Have you been holding out on getting your A-wing on in Star Wars: Squadrons for PSVR or PC? Well, strap in, because an Amazon sale brings the game down drastically in price.
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The Amazon sale brings the PS4 version of the game down to just $16.99, down a whopping 58% from the normal $39.99 full price. We’ve seen Squadrons for PC go down in price across the last couple of Steam sales, but this Amazon sale is probably the cheapest we’ve seen for the PS4 copy of the game so far.
Star Wars: Squadrons on PS4 supports play in traditional and VR modes, provided you have a PSVR headset. Thanks to backwards compatibility, this copy of the game will also be playable on PS5, including PSVR if you have the free camera adapter. It is a physical copy of the game though, so Digital Edition PS5 owners are out of luck.
Digital codes for the PC version of Squadrons are also on sale through Amazon, but not for quite the same astounding discount. PC players can nab a Steam or Origin code for $23.99, down 40% from $39.99.
The developer of the newly-released VR horror game Hinge is working on fixing performance issues right now, with the aim of getting an update out this week.
Hinge caught people’s attention — including ours — for its impressive visuals and VR-centric design. We got to try out the first episode early and found some promising hints for a great game hidden within. However, we encountered some performance issues trying the game out on two rigs, and it seems others have found the same. Check out our first gameplay video below to see what we mean.
In fact, the game currently holds a ‘Mostly Negative’ rating on Steam with many of the 20 reviews citing similar performance concerns. Based on what we’ve played, the current build of Hinge struggles to maintain a consistent framerate — an especially big problem for a VR game — and some environments don’t fully load until you’ve already taken a few steps into them.
Speaking to UploadVR, however, developer Arcadia confirmed that it’s working on those issues “right now” and aims to have a fix live this Friday.
We’d definitely recommend holding off until the patch is live to see if Arcadia can make meaningful improvements to the game, then. Hinge still has issues, like a lack of direction and explanation making it hard to really work out how best to play, but its visual style and tense atmosphere definitely suggest it could one day be a decent game.
Will you be checking out Hinge once this patch is live? Let us know in the comments below!
Universal Studios Japan today announced the opening date of its long-delayed ‘Super Nintendo World’ in its Osaka-based theme park, which is set to feature a Mario Kart-themed ride including AR headsets.
The grand opening of Super Nintendo World is officially set for February 4th, 2021, marking the 20th anniversary of USJ’s Osaka theme park.
In a press statement (Japanese), the company says the attraction combines a number of state-of-the-art video technologies such as AR headsets, projection mapping, and screen projection footage with special effects such as steam, as well as famous scenes from its past games reproduced on the ride’s course as set pieces.
Image courtesy Universal Studios Japan, Nintendo
The ride has been in development for more than six years now, and according to Bloomberg, the new theme park area cost ¥60 billion yen ($578 million USD) to build.
The Mario Kart AR ride takes place inside a recreation of Koopa’s (aka Bowser’s) Castle, and kits out riders with AR headsets topped with Mario’s iconic cap. USJ says on its website that park-goers will be able to race against other players through Mario Kart courses, toss out shells, and sprint to finish line with Mario and Peach. Check out Bloomberg’s first look below to get a peek at the ride.
Given the current state of travel, February 4th is admittedly an optimistic date. In a bid to address this early on, the park is enforcing a set of new practices, including social distancing, increased park sanitization, temperature checks, mandatory mask-wearing, and also encouraging guests to use Osaka’s COVID-19 tracing app. Granted, Universal Studios Japan in Osaka is mostly geared towards attracting domestic tourists, however that area has recently seen its third, and largest flare-up of the virus, so it’s still likely going to be an uphill battle.
And in the midst of Super Nintendo World’s opening, it remains to be seen whether large-format VR attractions the world over will be able to make plans for a similar rebound. It’s still too early to tell though, so we’ll be watching 2021 with great interest to see whether a wary public can truly feel safe enough to return to location-based entertainment after (hopefully) wide distribution of an effective vaccine.
According to developer Vertigo Games, around one in ten VR players owns a copy of Arizona Sunshine.
Marketing Director Kimara Rouwit said as much to MCV in a recent interview. “When we launched Arizona Sunshine, back in 2016, we hoped that it would become the game that it is now,” Rouwit explained, “most recently, the numbers are around one in every ten VR players owns a copy of Arizona Sunshine.”
