Out of Scale invites you on an educational journey, teaching you science next month on Quest.
Developed between Schell Games and Kurzgesagt, Out Of Scale - A Kurzgesagt Adventure is an educational game that adapts the German studio's 2D videos into a VR experience. Exploring worlds within worlds from a mobile scale lab, you will travel to five levels of scale - molecular, bacterial, insect, human, and mountain.
Joined by the lab's AI assistant, STEVE, Out of Scale aims to demonstrate the effects of biology, physics, and chemistry across each realm. "Players will utilize drones, scanner rays, and a multitude of other lab tools and gadgets to wind their way through several missions," confirms the YouTube trailer description.
Like many games seen during Connect 2023, Out of Scale - A Kurzgesagt Adventure also supports mixed reality through a Sandbox Mode. Detailed on the store page, you can bring objects and creatures unlocked throughout the game into your home.
Out of Scale - A Kurzgesagt Adventure reaches the Meta Quest platform on October 26.
Meta Quest 3 brings with it new ‘Touch Plus’ controllers that do away with the tracking ring that’s been part of the company’s 6DOF consumer VR controllers ever since the original Rift. But that’s not the only change.
Editor’s Note: for some clarity in this article (and comments), let’s give some names to all the different 6DOF VR controllers the company has shipped over the years.
Rift CV1 controller: Touch v1
Rift S controller: Touch v2
Quest 1 controller: Touch v2
Quest 2 controller: Touch v3
Quest Pro controller: Touch Pro
Quest 3 controller: Touch Plus
6DOF consumer VR controllers from Meta have always had a ‘tracking ring’ as part of their design. The ring houses an array of infrared LEDs that cameras can detect, giving the system the ability to track the controllers in 3D space.
Image courtesy Meta
Quest 3 will be the first 6DOF consumer headset from the company to ship with controllers without a tracking ring; the company is calling new controllers ‘Touch Plus’.
Tracking Coverage
In a session at Meta Connect 2023, the company explained it has moved the IR LEDs from the tracking ring into the faceplate of the controller, while also adding a single IR LED at the bottom of the handle. This means the system has less consistently visible markers for tracking, but Meta believes its improved tracking algorithms are up to the challenge of tracking Touch Plus as well as Quest 2’s controllers.
Note that Touch Plus is different than the company’s Touch Pro controllers—which also don’t have a tracking ring—but instead use on-board cameras to track their own position in space. Meta confirmed that Touch Pro controllers are compatible with Quest 3, just like Quest 2.
Meta was clear to point out that the change in camera placements on Quest 3 means the controller tracking volume will be notably different than on Quest 2.
The company said Quest 3 has about the same amount of tracking volume, but it has strategically changed the shape of the tracking volume.
Notably, Quest 3’s cameras don’t capture above the head of the user nearly as well as Quest 2. But the tradeoff is that Quest 3 has more tracking coverage around the user’s torso (especially behind them), and more around the shoulders:
This graphic shows unique areas of tracking coverage that are present on one headset but not the other
Meta believes this is a worthwhile tradeoff because players don’t often hold their hands above their head for long periods of time, and because the headset can effectively estimate the position of the controllers when outside of the tracking area for short periods.
Haptics
Photo by Road to VR
As for haptic feedback, the company said that “haptics on the Touch Plus controller are certainly improved, but not quite to the level of Touch Pro,” and further explained that Touch Plus has a single haptic motor (a voice coil modulator), whereas Touch Pro controllers have additional haptic motors in both the trigger and thumbstick.
The company also reminded developers about its Meta Haptics Studio tool, which aims to make it easy to develop haptic effects that work across all of the company’s controllers, rather than needing to design the effects for the haptic hardware in each controller individually.
Trigger Force
Touch Plus also brings “one more little secret” that no other Touch controller has to date: a two-stage index trigger.
Meta explained that once a user fully pulls the trigger, any additional force can be read as a separate value—essentially a measure of how hard the trigger is being squeezed after being fully depressed.
What’s Missing From Touch Pro
Meta also said that Touch Plus won’t include some of the more niche features of Touch Pro, namely the ‘pinch’ sensor on the thumbpad, and the pressure-sensitive stylus nub that can be attached to the bottom and used to ‘draw’ on real surfaces.
The Foglands reaches Quest & PS5 this Halloween with optional PSVR 2 support.
Developed by Well Told Entertainment, The Foglands is described as an "anti-Western atmospheric roguelite." Playing as a runner called Jim, you're tasked with bringing home scavenged goods and fending off the twisted creatures within the Fog. With a behemoth threatens the survival of the Hold, it comes down to you to stop it, boosting your abilities and acquiring upgrades upon returning.
