XR News Bits – ‘Thrasher’ Launches, Kojima Explores Vision Pro, Big Game Updates, & More

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In this edition of XR News Bits we see a newly released Walkabout Mini Golf DLC course, a big update to Contractors Showdown, game director Hideo Kojima exploring Vision Pro, the release of VR action-arcade game Thrasher, and signs of life from cooperative WWII VR bomber game The Mighty Eighth.

XR News Bits

An incredible amount of exciting XR news comes our way every day. Very often we see news come across our desk that’s worth highlighting, but we don’t always have the bandwidth for a full article on every one of them. XR News Bits is our occasional roundup of stories we think are worth a shout-out, even if we can’t take you in-depth.

Walkabout Mini Golf Gets New ‘Wallace & Gromit’ Course

Walkabout Mini Golf has maintained an impressive cadence with the release of interesting courses to give players something new to come back to. The latest course is based the perennial stop-motion franchise Wallace & Gromit, which first premiered in 1989.

The new course is said to be packed full of locations and references that long standing fans of the show will appreciate. The new course is paid DLC which can be bought inside of the game for $4. Thoughtfully, Walkabout Mini Golf includes a ‘Guest Pass’ feature which means only one person in the room needs to own the course for the whole party to play.

Battle Royale Contractors Showdown Gets Big ‘Season 1’ Update

Hot of its release in April, VR battle royale Contractors Showdown is already dropping its first big update, borrowing the ‘season-based’ format that’s become the norm for live-service games.

The ‘Season 1’ update includes new vehicles, weapons, map locations, and dynamic weather. There’s also a new game mode called ‘Reborn’: a 30-player brawl where players get an immediate second chance after their first elimination. The original mode also now adapts the ‘Gulag’ feature from Call of Duty: Warzone where eliminated players duke it out in a quick 1v1 battle, with the winner earning the right to respawn into the battle royale match and the loser being fully eliminated.

Thrasher Launches on Quest and Apple Vision Pro

Thrasher, a unique action-arcade game from one of the creators of the cult action-arcade hit Thumper, has launched on Quest and Vision Pro.

The game sees players guiding a “magnificent space eel” through and around obstacles which grow in difficulty as time goes on. The creators call it a “mind-melting arcade action odyssey and visceral audiovisual experience.”

Thrasher is available now for $20 on Quest and Vision Pro, and the game will on launch on PC VR via Steam in December.

Metal Gear Solid Creator Hideo Kojima Checks out Vision Pro

Legendary videogame director Hideo Kojima posted several photos of himself unboxing and trying out Apple Vision Pro.

Image courtesy Hideo Kojima

Kojima is best known as a creative force behind the Metal Gear Solid series and his newer venture, Death Stranding.

Kojima has demonstrated a clear interest in VR tech over the years, having been spotted checking out the latest developments here and there. So far he hasn’t released or announced any VR projects, but perhaps Vision Pro will inspire new interest in the tech.

Cooperative VR Bomber Game The Mighty Eighth VR Shows Signs of Life

Cooperative WWII VR bomber game The Mighty Eighth was announced way back in 2020, but we hadn’t heard much from the project in the intervening years.

Earlier this year the game’s Steam page sprung to life with some updates on its development. The latest update includes early footage showing some of the game’s core systems.

Planned for eventual launch on PC VR, The Mighty Eighth VR has no release date for now, but the developer is promising more progress updates to come.

Thanks to Daniel Fearon for the tip on this one.

The post XR News Bits – ‘Thrasher’ Launches, Kojima Explores Vision Pro, Big Game Updates, & More appeared first on Road to VR.

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Latest Quest Update Includes Meta AI, New ‘Layout’ Utility App & Performance Boosts

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Following Meta’s big v67’s multitasking update earlier this month, the company announced it’s now rolling out its v68 software update for Quest, which features experimental access to Meta AI, a new utility app centered on home improvement, and some performance boosts too.

