Facebook Acquires ‘Onward’ Developer Downpour Interactive in Fourth VR Studio Acquisition

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Facebook today announced its fourth VR studio acquisition. This time it’s Downpour Interactive, the studio behind the popular VR shooter Onward which has been continuously developed since its Early Access launch on PC back in 2016. More recently the game launched on Oculus Quest where it has become one of the headset’s most popular titles.

Facebook announced the acquisition today on the Oculus blog, saying that it is “eager to support Dante [CEO] and Downpour Interactive in growing Onward as one of the foremost multiplayer VR games […].” The company also promises that “Onward will continue to be supported on all its current platforms,” including Steam.

The company says that the entire Downpour Interactive team will join Facebook “in some capacity,” and that the team has “exciting plans for future Onward updates and future projects.”

Downpour Interactive had been working with Coatsink as a publisher, though it isn’t clear if the company was involved in the deal; the terms of the acquisition were not announced.

Downpour Interactive CEO Dante Buckley shared a message about the acquisition on the official Onward website:

Today is a very exciting day for Onward and the Downpour team, we are joining Oculus Studios at Facebook! I remember when I wrote the first line of code for Onward and walked around “Cargo,” one of the first maps in game. Putting on a VR headset and building this dream game was a magical experience every day. From those early days to now, Onward and Downpour have grown and made huge strides in the VR industry. I can’t thank my team enough for their hard work and dedication, as well our passionate and dedicated player community.

With us joining Oculus Studios at Facebook, we can now realize Onward’s full vision with tremendous support and resources. This means a better game for all our players on all platforms. There are no changes in hierarchy or in vision, everyone at Downpour is still working hard to deliver you the best game possible. Thank you all for your continued support, and stay tuned for future updates and content.

Today’s acquisition marks the fourth VR studio that Facebook has bought, seemingly in an effort to have greater control over the destiny of killer VR apps and the talent behind them. Facebook has also acquired Beat Games (Beat Saber), Sanzaru Games (Asgard’s Wrath and others), Ready at Dawn (Lone Echo and others), and now Downpour Interactive, all within the last year and a half.

While Facebook and Downpour Interactive have promised to continue to support Onward on Oculus and non-Oculus platforms alike, it seems likely that future titles from the studio will be exclusive to Oculus.

The post Facebook Acquires ‘Onward’ Developer Downpour Interactive in Fourth VR Studio Acquisition appeared first on Road to VR.

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SteamVR Dashboard Update Adds Individual Window Focus & Controller Docking

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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.

Update (April 30th, 2021): The latest version of the SteamVR beta, version 1.17.7, brings a useful upgrade to the new window-to-controller docking feature: the ability to position the window anywhere around your controller.

The SteamVR dashboard interface now also supports more individual windows. Previously it maxed out at four windows, but now you can scroll the list of windows to access more than four.

The original article, which shows the initial implementation of window focus and docking in the SteamVR dashboard, continues below.

Original Article (March 25th, 2021): 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.

The post SteamVR Dashboard Update Adds Individual Window Focus & Controller Docking appeared first on Road to VR.

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Facebook Acquires Onward Developer Downpour, Working On ‘Future Projects’

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Downpour Interactive, the maker of multiplayer VR first-person shooter (FPS), Onward, is the latest developer to be acquired by Facebook.

The news was announced today on the Oculus Blog, which states that Facebook will “support Dante [Buckley, Downpour CEO] and Downpour Interactive in growing Onward as one of the foremost multiplayer VR games”. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed, though Downpour did confirm that the entire team is joining Facebook.

Onward will continue to be supported on Steam, the blog confirms, where it’s available in Early Access, following the acquisition. The blog post also confirms that Downpour has plans for “future projects” and that it hopes to release them to “as many people as possible”.

Since release on Steam in 2016 Onward has proved to be one of VR’s most popular multiplayer shooters. Its focus on military realism gave a lot of VR fans exactly what they were looking for in the early days of consumer VR and Downpour has offered consistent support for the game since, adding new maps, modes and fixes.

Onward came to Oculus Quest in 2020 with support from Coatsink. The standalone version of the game features full cross-play support with the PC VR versions, a fact that actually saw a drop in visual fidelity on PC at release. Downpour has slowly but surely continued to rebuild the PC version from a visual perspective, though.

There are plenty more plans for Onward, too. Anti-cheat measures were introduced into the game this week, and new maps are planned for future updates too.

Downpours joins Beat Games, Ready at Dawn and Sanzaru Games as Facebook-owned Oculus Studios developers.

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Population: One’s Western-Themed Season 2 Launches In May

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Population: One Season 2 is coming in May and carries a Western theme.

Developer Big Box dropped a teaser for the game on Twitter earlier today. The short clip for Season 2: The Frontier suggests several new additions to the game. Firstly there’s a train complete with a station, onto which a player sporting a pair of cowboy boots steps. Some desert-themed environmental decorations can be seen in the background too. Check out the teaser below.