Navigating "an ever-shifting world" of fog, The Foglands involves exploration, collecting and fighting as you prepare to fight this worm-like creature. Combat's described as a mix of "barfight melee and shoot-em-up gunplay," using intention targeting and eye tracking to grab items you can use as weapons. Abilities can also be collected from The Stranger's Cards that boost each playstyle - Fists (melee), Guns, and Keys (exploration).
The Foglands reaches PSVR 2 and the Meta Quest platform on October 31, and Well Told Entertainment confirms the PC VR release will follow at a later date.
No More Rainbows is getting a Deathmatch mode in next week's update on Quest and PC VR.
Released in June, No More Rainbows offers an adventure platformer with arm-based locomotion that sees you restoring your homeworld. Developer Squido Games confirmed a post-launch roadmap during the UploadVR Summer Showcase 2023 and this major update adds a six-player free-for-all Deathmatch Mode with six maps.
Further additions include three new power-ups. 'Sword' can be used once to immediately skewer an enemy, 'Milkshake' grants you temporary invincibility while 'White Berry' lets you create wind vortexes that are useful for traps. A Gold cosmetic tier is also coming alongside leaderboards with world rankings per game mode. Finally, there's a new lobby system for dedicated game modes.
No More Rainbows receives this latest update on October 5, while the main game is available now on Steam and the Meta Quest platform.
Mark Zuckerberg was interviewed by Lex Fridman in VR, with both using Meta's prototype photorealistic Codec Avatars.
Codec Avatars is Meta's long-running research project aiming to revolutionize remote communication by achieving truly convincing photorealistic real-time avatars driven by headsets with face tracking sensors, and eventually glasses too.
Meta first revealed the project's existence in 2019, and has showed off multiple fidelity updates in the years since and a full-body version. Powered by machine learning, the avatars are generated using a specialized capture rig with over 100 cameras, but Meta researchers are working to replace this with a smartphone scan.
Zuckerberg and Fridman were both wearing Quest Pro, which features built-in face tracking and eye tracking. However, it's unclear whether the avatars were being decoded and rendered onboard, or whether a PC was doing this. A USB-C cable is connected to both headsets, but this could just be to avoid running out of battery during the interview, rather than a connection to PC VR.
Throughout the interview Fridman frequently expressed feelings of shock and disbelief at what he was experiencing, claiming it truly felt as if he was sitting in front of Zuckeberg, and at one point saying he genuinely forgot that the avatar he was looking at wasn't a real person. He explicitly declared that unlike almost all previous attempts at photorealistic digital humans, Codec Avatars surpass the uncanny valley - as we noted in our hands-on last year.
Of course, Meta still has a long way to go to reach this level of fidelity in shipping products. The widely ridiculed Meta Avatars today have a basic cartoony art style that couldn't be further from photorealism, and Quest 3 has neither eye tracking nor face tracking sensors. But if a leaked Meta roadmap from earlier this year is to be believed, Meta could be aiming to deliver Codec Avatars in the next version of Quest Pro, which it reportedly plans to ship in 2025 through a partnership with LG.
Project Wingman: Frontline 59 brings the acclaimed aerial combat game to PSVR 2 with a new campaign. Developed by Sector D2, we went hands-on with a preview build during Gamescom 2023. Read on for our full impressions.
Three years since Project Wingman first appeared, Humble Games' Top Gun-inspired flight fantasy is back with an expanded story and optional PSVR 2 support. I'm told Frontline 59 adds another two to three hours across six new missions, playing a rookie pilot in your military's reserves that never expected to be deployed.
Sense Controllers are unsupported, so I played with a DualSense gamepad with shoulder buttons to brake, accelerate and turn, plus face buttons for weapons. Adjusting to this approach took some time and it soon felt natural and I really enjoyed switching between enemy targets using PSVR 2 eye tracking.
Like driving in Gran Turismo 7, there's no greater interactivity inside the vehicle. Whereas Sony's racer supports dedicated steering wheels to compensate, it's unclear whether Frontline 59 will support PS5 HOTAS controllers. The DualSense scheme works but I wanted more. Still, the scuffed cockpit glass was a nice environmental touch and the headset haptics provide good feedback when being attacked.
Following a short take-off procedure, I soon encountered an enemy squad and the dogfighting began. What follows is a straightforward mission to clear the skies, gunning down foes and using heatseeker missiles as required. Give enemies too much time and they can deploy flares to intercept the missiles, but firing from closer range gives them little response time.
Speed is essential and I appreciate the strategy this introduces into fights. Some chases took a while, though finally lining up those perfect shots was undeniably enjoyable. Enemy units gave as good as they got and, using the shoulder buttons to maneuver, I executed some evasive tricks like barrel rolling and somersaults. That may leave some VR newcomers feeling uncomfortable, though the fixed cockpit view helps alleviate this.
