Code discovered in a recent Google Play update indicates the company may soon roll out support for XR headsets on its Android app store, which would mark a decisive shift in the competitive landscape.
As reported by Android Authority, code in version 43.3.32-31 of the Google Play app contains mention of “XR headset,” including a new headset icon that ostensibly indicates whether an app works with the supported device.
Google has technically hosted XR games on Play in the form of Cardboard apps since 2014, which use Android smartphones as ad hoc VR displays—something that was big in kickstarting user interest in the early days of consumer VR, but not so much in the day of standalone headsets like Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro.
The addition of a dedicated section in the Play store and official device support however points to something bigger than Cardboard, or even its now-defunct Google Daydream platform, which the company abandoned in 2019.
So what’s spurred this renewed interest in XR? There are a few things, arguably the largest of which is the Google, Samsung and Qualcomm headset collaboration, which was announced in early 2023. Samsung is building the hardware, Qualcomm the chipset, and Google the Android-based XR operating system.
Although the companies have confirmed the headset will be announced (and possibly launched) by the end of this year, practically nothing is known about the XR collab. Industry rumors maintain Samsung initially delayed the device to better compete with high-end mixed reality headsets, such as Vision Pro.
Apple Vision Pro with Dual Loop Band | Image courtesy Apple
Then there’s the recent report from The Information that claims Google and Samsung are looking to partner on a Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses competitor, which would be materially ‘easier’ to produce than a full-fledged XR headset, since the comparatively cheaper AI-centric smartglasses don’t include displays.
Still, such a device likely wouldn’t need such a close tie-in to the broader Android ecosystem like a potential Vision Pro competitor, which would likely trade on its ability to not only play XR games published on Google Play, but also run standard 2D apps too, like Vision Pro does with its millions of compatible iOS apps.
This follows revelations from earlier this year that Meta and Google held talks in effort to bring Android XR to Quest, however talks apparently stalled due to Google’s terms being too restrictive for the liking of Meta. In the meantime, Meta has been making overtures to Android developers to bring their apps directly to Quest in a bid to further flesh out Quest as a general computing platform.
Skydance’s Behemoth is coming to all major VR headsets in December, and developer Skydance Games has entered full hype mode with the release of its latest trailer, which shows off a new Behemoth and a good slice of fresh gameplay.
Ahead of its December 5th launch on Quest 2/3/Pro, PSVR 2, and SteamVR headsets, Skydance is revealing more of what’s to come for its single-player combat adventure, which is said to feature a 12-hour campaign.
Developed by the studio behind The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners franchise, Skydance’s most recent trailer shows off a new bat-like Behemoth, which aims to take you into an epic skybound battle.
“The curse dooms our home. Black rot eats our flesh, and bloodlust consumes every soul,” the trailer narrates. “Salvation lies in the Forsaken lands, where foul Behemoths are the source of our affliction. Be our light in the dark. You walk on hallowed ground. Listen to me, Ren—there is no freedom while the curse remains. I can still feel the black rot in my veins. Together, we will be stronger. Show no mercy. Ren, I won’t let the curse take my people. I’ll fight, no matter what it takes.”
If you’re looking for more Behemoth lore, the studio also published a free graphic novel that prominently features the new giant bat Behemoth, revealed to be named ‘Nightscraper’.
Image courtesy Skydance Interactive
In addition to a good slate of concept art covering Behemoths and in-universe areas, we also learned from the graphic novel that a previously revealed boss, featured in the first public hands-on, is named ‘Shacklehide’, owing to his main ball and chain weapon.
This follows the announcement in September that Skydance’s Behemoth was delayed beyond the original November 14th release date, pushing launch to December 5th. As recompense, the studio also released a trailer then revealing the boss ‘Dreddstag’, which similarly tasks you with grappling your way up the suitably mountainous Behemoth.
Nintendo has published a new patent that could point to its next iteration of Labo VR for its long-awaited Switch successor.
While news of the company’s next Switch console is expected “within this fiscal year,” Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa said in May, rumors however suggest the company has delayed release to early 2025, which has only fueled speculation among Nintendo acolytes hoping for what promises to be a bigger, better Switch.
Now, Nintendo has published a patent (Japanese) that appears to be a VR add-on similar to its Labo VR kit first released in 2019, which allowed users to essentially ‘build’ a VR display add-on for use in experimental mini-games, and for playing a handful of traditional Switch titles in 3D.