Season 2: The Frontier

A vast new destination on the map and so much more, coming in May! pic.twitter.com/n0mJ8SIeBp

— POPULATION: ONE (@populationonevr) April 30, 2021

That’s all but, judging by the teaser and the name we can expect a heavy focus on this Western theme this season. We’d expect that might mean new weapons to fit the theme and perhaps newly-designed areas of the map too. And you can probably expect plenty of new cosmetic items to dress up in. No date has been given for the launch of Season 2 just yet.

Population: One’s first season, Uprising, launched in late February and introduced several new elements. Key changes like new weapons — including a melee system — were added for free while new cosmetic items were locked behind a $5 battle pass. As with other games of this type, you’ll need to buy that pass again if you want access to the next season, but expect some of the bigger updates to be available for free once more.

We’ll bring you more on Population: One Season 2 as soon as we have it. For now, why not double back and read our 2020 review of the game as it launched? We think it’s one of VR’s best takes on battle royale yet.

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VR Skater Captures The Speed Of Skateboarding, But It’s Tricky

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Sometimes getting it wrong means something must be going right.

Take VR Skater‘s curious approach to skateboard tricks, for example. They’re, well, tricky. Really tricky, in fact. Whilst simply moving in the game — swinging a controller past your body like a leg pushing off from the floor — feels instantly intuitive, nailing the basics of VR Skater’s approach to ollies and kickflips takes a lot of work, and a lot of getting it wrong. Kind of like the real thing, then, just with fewer scraped knees and chances of ending up on YouTube as you tumble down the stairs.

I’m not yet sure, though, if VR Skater is a bit too tricky for its own good. Bits of it definitely seem that way, but other bits of it are really pretty brilliant.

Out today in early access, Deficit Games is definitely onto something with VR Skater. One straight shot through the game’s high school environment, winding through multiple paths and springing over lunch tables, is enough to tell you that. Rather than setting up halfpipes in skateparks, the studio is designing linear courses that focus on grinds and ollies, and give you a real sense of the speed involved with the sport – not something that flatscreen games have captured quite as well.

Even without spending much time trying to master the game’s catalog of tricks, it’s immensely rewarding to gun it down the course with a sense of confidence I’ve never really achieved in real skateboarding. Ollies are simple – just hold down a button on your right controller (or left for a nollie) and let go. Turning using one hand with the trigger held down can feel sluggish at first but you can adapt to its learning curve quite quickly. Do so, and you’ll soon be jumping through windows, landing on rooftops and rolling down makeshift ramps formed from tables. It’s just the one map for now but Deficit hopes to add more as the pre-release phase progresses.

The more crucial element of VR Skater’s pre-release mode, though, is the Academy, which teaches you its tricks. They’re best when they’re simple – grinding is assigned to holding two buttons as you come down from mid-air and keeps the flow going. Kick and heelflips are quick to master too – wave your hand in a certain direction as you lift off from the ground to effectively spin the board and then hold the jump button back down at the right time to land.

This gesture-based system isn’t always so forgiving, though. Shove its are really tough to master, requiring you to throw your arms back and forth and nail the timing. With practice, I found I got better at them but it’s still tough to nail it just from a stationary position, let alone when speeding through a map. Eventually, you’re taught to handle kickflips and shove its in the same move and that’s when I found the system to really strain, often unsure of what I was asking it to do. With any gesture system it’s hard to tell if you’re not doing it right or if the game simply isn’t registering it right, and throwing that uncertainty into the game is frustrating. Its current video tutorials are very decent, but it’d be great to get a more detailed feedback system in that explains exactly what you’re doing wrong.

I don’t doubt, though, that there are people that are going to master VR Skater, and I’m looking forward to the inevitable YouTube videos of people racking up crazy scores and combos and reaching parts of the map previously thought inaccessible. That, I suspect, will be the real indicator of just how successful this fascinating new control scheme is.

VR Skate is available to buy on Early Access today. Deficit Games hopes to launch in full at the end of the year.

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VR Party Game ‘Loco Dojo Unleashed’ Coming to Quest This Year, Trailer Here

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Loco Dojo, the social VR party game which first launched on PC VR headsets in 2017, is finally getting an Oculus Quest version that aims to bring its whimsical minigames to the standalone platform sometime later this year.

Created by Make Real, Loco Dojo Unleashed is set to feature both multiplayer and single player modes. The multiplayer ‘quick play’ mode lets you jump into casual games, while the ‘tournament mode’ lets two to four players engage in “a greater challenge,” the studio says.

Loco Dojo Unleashed is said to arrive with 16 minigames, not to mention plenty of the brittonic baritone charisma from Grand Sensei host (voice by the illustrious Brian Blessed).

Image courtesy Make Real

Stepping up to Grand Sensei’s ‘Table of Trials’, you spin to find out which skill you’ll need to hone next as you engage in competitive multiplayer with friends or strangers.