So far, it's an enjoyable aerial action game that seems to be shaping up well on PSVR 2. Because of the demo's limited nature I can't judge any further, but as someone who fondly remembers trying Ace Combat 7 and EVE: Valkyrie on PSVR, what's here feels encouraging and I'm keen to see more.
Project Wingman: Frontline 59 is coming to PSVR 2. We've reached out to Humble Games for comment about the release window and a Frontline 59 PC VR release, and we'll update this article if we learn more. You can read our original Project Wingman review below:
Meta announced at its Connect developer conference today that LEGO is releasing a mixed reality game for Quest 3, named LEGO Bricktales.
The blocky puzzle game essentially puts you in front of a number of diorama biomes, which were crafted brick by brick.
“Your journey will take you to the deepest jungle, sun-drenched deserts, a bustling city corner, a towering medieval castle, and tropical Caribbean islands,” Meta says in an announcement.
The objective is to help the minifigures of these worlds by solving puzzles and unlocking new skills throughout the story to further explore these worlds and uncover the many secrets and mysteries they contain.
LEGO Bricktales isn’t just puzzles and skills, Meta says on the game’s Quest Store page.
“From purely aesthetic creations, such as a market stand or music box, up to functional physics-based puzzles like building a crane or gyrocopter – each diorama offers a variety of construction spots with the freedom of intuitive brick-by-brick building. In each spot you are given a set of bricks and it’s up to you to figure out a unique build that will work. On top of specific puzzles and quests, there are additional builds in the amusement park so you can customize the rides to make them your own,” the description reads.
In addition to Quest 3, LEGO Bricktales will also support Quest 2 and Quest Pro when it launches, which is coming December 7th, 2023. The game is currently available for pre-order, priced at $30, which comes with an exclusive in-game outfit.
Meta Quest 3 won't launch with exclusive games but it may not be long before they appear.
In the run-up to Connect 2023, UploadVR attended a pre-release event in London for both Quest 3 and the Ray-Bans Meta Smart Glasses Collection. During a group Q&A session with other publications, Meta was asked whether the upcoming headset would launch with any exclusive games unavailable for Quest 2 or Quest Pro.
“We don't have any specific Quest 3 exclusives, so everything that launches this holiday season until the end of the year will also be available on Quest 2,” a Meta representative confirmed. That rules out any immediate exclusives when Quest 3 launches on October 10, but suggests Meta expects they may begin appearing next year.
It's reminiscent of the cross-generation transition between Quest 1 and Quest 2, and the latter's first exclusive came a year later with Resident Evil 4. However, it's worth remembering Quest 1 was discontinued when its successor launched, while Quest 2 will remain on sale alongside Quest 3.
That doesn't include First Encounters, which Meta considers more of an MR tutorial than fully fledged game. First Encounters is a new user experience only available for Quest 3 and you're tasked with breaking down walls in your real-world environment to find space critters, shooting them to fit them into a rescue ship.
For now, Meta is emphasizing the wider release slate across both platforms. The pre-release presentation advised over "100+ new and upgraded titles" are coming to Quest 3 "and the entire Quest platform" - Quest 1 being an obvious exclusion. It confirms "over 50 of these are brand new titles," while the other half will receive upgrades and mixed reality features.
Meta confirmed that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate cloud streaming will reach Quest 3 later this year.
Last year's conference saw Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella confirm that the Xbox Game Pass library is coming to Quest through Xbox Cloud Gaming. Letting you stream flatscreen games from the cloud, your Quest headset creates a larger screen while playing games through an Xbox controller. Now, Meta revealed during the Meta Connect 2023 that it's coming to Quest 3 this December
Already available on flatscreen platforms, Xbox Cloud Gaming integrates with Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the highest tier for its popular subscription service. Priced at $16.99/month, that offers a rotating but wide selection of flatscreen games like Halo Infinite, Starfield, Forza Horizon 5 and more.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate arrives on Quest 3 this December.
Meta just opened preorders for Quest 3, set to be the most powerful standalone headset yet when it ships in October. Here’s a detailed rundown of its specifications and features and how those compare to other headsets.
Of course, on-paper specification sheets don’t tell the whole story, so we'll be bringing you hands-on impressions from Meta Connect later this week and a full review when the device ships in October.
Quest 3 Specs vs Quest 2 vs Quest Pro
Quest 3's specs significantly exceed Quest 2 with no regressions, and in most ways even surpass Quest Pro despite starting at half the price.