Images courtesy Nintendo, Japanese Patent Office
Called an “auxiliary device and stereoscopic image display system,” the patent describes a “portable main unit that displays a stereoscopic image, and an auxiliary equipment that assists the user in viewing the stereoscopic image.”
Unlike Labo VR, which was primarily made of cardboard and featured a loose slot to house Switch, the patent shows off a more refined clip-in mechanism that more securely cradles the console. Images also show the console with controllers attached, with patent literature describing how a user holds it in the their left and right hands.
Some images show the device without controllers, however no such headstrap configuration is specified—essentially positioning it to work like Nintendo’s 2019 Labo VR, albeit without mention of the optional ‘Toy-Con’ game accessories offered at release.
Image courtesy Nintendo
So, not a VR headset as such, but an encouraging development considering Nintendo hasn’t fully invested in XR tech with a standalone headset release, like Meta Quest 3 or its new Quest 3S, which was launched earlier this month starting at $300.
Revisiting Labo VR with a follow-up device for its new Switch doesn’t seem that far-fetched though, as the kit widely sold out at retailers at launch, and used Switch in innovative, patently Nintendo ways.
Still, we’re taking this (and any patent) with a grain of salt. A mantra worth remembering: every product has a patent, but not every patent has a product.
Canon today announced a more affordable lens option designed for social media creators and videographers interested in VR and 3D content creation.
Back in June, Canon announced its RF-S3.9mm F3.5 STM Dual Fisheye lens, which was designed to allow its line of cameras to take spatial video and photos—priced at $1,099.00.
Now the company is widening its line of dual lens optics with an even more affordable VR lens system with the introduction of RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens, which is going on sale this November for $449.99.
Image courtesy Canon U.S.A., Inc.
As the name suggests, the lens offers a 7.8mm focal length, as well as a 60-degree angle of view. Like the previously released Dual Fisheye lens, the new lens is also compatible with Canon’s latest cameras that support RF mounts, which includes EOS R, R5, R6, RP, and the R7.
While admittedly offering a lower field-of-view (FOV) than the 144-degree FOV of its bigger brother, it’s also less than half the price.
Image courtesy Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Previewed at Apple’s 2024 WWDC, Canon intends to use the new lens to meet the growing demand for accessible spatial video creation.
Notably, the new RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens is said to operate like a traditional 2D RF lens, enabling easy setup for newcomers, and allowing anyone with its latest RF mount cameras to create immersive content for headsets like Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3.
According to Hiroto Kato, Canon’s vice president of Imaging Products & Solutions, the RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens is “an exciting step” in making 3D content creation accessible.
“With the RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens, Canon is not only providing a new visual tool but also enhancing the way creators communicate using emerging VR, spatial and 3D technologies,” said Kato says. “This lens allows users to capture immersive content, bridging the gap between traditional content creation and the latest in VR and Spatial imagery. It’s an exciting step forward in making high-quality 3D content more approachable for everyone.”
The new dual lens is scheduled for release in November 2024, priced at $449.99. Check out the specs below:
Valve officially released a feature to the SteamVR stable branch that adds basic hand-tracking to Steam Link for Quest users.
Previously only available in the Beta test branch released back in August, the new SteamVR 2.8 update doesn’t actually bring full hand-tracking support to SteamVR’s UI, but rather allows Quest users to DIY their setup for each game by experimenting with input bindings.
To enable hand-tracking through Steam Link, make sure both SteamVR and the Steam Link app for Quest is updated and head into the Binding UI in SteamVR’s Controller Settings to toggle on hand-tracking. From there, simply tap your controllers together and you’ll be able to start experimenting.
Valve says in the SteamVR 2.8 release notes (seen below) that the update also comes along with a number of bug fixes and quality of life improvements across SteamVR, Valve’s OpenXR API, and Steam Link for Quest, such as improvements to overall 2D and 3D streaming stability via Steam Link.
“We continue to focus on OpenXR as our preferred API for new games and applications,” Valve says. “SteamVR’s official OpenXR subforum is here and we’d love to hear your feedback, as well as suggestions for new features.”
Valve hasn’t said as much, however Steam Link probably won’t service just Quest. While Steam’s latest hardware survey indicates that over half of connected VR headsets are some flavor of Quest, its continued work on Steam Link may be a key to the rollout of its own rumored standalone headset, codenamed ‘Deckard’, which has been a hot topic of conversation since 2021 following a series of code leaks.