This is a pretty extraordinary figure, even for a game like Arizona that saw success out of the gates when it launched on PC VR headsets in 2016. It’s a first-person shooter (FPS) set in a post-apocalyptic world in which zombies have overrun humanity. Unlike most of its competitors, Arizona Sunshine offered a full single-player campaign and multiplayer options whilst making full use of 6DOF tracking. The game generated $1.4 million in revenue in its first month of sales and won our first ever Game of the Year award.
Since then, Arizona has enjoyed ports to PSVR and, much more recently, Oculus Quest, along with multiple DLC expansions and arcade iterations. That post-launch support hadn’t been planned from the start according to Rouwit: “So that was like the dream. But realistically, that wasn’t what we had expected. we didn’t expect this amount of success. So, to be honest, we didn’t really plan for a service model with Arizona Sunshine, because nobody knew how big the player base was that you might be servicing.”
Vertigo Games is no doubt hoping to see similar success with its next big VR game, After The Fall, a cooperative shooter not too far off from Arizona’s foundations. The game’s been MIA throughout 2020 and was recently delayed to 2021. Vertigo itself was recently acquired by Koch Media, and continues to work on VR projects including publishing upcoming titles like Traffic Jams.
If you do play through the level, the developer is encouraging users to join the Phasmophobia Discord server and report any bugs in the #beta-bug-reports channel.
To switch to the beta build of Phasmophobia, make sure the game is closed and right-click on it on Steam, select Properties and then go to the Beta tab. In there, you should be able to select ‘Beta – Unstable Build’ which will give you access to the prison level in-game. Usually map selection is random, but the beta build will allow you to pick the prison map specifically.
Phasmophobia has been one of this year’s break-out success games, launching in Early Access in September. While the early access period was initially planned to be quite short, the developer has now said that it will stay there a bit longer as the unexpected popularity of the game has resulted in a shift of focus.
The game sees you and up to 3 others work together to identify types of ghosts haunting different maps, using various equipment and evidence. David and I tried the game out live on the UploadVR YouTube channel a few weeks ago and had a great time. The game has optional VR support, so David played on Quest 2 via Virtual Desktop and I just played on PC, while monitoring YouTube comments.
Developer Spare Parts Oasis and publisher Armor Games Studios today unveiled A Rogue Escape, a VR reimaging of PC puzzle game Nauticrawl (2019).
The genre-splicing title, which is based on 2019’s IndieCade nominated rogue-lite puzzle game Nauticrawl, puts you in the commander’s seat of a giant steam punk-style mech stuck on a hostile planet.
Image courtesy Spare Parts Oasis
In order to escape the planet, you’ll have to figure out how the gargantuan machine works, and discover the functions tied to its dizzying array of switches, buttons, screens and levers.
Clues left behind by its former crew are indispensable, as you learn to navigate across the world to five control centers in effort to free yourself from the planet’s elite overlord class.
Image courtesy Spare Parts Oasis
Spare Parts Oasis’ Andrea Interguglielmi, the original creator of Nauticrawl, says the game isn’t a port as such, but rather a
“complete reinvention of something that now seems like it was always meant to be experienced in VR.”
To create A Rogue Escape, the team also partnered with VR development studio, Sylphe Labs, to “reimagine Nauticrawl’s titular vehicle as a completely 3D inhabitable space,” its developers say.
A Rogue Escape is slated to launch on the Oculus Store for PC and via SteamVR headsets in 2021. You can also sign up for the game’s closed beta here.
Launched one year ago to the month, PistolWhip is a VR rhythm shooter which has made its mark as one of the best and most rated games on Oculus Quest. Now the title is about to get its most ambitious update yet; the Pistol Whip ‘2089’ update packages a slick synthwave soundtrack as a sort of mini-campaign that brings subtle but meaningful tweaks to gameplay and new challenges.
Since its release last year Pistol Whip [our review] has seen regular updates bringing new songs and scenes to the game. From its initial 10 tracks, five additional tracks were added in the ‘Reloaded’ series, and another three in the ‘Heartbreaker’ update.
This Tuesday on Oculus and Steam (and on PSVR in Q1), the Pistol Whip ‘2089’ update will drop five more levels, bringing the game’s total count to 23.
But ‘2089’ is more than just five new tracks. This time around, they’re presented as a cohesive narrative that plays out from one track to the next—a ‘concept album’, if you will. Further still, ‘2089’ brings remixed gameplay that hits the mark by mixing things up without straying far from the game’s signature gameplay.
‘2089’ drops you into a series of cyberpunk-themed scenes interlinked with short, graphic novel-style cutscenes with great art and well-voiced dialogue from the character you inhabit. There’s no crazy deep story here, but having an underlying narrative to tie everything together sets the stage for the new environments and enemies you’ll encounter.
