodate more views at once.
Further, the only way to allow applications to remain visible while the dashboard is closed is to have them docked to your controller. For some games (especially seated), it would be better to simply float the window in place at a chosen location. This seems like a logical next step for this work, so we’d expect to see it in future updates.
At the beginning of last year Valve said it planned to launch “SteamVR 2.0” in 2020. While there has been a range of improvements since then, it seems the company fell short of that goal as it is still using a 1.xx version number. Still, the slowly improving dashboard features and full support for OpenXR seem to be steps toward “2.0,” so perhaps it is still on the horizon.
Zen Studios, one of the most prolific virtual pinball creators, has teamed up with Disney and Lucasfilm Games to release a Star Wars-themed VR game filled to the brim with pinball machines. Much like the studio’s previous VR pinball game, Pinball FX2 VR(2016), Star Wars Pinball VR feels like it’s essentially the closest thing to owning your own fleet of pinball machines, albeit with more bells and whistles that simply can’t exist outside of the digital world.
In modern machines, oftentimes the object of the table isn’t just to launch the ball and hope for the best score; there’s usually a number of objectives along the way that need to be fulfilled in a precise pattern, like spelling out a name for access to some super complex mechanism that gives out massive bonuses. I rarely had enough quarters for that level of mastery though when I started playing pinball as a kid in the ’90s, so all I could hope for was the longest, luckiest run I could afford. Otherwise I’d just watch my mom play, who is a true pinball wizard in my eyes.
For this preview, I was allowed access to two machines—one based on The Mandalorian (2019) TV series and another based on the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016). If those two tables are representative of the quality of the rest of the game, which includes a total of eight at launch, then it’s possible Star Wars Pinball VR will be the best VR pinball game to date.
Physics-based Gameplay, Bells & Whistles Galore
If you’re looking for pure 1:1 pinball gameplay, Star Wars Pinball VR is about 90 percent of what you’d expect from a digital counterpart. Motion controller haptics are nowhere near as good as feeling the real thing, such as the actuation of flippers or the ball smacking against a bumper. The game also ‘helps’ a bit by keeping your ball on the table longer, but more on that below.
What it lacks in that level of physical realism though, it makes up for in the pure fantasy of owning an impossibly complex fleet of really well-crafted pinball machines.
Image courtesy Zen Studios
On the outside, the tables seem fairly normal, however the more you pursue the game’s set of rigid goals, the clearer it becomes that each table actually holds hours of gameplay under the glass—way more than I’d expect from a standard physical machine. The Rogue One table alone offers a 10-chapter mission that each features its own creative mechanism to battle against.
There isn’t a ‘handy’ tutorial telling you what to do either, only the backboard’s delightfully retro orange LED sign giving you brief instructions. One of the most immersive bits is that you start out with ‘normal’ pinball tasks, but then you’re slowly baited along into increasingly fantastical mini-games and mechanisms. You can even shrink down to the size of a pinball to see the action from a different perspective, although that’s really only just for fun.
Image courtesy Zen Studios
Ultimately though, one of the key things that makes or breaks a virtual pinball machine is whether the silver ball actually reacts correctly to flippers, bumpers, plungers—everything on the table that’s supposed to move the ball in one direction or another. Excluding the fact that draining the ball feels a bit more difficult, which helps the player stay on the board longer, physics always felt on point.
You can choose to play each table in either classic mode in arcade mode; arcade mode is vanilla gameplay while classic mode injects fantasy elements into the mix, such as slow-mo ball speed and other equally impossible things to help you reach a higher score. In classic mode you can unloack these talents as you play, usually by fulfilling certain objectives. There are so many objectives here too, which completionist (unlike myself) will have a ball with.
Some of the least exciting parts of the game for me is the achievement-based collection stuff. Every time you reach some goal, some Nerd Crew collectible nonsense is tossed at you to put up in your suburban mancave. Given the infinite expanse of places I’d rather be during a multi-year pandemic, the basement of a house is one of the very last I’d like to be in.
Image courtesy Zen Studios
I also didn’t really care for the pop-up Star Wars dudes, Baby Yoda included, simply because I’m an old, crotchety pinball player who has zero issue with telling a kid to not touch my machine while I’m playing. It certainly adds some panache to the whole thing though, and models seem fairly well made. Voice acting is less convincing, but that’s not any different for many licensed pinball machines.
Star Wars Pinball VR is headed to Oculus Quest, SteamVR headsets and PSVR on April 29th. We’ll be diving in for the whole experience between now and then to give you a closer look at what makes the game tick. It’s safe to say I’m really looking forward to it.
Last month Oculus launched App Lab for Quest which allows developers to distribute their games on the headset without going through Oculus’ curation process. There’s now more than 100 games and apps available on App Lab.
There’s now 103 apps available for Quest via App Lab, according to submissions tracked by App Lab DB. The apps are functionally ‘unlisted’ (unsearchable) in the main Quest store, but receive a normal store page which can be accessed directly via a URL and installed with a single click once logged in, just like any Quest app in the main store. The difference is that Oculus picks and chooses which apps to include in the main Quest store based on some qualitative criteria, while App Lab apps don’t need to meet any specific bar outside of being technically sound.