“Following on from the success of the game on PC VR and in LBE VR Arcades, we have listened to feedback to include a number of enhancements for Oculus Quest players,” says Sam Watts, Immersive Partnerships Director at Make Real. “For launch we wanted to make sure it is as easy as possible to pick-up and play and get into games. We’ve removed elements that slowed gameplay down and added those that improve players understanding of how to become the master within the dojo. We’ve spent considerable effort buffing the wood to provide the same polished world and hectic gameplay the title is known for, coming soon to Oculus Quest.”

Loco Dojo Unleashed will be available on both Quest and Quest 2 headsets sometime in 2021.

The post VR Party Game ‘Loco Dojo Unleashed’ Coming to Quest This Year, Trailer Here appeared first on Road to VR.

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Real VR Fishing Update Will Rework Mechanics, US West DLC Coming Soon

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Real VR Fishing gave a sneak peek at what’s to come in future updates, including reworking of some core mechanics and a glimpse of a new DLC pack.

The next update will rework the fishing mechanics using 3 new features that will make fishing more realistic, including “depth of water, float fishing, and more realistic lure fishing with twitching movements.”

There’s also plans for DLC release as well – the US West DLC. Originally the plan was to release one big US DLC pack with new environments set across the United States, but instead, the DLC has been split up with the US West component launching first. It won’t be lacking content though – the US West pack will feature 20 new environments and new species of fish to go with them.

Hello fellow Real VR Fishing Anglers and VR enthusiasts!

We are excited to give you a sneak peek at what we have been developing past few months! By the end of this year, we are planning on releasing one major update and one DLC for our Real VR Fishing players. pic.twitter.com/bx0o4E9fQW

— Real VR Fishing (@RealVRFishing) April 29, 2021

You can view a sneak peek of some of those new US environments in the tweet above. The free update and the US West DLC are both planned for release sometime before the end of the year.

Developed by MirageSoft, Real VR Fishing is a fishing simulator that features some stunning environments and fantastic water effects. It launched on the Quest in September 2019, shortly after the headset’s launch, and from there, it has consistently received new content and updates to enhance the experience for players.

In August 2020, a major update brought multiplayer to Real VR Fishing with support for up to 4 players, avatar customization and multiplayer servers. The Spring Update earlier this month expanded avatars to include more clothing customization, new leaderboards and more.

Are you looking forward to the next update and US West DLC for Real VR Fishing? Let us know in the comments.

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ForeVR Bowl Coming To Oculus Quest Soon

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There’s a new VR bowling game on the way to Quest – ForeVR Bowl.

This new title from ForeVR Games popped up in the coming soon section of the Quest store this week. We don’t have a solid release date just yet but Quest games usually pop up in the store when they’re a few weeks out from release. Judging by the trailer seen on the store page, the game features multiplayer support for four players, who can hit the lanes together.

This seems to be a playful take on the sport – there are six environments that can range from traditional bowling alleys to outer space, but we’re particularly fond of the designs of the balls. Some hold galaxies inside of them whilst others resemble bombs. The game’s description confirms there are over 75 to unlock.

There’s also a single-player mode that pits you against NPCs and the developer has coined the term ‘Real Feel Throw’ for its throwing mechanic. We’ll be interested to see how that works out, seeing as current VR technology can’t capture the real weight of a ball. That creates a disconnect in just how real the experience can feel.

ForeVR itself hasn’t said much about the game yet but, late last year, announced that it had raised $1.5 million for its first VR title. The studio was founded by Marcus Segal and Mike Pagano Doom, both of whom previously worked at Zynga.

This won’t be the first VR bowling game for Quest, though. About a year ago we also saw the launch of Premium Bowling on the platform.

Will you be checking out ForeVR Bowl? Let us know in the comments below!

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Star Wars Day Sale Sees Discounted Games Across VR Platforms

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Several Star Wars VR titles are discounted across a variety of VR platforms to celebrate Star Wars Day, May the 4th.

For those living under a rock, Star Wars Day falls on May the 4th (a play on the classic Star Wars line – may the force be with you) and Star Wars games are discounted across several platforms to celebrate.

You can see a full list of discounts over on the Star Wars blog, but we’ll highlight the VR discounts below.

The largest item on the list by far is the Star Wars Day bundle for Oculus Quest. Available on the Oculus Store, the bundle includes all five Star Wars experiences available on Quest – Vader Immortal: Episodes 1-3, Star Wars Pinball VR and Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge.

Be on the lookout for the Star Wars Day pack. It includes all 5 Star Wars VR experiences, dropping soon.#StarWarsDay #MayThe4thBeWithYou https://t.co/1oTFCd4FlE

— Oculus (@oculus) April 29, 2021

The bundle goes on sale from May 1 and will be available until May 5. However at the time of writing, the price of the bundle and the associated discount is not visible on the Oculus Store. It does note that the bundle will adopt a dynamic pricing model, adjusting to account for games in the bundle that the user might already own.

Meanwhile PC VR players will be able to get Star Wars Squadrons at a discount of 50% on their platform of choice, with sales across Steam, Epic Games Store and Origin.

Squadrons is also discounted 50% on the PlayStation Store for PS4, so PSVR players will have until May 12th to take advantage of that offer. If space dogfighting isn’t your style, then PSVR players will also be able to grab a bundle of all three episodes of Vader Immortal for 50% off until May 12 as well, as part of PlayStation’s Games Under 20 sale.