Quest 2
Quest Pro
Quest 3
Launch
Late 2020
Late 2022
Late 2023
Lens Type
Fresnel
Pancake
Pancake
Field of View
89-96°
106°
110°
Lens Separation
58mm / 63mm / 68mm
58mm–70mm
58mm–72mm
Supported IPDs
56mm-60mm /
61mm-65mm /
66-70mm
55mm–70mm
53mm–75mm
Depth Adjustment
❌
✅
✅
Display Type
Single LCD
Dual QD-LCD
Dual LCD
Pixels Per Eye
~1680×1870 (est)
1800×1920
2064×2208
Local Dimming
❌
✅
❌
Max Refresh Rate
120Hz
90Hz
120Hz (experimental)
Chipset
Snapdragon
XR2 Gen 1 (7nm)
Snapdragon
XR2+ Gen 1 (7nm)
Snapdragon
XR2 Gen 2 (4nm)
RAM
6GB
12GB
8GB
Passthrough
Greyscale
Low Res
Colorized Greyscale
Medium Res
True Color
High Res
Depth Sensing
❌
❌
✅
Wi-Fi
6 (2.4GHz + 5GHz)
6E (2.4GHz + 5GHz + 6GHz)
6E (2.4GHz + 5GHz + 6GHz)
Battery Location
Visor
Rear Padding
Visor
Battery Life
2 hours
1-3 hours
1.5-2.9 hours
Eye Tracking
❌
✅
❌
Face Tracking
❌
✅
❌
Controllers
Touch
Tracking Rings
Basic Haptics
Touch Pro
Self-Tracking
TruTouch Haptics
Touch Plus
Ringless
TruTouch Haptics
Pricing
$300 (128GB)
$350 (256GB)
$1000 (256GB)
$500 (128GB)
$650 (512GB)
Quest Pro is still the only Meta option for local dimming, eye tracking, and face tracking. But Quest 3 has a twice as powerful GPU, higher resolution, higher max refresh rate, 3x the color passthrough pixels, and a depth projector for 3D environment meshing and improved hand tracking.
Quest 3 Specs vs Apple Vision Pro
While Apple Vision Pro is a much higher end device with a starting price seven times higher, Quest 3's specs actually hold up fairly well.
Meta Quest 3
Apple Vision Pro
Launch
Late 2023
Early 2024
Operating System
Meta's Android Fork
visionOS
IPD Adjustment
Manual
Fully Automatic
Display Type
LCD
Micro-OLED
Total Pixels
9.1 million
23 million
HDR
❌
✅
Refresh Rates
72/80/90/120 Hz
90/96 Hz
Chipset
Qualcomm
Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 (4nm)
Apple
M2 (5nm)
Color Cameras
2x 4MP
2x High-Res
Depth Sensing
✅
✅
Eye Tracking
❌
✅
Face Tracking
❌
✅
Battery Location
Visor
Tethered External
Battery Life
2-3 hours
2 hours
Front Display
❌
✅
Authentication
Pattern
OpticID
Tracked Controllers
✅
❌
Starting Price
$500
$3500
At a much more accessible price, Quest 3 still promises color passthrough good enough to read your phone, a slim visor with pancake lenses, and hardware depth sensing for 3D environment meshing and high quality hand tracking. And unlike Vision Pro, it has tracked controllers and doesn't need an external battery.
However, Vision Pro has OLED microdisplaays with more than twice the number of pixels, a more powerful chipset, eye tracking, face tracking, automatic IPD adjustment, OpticID, and the EyeSight front display. It can also run most iPhone and iPad apps from the App Store as floating panels, and developers can even offer cross-buy.
Quest 3 Specs vs Pico 4
ByteDance's Pico 4 launched last year to consumers in Europe and Asia boasting improved hardware compared to Quest 2, including a slimmer design enabled by pancake lenses which also have a wider field of view.
However, Pico 4 still uses the original Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1, whereas Quest 3 is the first headset with the new XR2 Gen 2. Further, Quest 3 has active depth sensing for 3D environment meshing and improved hand tracking, while Pico 4 only features 2D cameras.
Quest 2
Pico 4
Quest 3
Launch
Late 2020
Late 2022
Late 2023
Lens Type
Fresnel
Pancake
Pancake
Field of View
89-96° × 96°
105° × 105°
110°× 96°
Lens Separation
3-step
Continuous
Continuous
Depth Adjustment
❌
❌
✅
Display Type
Single LCD
Dual LCD
Dual LCD
Pixels Per Eye
~1680×1870 (est)
2160×2160
2064×2208
Max Refresh Rate
120Hz
90Hz
120Hz (experimental)
Chipset
Snapdragon
XR2 Gen 1 (7nm)
Snapdragon
XR2 Gen 1 (7nm)
Snapdragon
XR2 Gen 2 (4nm)
RAM
6GB
8GB
8GB
Passthrough
Low Res Greyscale
(Depth Correct)
Color High Res
(Not Depth Correct)
Color High Res
(Depth Correct)
Depth Sensing
❌
❌
✅
Strap Type
Flimsy Cloth (Replaceable)
Semi-Rigid Plastic (Not Replaceable)
Flimsy Cloth (Replaceable)
Wi-Fi
6 (2.4GHz + 5GHz)
6 (2.4GHz + 5GHz)
6E (2.4GHz + 5GHz + 6GHz)
Battery Location
Visor
Rear Padding
Visor
Battery Life
2 hours
2 hours
1.5-2.9 hours
Controllers
Rings
Basic Haptics
Arcs
HyperSense Haptics
Ringless
TruTouch Haptics
Pricing
€350 (128GB)
€400 (256GB)
€430 (128GB)
€500 (256GB)
€550 (128GB)
€700 (512GB)
However, Pico 4 still has its own advantages over Quest 3: better weight distribution thanks to its battery being in the rear padding, slightly higher resolution panels, and a taller field of view.