Previously only available on Ray-Ban Meta smartglasses, Meta AI lets you do your standard assortment of AI voice chat stuff through Bing, but it also taps into the headset’s camera sensors so you can ask it questions about what it sees.

It’s now launching on v68 in experimental mode on Quest 3, although at first it will only be avialable in the US and Canada in English.

Another update to come along with v68 is an app called Layout, a new tool that helps users visualize real-world items in their physical space. Meta expects you to do things like measure your room for furniture, make sure items are level, and see how common items might fit into your space—something the company says will help users simplify home arrangements and lessen store visits.

It also includes a host of virtual objects to play around with too, such as chairs, beds, couches, shelves, TVs, etc—allowing you to move and rotate stuff around your home. Check it out in action below, courtesy of MIXED:

While Meta is pitching Layout as an easy way to visualize potential changes before grabbing that 72-inch TV, the app may also serve as a ‘best practices’ guide on how companies might tap into XR for the future of e-commerce. Notably, Meta’s Horizon Store doesn’t have any sort of retailer experience like you might see on Vision Pro, which now includes a similar XR app by Best Buy.

Quest 3 also now supports Content Adaptive Brightness Control, which reduces contrast in darker scenes, improving the display experience. You can turn on this feature from Experimental in Settings.

Additionally, the v68 update introduces performance improvements, including faster app downloads with a new “Downloads” tab for better management. This also include a new frame timing algorithm to enhance graphic performance by improving frame rate and reducing latency in OpenXR apps, resulting in smoother visuals and less stuttering. As always, you can check out the full release notes here.

Like all Quest software updates, v68 is releasing on a rolling basis. To confirm, you can follow these steps to check your current software version, or manually download available updates:

• Press Meta button for VR headset controllers/oculus icon on your right Touch controller to pull up your universal menu.
• Hover over the clock on the left-hand side of the universal menu. When Quick settings appears, select it to open the Quick settings panel.
• Select Settings in the top right-hand corner.
• Select System, then select Software update from the left menu.

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Meta Releases New Audio Ray Tracing Tool for More Immersive Soundscapes on Quest

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Meta announced its released a new Acoustic Ray Tracing feature that will make it easier for developers to add more immersive audio to their VR games and apps.

Released in the Audio SDK for Unity and Unreal, the new Acoustic Ray Tracing tech is designed to automate the complex process of simulating realistic acoustics which is traditionally achieved through labor-intensive, manual methods.

With Meta’s Acoustic Ray Tracing, the company says in a developer blog post it can simulate sound reflections, reverberations, and things like diffraction, occlusion, and obstruction—all critical to making spatial audio closer to the real thing.

Image courtesy Meta

The new audio feature, which Meta calls “a more natural audio experience” than its older Shoebox Room Acoustics model, also supports complex environments.

“Our acoustics features can handle arbitrarily complex geometry, ensuring that even the most intricate environments are accurately simulated,” Meta says. “Whether your VR scene is a winding cave, a bustling cityscape, or an intricate indoor environment, our technology can manage the complexity without compromising on performance.

The Acoustic Ray Tracing system is said to integrate with existing workflows, supporting popular middleware like FMOD and Wwise. Notably, Acoustic Ray Tracing is being used in the upcoming Quest exclusive Batman: Arkham Shadow, demonstrating its potential for creating immersive experiences.

“One of the standout benefits of our new acoustics features is their performance on mobile hardware. While other solutions in the market require powerful PCs due to their high performance cost, our SDK is optimized to run efficiently on mobile devices such as Quest headsets. This opens up new possibilities for high-quality audio simulation in mobile applications, making immersive audio more accessible than ever before,” the company says.

You can find out more about Meta’s Acoustic Ray Tracing here. You’ll also find documentation on Meta’s Audio SDK (Unity | Unreal) and Acoustic Ray Tracing (Unity | Unreal).

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‘Alien: Rogue Incursion’ Shows off Stealth Action in First Gameplay Trailer, Coming Holiday 2024

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Alien: Rogue Incursion just got its first gameplay trailer, showing off its first real look at the game’s Xenomorph enemies, weapons, setting and more.