What will you be picking up in the sales? Let us know in the comments.

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How to Use Oculus Air Link to Play PC VR Games Wirelessly on Quest 2

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Oculus Air Link is an integrated way to play PC VR games (on Oculus PC or SteamVR) wirelessly on Quest 2. This guide will show you how to activate the Air Link feature on both your headset and your desktop software.

Just like Oculus Link allows you to plug into a VR ready PC to play PC VR games, Oculus Air Link allows you to do so wirelessly.

 Oculus Air Link only supports Quest 2. It won’t work with the original Quest. Your PC hardware also must meet the Oculus Link requirements.

For optimal performance, Oculus recommends the following:

• Have your PC connected to your Router/Access Point via Ethernet cable
• Headset should be connected to Wi-Fi via 5GHz band – AC or AX (AKA Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6)
• Your router shoulder be in the same room as the headset or in line-of-sight, and at least 1m off the ground
• Don’t use a mesh network (range extenders, etc.)

To enable Oculus Air Link on Quest 2, there’s a few steps you’ll need to go through. Here’s the breakdown.

Make Sure You’re Running v28 or Later

Oculus Air Link requires that both your Quest 2 headset and Oculus PC software are running v28 or later. Here’s how to check:

On Quest 2

• In your Quest 2 headset, open the Settings page (gear icon) on the menu bar
• On the left side of the Settings page, scroll down to find the About section
• On the About page, see the Version section, which should read 28.X or higher (it may be a very long version number, like 28.0.0.221.359…)
  

If your Quest 2 isn’t yet running v28 or later, Oculus Air Link will not work. The v28 update is rolling out slowly to Quest 2 users. If you aren’t already on v28 or later, see if there’s a prompt to update your headset on the About page next to the Software Update section. There’s no way to force the update, but if it says ‘No Updates Available’, you could try restarting your headset and checking again.

On Your PC

• On your PC, launch the Oculus PC app (if you don’t already have it installed, you can download it here)
• On the left side of the app, select Settings then go to the General tab
• Scroll all the way to the bottom of the General section where you will find the version number which should read 28.X or higher (it may be a very long version number, like 28.0.0.222.459…)
  

If your Oculus PC software isn’t yet running v28 or later, Oculus Air Link will not work. The v28 update is rolling out slowly. If you aren’t already on v28 or later, go to the Library section and then the Updates tab, you may see an ‘Oculus Software Update’ item in the list. Allow it to update and restart the software if prompted, then check again to see if you are on version 28 or later.

If you still aren’t on v28, go to the Settings section and then the Beta tab. Enable the Public Test Channel option, then return to the Library section and the Updates tab to see if an ‘Oculus Software Update’ appears. Allow it to install and then check your version number again to see if you’re on v28 yet.

Activate Oculus Air Link on Your PC and Quest 2

On Your PC

• On your PC, launch the Oculus PC app
• On the left side of the app, select Settings, then go to the Beta tab
• At the bottom of the Beta tab, find the Air Link option and enable it
  

On Quest 2

• In your Quest 2 headset, open the Settings page (gear icon) on the menu bar
• On the left side of the Settings page, scroll down to find the Experimental Features section
• On the Experimental Features section, find the Air Link option and enable it
  

Launching Oculus Air Link

Ok so you’re running the right version of the software and have activated Air Link on both devices. Now you’re ready to play. Here’s how:

On Your PC

• Launch the Oculus PC software

On Quest 2

• In your Quest 2 headset, open the Settings page (gear icon) on the menu bar
• On the left side of the Settings page, ensure the Quick Actions is selected
• On the right side of the Quick Actions page, click the Oculus Air Link button (you may be prompted with an ‘Air Link Requirements’ pop-up, read them then click Continue

• In the next dialogue select your computer under Available Computers and click Pair, then click Launch

Running Oculus PC and SteamVR Games with Oculus Air Link

Once you are running Oculus Air Link you will find yourself looking at the Oculus PC dashboard called Oculus Dash. From here you can launch Oculus PC games directly from the Library tab (or launch them on your PC).

If you want to run SteamVR games you’ll need to launch Steam on your PC and then launch SteamVR by clicking the VR icon at the top right of the Steam window. SteamVR should automatically detect Quest 2, and when you put your headset back on you’ll find yourself looking at the SteamVR dashboard. From here you can launch SteamVR games from the Library tab (or launch them on your PC).

Quitting Oculus Air Link (return to Quest 2 dashboard)

If you want to stop playing PC VR games on Quest 2, you can quit Oculus Air Link by opening the Oculus Dash menu (click the menu button on your right controller), then looking on the far left of the menu bar to find the Oculus Air Link section.

Inside the section there is a ‘Quit’ button which will return you to the regular Quest 2 dashboard).

The post How to Use Oculus Air Link to Play PC VR Games Wirelessly on Quest 2 appeared first on Road to VR.