Quest 3 Specs vs Original Oculus Quest
Of course, no specs comparison would be complete without including the original Oculus Quest, the device that redefined VR over four years ago.
Oculus Quest
Quest 2
Quest 3
Launch
Mid 2019
Late 2020
Late 2023
Lens Type
Fresnel
Fresnel
Pancake
Field of View
No Official Figure
89-96°
110°
Lens Separation
58mm–72mm
58mm / 63mm / 68mm
58mm–72mm
Supported IPDs
56mm–74mm
56mm-60mm /
61mm-65mm /
66-70mm
53mm–75mm
Depth Adjustment
❌
❌
✅
Display Type
Dual OLED
Single LCD
Dual LCD
Pixels Per Eye
PenTile 1440×1600
RGB ~1680×1870 (est)
RGB 2064×2208
Max Refresh Rate
72Hz
120Hz
120Hz (experimental)
Chipset
Snapdragon
835 (10nm)
Snapdragon
XR2 Gen 1 (7nm)
Snapdragon
XR2 Gen 2 (4nm)
RAM
4GB
6GB
8GB
Passthrough
Greyscale
Low Res
Greyscale
Low Res
True Color
High Res
Depth Sensing
❌
❌
✅
Wi-Fi
5 (2.4GHz + 5GHz + 6GHz)
6 (2.4GHz + 5GHz)
6E (2.4GHz + 5GHz + 6GHz)
Battery Life
2-3 hours
2 hours
1.5-2.9 hours
Controllers
Touch S
Tracking Rings
Basic Haptics
Touch
Tracking Rings
Basic Haptics
Touch Plus
Ringless
TruTouch Haptics
Pricing
$400 (64GB)
$500 (128GB)
$300 (128GB)
$350 (256GB)
$500 (128GB)
$650 (512GB)
While Quest 3 improves over Quest 2 the differences since the original Oculus Quest four years ago are even more dramatic. Notably, though, it was the only Quest so far with OLED displays which offered contrast and colors unmatched by any LCD, even with Quest Pro's local dimming capabilities.
Meta Quest 3 ships October 10, starting at $500 for a 128GB base model and $650 for a higher storage 512GB model.
First revealed by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in June, Meta revealed more Quest 3 details during today's opening keynote at its annual Connect conference and announced that pre-orders for the headset are now live.
Quest 3 will be available for purchase on the Meta Store in 23 countries. It will also be available via Amazon and through select retailers in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Japan and France.
Anyone who purchases a Quest 3 between now and January 27, 2024 will receive a free copy of Asgard's Wrath 2 on release, Meta's upcoming AAA VR game with a promise of '60 hours of exploration'. Those who purchase the 512GB model will also receive a six month Quest+ subscription trial, offering two free games each month.
Meta describes Quest 3 as a mixed reality headset, featuring a high-fidelity, full-color Passthrough view that lets users blend the real and virtual worlds together. It features full backward compatibility with the Quest 2 library, but Meta says that over 50 brand new titles will release for Quest 3 through end of the year, alongside Quest 3 upgrades and mixed reality features for 50 existing titles.
Quest 2 will continue to be sold alongside Quest 3, however, the latter will boast some significant upgrades. Quest 3 will be the first headset to feature Qualcomm's next generation Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip, which Meta says offers "more than double the graphics processing power of Quest 2." It also features pancake lenses, as previously seen in Quest Pro, which offer superior visual clarity and result in an overall slimmer profile, allowing the headset to sit closer to the user's face for increased comfort and clarity.
There's two separate displays, boasting 2064x2208 resolution per eye (a near 30% increase on Quest) and a larger field of view of 110 degrees horizontal and 96 degrees vertical – even wider than Quest Pro. There's also a lens adjustment wheel to support IPD between 53-75mm and a new built-in mechanism to adjust the distance of the lens to your eyes – those who wear glasses won't need to use a separate spacer as they did on Quest 2.