This is the caliber of the still artwork (by artist Fico Ossio) that makes up the narrative interludes between 2089’s levels | Image courtesy Cloudhead Games
The core of Pistol Whip is still very much intact in ‘2089’; you’ll still find yourself continuously running along a straight path while dodging bullets and returning fire at enemies that appear mostly on the sidelines. But part way through ‘2089’ you’ll find a new weapon—a futuristic pistol with a four-round burst—that changes the way you play.
When you pull the trigger, the ‘2089’ pistol will automatically shoot as many of its four bullets as necessary into your target, meaning you can pull the trigger on the two-hit enemies and the gun will automatically fire two bullets to dispatch them. But beyond that, you can string one burst between multiple enemies, allowing you to take down rows of four one-hit enemies with the swing of your gun across them.
While the new pistol gives you an enjoyable power boost, ‘2089’ balances things with new enemies and scenarios, at times pushing the game nearly into ‘bullet hell’ territory.
You’ll find yourself face-to-face with turret enemies which fire continuous salvos of bullets that must be smoothly dodged around. While enemies directly in front of you could once be optionally shot or pistol whipped, this time around many will be running straight at you with impenetrable shields and can only be pistol whipped.
Meanwhile, strings of one and two-shot enemies will line up for you to knock down with your burst-fire, but if you aren’t quick about it you’ll be facing a hailstorm of bullets heading in your direction.
‘2089’ also delivers a fun and challenging climax which is unlike anything seen previously in the game and feels like a satisfying end to the chapter. I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say you’ll be glad you’ve got the extra firepower.
I would have loved to see the ‘2089’ pistol unlocked as a modifier for use in the game’s other levels, or the ability to use the game’s existing modifiers in the new ‘2089’ levels, as a reward for completion. And it would have been a nice touch to have a full avatar body (or at least arms) to make you feel more like you’re inhabiting the cool cyborg character. But those are minor gripes for what is otherwise a tasty slice of new content that hits all the right notes with some great music, a polished presentation, and remixed gameplay that balances extra firepower with new challenges. And it’s free to boot!
Image courtesy Cloudhead Games
Developer Cloudhead Games has set a high bar for itself with ‘2089’, and shown that it’s willing to take Pistol Whip’s gameplay in new directions. I can’t help but be curious about what we’ll see next.
The 2089 update to Pistol Whip arrives December 1 with a pulse-pounding 5-act campaign added to the hit arcade shooter.
The update rounds out what we already reviewed as a 5/5 game at release a year ago. Developer Cloudhead Games regularly updates the title with new scenes and gameplay elements, with the previous update adding new modifiers that change the feel of the game in significant ways.
With 2089 — which comes to PC VR and Quest first with PSVR support in 2021 — Cloudhead is challenging players who already found their rhythm with the core arcade elements to see if they can keep their adrenaline going across several songs and scenes. At least, that’s how I saw it after beating the campaign on hard in less than an hour. Cloudhead recommends some experience with the arcade portion of the game before attempting the campaign and I certainly had that covered, so your mileage may vary of course.
2089’s story is delivered by a combination of voice acting and comic book-like immersive illustrations made by artist Fico Ossio. The illustrations string together the moments between scenes — they’re just long enough to give you time to catch your breath — and the voice acting is pretty strong as well. A couple of the scenes destroyed me repeatedly, but only in that very particular way Pistol Whip developers seem to be honing in on with each update. In other words, losing just made me angrier and move a little quicker until I beat it.
You can see the start of the 2089 story in the video below, if you don’t mind the spoilers:
One of the act focuses on a rapid-fire gun that sprays the world in bullets while another act offers you no bullets at all. Are you ready to Pistol Whip your way through that one?
The cinematic campaign is described as the game’s “first-ever”, so there’s hope that 2089 will eventually be joined by other narratives.
Cloudhead says its next major update, Concierge, will be out in Spring 2021. We don’t know what that update will entail just yet. 2089 is Cloudhead’s last update for Pistol Whip this year.
You can get Pistol Whip on the Oculus Store or Steam and look for the update arriving soon.
A new announcement trailer for upcoming VR title A Wake Inn sets the tone for the spooky horror game and gives us a peek at some of wheelchair-based gameplay mechanic that we learned about earlier this month.
As you can see in the trailer, it starts out with an extended narrated sequence talking about how exceptional the human species is and how they are the only species that has managed to convert energy to “go beyond their natural abilities.”