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Facebook is Offering a Free Quest 2 to Tens of Thousands of Employees

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Reportedly according to an internal Q&A, all Facebook employees are eligible for a refund from the company if they purchase a Quest 2 headset. The effort comes as the Facebook continues to justify deep investments in AR and VR with the belief that they are the next major computing platform.

Back in 2019, just ahead of the release of the original Oculus Quest, Facebook announced it would give the headset for free to all developers attending the conference.

Today the company is pulling a similar move with its latest headset, Quest 2. During an internal Q&A, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that all of the company’s employees could be reimbursed for the purchase of a Quest 2 headset, according to The Information reporter Alex Heath.

While not every one of the company’s employees is likely to take it up on the offer, it seems likely to be a much larger giveaway than what happened with the original Quest at F8. While F8 had some 5,000 attendees who were eligible for the free headset, Facebook reportedly has some 60,000 employees which could all be eligible to be reimbursed for the purchase of Quest 2.

From the outside, the offer looks like the company internally signaling its seriousness about its AR and VR initiatives to the rest of its employees that are working in other areas of the company. Further, it looks like an effort to get broader portions of the company to ‘dog food’ the product (use the company’s own product as an end-user) which could prompt feedback and new ideas that can be more quickly acted upon thanks to direct internal communications.

This all comes one day after Facebook’s latest earnings call, in which CEO Mark Zuckerberg once again underscored the company’s belief that AR and VR is a crucial part of Facebook’s future.

“Over time, I expect augmented and virtual reality to unlock a massive amount of value both in people’s lives and the economy overall. There’s still a long way to go here, and most of our investments to make this work are ahead of us,” Zuckerberg told investors during the call. “But I think the feedback we’re getting from our products is giving us more confidence that our prediction for the future here will happen and that we’re focusing on the right areas.”

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60,000+ Facebook Employees Can Expense An Oculus Quest 2

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All Facebook employees can get reimbursed for the purchase of an Oculus Quest 2, according to a tweet by The Information reporter Alex Heath.

Facebook’s last headcount was just over 60,000 employees at the end of March. Even if only some employees take the offer, it may still translate to a significant chunk of people suddenly getting a VR headset. Facebook’s headcount grows at an extraordinary rate on an annual basis — its most recent figures up 26% year-over-year — and recent reports suggested the VR/AR efforts account for more than 10,000 employees.

All Facebook employees can expense the purchase of an Oculus Quest 2 VR headset, Zuckerberg announced during an internal Q&A today. The thinking is that since VR is starting to be used more for fitness apps, the reimbursement will fall under FB’s health/wellness perks

— Alex Heath (@alexeheath) April 29, 2021

Facebook’s executives have been noting the popularity of fitness VR apps in recent months, with subscription-based Supernatural joined by FitXR and other efforts to key in on VR-based exercise. The reimbursement program is pitched as one of Facebook’s health and wellness perks for employees.

In an earnings call this week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggested wired VR headsets won’t draw in buyers the same way wireless systems like Quest 2 will, and said he is looking “at how the team is executing and the products that we have in the pipeline, and I want to make sure that we can really go all in and deliver this.”

The comments, hiring spree, and reimbursement plan underscore how serious Zuckerberg in his belief that VR/AR headset represent the future of computing. Apple is said to be planning a VR-focused headset with strong mixed reality capabilities as early as next year while Facebook may be planning a Quest Pro with more sensors onboard for a similar time frame. Meanwhile, Sony is planning a wired follow up to the PlayStation VR headset and HTC is set to announce new VR headsets in the coming weeks.

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HTC Teases Reveal of “game-changing VR headsets” at VIVECON

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You can now register for HTC’s upcoming VIVECON event. The free, online event will be held May 11th & 12th, and the company is promising to reveal “game-changing VR headsets,” (yes that’s plural headsets), alongside presentations from “industry experts, strategic partners, and special guests.”

HTC has been teasing an upcoming VR headset over the last month, and has now confirmed it will be revealed during next month’s Vivecon event. Interestingly, it seems the company may even reveal more than one headset, based on the description provided on the Vivecon website.

Keynote Event: We debut what’s new. Take a front-row seat at the VR event of the year as HTC VIVE unveils game-changing VR headsets, software, and platforms to take your experience to another level.

While the full schedule hasn’t yet been posted, it appears that the keynote will happen on May 11th at 9AM PT (see your timezone here). Registration for the free event is available now; HTC says it will email registrants additional details (likely the full event schedule and where to watch) closer to the event.

Little is known so far about what headset the company will reveal, save for some teasing photos that HTC shared earlier this month:

Some additional teasing, like the company tweeting “let’s get down to business” alongside one of the photos, suggest that the headset may be enterprise focused.

In early 2020 HTC revealed Vive Proton, a prototype compact standalone VR headset. However, we’ve heard little about Proton since then, and the designs revealed don’t seem to bear much resemblance to the newer teaser photos. Granted, it’s likely that the Proton designs could have significantly changed given that we’re more than a year removed from the initial reveal.

Beyond the headset (headsets?) reveal, HTC indicates that the event will cover several categories of XR: collaboration, training, health, design, LBE / arts, and development.