When it was revealed back in April, Veteran VR studio Survios said the upcoming action-horror game was set to include an “all-new storyline full of heart-pounding action, exploration, and terrifying Xenomorphs.”

Now, the studio released a first look at gameplay centered on protagonist Zula Hendricks, a fearless ex-Colonial Marine turned ultimate Xenomorph hunter. As the game’s main protagonist, the studio reveals Zula Hendricks is on her way to the uncharted planet Purdan, accompanied by her sentient AI companion, Davis-01.

“Zula must fight her way to the heart of the infested Gemini Exoplanet Solutions black-site facility. There she will need to survive deadly attacks from the most cunning Xenomorphs ever encountered and discover new horrors and threats that once unleashed could spell the end for humankind,” Survios says.

We also get a look at the motion-tracking radar and a number of weapons, including the series’ iconic pulse rifle, revolver, and pump shotgun.

Alien: Rogue Incursion is releasing sometime around Holiday 2024, coming to PSVR 2, Meta Quest 3, and PC VR. Notably, the studio its Meta release will only include Quest 3, but not Quest 2 or Quest Pro—making it one of the first big titles to drop the older Quest headsets.

The post ‘Alien: Rogue Incursion’ Shows off Stealth Action in First Gameplay Trailer, Coming Holiday 2024 appeared first on Road to VR.

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Hands-on: ‘Attack on Titan VR’ Could Be a Diamond in the Rough — Emphasis on Rough

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Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable is here, officially bringing the hit anime to VR for the first time, albeit in early access. We got an eye-full last month when developer UNIVRS released its first trailer, which admittedly looked pretty rough. While that’s still true for the game in its current state, it actually packs in some fun mechanics, leaving me holding out hope for the AoT VR game that it might become.

In its current state, Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable feels very much like a tech demo, offering up a single mission (aka ‘chapter’), a few unlockable blades, and only a few bits of story to chew on out of the gate, offering up about 30 minutes of content which you can replay as much as you want if you’re looking to move up the scoreboard and unlock more weapons.

Essentially, you’ll get a quick Power Point at the beginning recapping the anime’s premise, and then you’re launched right into the tutorial, which is segmented into discrete mini-missions: i.e. do the thing, fade to black—rinse and repeat until you make it to the first and only mission in the game at present. I’d expect a less disjointed tutorial in the future, but hey, this is early access we’re talking about.

There, you’ll learn how to fight against Titans; you can slice their limbs, although they regrow back after a period, so you’ll need to cut them down for good by slicing at the back of their necks. To do this, you’ll need to lock on and retract your omni-directional mobility gear, which works similar to the grappling hooks from the Windlands series.

How the game differentiates itself from mission to mission is going to be a big factor in whether its most fun bit—swinging around the walled city filled with the series’ iconic red-roofed buildings—really has staying power, and doesn’t just evolve into a bunch of samey swinging and slicing. It will also need to tighten up Titan interactions, as AI pathfinding feels very blocky and artificial, and you can usually clip through Titans upon death, which ruins a bit of the first few ‘wow’ moments when bringing them down for the first time. They could also benefit from a visual overhaul—although I can see what the studio is trying to go for in terms of keeping it grounded in the anime’s visual style.

That said, swinging around using the omni-directional mobility gear and using the blades are undeniable high points, as you lock onto the neck of a Titan, and make big and flashy cuts, red indicating you’re using your full strength.

 

Despite some pretty frenetic movement, it’s also a really comfortable experience thanks to the constant visual effects that surround you as you flight through the air—the sort of speed lines you regularly see in manga.

There are a few other clear wins here too. The game incorporates diegetic UI as much as it can, giving you a pen to paper to start chapters from your mission log—certainly more interesting than using a laser pointer on a 2D monitor. To start the mission, you even need to leave your John Hancock, which feels like an immersive touch.

Image captured by Road to VR

The team has their work cut out for them. Visuals feel middling, if not downright ugly at points, as the trailer suggests, and it seems to be suffering from stability issues. The game also needs to add in two-player co-op mode, which is slated to launch with its 1.0 release later this year.