However, things quickly take a turn for a darker tone after the narrator introduces his “discovery”, called the Pneuma. It looks to be some kind of steampunk, early 19th-century electronic device, which the narrator says is “what makes living beings alive” and can “set machines in motion … and allow them to carry out their own commands.”
Here’s a description of the story provided by the developers, VR Bros:
Players will play as an abandoned mannequin that needs to find out who they are, why they ended up in the hotel, and who is the mysterious voice that’s guiding them along the way. Is it time for the player to take revenge on their maker and set themselves free, or perhaps they’re just a puppet being pulled by its strings?
The developers noted that they expect the experience to take around 5-6 hours.
If you’re looking for more gameplay-focused footage, we have an extended almost 20-minute look a few weeks ago. The unique pull of A Wake Inn is that you’ll play the entire game seated in a virtual wheelchair, which you can control and use to move around the VR world.
A Wake Inn is scheduled to release in ‘early 2021’ during Q1 for PC VR with support for all major headsets, and is available to wishlist on Steam now.
Oculus Cyber Monday deals are now live for Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2 games, with both bundle and individual game sales including titles like Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted, Vader Immortal and In Death: Unchained.
There are 3 bundles and then a few individual sales, with savings ranging from around 15-40% off.
The “Essentials Pack” includes Job Simulator, Trover Saves the Universe, Waltz of the Wizard, Gun Club VR, Please, Don’t Touch Anything and Death Horizon: Reloaded for $79.99. That’s 26% off, down from a total of $109.94 when bought together at full price.
The “Epic Pack” is a bit smaller, including Eleven Table Tennis, Thrill of the Fight, Richie’s Plank Experience and Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes for $44.99. That’s a discount of 24%, down from what would normally be a combined price of $59.96.
There’s also the Vader Immortal pack, which includes all three episodes of Vader Immortal for $19.99, a discount of 33% down from $29.97.
In terms of individual apps, the following are on sale:
–Angry Birds: 30% off, $10.49 (from $14.99)
– Arizona Sunshine: 20% off, $31.99 (from $39.99)
– Creed: Rise to Glory: 30% off, $20.99 (from $29.99)
Universal Studios Japan’s new Super Nintendo World opens in February and we’re already jealous of it and its AR Mario Kart game.
The park offered a tiny glimpse of the new attraction, which opens on February 4th, today. The world is entirely themed around the company’s beloved creations, including a Mario Kart ride that uses AR headsets. Bloomberg has an early look at the attraction in the video below.
We couldn’t tell you exactly which AR headset that is but we definitely approve of the Mario branding. A roughly translated press release explains that guests will “throw the swords they got from the item box” in the ride, so it looks like the AR element will be interactive. The ride is on-rails and seemingly pits two karts against each other.
Interestingly this is the third time we’ve seen Mario Kart paired with VR and AR tech. A few years back Bandai Namco brought the series to VR headsets in arcades with an incredible, short experience. And just last month Nintendo launched Mario Kart Live, a Nintendo Switch AR game that uses cameras on RC cars to turn living rooms into virtual race tracks. The potential to see the company expand its VR and AR offerings through location-based entertainment is certainly intriguing.
Will you be heading to Super Nintendo World whenever it’s safe to do so? Let us know in the comments below!
Do we have a new contender for the most anticipated VR game of 2021? I think we do – Dolphin Trainer VR is coming in the new year.
Due in Q2 for PC VR headsets, Dolphin Trainer VR is the latest from Forestlight Games, and published by sim genre regulars, PlayWay (also behind the recently-released House Flipper). In the game, you start out as a wannabe dolphin trainer, yourself learning the ropes. As you progress, you’ll get to spend more time with your aquatic companion, performing new tricks together. Check out the (CG-looking) trailer below.
Dolphin Trainer VR Is A Real Game
Yes, the trailer does indeed suggest you’ll be able to brush a dolphin’s teeth. I’m sure that’s someone’s VR dream, right?
Forestlight notes that you’ll first be looking to complete a bachelor’s degree before going on to earn a scuba certification. After that, you’ll get to practice simple tasks and even get a job as a trainer.
But then the Steam description for the game takes a turn – your fifth and final step will be to lead the dolphins to freedom.
“Taking captive wild animals, especially so intelligent ones, is not a good thing,” the description reads. “You knew that from the beginning. You know how to talk to them, you know the topography of the terrain, it’s time to free the dolphins.”
Is it just me or is this starting to sound pretty epic? Currently, there’s no actual gameplay to go off, so we can’t really judge yet. We’ll be sure to bring you more as soon as we have it, though.