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The Wizards: Dark Times Is Coming To Quest Next Week

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The Oculus Quest port of The Wizards: Dark Times will launch next week, developer Carbon Studio confirmed.

The fantasy adventure touches down on the standalone platform on May 6th. Dark Times is a full sequel to the original Wizards that packs a linear single-player campaign. In it, players use gestures to summon spells and weapons like fireballs and ice arrows they can then use against different monsters. Check out the trailer for next week’s launch right here. The game’s already listed in the Quest store’s coming soon section.

The Quest port of the game has been a long time coming – we first announced Dark Times as part of the Upload VR Showcase in 2019 and the game released on PC the following year. We debuted the first Quest footage for the title late last year.

We gave the game 4/5 on PC last year, saying: “The Wizards never lets you forget you’re playing a VR game. Rarely do more than 10 seconds pass without the need for grand hand gestures to summon magic or for you to reach out and interact with things around you. They’ve got a great magic system that’s intuitive and fun to master in a fantastical world that provides a unique type of adventure you won’t quite find anywhere else.”

Naturally, we’re excited to see how the Quest version holds up. A co-op mode is also planned for the experience post-launch. Carbon, meanwhile, is also working on a new Warhammer VR game due out later this year.

May 6th also sees the launch of Demeo, the new tabletop VR RPG from Resolution Games. Will you be picking up either game? Let us know in the comments below!

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Star Wars Pinball VR Review: Making the Bump(er) to Hyper Space

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Is this latest addition to the Star Wars VR library worth your time? Find out in our Star Wars Pinball VR review!

Zen Studios designed one of VR’s best pinball games with Star Wars Pinball VR, taking the best of Star Wars and pinball and fusing them together in a surprisingly robust package. There’s a mode to suit all tastes, a detailed collector’s mode where you create your dream fan room, plus some incredible attention to detail in the tables. Best of all, it’s perfect for those with motion sensitivity. Even if you aren’t a Star Wars fan, it’s still worth checking out Star Wars Pinball VR if only for the immersion and heaps of pinball on offer.

Star Wars Pinball VR is divided into three main modes. Arcade is your straight-up classic pinball experience, while Classic mode adds a Star Wars twist with Force Powers and other elements that elevate it from being just a pinball game. Force Powers let you control the table in different ways, triggering multipliers, for example, or slowing time to aim for better shots. Classic mode is where you’ll get to delve into all the cutscenes, minigames, and events Zen Studios loaded each table with. 

Then there’s Career mode, which packages together a surprisingly hefty set of missions. These span the game’s eight tables and task you with completing them in a set — usually short — period of time. Most of the early ones revolve around getting a certain high score, and aside from a sense of accomplishment, you’re also rewarded with fragments used to unlock and upgrade Force Power.

Star Wars Pinball VR Review – The Facts

What is it?: Star Wars-themed pinball tables… in VR!
Platforms: Quest, PC VR, PSVR
Release Date: Out Now
Price: $24.99

Career mode is a fantastic inclusion that understands different types of people will be playing and wants to make sure they can still enjoy it. Much as I’d love to spend hours playing VR pinball and seeing every scene on each table, time just doesn’t always permit.  Five-minute sessions here and there are just enough to sample a table’s delights without feeling like you’re missing out on too much, and if you have more time to spend, that’s great too. Classic mode awaits.

And there are plenty of delights to sample. Star Wars Pinball VR has a whopping eight tables to play on: three from the original trilogy, a Mandalorian table, Rebels, Masters of the Force, a Classics table, and then a Rogue One table. The prequel trilogy and Disney trilogy are nowhere in sight. Maybe Zen Studios wanted to keep this a fan-focused experience or perhaps they’re planned as DLC, but either way, the variety makes it hard to focus on what’s missing.

Your mileage might vary, but there’s really not a dud table among the bunch. Each sports a unique layout built around several references from the associated Star Wars film or show. The Return of the Jedi table, for example, has Jabba’s palace, the bunkers of Endor, hangers for Rebel and Imperial ships, and that’s just scratching the surface. 

You can play each table from a top-down perspective, as if you’re standing at a normal pinball machine, or in immersion mode, which is, frankly, amazing. Immersion mode gives you three angles to view the table, and they’re all positioned behind and slightly above the main flippers. You might miss out on a few visual elements from the models at higher elevations, but immersion mode is the best way to see just how much care and attention Zen Studios lavished on each table.

Admittedly, it’s a bit more difficult than expected to identify which areas relate to what. Some of the lanes aren’t marked clearly, or if they are, the writing is rather small. The board at the table’s far end is supposed to have a grainy retro look. However, that sometimes works against you when you’re straining to make out what the event requirement is while your ball drops down into the Sarlacc Pit in the process. 

Another issue is the sound bytes, which wear thin quickly on certain tables. Hearing Han say “jackpot” once is cool. Hearing him say it 35 times in a row when the ball is trapped in a bumper field is decidedly less entertaining.