Continued references to Deckard in SteamVR and various patent filings have fueled further speculation that Valve is indeed exploring a standalone headset to compete with devices like Meta’s Quest lineup, which would make Steam Link an important utility.
Check out the full SteamVR 2.8 release notes below:
SteamVR
Dashboard Grab Handles have a new movement model that includes accelerated movement towards and away from the user. The acceleration factor can currently be adjusted in the dashboard settings tab. The dashboard settings tab is hidden by default; select Show Advanced Settings in the lower left to unhide.
The controls for desktop windows have been restyled.
Allow Tundra trackers to bind to left and right ankle roles.
Fixed the SteamVR settings page crashing if drivers attempt to show settings on the page before an HMD connects.
Curl data from GetSkeletalSummaryData will now report 0.0 (rather than 1.0) if fingers are hyperextended.
Improved behavior with very low FPS scene apps on non-native headsets (Quest, Steam Link, Virtual Desktop, etc)
Fixed workshop bindings not displaying for popular titles that had changed input systems.
Fix black screen bug for Pico users using Virtual Desktop on some games.
OpenXR
Fix inconsistencies in xrLocateViews when switching between stage and local space.
Fix bindings for left_ankle and right_ankle in XR_HTCX_vive_tracker_interaction.
Fix non-base projection layers displaying in the wrong space.
Steam Link
Enable hand-tracking pass through for SteamVR Input and XR_EXT_hand_tracking.
Eye gaze information may be passed through OpenXR via XR_EXT_eye_gaze_interaction if enabled in the Steam Link settings. Note: Any users who previously had the “Share eye tracking data to other apps on this PC via OSC” option enabled, they will need to enable “Share eye tracking data to other apps on this PC” in Steam Link settings, and it will enable eye tracking data sharing both for OpenXR and OSC (if enabled).
Improved 2D/3D VR Steam Link behavior.
Fix image binding locations in binding UI for hand tracking controllers.
Updates to SteamVR for Steam Link use with Quest 3S, fixing AMD users and improving experience for NVIDIA users.
Some of the first hands-ons with Survios’ upcoming Alien: Rogue Incursion have emerged, revealing a promising look at one of the biggest entries in VR this year.
In case you haven’t been following along, Alien: Rogue Incursion is coming to all major VR headsets this December, letting you take on the role of Zula Hendricks, a resilient former Colonial Marine with a complicated past on a dangerous mission to rescue friend and former squad mate.
Tackling the ship’s Xenomorph infestation, you fight alongside your synthetic companion Davis 01, tasking you to fight your way to the heart of the Gemini Exoplanet Solutions research facility and confront the secrets waiting within. There, we’re promised “deadly horrors” which could spell the end for humankind.
Now, a few outlets have published the first hands-on reports with Rogue Incursion.
In Leanne Butkovic’s preview for IGN, she said it “certainly had classic moments of Alien horror.” There’s no “but” there either. Butkovic goes on to praise the Rogue Incursion’s immersive environment, smart narrative beats, and intuitive weapons and tools.
It’s doesn’t appear to go too hard on wave shooter mechanics either, as Butkovic says the game “wasn’t endlessly frenetic.”
“If anything, it deliberately moves slowly in parts to spatially acclimate, to give people like me who can’t help but touch things that are laying around, a chance to explore and discover the story of this Alien property for myself,” Butkovic said.
Rogue Incursion also doesn’t appear to be the sort of experience that throws a ton of classic ancillary ‘gamer engagement’ mechanics at you. Butkovic calls it a “cinematic experience that isn’t obsessed with leveling up or unlocking map areas.”
Notably, we also learned the Xenomorphs’ pack-style hunting behavior was based on the “clever girl” Velociraptors in Jurassic Park, making for what seems like a more active game of cat and mouse, where roles are constantly switched given the mission at hand.
UploadVR’s Ian Hamilton also went hands-on with Rogue Incursion, which promises to offer an eight-hour story.
You can find video of Hamilton’s gameplay below, which includes a short interview with Survios Chief Product Officer TQ Jefferson and Writer Alex White, who talk about how Rogue Incursion fits into the franchise’s lineage, and how Xenomorphs work in this “thriller-paced” shooter.
So, while it’s clearly not Alien: Isolation (2014) replicated for the modern age of VR games, which was more about hiding from a near-invisible Xenomorph, gameplay suggests it’s definitely capable of offering up thrills.