Here’s one that slipped under our radar – the PC VR version of Space Channel 5 VR Kinda Funky News Flash is already available on Viveport, and is coming soon to SteamVR.
The VR adaptation of the cult rhythm action game launched on HTC’s Viveport Infinity subscription service on November 20th. That means you can get access to the title via the monthly subscription that allows you to play a whole heap of other VR games too. This version of the game is compatible with just about every PC VR headset – Rifts, Vives, Index and even Windows Mixed Reality should be covered.
But what if you don’t want to use Viveport? Well the game’s coming soon to SteamVR, launching on December 9th according to the official website. It’ll cost $24.99 on the platform.
Space Channel 5 VR has already done the rounds on both PSVR and Oculus Quest, having launched on the former back in February of this year. While it was great to see an obscure fan-favorite series return in VR, we thought the gameplay was far too basic and the content far too thin to warrant a hefty asking price.
“Space Channel 5 VR should have been a glorious return to form, but this cult hit series can’t keep up with the beat set by its competitors,” we said in our 2/5 review. “The surprisingly brief campaign coasts on by without ever pushing your skills and, once it’s over, there’s very little else to do. Ulala and co are long overdue a return to the main stage, but this isn’t it.”
Will you be checking our Space Channel 5 on PC VR? Let us know in the comments below!
Earlier this week we reported that VR support for Microsoft Flight Simulator will be coming in December. But, not only is it coming out soon, it’s coming to all SteamVR headsets at the same time.
When VR support for Flight Simulator was first confirmed back in July, developed Asobo stated it would first arrive for Windows Mixed Reality headsets, launching alongside the new HP Reverb G2 itself. Support for other devices, the developer said, would follow along from there.
Microsoft Flight Sim VR No Longer Timed Exclusive
However, in the same livestream that confirmed a December launch window earlier this week, the developer confirmed the game is now coming to all headsets at the same time. “It will be open to all devices,” Executive Producer Martial Bossard confirmed. “Oculus family, Valve family – every family of headset is going to be supported.” It’s not clear if the game will actually be launching on the Oculus Store but, either way, we’d expect that support to be included in the SteamVR version of the game.
The ongoing private beta for Flight Simulator’s VR support did already do a phased testing approach that started with just WMR headsets, so there was at least some timed exclusivity for that platform, but not exactly the type we were expecting.
The update will be going live “towards the end of December” according to the studio, with a video outlining the VR support on December 17th. Beyond that, the game’s new World Update will give the UK a makeover in January. Will you be checking out Flight Sim VR support? Let us know in the comments below!
Here VR, quite literally, hits home. An adaptation of the 2014 Richard McQuire graphic novel — which itself was first realized in a 1989 comic strip — it’s a VR experience in which the humans are the supporting cast, the starring spotlight instead placed upon the four walls that house them.
It opens to a cosy, if relatively drab living room, but quickly catapults you into a rather amazing journey.
Here VR Hits Home
Suddenly, windows into seemingly other worlds start to encroach upon the room. They give you slight cause for concern until you peer through and realize that they are in fact showing you the exact same location at a completely different point in time. Characters drop in and out of existence, perhaps just taking their first steps into their new home, preparing to leave it or pretty much anything in between.
Good news is celebrated, warm memories are shared and occasional upsets are revealed. At one point you even slingshot back to a time long before the house and surrounding neighborhood even existed. Crucially, each new time period feels authentically realized, and the power of VR truly transports you to different eras of personal history on the fly. I’ve only seen the first part of Here, but I was struck by its intimate portrayal of lives lived, revolved around this (almost) ever-present anchor. It has a texture and tangible history, making it completely unlike the VR homes and hangouts we build for ourselves.
Stitching together this multi-faceted narrative, as you might’ve guessed, was no easy task.
Here is the latest VR experience from Lysander Ashton and the team at 59 Productions, who previously released the excellent Nothing To Be Written on Oculus Go. It may have made its debut during the Venice Film Festival back in August, but it was first conceived back in the very early days of VR. “I came across the graphic novel years ago, like six, seven years ago, I think,” Ashton says of the project’s origins. “When I’d first started getting interested in VR. I remember thinking straight away, like this would make the perfect VR adaptation.”
Ashton was struck by Here’s fitting sense of place, but couldn’t quite wrap his head around how a production that would involve multiple iterations of the same environment and 50 or so characters each operating within their own timezones could possibly be tamed into a coherent structure. Then he came across Intel Studio’s volumetric capture technology.