Still, the extra interactive elements more than make up for slight annoyances. Some events have new figures walk onto the table while scenes unfold or ships fly above the playing field. Others are more involved minigames where you control a character, such as The Mandalorian’s bounty hunter, and the pinball field simultaneously. There’s just a staggering amount to do and see on each table.

The table design makes Star Wars Pinball VR an excellent pinball game. The Fan Cave makes it an excellent Star Wars experience. 

Menu hubs in most games are functional, there only to get you where you actually want to go. Not so with the Fan Cave. I often don’t bother with collectibles in games, especially when they exist just to look at in a menu, but the Fan Cave adds some light decorating that makes engaging with your ever-expanding collection worthwhile.  

The Cave has several shelves, including a rotating one in the middle of the room, some pedestals for larger figures, and a handful of poster frames. In a very true-to-life twist, there are far more collectibles you’ll obtain than you have room to display. 

I may or may not have spent an equal amount of time organizing my collection as I did playing pinball, but that aside, it’s a refreshing break from pinball marathons and a surprisingly rewarding one. Waltzing past a Darth Vader statue to gaze at the AT-ST in the backyard, then sauntering by a collection of Rebel and Stormtrooper helmets to get to the pinball table is much more satisfying than it has any right to be.

Star Wars Pinball VR Review – Comfort

The waltzing and sauntering are just metaphors, though. Star Wars VR has almost no movement, even in immersion mode, and it’s ideal for VR newcomers or those with motion sensitivity. The same applies to immersion mode, which makes the most out of VR’s sense of, well… immersion, without any of the less pleasant side effects. Naturally, that means there aren’t any comfort settings to fiddle with, which is a shame in one respect: menus.

The Force Powers and information menus are essentially ultra-wide, which makes reading the text rather more awkward than expected. It’s most noticeable with the information menus since you need to read them for each table to get a better idea of how they work and what the scenes require.

Star Wars Pinball VR Review: Final Impressions

Star Wars Pinball VR is easily the best VR pinball game around and probably one of the best Star Wars VR games as well. It’s evidently designed with fans in mind, but unless you just can’t stand Star Wars, the pinball itself and the sheer amount of ways to enjoy it makes the game more than worth your while.

For more on how we arrived at this score, read our review guidelines. What did you make of our Star Wars Pinball VR review? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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Majority Of VR Developers Working On Quest, GDC Survey Suggests

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The majority of game developers working in VR are making content for the Oculus Quest and Quest 2, a report from the Game Developers Conference (GDC) suggests.

GDC posted its annual State of the Game Industry Report today, sourced from over 3,000 developers.

Much of the report is concerned with the knock-on effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced GDC itself to cancel and delay its physical event for two years running now.

The report does turn its attention to VR, though, and suggests that Facebook’s Oculus Quest is the primary source of interest in the industry right now. 52% of responses said that Quest was the VR platform that interested them the most, followed by PSVR and Index at 28% each. The graph doesn’t group SteamVR headsets together, instead listing Index, Vive and others as separate entities.

Of developers that have actually released VR content, 45% said their last release was on Oculus Rift, 39% said HTC Vive and 28% said Quest. But fortunes quickly reverse – while 41% of developers said they currently weren’t working on any content for VR or AR headsets, 27% said they were for Quest compared to 17% for Rift and Vive and 8% for PSVR, which is nearing the end of its life. PSVR 2 hadn’t been announced at the time the survey was conducted.

The gap grew when developers were asked where they anticipate their next VR or AR title releasing – 31% said Oculus Quest, 19% said Rift, 18% said Vive and 12% said either Index or PSVR.

During an investor call yesterday Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Quest 2 continues to perform ahead of expectations. Standalone VR in general, which doesn’t rely on any external hardware represents something of a turning point for the industry.

What do you make of the GDC survey results? Let us know in the comments below!

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How (and why) to Sideload Games on Quest with SideQuest

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There’s are plenty of great apps on the Oculus Store for Quest, but did you know you can download games, experiences, and useful tools from an entirely different library? With SideQuest, you can expand your horizons with unofficial mods, tools, and indie gems of all sorts, both paid and free. Find out how (and why) with this handy dandy guide.

SideQuest has an awesome library of content, including cool multiplayer games, mods for games you already own on Quest such as Beat Saber, and tools that can let you do things Oculus could never dream of allowing you to do.

That’s what ‘sideloading’ is for: letting you install any app you want and mod it without oversight. That level of functional exclusivity has changed somewhat with the entrance of Oculus App Lab, although SideQuest is still the fastest way of getting new apps. We’ve heard reports of developers waiting up to six weeks to get their apps approved for App Lab.

What you’ll need:

• Oculus Quest or Oculus Quest 2
• A computer or modern Android device – Computers include: Windows 8 or above PC, Linux PCs, macOS
• USB Type-C cable to transfer apps from computer /Android device to Quest
• A few minutes to jump through some hoops

1: Install SideQuest on Your Computer or Android Device

Computer: You’ll find all of the latest builds on SideQuest’s website, including those for Windows 8 and up PCs, Linux, and macOS. Once installed, you can technically launch it and peruse all of the apps, although you’ll need to do a few minor chores first before SideQuest will properly recognize your headset, so don’t plug it in just yet.

