VR Gaming News

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

LEVEL UP Your Virtual Reality – VR Tips & Tricks / Life Hacks in 2021!

We have so many new people in VR now. So I wanted to share a new video with VR tips / VR life hacks that made my gaming sessions MUCH better. ► Our VR equipment kit & tips here → https://www.amazon.com/shop/caschary (affiliate link) ► Subscribe here → https://goo.gl/bSJ6L8 I’ve been playing around with VR headsets for over four years now, and some of the information I’m sharing today are things that stuck with me the entire four years. So if you’ve been with me for a while, then you might recognize some of these, but I also learned a couple of new things this year. So I hope this can help everyone. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LINKS Some of the links below may be affiliate links. From those, we earn a small referral fee from qualifying purchases that help support the channel. However, it doesn't cost you more. ► More In-depth Tips & Tricks PER Headset: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL86GNGPnZ0sg43Q0Rz5Ex7N29nqhFEaoh ► Quest 2 Accessories Alternatives: https://youtu.be/KXGO7wV0Vko ► 10 Tips To Prevent VR Motion Sickness: https://youtu.be/qlEH5CTklZI ► VR Overhead Cable Management: https://youtu.be/98UZFuw6vRQ ► Bump Dots: https://amzn.to/3bfi99e ► VR Ninjas Mat https://amzn.to/2L80zcH ► Sport Mat https://amzn.to/3s2XcnV ► VRCover for all headsets: http://bit.ly/34l3SDJ ► VRCover Controller Grips For Quest 2 (US): http://bit.ly/2L0S0R4 ► WidmoVR (Prescription Lens Adapters): http://bit.ly/2VOlrtD - 5% discount code: “CAS&CHARY” ► Studioform VR (Comfort Straps): http://bit.ly/2W7eu6v - 5% discount code: “CAS&CHARY” ► Thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=vr&type=things&sort=relevant ► Humble Bundle (VR Games at a Discount): http://bit.ly/humblebundle-vrgames ► Green Man Gaming: http://bit.ly/3hOBUWn ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Tha Intro 01:02 Drinking 01:34 Passthrough Tips 01:53 Oculus Quest 2 - Passthrough Shortcut 02:05 WMR - Passthrough Shortcut 02:15 SteamVR - Passthrough Shortcut 02:40 Motion Sickness 03:30 Refunding Games 03:56 Body Immersion 04:26 Sound Great (During Multiplayer) 05:31 Prescription Lens Adapter 06:20 Keyboard Hack 06:50 VR Mat + Alternatives 07:50 Getting The Best Tracking 09:00 Cleaning & Storage 09:54 How To Feel Wireless On Every VR Headset 10:53 Comfort - Headset 11:57 Comfort - Controllers 12:27 3D Print VR Accessories 13:05 VR Games Tips Start 13:31 Best Moments To Buy VR Games 14:10 VR Discord Communities ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, Studioform VR, Barr'd4Life, Andy, Albert, Ben P., Steve Dunlap, Thomas M. Rice, Andy Fidel, VR Balance, Nathan S., Adriaan K. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. #vrtips #vrlifehacks #casandchary VR on! - Cas and Chary VR

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

How to Tell if Your PC is Ready for Oculus Link

Oculus Link is a feature which allows you plug Quest or Quest 2 into a PC to play PC VR games. If you’re wondering whether or not your PC has the specs to handle it here’s a breakdown of the Oculus Link recommended specs and what you’ll need to use Quest and Quest 2 to play Rift and SteamVR games on your PC.

Updated – January 6th, 2021

Oculus Quest & Quest 2 Recommended PC Specs (Oculus Link)

You’ll need a reasonably powerful PC to play Rift and Steam games on Quest via Oculus Link, though many modern gaming PCs with NVIDIA or AMD graphics cards will fit the bill. Here’s what you’ll need for Quest and Quest 2 to work on PC.

Oculus Link Compatible Graphics Cards

GPU	Supported	Not Currently Supported
NVIDIA Titan Z
NVIDIA Titan X
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (desktop, 3GB)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (desktop, 6GB)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (all)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (all)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Super
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 TI
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20-series (all)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30-series (all)	*
AMD Radeon 200 Series
AMD Radeon 300 Series
AMD Radeon 400 Series
AMD Radeon 500 Series
AMD Radeon 5000 Series
AMD Radeon Vega Series

* Oculus has not yet officially stated whether RTX 30-series GPUs will work with Oculus Link, but given their power we expect all 30-series cards release so far should work fine

Oculus Link CPU, RAM, USB, and Operating System Requirements

Component	Recommended Specs
Processor	Intel i5-4590 / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X or greater
Memory	8GB+ RAM
Operating System	Windows 10
USB Ports	1x USB port

Oculus Link Cable

Oculus Link technically works with any USB cable, including the one that comes in the box with Quest, but without a fairly long cable you won’t have much room to move around. If you’re only planning to play seated games like racing or flying sims, you can probably get by with the included cable, otherwise you’ll want to buy a dedicated cable that’s long enough that you can really spread your virtual wings.