White says Rogue Incursion was designed to “hype up the action, hype up sense of empowerment of being a soldier,” which is said to constantly “flip that power dynamic” between you and the Xenomorphs ahead.
Alien: Rogue Incursion comes out December 19th, 2024, launching simultaneously on PSVR 2, PC VR, and Quest 3 and Quest 3S (exclusively). You can pre-order now on Steam, the PlayStation Store and Horizon Store.
Trombone Champ: Unflattened, the VR-ified version of the 2022 indie rhythm game, is coming to Quest on November 26th.
Trombone Champ: Unflattened reimagines the viral rhythm game for VR, allowing you to take the stage in dynamic concert halls and toot around on some increasingly wibbly trombones.
Starting with one trombone, players can unlock a diverse collection, each with unique properties, sounds, and animations. Trombone Champ: Unflattened also introduces a rhythm and timing challenge-filled campaign, including interactive environments that respond to your performance and real-time audience reactions.
At launch, the game is slated to arrive with 50 tracks spanning classical to modern genres. Collect Tromboner Cards, customize instruments, and unveil the ‘Trombiverse’ secrets. The game is also coming with custom track support, giving players freedom to create and perform.
Launching on November 26th on Quest, Trombone Champ: Unflattened also offers mixed reality support for Quest 3 and Quest 3S. Pre-orders are now available on the Horizon Store for Quest, which also supports Quest 2 and Quest Pro.
Additionally, the game is headed to SteamVR headsets and PSVR 2 at some point, however neither Flat2VR Studios nor original developer Holy Wow Studios has mentioned when to expect either of those releases.
Bigscreen, the social VR screen sharing platform, is spectacularly good at letting users hold communal watch parties dedicated to anything they can show on a PC’s screen, Quest users included. But now the studio is launching a paid cloud-streaming service that aims to make it even easier for Quest users looking to get away from their PC entirely.
Bigscreen already offers a remote desktop client for Quest, which allows you to cue up content on your PC for playback in the Quest-native app. It’s a really handy way of sharing your screen without technically needing a beefy, VR-capable PC, as practically any PC will do, even Intel CPUs with integrated graphics which support Quick Sync Video.
Now the studio is rolling out what it calls its ‘Cloud Browser’, a paid service that lets you host rooms and stream content without needing a PC at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgFGcW4oGg4
While DRM restrictions technically black out services like Netflix and Disney+ on Bigscreen’s new Cloud Brower, it does allow Quest users to stream movies from less litigious services, such as Plex, Dropbox, and Vimeo.
And as the name implies, it also allows you to browse the web for anything worth chatting over, such as websites and web-based games.
As a paid service, Bigscreen’s Cloud Browser comes with a free two-hour trial; day passes are priced at $1.99 for 24 hours of access, and a monthly pass are priced at $9.99 for 30 days of access. You can learn more over on the Bigscreen website.
Apple announced in June it was planning to release a wider, higher-resolution version of Mac Virtual Display for Vision Pro. Now, the company says its holding a bevy of Mac announcements starting Monday, October 28th, which many are hoping includes the still unreleased mode.
“We have an exciting week of announcements ahead, starting on Monday morning. Stay tuned,” Apple marketing executive Greg Joswiak recently revealed on X.
The coming week of announcements seems to be a replacement for its annual Mac event, traditionally held in October, which in the past has seen the release of new iPads and Macs. The event is very likely centered around the reveal of the company’s new slate of Macs featuring various flavors of its M4 chipsets.
The Mac event however may present the ideal opportunity to highlight the promised panoramic Mac Virtual Display feature for Vision Pro, which was planned to release sometime after the debut of visionOS 2.0 in June.
Mac Virtual Display | Image courtesy Apple
At the time, Apple said its new Mac-tethered virtual screens would include an “ultra-wide display that wraps around you,” allowing for resolutions “equivalent to two 4K monitors, side by side.” Thanks to Mac-side dynamic foveated rendering, Apple maintains content will “stay sharp wherever you look.”
Like everyone outside of Apple sphere of influence, we haven’t seen it in action yet beyond the initial WWDC keynote, although on-stage teaser showed a simple UI toggle, letting Mac Virtual Display users choose ‘Normal’, ‘Wide’ and ‘Ultrawide’ modes.
If you’re looking to follow along, you can bet Apple will be livestreaming announcements on its website, and also very likely on its YouTube channel too. There’s no word yet on when to tune in, so check back soon.