You’ve possibly heard of that term before. Volumetric capture is the process of recording a real-life performance or environment — using many tens if not hundreds of cameras — and then using software to stitch each individual camera’s capture into a single, 3D asset. Microsoft has its own set of studios across the world, but Intel’s, seen in this Siggraph 2020 video, is the largest, allowing for multiple people to perform at once.
“Unlike most smaller one person or two-person volumetric capture studios, you could build the entire room in that space,” Ashton explains. And so a seven-year dream quickly materialized into reality, shot in LA just before Christmas last year (luckily avoiding the complications of 2020).
Even with the benefits of a bigger stage (not to mention utilizing 59’s existing architectural expertise from other projects) though, filming Here sounds like an immensely intricate process. A heap of administrative documents planning out room sizes and storyboarding Ashton shows me confirms it.
“It’s an incredibly complicated logistics exercise because there were– I think we had over 200 different shots and it’s like a hundred characters in there as well, “Ashton says. “But we didn’t have the budget for a hundred so we have actors playing multiple roles. And working out all of the different costumes required [us to say] “Well we can’t have that person in the same scene. Because this is in 1960 and that’s happening at the same time as something in 1300.””
But logistics came together through software, and the team managed to shoot scenes with some linearity before merging worlds in post-production. They even had to mark out every piece of furniture for every given time zone so that no characters managed to ghost their way through them during the film. It sounds like a herculean test of time-management that you might think would be better spent with an animation studio, but Ashton says it was this technology that made this particular version of the piece possible. “What’s so great about the original graphic novel is it’s just: people, people, people, people from all of these different things that happen all the time. This volumetric capture kind of gave us the opportunity to be able to do that – massive amounts of people.”
Complicated enough on its own, then, and that’s without even considering how the piece might adhere to the source material – a series of pages you’re free to flip back and forth though and pick and choose which narratives to focus on. While Ashton says Here is very close to the original in many ways, it also makes some key changes. “We’ve totally restructured the order of it and we’ve added in a central thread of a couple moving into the house,” he explains, “So unlike the graphic novel, where there is no hierarchy between the different stories, we have added that in. We felt that because, with the graphic novel, you’re encouraged to sit with it and go back and forth through all of these little mini-narratives, for something that was going to be living here that people would generally go to see once we felt it was important to have a core narrative.”
McQuire himself had a hand in the piece, joining Ashton and co during some of the production and offering some crucial guidance. “One of the key things he said was about making the big things small and the small things big,” Ashton says. “So you’re hinting at these epic sweeps of history through tiny mundane moments. It’s an epic patchwork of all of human existence, that builds out of any one of those moments that are forgettable and mundane and sort of trivial. There are no indications of war or kind of huge sweeping events that happen. They’re hinted at really.”
Still, as impressive as the piece is in its current form, Ashton believes it will really come together in the second part as 59 starts doubling down on the character through lines. “So the world and mechanism and the idea of being in all of these places at once is thrilling, but it doesn’t quite have the emotional heart to it,” he reasons. “And it will, once we can really tell these stories and once you can really follow the lead characters through, on their journey, I think it’s going to take it to this entirely next level.”
Personally, I can’t wait to see what it brings to the table. 59 continues to work on the final part, then, with the hopes of releasing it for download next year. There were once plans to tour is across the US and UK though, when I spoke to Ashton in September those plans had been tabled. Perhaps more recent news might have an impact on the rollout (fingers crossed). Either way, I’m looking forward to welcoming it home in 2021.
We’ll have more from Here VR as soon as we hear more!
With big game launches and more VR headsets on that market than ever, 2020 is shaping up to be a huge year for VR, and an excellent time for first-timers to jump in. In this article we’ve pulled together a concise look at the best VR headsets currently available.
If you’re looking for the very best overall PC VR headset, Valve Index is our pick. It’s pricey compared to the rest, but has an excellent balance of quality, performance, and comfort. That’s why we called it “the enthusiast’s choice” in our full review of the headset.
Pros
Things to love about Index are its excellent tracking performance, wide field of view, quality controllers, and range of ergonomic adjustments that make it easy to dial in a comfortable and clear fit.
Index is one of the only headsets that offers an eye-relief adjustment. This let’s you bring the lenses as close to your eyes as comfortable, allowing you to maximize your field of view; it also makes the headset easier to adjust for glasses. Index has a physical IPD adjustment which ranges from 58mm to 70mm, making it easy to align the lenses with the width of your eyes for the sharpest visuals.
Cons
But Index isn’t perfect. Compared to other headsets on the market, the external tracking system is more work to set up, typically requiring two tracking beacons mounted on opposite corners of a room, stuck on a tripod, or placed up high on a shelf. They also need to be plugged into their own power outlets. And while Index has cameras on the front for a pass-through view, it isn’t as quick or useful as we’ve seen on other headsets. And did we mention the price tag of $1,000? You can get it cheaper though if you already have SteamVR Tracking base stations from an old Vive headset.
Valve Index Specs
Resolution
1,440 × 1,600 (2.3MP) per-eye (LCD)
Refresh Rate
80Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz
Lenses
Double element Fresnel
Field of View
~130° diagonal
Optical Adjustments
IPD, eye-relief
IPD Range
58–70mm
Connectors
USB 3.0, DisplayPort 1.2, 12V power
Cable Length
5m + 1m breakaway
Tracking
SteamVR Tracking 1.0 or 2.0 (external beacons)
Controllers
Valve Index controllers
Audio
Off-ear headphones, 3.5mm aux output
Microphone
Dual microphone
Pass-through Cameras
Stereo 960 × 960
Content Compatibility
Valve Index is officially compatible with the SteamVR library where the vast majority of VR content is available. If you’re looking to play content that’s exclusive to the Oculus PC library (like Asgard’s Wrath) you can use the free but unofficial Revive mod to play Oculus PC content on Valve Index. It may take some tweaking for performance and controller inputs, but for the most part Oculus content will play reasonably well on Index.
While Valve’s Index has great all-around performance, HP’s new Reverb G2 is the headset you want if resolution is your most important consideration. Reverb G2 should be on your radar especially if you’re thinking of picking up a VR headset for seated PC VR games like driving and flight simulators—find out why in our full review.
Pros
When it comes right down to it, G2’s defining feature is its class-leading resolution of 2,160 × 2,160, which can look downright amazing with the right content. Thanks to a collaboration between Valve and HP, G2 also borrows the excellent headphones of Valve’s Index headset and brings improved controllers compared to previous WMR headsets. Not to mention the headset has inside-out tracking which makes it easier to use thanks to no external trackers. And who can argue with it being nearly half the price of the full Valve Index kit?
Cons
Although it boasts improved controller ergonomics compared to prior WMR headsets, Reverb G2’s controller tracking still has more latency and less reliability than its peers, along with less detailed (and somewhat noisy) haptics. The controllers will get you through most games just fine, but if you plan primarily play competitive games, the controllers on other headsets tend to deliver better results. As for field of view, G2 is similar to most of its peers but loses out compared to Index.
Unfortunately G2 is also difficult to get right now. Even though it technically launched in November HP doesn’t expect to ship new orders until January.
HP Reverb G2 Specs
Resolution
2,160 × 2,160 (4.7MP) per-eye (LCD)
Refresh Rate
90Hz
Lenses
Single element Fresnel
Field of View
114° diagonal
Optical Adjustments
IPD
IPD Range
60–68mm
Connectors
USB-C, DisplayPort, Power
Cable Length
6m
Tracking
Quad on-board camera (no external beacons)
Controllers
Reverb G2 controllers
Audio
Off-ear headphones
Microphone
Yes
Pass-through Cameras
Yes
Content Compatibility
HP Reverb G2 works natively with the Windows Mixed Reality store, but very few VR applications are available there. Fortunately a free and official plugin from Microsoft also makes it compatible with SteamVR content. If you’re looking to play content that’s exclusive to the Oculus PC library (like Asgard’s Wrath) you can use the free but unofficial Revive mod to play Oculus PC content on Reverb G2.
Although Quest 2 is a standalone headset (which means games run directly in the headset without plugging into something else) it also has a feature called Oculus Link which gives you the option to plug the headset into a PC and run PC VR games.
Pros
Along with the useful passthrough feature, high resolution display, and great controllers, Quest 2 is a pretty great all-around headset. Oculus says that Link on Quest 2 will see some updates to improve performance in the near future, but even at its current level of performance, the hard-to-beat price of Quest 2 makes it a great value, especially considering the fact that the headset also runs standalone VR games from the Oculus Quest store.
Cons
Unfortunately the cable that comes with Quest 2 isn’t long enough to work well for Oculus Link, and we can’t recommend the official cable because of its crazy $80 price tag. Thankfully you can get 26 feet worth of Oculus Link cable for $34.
Without being plugged into a computer, Quest 2 can only play games from the Oculus Quest library. If you plug into a computer via Oculus Link, you’ll have access to everything in the Oculus PC and SteamVR libraries as well. That means that Quest 2 is compatible with the vast majority of top VR content out there, as long as you’ve got a powerful PC to plug the headset into.