An inexpensive option is to combine this Anker 10ft USB 3.0 cable with this CableCreation 16ft USB 3.0 extender for a total of 26 feet for just $37 from Amazon.

Alternatively, Oculus sells a lighter (but much more expensive) 16ft USB 3.0 Oculus Link cable for $80, also available on Amazon.

Whether you pick a third-party USB 3.0 cable or Oculus’ own cable, both will give you the same visual experience when used with Oculus Link. You can even get by with a USB 2.0 cable in a pinch.

The post How to Tell if Your PC is Ready for Oculus Link appeared first on Road to VR.

Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/oculus-quest-pc-requirements-oculus-link-minimum-specs/

Index Largely Out of Stock in Europe, Full Kit & Base Stations Return Readily to North America

While Valve’s Index headset has lately been widely available in Europe and difficult to find in North America, the tables have turned. For the first time in many months, the Index ‘Full Kit’ is now available in the US and Canada with a shipping estimate of less than two weeks, along with Controllers and Base Stations. Meanwhile, most Index packages are either out of Stock or seeing significant backorders across Europe.

Updated – January 5th, 2021

We checked stock availability for all Index packages across all 31 regions where sold. The latest shows that Valve Index is now most available in the US and Canada, with the ‘Full Kit’ finally returning to relatively quick availability, with Valve estimating shipments within two weeks of ordering. The ‘Base Station’ package has also made a return, while it was previously ‘Out of Stock’ in the region long stretches. The ‘Controller’ package remains available as well, but the ‘Headset + Controllers’ and ‘Headset’ alone packages still have a long “8 weeks or more” backorder.

Europe, on the other hand, is now largely out of Index stock, with the ‘Full Kit’, ‘Headset + Controllers’, and ‘Base Station’ packages completely out of stock. While the ‘Controllers’ package is still expected within two weeks, the ‘Headset’ alone package is stuck with the dreaded “8 weeks or more” backorder.

See chart for: 4/30/20 | 5/6/20 | 5/18/20 | 7/6/20 | 8/4/20 | 8/27/20 | 9/7/20 | 10/16/20 | 11/27/20

Valve Index availability in Japan remains largely the same; though the ‘Base Station’ package has become available in the region once again, the ‘Controller’ package is now out of stock along with the ‘Headset + Controllers’ and ‘Headset’ packages. The ‘Full Kit’ remains available. Shipping estimates, however, are unclear.

Like other headsets, the Chinese-manufactured Index saw a double-whammy in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic: supply decreasing due to manufacturing disruptions and demand increasing due to shelter-in-place orders in many parts of the globe.

Availability of Valve Index stock fluctuated pretty significantly throughout 2020, but looked to be generally trending toward improvements in availability over the last two months. With Europe now seeing lots of ‘Out of Stock’ on the board, it isn’t clear if we’re looking at temporary disruptions due to the holiday season or something more significant.

The 15 Best VR Shooters on Oculus Quest

You can relieve stress by meditating, making art, or getting a good workout in VR. Alternatively, you can also unload a heavy machine gun at anything that moves. And there’s a few really great choices out there if you’re looking for a little explosive therapy to soothe your woes.

Here, we take a look at the best first-person shooters on the Oculus Quest platform, which includes everything from online competitive games and full featured single-player campaigns, to some decidedly more abstract stuff that really only works in VR.

Single Player

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners

Zombies, guns, knives, and swords. Make sure to move and strike tactically, because stamina doesn’t last forever. Great single-player story, even greater zombie-slaying action.

Developer: Skydance Interactive
Price: $40
Store link

Pistol Whip

Rhythm and shooting, together at last. You’ll constantly move forward through a cinematic bullet-hell to the beat of a pretty great soundtrack. Shoot dudes to the beat. Don’t get shot.

Developer: Cloudhead Games
Price: $25
Store link

SUPERHOT VR

Time moves when you move. Pick up the gun or ashtray, and dodge incoming bullets in slow motion. Be tactical and feel like a super hero.

Developer: Superhot Team
Price: $25
Store link

Espire 1: VR Operative

A bit like Metal Gear Solid except everyone is Australian. Climb, sneak, shoot, and complete different objectives.

Developer: Digital Lode
Price: $30
Store link

Phantom: Covert Ops

Tactical kayaks sound pretty ridiculous, but paddling in VR is actually a surprisingly fun and intuitive way of moving around. Sneak, shoot, and explode dudes.

Developer: nDreams
Price: $30
Store link

Space Pirate Trainer

It’s been around forever, but Space Pirate Trainer is still the definitive sci-fi wave shooter. Like Galaga in VR.

Developer: I-Illusions
Price: $15
Store link

AUDICA

Harmonix, the makers of Rock Band, essentially meld Space Pirate Trainer and Beat Saber together to make Audica. Shoot and smash targets to the beat of a soundtrack that features songs from some of the world’s most popular artists.

Developer: Harmonix
Price: $30
Store link

In Death: Unchained

Bow and arrow-shooting in a medieval fantasy realm. Incredibly hard single-player roguelite action.

Developer: Superbright
Price: $30
Store link

Robo Recall: Unplugged

Robo Recall was the original bar for immersive shooters in the early days when it landed on Rift. On Quest, it’s a bit uglier but still a blast.

Developer: Drifter Entertainment / Epic Games
Price: $30
Store link

Gun Club VR

Take a break from the story-driven, active games for a bit with this virtual gun range. Plink at some targets using realistic weaponry, or go for some faster-paced gameplay by shooting at pop-up alien targets.

Developer: Nextgen Reality Pty
Price: $20
Store link

Multiplayer

Population: One

A bit like Fortnite for VR. This battle royale is all about scrounging for gear and moving out before you find yourself on the wrong side of the wall-o-death. You build, climb anything, and glide. Cross-play with PC VR.

Developer: BigBox VR
Price: $30
Store link

Arizona Sunshine

One of VR’s first zombie games. Campaign is playable solo or in online co-op. Significant graphical improvements for Quest 2.

Developer: Vertigo Games
Price: $40
Store link

Blaston

Competitive dueling in a slow motion bullet-hell. Move your body, free your mind. There is no spoon. Online PvP and PvE.

Developer: Resolution Games
Price: $10
Store link

Onward

Realism is the name of the game, and Onward is all about keeping it real. Gun on your hip, radio on your shoulder. Take it slow and plan out your attack with the team. Cross-play with PC VR.

Developer: Downpour Interactive
Price: $25
Store link

Contractors VR

Aiming for realism, this military competitive multiplayer shooter offers up all of the standard trimmings. Less real than Onward, and more like CS:GO. Cross-play with Rift.

Developer: Caveman Game Studio
Price: $20
Store link

Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below!

The post The 15 Best VR Shooters on Oculus Quest appeared first on Road to VR.

Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/top-vr-shooters-oculus-quest-2/

Monday, January 4, 2021

Room-scale Puzzle ‘Eye of the Temple’ Aiming for Spring 2021 Release on PC VR Headsets

Eye of the Temple is an upcoming room-scale puzzle game that basically turns you into Indiana Jones—torch, hat, and bullwhip included. Now developer Rune Skovbo Johansen says the full game is aiming to release on SteamVR headsets sometime this spring.

Until recently, Rune Skovbo Johansen worked at Unity as a senior software engineer, working on Eye of the Temple as an indie developer in his spare time. Although originally hoping to release in 2020, since leaving his position at Unity’s Copenhagen, Denmark offices Johansen says in a tweet that he’ll have more time now to focus on getting the game out.

We went hands-on with the Eye of the Temple’s demo back shortly after it was released on Steam in August, and we were really impressed with what we saw. The demo hosts a vast temple complex where you dodge and duck your way through perilous traps and genuinely head-scratching puzzles.

In the impressively large demo (it took us 45 minutes to complete), you use your bullwhip to grab out-of-reach levers, which control everything from moving platforms to giant stone puzzles. The level design is extremely dense too, so much so it feels like standing inside of manual watch.

One of the most unique features of the game is the room-scale based locomotion style. You move through the game primarily though moving platforms, which sometimes are simple stone pavers that navigate above death pits, and other times on rotating stone cylinders, which require you to physically back up in your space so you can stay on top of them—sort of like a real-life log roll.

If the finished game is half as impressive as the demo, it’s clear we’re in for a room-scale treat the likes of which we haven’t seen since the early days on consumer VR. The demo is still available for free on Steam too, supporting SteamVR headsets including Valve Index, HTC Vive, Windows MR, Oculus Rift, and Oculus Quest via Link.

The post Room-scale Puzzle ‘Eye of the Temple’ Aiming for Spring 2021 Release on PC VR Headsets appeared first on Road to VR.

Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/eye-temple-puzzler-reelease-date-steamvr/

Cybershoes for Quest Kickstarter Successfully Concludes After Tripling Funding Goal

Cybershoes, the makers of a locomotion peripheral for VR headsets, launched a Kickstarter in late November for a new Quest-compatible version of the device. Now heading into the new year, Cybershoes for Quest has concluded its campaign after tripling its initial funding goal.

Update (January 4th, 2020): Before heading into the new year, Cybershoes for Quest garnered $98,420 from 470 backers, tripling its initial $30,000 funding goal.

While the team behind Cybershoes is no doubt extremely happy with the results, the company reports it has encountered limitations that are stopping them from emulating the Oculus Touch controller.

“It looked very promising since we’ve started this endeavor but as of December 23rd we’ve identified new problems. Unless we can register as openXR driver, ideally in cooperation with Oculus/Facebook it would only work by rooting the device and this has never been a pathway we wanted to follow.”

Update (November 30th, 2020): Cybershoes for Quest has now doubled its $30,000 funding goal. At the time of this writing, the Kickstarter has attracted a little over $64,000. And with a month left in the campaign, the Quest locomotion peripheral hasn’t shown signs of stopping. The original article detailing the campaign’s launch follows below:

Original Article (November 25th, 2020): Unlike conventional VR treadmills, which require you to stand on a parabolic base and slide your feet with special, low-friction shoes, Cybershoes offers a seated experience that requires the user to slide a pair of shoe-mounted devices forward and backward to simulate walking or running in-game. To accomplish this, the devices include integrated barrel-shaped wheels in each shoe and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to register foot orientation.

It sounds weird, and it is, but it’s both more compact and cheaper than a VR treadmill, and it’s easier to operate too.

Following its 2018 Kickstarter campaign for its first PC VR-compatible device, the Vienna-based startup is again raising funds for its next iteration of Cybershoes, this time focusing on a Quest compatibility module that is designed to also work with the company’s standard Cybershoe model.

The head-mounted Quest module includes an additional IMU, which when fused with the shoes’ data, can be processed to obtain X and Y motion. For power, the device plugs in directly to either Quest or Quest 2 via the USB-C port.

The question with these third-party peripherals always ends up being game support, or the lack thereof. Developers will need to integrate support for Cybershoes into their games using the team’s SDK, something Vertigo Games has already done this for its popular zombie shooter Arizona Sunshine.

Provided the campaign reaches the $60,000 mark, Cybershoes will also offer a workaround compatibility layer for other games via SideQuest, the unofficial store for Quest games and experiences.

“With a few games, like [The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners], we’ve already established compatibility by adopting the Cybershoes to the game. The Cybershoes app will bind the Cybershoes movement onto the Quest’s touch controllers. This process is very similar to how compatibility is achieved on the PC version of the Cybershoes. In the last year, we’ve integrated over 50 games by finding out the best settings,” the team says.

The company is selling both the Cybershoes + Quest module through its Kickstarter, starting at the early bird price of $280. Alternatively, users who already own a pair of Cybershoes can buy a Quest module on its own for $50, which is estimated to retail for $80 after the campaign is concluded.

The post Cybershoes for Quest Kickstarter Successfully Concludes After Tripling Funding Goal appeared first on Road to VR.

Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/cybershoes-oculus-quest-kickstarter-vr-locomotion/

Friday, January 1, 2021

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 VR + Yaw Motion Simulator Is AWESOME! Setup How-To & Gameplay

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 VR mode is now available! I try it out with the Yaw Motion Simulator, showing you around in my home town. I'll also explain what to do if you get the error "VR headset not recognized" -_- ► Our VR equipment kit & tips here → https://www.amazon.com/shop/caschary (affiliate link) ► Subscribe here → https://goo.gl/bSJ6L8 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LINKS Some of the links below may be affiliate links. From those, we earn a small referral fee from qualifying purchases that help support the channel. However, it doesn't cost you more. ► More info on Star Wars: Squadrons → https://store.steampowered.com/app/1250410/Microsoft_Flight_Simulator/ ► More info on Yaw Motion Simulator → https://www.yawvr.com/ ► More info on Sim Racing Studio 2.0 → https://www.simracingstudio.com/ ► 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro Start 01:12 Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Intro Start 01:54 Making it work on VR headsets besides WMR 02:30 SteamVR headsets 02:54 Oculus headsets Default folder: C:\Program Files\Oculus\Support\oculus-runtime\oculus_openxr_64.json 03:59 MFS 2020 VR + YAW Motion Simulator Gameplay Start 10:40 YAW Motion Simulator Setup & Settings 12:04 Final Thoughts ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, Studioform VR, Barr'd4Life, Andy, Albert, Ben P., Steve Dunlap, Thomas M. Rice, Andy Fidel, VR Balance, Nathan S., Adriaan K. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER This video was not paid for, but thanks to Microsoft for providing the key! 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. #microsoftflightsimulator2020 #oculusquest2 #casandchary VR on! - Cas and Chary VR