That said, it’s too early to tell whether Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable is going to be the sort of VR game you and your AoT-loving friend definitely need to play. There are still a lot of questions about level and enemy variety, and how much of the story will play a part.

The big question though is it worth the $5 entry price to get early access. AoT superfans will probably want to jump in no matter the state of the game. I’m a casual enjoyer of the series, and I’d personally wait for successive chapters to be released to see where the game is actually going first. Still, that $5 entry fee feels like an honest price for what VR veteran developer UNIVRS is planning.

If you’re curious to see for yourself, you can nab Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable in early access right for Quest 2/3/Pro.

The post Hands-on: ‘Attack on Titan VR’ Could Be a Diamond in the Rough — Emphasis on Rough appeared first on Road to VR.

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PSVR 2 Gets Its Biggest Sale Yet Ahead of PC VR Adapter Release

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PSVR 2 has landed its biggest sale yet, dropping the price by a solid 37%, less than two weeks ahead of its forthcoming PC VR adapter.

PSVR 2 launched in early 2023 with a $550 baseline pricetage. While the headset saw a sale that dropped it to $450 earlier this year, now there’s an even better deal.

PSVR 2 is now on sale at Amazon US (and several other Amazon regions) for $350, a full 37% discount from the MSRP.

The Horizon Call of the Mountain bundle, which includes the headset and the best games made for it so far, is also on sale for $400, a 33% discount.

The sale is described as a “Limited Time Deal,” so there’s really no telling how it will last.

The headset’s biggest sale yet comes less than two weeks before Sony launches a PC VR adapter which will let PSVR 2 play games directly from the huge library of SteamVR content—provided you’ve got a beefy gaming PC.

The adapter launches on August 7th, priced at $60 / €60 / £50 and will be available through select retailers and direct.playstation.com.

For years Sony resisted requests for a PC VR adapter for its original PSVR headset, and so it was quite the surprise when the company announced plans earlier this year for a PC VR adapter for PSVR 2. At the sale price of $350, PSVR 2 looks like an attractive PC VR headset considering its build quality, resolution, inside-out tracking, and quality controllers.

Granted, there’s a number of caveats which limit the headset when used with PC compared to its native home on PS5. Sony says when playing on PC, the adapter won’t serve up HDR, headset haptics, eye-tracking, adaptive triggers, or haptic feedback other than basic rumble. It will however display its native 2,000 × 2,040 per-eye resolution, 110-degree field of view, finger touch detection, and passthrough view.

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Thanks to @alexplaysvg for the tip!

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VR Comfort Settings Checklist & Glossary for Developers and Players Alike

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For those who have been playing or developing VR content for years, it might seem ‘obvious’ what kind of settings are expected to be included for player comfort. Yet for new players and developers alike, the confusing sea of VR comfort terms is far from straightforward. This has lead to situations where players buy a game but find it doesn’t include a comfort setting that’s important to them. So here’s a checklist and glossary of ‘essential’ VR comfort settings that developers should clearly communicate to potential customers about their VR game or experience.

Update July 24th, 2024: Road to VR now offers developers private comfort design audits for XR apps. Your app will get an overall ‘Comfort Grade’ with a straightforward list of comfort issues and suggested fixes. Reach us at consult [at] roadtovr.com for details.

VR Comfort Settings Checklist

Let’s start with the VR comfort settings checklist, using two example games. While it is by no means comprehensive, it covers many of the basic comfort settings employed by VR games today. To be clear, this checklist is not what settings a game should include, it is merely the info that should be communicated so customers know what comfort settings are offered.

Want expert insight on your app’s comfort design? Reach us at consult [at] roadtovr.com to discuss a personalized comfort design audit for your XR app.

We chose these two examples because a game like Beat Saber, despite being an almost universally comfortable VR game, will have many ‘n/a’ on its list because it completely lacks artificial turning & movement. Whereas a game like Half-Life: Alyx uses artificial turning & movement and therefore offers more options for player comfort.