In terms of mixed reality features, Quest 3's color passthrough features "10x more pixels compared to Quest 2 and 3x more pixels compared to Quest Pro." It also features a depth sensor and Meta says that Quest 3 is capable of "understanding where walls, floors, furniture and other surfaces are located, so that virtual experiences can seamlessly interact with the physical space around you."
That said, the guardian system will remain largely the same as before, except that Quest 3 will now be able to automatically draw a guardian outline for users during setup, based on their surroundings.
Quest 3 will continue to support controller-free hand tracking as an input option, but the headset will also ship with new Touch Plus controllers as well. These controllers ditch the tracking ring from Quest 2, instead using a combination of infrared LEDs on the face of the controller and continuous controller-free hand tracking, fused together with other accelerometer and gyroscopic data.
Meta claims the Quest 3 battery life will be "about the same" as Quest 2 – roughly 2.2 hours average use (1.5 for 'productivity', 2.9 for media, 2.4 for gaming). Meta also says it's introduced battery saving options in settings, which will offer "more flexibility on how you want to extend your playtime or other optimized performance."
Quest 3 will also support PC VR content when connected to a VR-ready PC via Link and AirLink, just like Quest 2.
A range of accessories will be sold alongside Quest 3, including a version of the Elite Strap, available once again with or without a battery pack. There's also color variants of the standard straps and facial interfaces, alongside a carrying case and optional charging dock for the headset and controllers.
Sony researchers built prototype VR controllers that can adapt to different use cases, and I got to try them.
The controllers explore two innovative ideas. First, they can dynamically adapt their center of mass in real time by shifting a weight internally. Second, you can use them separately or attach them together in various configurations to act as different kinds of objects.
Since the researchers are building a haptic system, not a tracking system, the controllers were tracked by strapped-on HTC Vive trackers, with base stations set up in each corner. For testing and demoing they used a HTC Vive Pro 2 headset tethered to a gaming PC - not a PlayStation VR headset or PlayStation console, as these researchers work separately from those product teams, and prototyping on a PC is far more convenient.
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By altering the configuration of the controllers, I was able to hold and use three highly convincing virtual objects: a sword, a shotgun, and an umbrella, showing the versatility of this approach.
The umbrella was actually the most compelling. With both controllers attached together longways, I could feel the precise haptic feedback from raindrops. When the umbrella was furled, I felt all the weight near my hand, and when unfurling it, I could truly feel the weight move to the end. This was the most remarkable of the three demos because of how noticeable and dramatic the weight shifting was.
Now, I know the question a lot of you will be asking right now: will any of this eventually come to a PlayStation VR3 or other future VR system from Sony?
While the specific controllers I tried are solely being billed as a research project, Sony has shown a strong interest in VR haptics with PlayStation 5 and PSVR 2. Sony included high-fidelity actuators in the controllers and introduced both resistive triggers and in-headset vibration, delivering a new kind of immersion not available in other VR systems. So I wouldn't be surprised to see Sony incorporate novel haptics in its future XR devices - but could that really include weight-shifting and modularity?
NFL Pro Era 2 continues the new annual sports series on Quest and PC VR headsets, though it's now been delayed until further notice.
Teased during June's Meta Quest Gaming Showcase, the NFL Pro Era sequel marks VR’s second official NFL game, featuring Lamar Jackson returning as the cover star. Previously planned for September 28, StatusPRO revealed that's now been pushed back through its Discord server and a new release date remains unconfirmed.
Announced earlier this month, NFL Pro Era 2's biggest change is a new head-to-head multiplayer mode, letting you battle online and "pitch your favorite teams against each other." Multiplayer Freeplay enhancements are also promised, allowing you to join other players to practice catching and passing tricks.
As for Career Mode, StatusPRO confirms NFL Pro Era 2 lets you take teams through multiple Super Bowls as your career progresses. Outlined gameplay improvements include "improved passing, improved player movement, improved AI for more accurate tackling and catches" and a redesigned locker room.
There's also a new 'Coach’s Confidence' rating for players, unlocking further plays and abilities when accuracy/efficiency improves. New post-play celebrations let you high-five and fist bump teammates, sideline interactions boost teammate abilities on the field. Finally, "wristband play calling" sees you call the necessary for winning.
A release date remains unknown, but NFL Pro Era 2 will launch on the Meta Quest platform, SteamVR and PSVR 2 for $30.
This article, originally published on September 13, was updated on Sept. 27, 2023 to reflect the release date delay.
Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs marks a new target, arriving this October on PSVR 2 with a discounted crossbuy upgrade.
Developed by Resolution Games, Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs initially launched in 2019 and received a consistent slate of post-launch updates. Now arriving on Sony's latest headset, Resolution confirms the PSVR 2 version promises enhanced visuals with "improvements to environments and select 3D models, new visual effects, and refreshed lighting." User-created levels can also be shared and downloaded online, which wasn't possible on PSVR.