Quest App Lab games tracked on App Lab DB
Having launched App Lab on February 3rd, and reaching 103 apps as of today, Oculus has approved an average of two apps per day to App Lab, though we suspect many more await approval in the queue. The company said in recent weeks that it had only a few people sorting through App Lab submissions, but that it hopped to accelerate approvals in the near future. Many of the apps that have appeared in App Lab so far were already available via SideQuest, an unofficial Quest distribution platform.
The main Quest store sits around 260 apps. Given the time since the launch of the main Quest store, that’s an average of 0.38 apps per day added to the store.
For additional context, the number of Oculus PC applications sits around 1,800, with Go applications also at 1,800, and SteamVR applications around 4,900. Though all of these platforms have been around for years longer, none of them have been subject to the sort of curation that Oculus has imposed on Quest applications in the headset’s main store.
Below is a breakdown of the top 20 App Lab applications by rating and popularity.
Best Rated Quest Games in App Lab
The rating of each application is an aggregate of user reviews and a useful way to understand the general reception of each title by users.
The number of ratings gives a ballpark idea of the relative popularity of each title; a title with more ratings is likely to have been downloaded more than a title with less, though there’s certainly an unknown margin of error.
Starcaller is an upcoming puzzle game for SteamVR headsets from indie team Monarch Studio. The studio announced it’s coming to PC VR on April 2nd, and will arrive on Quest “soon after.”
Described as a “fast-paced puzzle solving virtual reality game,” Starcaller tasks you with solving puzzles as fast as you can. The game is said to come with 30 puzzles which are randomized to make things different every time you play.
Check out the gameplay trailer below:
If you’re wondering why you’d be stuck in a hole deciphering runes and messing with a trippy, glowing matching puzzle, here’s how Monarch Studio describes it:
The temple that was once pristine has become overgrown and disordered, you return to wade through the newly formed life and complete your life’s work; the ritual to the stars.
As the Starcaller you must race against the clock to restore as many temple walls as possible to their former glory. When night finally creeps in, you must complete the final ritual; send as many falling star fragments as possible back to the night sky.
Monarch is a new studio formed after its founders were laid off from their day jobs at an unnamed B2B studio working on VR apps.
“We decided to take the risk and work unpaid to create a game together in hopes of kickstarting our company,” Monarch says. “Here we are, soon to release and excited to share this with everyone!”
Starcaller will be available on Steam for “around £15” (~$20) the studio says. Soon afterwards the game is expected to launch on Quest via App Lab, the platform’s unmoderated outlet for games outside of the official Oculus Store.
Rec Room, the social VR platform, announced it has secured a $100 million financing round, bringing the company’s valuation to $1.25 billion. This makes it one of the most valuable VR companies outside of platform holders Facebook, Valve, and HTC.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Rec Room reveals its largest round to date was led by Sequoia Capital and Index Ventures, and includes Madrona Venture Group, all of which are existing investors.
This brings the Seattle-based company’s lifetime financing to $149 million following its most recent round in December 2020 when the company secured its $20 million Series C.
Although free to download, one of the platform’s largest monetization strategies is undoubtedly selling tokens, which can be used to buy in-game merch and access to user-generated content. There’s also a ‘Plus’ membership subscription which includes a steady supply of spendable tokens and discounts on certain in-game items.
In recent months however, Rec Room has also allowed Plus members to create objects and rooms for the game and sell them for a sort of ‘premium token’ which can then be exchanged into real cash. In short, the company is laying the groundwork for a functioning economy, whereby its users invest time into building more value into the platform while earning real money.
With over one million monthly active VR users and many more joining on traditional consoles, mobile devices, and PC, Rec Room is well positioned to make it happen. Now with substantial venture capital behind them, the company has more leeway to expand on its emergent economy, likely with aims similar to the sort of wealth creation seen in Second Life. For now, the studio says it hopes to pay out $1M in real cash to creators in 2021 through its token exchange program.
Now through March 31st you can pick up Half-Life: Alyx on sale at a 40% discount in celebration of the game’s one year anniversary.
Half-Life: Alyx is clearly one of the best VR games released thus far, and if you’ve somehow avoided playing it up to this point, here’s one more reason to give it a look: the game is currently on sale for its best price yet: a 40% discount, bringing it to $35. The greatest discount the game had seen previously was 25%.
The big sale comes on the one year anniversary of Half-Life: Alyx’s release, which very closely mirrors the onset of the Coronavirus in the US (where developer Valve is located), and which nearly delayed the release of the game.
Also since launch, the game has been updated with hours of in-game developer commentary and modding tools which has allowed the game’s community to create additional content and tweaks.
Speaking of mods, games journalist Craig Pearson rounded up a bunch of his favorites for the occasion. Check out his full breakdown here, or catch the shortlist below for some Alyx mods you don’t want to miss:
