In a rare move, Apple is directly adding support for its visionOS platform to the Godot open-source game engine. The move expands the range of tools that developers can use to build content for the headset.
Like the popular Unity and Unreal game engines, Godot is a collection of development tools that make it easy for developers to build real-time games and applications. Unlike the other two, Godot is fully open-source, meaning anyone can use the engine and distribute games built with it free of charge. Because it’s open source, developers can also contribute features and fixes to the engine for all to use.
In a rare move for Apple, the company is directly adding visionOS support to Godot, making it possible for developers to build and distribute Vision Pro content with the engine.
Apple software engineer Ricardo Sanchez-Saez recently shared the company’s plans to add visionOS support to Godot as an open-source contribution. He said the feature would come in two major parts, with the first set to allow games built with Godot to run in flat windows on visionOS, and a second to add support for building fully immersive visionOS applications with the engine.
Because of the open-source process, it will take some time for Apple’s contributions to get rolled into the production version of Godot, and there’s no hard timeline for the completion of the project.
Godot will join the likes of Unity, Unreal Engine, and first-party Apple tools like X-code, and Reality Composer Pro as a way for developers to build applications for Vision Pro.
Godot can also be used to build apps for major VR platforms like Quest and PC VR.
GHOST TOWN is the latest VR game to launch from Fireproof Games, a studio whose previous title, The Room: A Dark Matter, is one of the best and most rated VR puzzle games to date.
Although the game is based on a foundation of the supernatural, the studio stops short of calling it a ‘horror’ game. Rather, it emphasizes suspense and mystery as the backdrop to its puzzles.
The studio says Ghost Town has been in development for nearly four years, and represents a “significant step up for Fireproof Games in every way,” including a cast of fully motion captured characters.
The game is already receiving high praise for its visual fidelity, even on Quest headsets, with a setting that takes players to 1980s london.
Google released the schedule for its upcoming I/O developer conference, which includes developer-focused sessions promising to deliver more insight into its upcoming Android XR operating system. At least from the schedule, it doesn’t seem Google is getting that vocal about Android XR just yet.
Android XR has been squarely out of the limelight since Google announced it back in December alongside Samsung’s ‘Project Moohan’ mixed reality headset. There aren’t any firm release dates for either, although both are expected to launch publicly sometime later this year.
While the company has confirmed a number of Android XR features, including the much-awaited support for passthrough camera access, and has also released developer access to its Android XR SDK, we’re still waiting to see how it will stack up against more mature XR ecosystems, like Meta’s Horizon OS and Apple’s visionOS.
Samsung Project Moohan | Image courtesy The Verge
Google I/O will include a number of livestreamed keynotes from May 20th – 21st, although only two developer talks dedicated to Android XR have been announced, neither of which will be livestreamed. There will however be a ‘What’s New in Android’ livestream that promises to also touch on Android XR.
Failing any meaningful info from the livestream, the two developer sessions are all about Android XR, signaling that Google is hoping to make a developer-friendly push into XR as it further integrates into the broader Android ecosystem—albeit out of the public eye of a livestreamed keynote.
Here’s what we can tell from the contents of the talks (descriptions seen below):
Android XR is moving towards public launch later this year, and Google is prepping a new XR toolchain before it does, which will bundle Jetpack SceneCore and ARCore into its XR-specific version of Jetpack. Jetpack XR, which is now in developer preview, lets mobile or large screen Android app devs create spatialized layouts with the help of 3D models and immersive environments. Notably, the inclusion of ARCore with Jetpack XR suggests Google is consolidating its spatial computing tools, giving devs a unified way to build both AR and VR experiences.
The talks also focus on adding XR features to existing apps, like 3D models, hand-tracking, and stereoscopic video, which means Android XR is hoping to attract more than just game developers—fairly clear considering Google ostensibly aims to put Android XR at app parity with the broader Android ecosystem.
Google is also set to extend Jetpack Compose, its declarative UI toolkit, to XR, which suggests the company wants to standardize UI design across mobile, tablet, and XR, making it easier to port or adapt UIs for immersive environments.
Notably, the second talk (seen below) highlights upcoming AI capabilities being built into Android XR, which could mean features like real-time object recognition, scene understanding, or AI-generated environments could be on the horizon.
Granted, neither talk is being livestreamed, which could mean Google still isn’t ready to trumpet Android XR. We’re also hoping to hear more about Samsung’s upcoming ‘Project Moohan’ headset, which is slated to be the first headset to support Android XR.
In any case, we’ll be tuning in for livestreams and reporting on technical talks hoping to hear something new.
Dereck Bridié Developer Relations Engineer, Patrick Fuentes Developer Relations Engineer
“Join us as we introduce Jetpack SceneCore and ARCore for Jetpack XR, and guide developers through the process of adding immersive content such as 3D models, stereoscopic video, and hand-tracking to existing apps. Participants will learn about new features in the Android XR SDK developer preview, and gain essential knowledge for the public launch of Android XR later this year.”
Cecilia Abadie Senior Product Manager, Jan Kleinert Developer Relations Engineer
Discover the future of immersive experiences with Android XR. This session unveils the latest updates to the Android XR SDK Beta, launching at I/O, including enhancements to Jetpack Compose for XR and cutting-edge AI capabilities. Learn how your existing investments in large screen development can be leveraged to easily expand your reach into the exciting world of Android XR.
Avatar: The Last Airbender doesn’t have an official VR game, although you’d be forgiven for double-taking as you bend all four elements in the multiplayer action game Elements Divided, now available on Quest 2 and above and PC VR headsets.
Developed by Loco Motion and published by Fast Travel Games, Elements Divided lets you go head-to-head in online combat, or take on hordes of foes in co-op mode.
Like in the Avatar TV series, each element has its own fighting style, which includes 60 attacks and abilities across the four core elements—fire, water, air, and earth.
As you gain experience, you can also level up your character for even more devastating abilities, and customize your loadout and individual avatar.
“Every ability in the game can be summoned using immersive, gesture-driven controls that allow you to guide the flow of water, summon stone barriers, hurl yourself across arenas and more,” Loco Motion says.
At launch, Elements Divided offers:
Four Core Elements To Master: Study the ways of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air to cast powerful attacks and defenses.
Team Up Or Compete With Friends: Go online and battle others in a brutal contest of skill, or team up with others to defeat waves of AI enemies. Solo play is also available.
Unlock Powers & Cosmetics: Personalize your appearance to give your warrior their own flair, and unlock new powers as you progress through ranks.
Elements Divided is available starting today on the Horizon Store for Quest 2 and above and Steam for PC VR headsets, priced at $10.
Kluge Interactive, the studio behind hit VR rhythm game Synth Riders (2019), announced its upcoming VR fighting game, FINAL FURY, is landing in early access on Quest and SteamVR headsets next month.
Coming to Quest 2 and above and PC VR headsets on May 8th, Final Fury is an arcade-style fighting game that brings classic 1v1 action to VR with a unique gesture-based gameplay system.
Developed with input from nine-time EVO champion Justin Wong, the early access title offers a mix of hand gesture input and actual room-scale movement, letting you embody six fighters with unique moves and stages, with more promised to come post launch.
“When the team at Kluge Interactive first approached me about FINAL FURY, I was intrigued by their vision of integrating classic fighting game mechanics into a first-person VR experience,” said Wong. “After playing and providing feedback on elements like dashes, grabs, and character play styles, I’m excited to see how players will engage with the game when it releases into Early Access.”
At early access launch, the game will include:
You are the Fighter! –Fully immersive VR combat with real punches, dodges, and blocks
Innovative VR Combat –Nostalgic fighter mechanics reimagined for physical gameplay
Expanding Roster–Six fighters and counting, with unique powers, arenas, and styles
Arcade Mode Unlocks –Take on the AI to unlock a new fighter, stage, and cosmetics
Online Multiplayer –Cross-platform with rollback netcode for smooth, competitive play
Pulse-Pounding OST-Original soundtrack from Zardonic (SUPERHOT: MCD)
You can wishlist Final Fury over on the Horizon Store for Quest 2 and above and Steam for PC VR headsets, coming on May 8th and priced at $9.99.
PlayStation has kicked off its big ‘Big Games, Big Deals’ promotion today, putting a massive number of PS5 and PS4 games on deep discount. While there are only a handful of PSVR 2 and PSVR games among the lot, you can still nab some pretty great games at a steal.
The sale varies by region, so make sure to check out the sales section to see whether these games are currently on discount for you.
As it is, in the US, the following games are currently on sale from today until May 7th.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered just released on PC and console, offering up a modern, refreshed version of Bethesda’s beloved 2006 open world RPG. And before we could even say “stop right there, criminal scum!”, VR players are already under the hood.
One of Bethesda’s most notable improvements has been bringing Oblivion to Unreal Engine 5 rather than the game’s original Gamebryo engine, meaning it not only featues improved textures, character, models animations, and lighting, but it’s also effectively opening up the game to modders who want to jump in thanks to ‘Praydog’s UEVR plugin (link below).
By now, UEVR is pretty feature-rich, including support for 6DOF head movement, full stereoscopic 3D, frontend GUI for easy process injection, support for OpenXR runtimes, as well as motion controller support. Still, intrepid UEVR users will need to tinker with settings to make a specific mod profile that plays well with the game—something YouTuber ‘LunchAndVR’ is doing right now.
Check out the gameplay video below to see LunchAndVR’s early attempt at bringing Oblivion to VR:
In the video’s description, LunchAndVR says these are still “very early tests,” noting they still don’t have full 6DOF profiles to share just yet due to motion controls causing some crashes.
Still, early tests look pretty promising, as LunchAndVR takes on rats and zombies in a richly detailed dungeon, replete with dynamic lighting, further noting the mod “runs really well indoors, but lower performance outdoors.”
Granted, the video above was created using a fairly beefy rig, and you’ll probably need one too. It’s only on medium graphics settings with DLSS, using a Quest 3 with Virtual Desktop’s VDXR runtime set on ‘Ultra’. As for PC specs, LunchAndVR is running the game at 72hz refresh rate via an Nvidia RTX 4090, Intel Core i9-13900 CPU, and 64GB of RAM.
While not finalized, VR users can jump into Oblivion today by downloading Praydog’s UEVR mod and possibly a few test profiles currently being shared. Namely, LunchAndVR has shared two specific profiles: a 6DOF profile from ‘Keyser’ thatadjusts for better performance in VR (Google Drive download) and a 3DOF profile from ‘Pande4360’ thatalso includes VR performance adjustments (Google Drive download).
You’ll of course need an original copy of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered for PC. LunchAndVR notes it will work with the version available on Steam, but also the version available through Xbox’s PC Game Pass.