We had positive impressions in our Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs review, calling it a great fit for younger players and believing that gameplay "has translated remarkably well to roomscale VR."
While I found both campaigns to be pretty easy, I think it’s important to keep the target audience in mind. Angry Birds has always been a franchise for the younger demographic and for them, this is a perfect VR game. It’s got a mix of interesting campaigns, a fun aesthetic, some challenging levels and huge creative potential with the level editor.
Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs reaches PSVR 2 on October 10 for $19.99, with a $9.99 upgrade option available if you own the original PSVR version. Elsewhere, it's out now on Quest, Rift, Steam, PSVR, Pico and Viveport.
Bigscreen Beyond is the most interesting and promising new dedicated PC VR headset to come out in years, and while there’s a lot to like, we’re still waiting on a key piece that will make or break the headset.
Bigscreen Beyond has one goal in mind: make the smallest possible headset with the highest possible image quality.
Generally speaking, this unlikely headset (born from a VR software startup, after all) has ‘pulled it off.’ It’s an incredibly compact VR headset with built-in SteamVR tracking. It feels like a polished, high-end product with a look and feel that’s all its own. The visuals are great, though not without a few compromises. And it delivers something that no other headset to date has: a completely custom facepad that’s specially made for each customer.
I’ll dig more into the visual details soon, but first I need to point out that Bigscreen Beyond missing something important: built-in audio.
While there’s an official deluxe audio strap on the way, as of right now the only way to use Bigscreen Beyond is with your own headphones. In my case that means a pair of wireless gaming headphones connected to my PC. And it also means another thing to put on my head.
For some headsets this would be a notable but not deal-breaking inconvenience, for Bigscreen Beyond, however, it’s amplified because the headset’s custom-fit facepad means absolutely zero light leakage. It wasn’t until I started using Beyond that I realize just how often I use the nose-gap in the bottom of most headsets to get a quick glimpse into the real world, whether that’s to grab controllers, make sure I didn’t miss an important notification on my phone, or even pick up a pair of headphones.
With no nose-gap and no passthrough camera, you are 100% blind to the real world when you put on Beyond. Then you need to feel around to find your headphones. Then you need to feel around for your controllers.
Oops, something messed up on your PC and you need to restart SteamVR? Sure, you can lift the headset to your forehead to deal with it in a pinch, but then you put it back down and realize you got some oil on the lenses from your hair or forehead. So now you need to wipe the lenses… ok, let me put down the controllers, take off the headphones, take off the headset, wipe the lenses, then put on the headset, feel around for my headphones, then feel around for my controllers. Now I want to fix my headstrap… oops the headphones are in the way. Let me take those off for a minute…
All of this and more was the most frustrating part of an otherwise quite good experience when using Beyond. And sure, I could use wireless earbuds or even external speakers. But both have downsides that don’t exist with a built-in audio solution.
Photo by Road to VR
A lack of built-in audio on a VR headset just feels like a huge step back in 2023. It’s a pain in the ass. Full stop.
Until we have the upcoming deluxe audio strap to pair with Beyond, it feels incomplete. We’re patiently waiting to get our hands on the strap—as it will really make-or-break the headset—and plan to update our review when that time comes. Bigscreen says it expects the deluxe audio start to be available sometime in Q4.
Bigscreen Beyond Review
With the audio situation in the back of our minds, we can certainty talk about the rest of the headset. Before we dive in, here’s a look at the tech specs for some context:
IPD (fixed, customized per headset)
eye-relief (fixed, customized per facepad)
IPD Adjustment Range
53–74mm (fixed, single IPD value per device)
Connectors
DisplayPort 1.4, USB 3.0 (2x)
Accessory Ports
USB 2.0 (USB-C connector) (1x)
Cable Length
5m
Tracking
SteamVR Tracking 1.0 or 2.0 (external beacons)
On-board Cameras
None
Input
SteamVR Tracking controllers
On-board Audio
None
Optional Audio
Audio Strap accessory, USB-C audio output
Microphone
Yes (2x)
Pass-through view
No
Weight
170–185g
MSRP
$1,000
MSRP (with tracking & controllers)
$1,580
And here’s where it fits into the landscape of high-end PC VR headsets from a pricing standpoint:
Bigscreen Beyond
Varjo Aero
Vive Pro 2
Reverb G2
Valve Index
Headset Only
$1,000
$1,000
$800
–
$500
Full Kit
$1,580
$1,580
$1,400
$600
$1,000
Smaller Than it Looks
Bigscreen Beyond is an incredibly unique offering in a landscape of mostly much larger and much bulkier PC VR headsets. Beyond is even smaller than it looks in photos. In fact, it’s so small that it nearly fits inside other VR headsets.