	Half-Life: Alyx	Beat Saber
Turning
Artificial turning
Snap-turn		n/a
Adjustable increments		n/a
Quick-turn		n/a
Adjustable Increments	n/a	n/a
Adjustable speed	n/a	n/a
Smooth-turn		n/a
Adjustable speed		n/a
Movement
Artificial movement
Teleport-move		n/a
Dash-move		n/a
Smooth-move		n/a
Adjustable speed		n/a
Blinders		n/a
Adjustable strength	n/a	n/a
Head-based		n/a
Controller-based		n/a
Swappable movement hand		n/a
Posture
Standing mode
Seated mode		not explicit
Artificial crouch
Real crouch
Accessibility
Subtitles		n/a
Languages	English, French, German […]	n/a
Dialogue audio		n/a
Languages	English	n/a
Adjustable difficulty
Two hands required		For some game modes (optional)
Real crouch required		For some levels (optional)
Hearing required
Adjustable player height

If players are equipped with this information ahead of time, it will help them make a more informed buying decision.

VR Comfort Settings Glossary

For new players, many of these terms might be confusing. Here’s a glossary of basic definitions of each VR comfort setting.

Want expert insight on your app’s comfort design? Reach us at consult [at] roadtovr.com to discuss a personalized comfort design audit for your XR app.

Turning

• Artificial turning – whether or not the game allows the player to rotate their view separately from their real-world orientation within their playspace (also called virtual turning)
  • Snap-turn – comfortable for most
    Instantly rotates the camera view in steps or increments (also called blink-turn)
  • Quick-turn – comfortable for some
    Quickly rotates the camera view in steps or increments (also called fast-turn or dash-turn)
  • Smooth-turn – comfortable for least
    Smoothly rotates the camera view (also called continuous-turn)

Movement

• Artificial movement – whether or not the game allows the player to move through the virtual world separately from their real-world movement within their playspace (also called virtual movement)
  • Teleport-move – comfortable for most
    Instantly moves the player between positions (also called blink-move)
  • Dash-move – comfortable for some
    Quickly moves the player between positions (also called shift-move)
  • Smooth-move – comfortable for least
    Smoothly moves the player through the world (also called continuous-move)
• Head-based – the game considers the player’s head direction as the ‘forward’ direction for artificial movement
• Hand-based – the game considers the player’s hand/controller direction as the ‘forward’ direction for artificial movement
• Swappable movement hand – allows the player to change the artificial movement controller input between the left and right hands
• Blinders – cropping of the headset’s field of view to reduce motion visible in the player’s periphery (also called vignette)

Posture

• Standing mode – supports players playing in a real-world standing position
• Seated mode – supports players playing in a real-world seated position
• Artificial crouch – allows the player to crouch with a button input instead of crouching in the real world (also called virtual crouch)
• Real crouch – allows the player to crouch in the real-world and have it correctly reflected as crouching in the game

Accessibility

• Subtitles – a game that has subtitles for dialogue & interface, and which languages therein
• Audio – a game that has audio dialogue, and which languages therein
• Adjustable difficulty – allows the player to control the difficulty of a game’s mechanics
• Two-hands required – whether two hands are required for core game completion or essential mechanics
• Real-crouch required – a game which requires the player to physically crouch for core completion or essential mechanics (with no comparable artificial crouch option)
• Hearing required – a game which requires the player to be able to hear for core completion or essential mechanics
• Adjustable player height – whether the player can change their in-game height separately from their real world height (distinct from artificial crouching because the adjustment is persistent and may also work in tandem with artificial crouching)

– – — – –

As mentioned, this is not a comprehensive list. VR comfort is a complex topic especially because everyone’s experience is somewhat different, but this is hopefully a useful baseline to help streamline communication between developers and players alike.

For developers exploring various locomotion methods for use in VR content, the Locomotion Vault is a good resource to see real-world examples.

For players with disabilities who want more options for VR game accessibility check out the WalkinVR custom locomotion driver.

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