The Best Standalone VR Headsets in 2020
Standalone VR headsets are fully self-contained and don’t need to plug into anything. They generally offer high ease-of-use thanks to their all-in-one nature and lack of tether. With their low overall cost (thanks to not needing a high-end PC) standalone headsets are a great way to take your first step into VR.
Quest 2 is an upgrade over its predecessor in almost every way. It’s worth noting that you need a Facebook account (and need to be ok with Facebook’s strengthening grip on the VR industry) to use the headset.
Pros
With an impressive resolution, powerful Snapdragon XR2 processor, useful ‘passthrough’ view feature, and great controllers, there’s a lot to like about Quest 2. What’s more, if you ever decide to upgrade to PC-powered VR, Quest 2 can plug into your computer and be used like a PC VR headset. When it comes to overall value, no other standalone headset is in the same ballpark right now.
Cons
But there’s a few things we wish were better. As we found in our full Quest 2 review, the included soft headstrap just isn’t that comfortable, which is why we recommend the Elite Strap ($50 on Amazon) or Elite Battery Strap (bundled with a case for $130 on Amazon) accessories if you’re a serious VR user.
The hidden built-in speakers are convenient but we wish they were more powerful for better immersion (luckily there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack if you want to bring your own audio). And while Quest 2 has a pretty strong game library, since it’s a standalone headset you won’t be able to play any of the big PC VR games like Half-Life: Alyx or Asgard’s Wrath unless you have a powerful PC to plug into.
Oculus Quest 2 Specs
Resolution
1,832 × 1,920 (3.5MP) per-eye [LCD]
Refresh Rate
60Hz, 72Hz, 90Hz
Lenses
Single element Fresnel
Field of View
~90° diagonal
Optical Adjustments
IPD, eye-relief (via included spacer)
IPD Range
58mm, 63mm, 68mm
Processor
Snapdragon XR2
RAM
6GB
Storage
64GB / 256GB
Connectors
USB-C
Battery Life
2-3 hours
Tracking
Oculus Insight (no external beacons)
Controllers
Oculus Touch v3
Audio
In-headstrap speakers, 3.5mm aux output
Microphone
Yes
Pass-through Cameras
Yes
Content Compatibility
Oculus Quest 2 is compatible with all content in the Oculus Quest library. If you have (or get in the future) a gaming PC, you can plug it into your PC to play content in the Oculus PC library and the SteamVR library.
Yup, our value pick for standalone headset is the same as our ‘Best’ pick: Quest 2! But if you’re brand new to VR and are just looking for a taste, you can probably hold off on the Elite Strap accessory and save yourself $50 in the meantime. If you find yourself using the headset often you can always add the strap later.
See the section above for thoughts and details on Quest 2.
The Best Console VR Headsets in 2020
If you know anything about VR, you’ll already know what we’re going to say! PS4 is the only console that currently supports a VR headset (sorry Xbox fans), and PlayStation VR is the only console VR headset you can use. That makes PSVR ‘the best’ console VR headset by default, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we recommend it
Image courtesy Sony
Our Take
PSVR launched in late 2016 and was a great headset for its era, including a handful of excellent exclusive VR games that you won’t find anywhere else. However, the headset is officially past its prime in 2020 and feels ‘last generation’ in resolution, tracking, and controllers compared to what’s available elsewhere in the VR landscape.
It’s hard to recommend buying the four year old PSVR today as it’ll still cost you around $350 new [Amazon]. By all means, if you find it somewhere on sale or used for cheap it might be worth picking up to run through some of Sony’s great exclusive VR games, but otherwise you may want to wait and see what Sony has planned for VR on its next-gen PS5 beyond mere backwards compatibility with PSVR.
PSVR Specs
Resolution
960 x 1,080 (1.0MP) per-eye (RGB OLED)
Refresh Rate
90Hz, 120Hz
Lenses
Single element non-Fresnel
Field of View
100° diagonal
Optical Adjustments
Eye-relief
Connectors
USB, HDMI
Cable Length
4.4m
Tracking
Stereo camera (external camera)
Controllers
DualShock 4, PS Move, PS Aim
Audio
Earbuds, 3.5mm aux output
Microphone
Yes
Pass-through Cameras
No
Content Compatibility
PlayStation VR is only compatible with VR content in the PlayStation store which includes a handful of excellent exclusives not available on PC like Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Blood & Truth. You can also use the headset to play non-VR PS4 content in a ‘theater mode’ through the headset, but with relatively low resolution it’s not something you’re likely to do often. The vast majority of PSVR titles are also backwards compatible with PS5.