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Photo by Road to VR
Photo by Road to VR
Getting it so small required that the company individually create custom-fit facepads for each and every customer. Doing so involves using an app to 3D scan your face, which is sent to the company and used as the blueprint to make the facepad that ships with your headset. At present the face scan is only supported on iOS devices (specifically iPhone XR or newer) which means anyone without access to such a device can’t even order the headset.
And this isn’t an illusion of customization, the company isn’t just picking from one of, say, 5 or 10 facepad shapes to find the one that most closely fits your face. Each facepad is completely unique—and the result is that it fits your face like a glove.
Photo by Road to VR
That means zero light leakage (which can be good for immersion, but problematic for the reasons described above). The headset is also dialed in—at the hardware level—for your specific IPD, based on your face scan.
Eyebox is Everything
If there’s one thing you should take away from this review it’s that Bigscreen Beyond has very good visuals and is uniquely conformable, but getting your eyes in exactly the correct position is critical for a good experience.
The eyebox (the optimal optical position relative to the lenses) is so tight that even small deviations can amplify artifacts and reduce the field-of-view. In any other headset it would be far too small to make the headset even a viable product, but Beyond’s commitment to custom-fit facepads makes it possible because they have relatively precise control over where the customer’s pupil will sit.
The first facepad the company sent me fit my face well, but the headset’s sweet spot (the clarity across lens) felt so tight that it made the already somewhat small field-of-view feel even smaller—too small for my taste. But by testing the headset without any facepad, I could tell that having my eyes closer would give me a notably better visual experience.
When I reached out to the company about this, they sent back a newly made facepad, this time with and even tighter eye-relief. This was the key to opening up the headset’s field-of-view, sweet spot, and improving some other artifacts just enough to the point that it didn’t feel too much of a sacrifice next other headsets.
Here’s a look at my field-of-view measurements for Bigscreen Beyond (with the optimal facepad), next to some other PC VR headsets. While the field-of-view only increased slightly from the first facepad to the second, the improvement in the sweet spot was significant.
Personal Measurements – 64mm IPD (minimum-comfortable eye-relief, no glasses, measured with TestHMD 1.2)
Bigscreen Beyond
Varjo Aero
Vive Pro 2
Reverb G2
Valve Index
Horizontal FOV
98°
84°
102°
82°
106°
Vertical FOV
90°
65°
78°
78°
106°
It’s sort of incredible that moving from the first facepad to the second made such an improvement. At most, the difference in my pupil position between the two facepad was likely just a handful of milimeters. But the headset’s eye-box is just so tight that even small deviations will influence the visual experience.
Comfort & Visuals
Photo by Road to VR
With the ideal facepad—and ignoring the annoyance of dealing with an off-board audio solution—Bigscreen beyond felt like I jumped a few years forward into the future of headsets. It’s tiny, fits my face perfectly, the OLED displays offer true blacks, and the resolution is incredibly sharp with zero evidence of any screen-door-effect (unlit space between pixels).
While it does feel like you give up some field-of-view compared to other headsets, and there’s notable glare, the compact form-factor and light weight really makes a big difference to wearability.
With most VR headsets today I find myself adjusting them slightly on my head every 10 or 15 minutes to relieve pressure points and stay comfortable over a longer period. With Beyond, I found myself making those adjustments far less often, or not at all in some sessions. When playing over longer periods you just don’t notice the headset nearly as much as others, and you’re even less likely to have the occasional bonk on the headset from your flailing controllers, thanks to its much smaller footprint.
Brightness vs. Persistence
While Beyond’s resolution is very good—with resolving power that I found about equal to Varjo’s Aero headset—the default brightness level (100) leads to more persistence blur than I personally think is reasonable. Fortunately Bigscreen makes available a simple utility that lets you turn down brightness in favor of lower persistence blur.
I found that dialing it down to 50 was roughly the optimal balance between brightness and persistence for my taste. This level keeps the image sharp during head movement, but leaves dark scenes truly dark. Granted you can adjust the brightness on the fly if you really want.
Of course this will be content dependent, and Bigscreen is ostensibly tuning the headset with an eye toward movie viewing (considering their VR app is all about movie watching), where persistence blur wouldn’t be quite as bad because you move your head considerably less while watching a movie vs. playing a VR game.
Clarity
While Beyond doesn’t have Fresnel lenses, its pancake optics still end up with a lot of glare in high contrast scenes. I’d say it’s not quite as bad as what you get with most Fresnel optics, but it’s still quite notable. While Fresnel lenses tend to create ‘god rays’ which emanate from specific objects in the scene, Beyond’s pancake optics create glare that’s appears less directly attached to what’s in the scene.
Beyond the issues noted so far, other visual factors are all top notch: no pupil swim, geometric distortion, or chromatic aberration (again, this is all highly dependent on how well your facepad fits, so if you see much of the above, you might want to look into the fit of the headset).