Android: Download the SideQuest Android app on Google Play Store. Don’t plug in your cable just yet.

2: Put on Your Dev Hat

Get under the hood of Quest as a developer. You only need to jump through a single hoop here to get you officially recognized as such.

Just head over to the Oculus Developer Organization dashboard, login to your Oculus account, and create what Oculus considers an “organization.” Toss a random name in there (if you truly aren’t a developer) and agree to the terms of service.

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Computer: If you’re a Windows user, you’ll also need some extra driver software before going any further. Both mac and Linux users can skip to step three. If you’re a Windows user, download these Oculus Go drivers, which also work for Quest. Simply extract the zip folder by right clicking the android_winusb.inf file and clicking ‘Install’.

3: Enable Developer Mode and Reboot

As a Quest user, you should already have the Oculus app installed on your mobile device. Open the Oculus app on you phone, go to the ‘Settings’ tab on the bottom right hand side, tap to expand the options under your Quest and select ‘More Settings’.

Among the various toggles you’ll find ‘Developer Mode’, which you simply have to toggle on. Reboot your Quest now.

4: Connect Quest to Your Device via USB & Allow USB Debugging

You’re at the home stretch! Plug your freshly rebooted Quest into your computer/Android device using a USB Type-C cable.

Android: This can be tricky for users on older Android devices since micro USB to USB Type-C is fairly rare. We’d suggest using a modern Android device fitted with a Type-C port.

Now physically put on your headset, and you should see a window (in VR) that says ‘Allow USB debugging?’ at which point you simply click the check box ‘Always allow from this computer’.

The team behind SideQuest points out that it’s important to Disable Unlock Pattern too. You can do this by going back to the Oculus mobile app and going through Settings > Quest > More Settings > Unlock Pattern. It’s right near the Developer Mode option you toggled before.

5: Sideload Everything

And there you have it! Now you can open the SideQuest app and browse a whole new universe of VR games, prototypes, demos, tools and more. Keep your Quest connected (shown as a green dot in upper left corner of the app), and you’ll be able to install and uninstall sideloaded apps to your heart’s content. This goes for both computer and Android devices.

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Although, there’s one more trick for Android users. You can also wirelessly sideload apps via Wi-Fi.

To do that, you need to be already set up for transfer via cable connection. Go into the SideQuest app and pop in your local IP address. You can reveal your local IP address by clicking the Wi-Fi icon whilst in Quest’s home environment, selecting the network you’re currently connected to, and scrolling all the way down to reveal the string of numbers. These oftentimes beginning with ‘192’. Now you can sideload apps wirelessly from your phone to your Quest!

Update (April 29th, 2021): Updated to include new Android method for installing SideQuest and transferring games.

The post How (and why) to Sideload Games on Quest with SideQuest appeared first on Road to VR.

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There’s Now a Fully-functional Commodore 64 Emulator for Oculus Quest

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Commodore 64, the iconic 8-bit computer from the early ’80s, was one of the first home computers for many people back in the day. Its ability to run basic games, office productivity software, and development tools made it one of the highest-selling single home PCs of all time. And now you can experience all of its retro charm through the lens of an Oculus Quest.

Created by YouTuber ‘OPEN PC Reviews‘, the emulator fully recreates the C64 for the Oculus Quest platform, including support for both Quest and Quest 2 headsets.

The new version for Quest, dubbed Real Commodore 64 – Virtually, follows a previous one developed by ‘OPEN PC Reviews’ for the Oculus Go. The Quest version includes full Touch support and room-scale locomotion so you can walk around the carefully decorated period room (plus a DeLorean parked outside).

Image courtesy OPEN PC Reviews

If you’re already tantalized by the notion of playing Defender of the Crown (1986), Impossible Mission (1984), or Legacy of the Ancients (1987), you can download it for free over on SideQuest or sideload it manually via the apk to jump right in.

Also, if you haven’t tried out SideQuest yet, check out our articles on how to install games, which you can do either through your computer and also now through your Android phone.

As you’d expect, the emulator app doesn’t come with any ROMs, although they’re fairly simple to find since they’re mostly considered abandonware at this point. Once you pop your own ROMs into the game’s folder on Quest though, they’ll auto-populate into 3D floppy disks when in-game.

Once you’re in the app and have plenty of games to play, you’ll be able to make use of the fully-functional keyboard. There doesn’t seem to be a way to use an actual Bluetooth keyboard, which would be a fun bit of immersion for the touch typists among us.

‘OPEN PC Reviews’ says it should be coming to Oculus App Lab too, however it could take a few weeks as it goes through the publishing queue. There’s also the possibility of releasing a skinned-down version for SteamVR headsets, however its release isn’t certain yet.

Check out the video below to see it in action, and hear a little about its development from the creator himself.

The post There’s Now a Fully-functional Commodore 64 Emulator for Oculus Quest appeared first on Road to VR.

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