Typically, Apple events start at 10 AM PT. You can click here to find your local time, although we’ll be updating this article once we know more.
VitruviusVR, the studio behind Shadow Legend VR (2019), finally announced the release date for its upcoming single-player sci-fi shooter, Arken Age.
Coming to SteamVR and PSVR 2 on January 16th, 2025, Arken Age promises a 10 to 15-hour story-driven campaign set in the lush arboreal environment of a terraformed world.
Here’s how VitruviusVR describes it:
Celestial Custodian’s Tower on the shores of the Bio-Chasm, a terraformed realm created to harvest Arkenite Energy. Its divine founder, the Grand Arborist, has ceased cultivation of your planet and every transmission sent to him has been met with abject silence. Uncover the truth behind the disappearance of the Grand Arborist, forge alliance with the Nara alien race, and take up arms against the usurper Hyperion & his legion of corrupted soldiers.
Additionally, the action-adventure game promises to let you freely jump, climb, and swim as you engage in physics-based combat, featuring a modest arsenal of weapons you can switch up with 30 different mods.
Check out the new gameplay in its new trailer, which features a thick slice of the game’s weapons, modding system, and surprisingly frangible baddies, which you can dismember and destroy in some pretty interesting ways.
Notably, the new trailer includes a more in-depth look at what appears to be the first boss battle, showing off the different tactics required to down a fairly gnarly four-legged tree-beast.
You can wishlist Arken Age on Steam and PSVR 2 ahead of its January 16th release.
Meta continues its reign as the XR industry’s dominant player, with its most recent moves signaling a shift into a new era for the company—and thus the industry at large. This year saw the introduction of the Meta Orion AR glasses prototype and the Quest 3S headset—two pieces of hardware that are not only crucial to Meta’s future but will be pivotal in shaping the industry’s direction as a whole.
Meta Orion AR Glasses Are a Flag in the Ground
Image courtesy Meta
The News
One of Meta’s most significant announcements this year was the unveiling of the Meta Orion AR glasses prototype. Meta has long been signaling its ambitions in the AR space, and the Meta Orion prototype represents a major step toward that vision. With a compact form-factor and an impressive 70-degree field of view, Meta is aiming to push the boundaries of what AR hardware can achieve.
Why It Matters
Meta’s Orion AR glasses stand as a benchmark for the state-of-the-art in AR glasses today. Unlike similarly sized AR devices—which suffer from a narrow field-of-view that make content appear constrained—Meta Orion’s 70-degree FoV is just scraping the boundary of ‘wide enough to be useful’. Achieving a compact form-factor and a wide field-of-view in the same package is crucial for making AR feel more seamless and practical in daily use.
It will be years yet before Meta ships something like Orion, but it’s an intentional ‘flag in the ground’ moment for the company.
Quest 3S Speeds the Transition Away from Quest 2
Image courtesy Meta
The News
Meta launched Quest 3S, a new addition to the Quest lineup that really should have launched alongside Quest 3 in the first place. Positioned as a more budget-friendly alternative to the flagship Quest 3, the Quest 3S comes with a lower price point but still offers significant improvements in performance and mixed reality capabilities compared to older devices like the Quest 2.
Why It Matters
In its marketing, Meta has been hyping mixed reality for years at this point. But the large population of Quest 2 headsets (which really aren’t great for MR) have undercut the company’s push into MR.
The Quest 3S is finally a new headset from Meta that’s comparable to what Quest 2 was in terms of affordability, while including reasonably good MR capabilities too.
With the Quest 2 becoming increasingly outdated, users and developers alike have been waiting for hardware that can keep up with more demanding VR experiences. The Quest 3S hits the sweet spot for many casual users, offering a balance between affordability and performance.
And finally Meta has a flagship game for its Quest 3 & Quest 3S hardware. Batman: Arkham Shadow (which is exclusive to these newer headsets), is just the thing to get VR gamers that are hanging on to Quest 2 to make the leap to newer hardware.
Ironically, the flagship game for these new “mixed reality” headsets (as Meta now usually refers to them) is a pure VR game. Maybe with the next headset launch the company can properly time a flagship MR app with its launch.
More Immersive and Useful Mixed Reality Apps
Demeo Mixed Reality mode | Image courtesy Meta
The News
This year Meta revealed that it will now grant developers access to camera data for creating mixed reality (MR) content. This change opens up new possibilities for how MR experiences are built and how users can interact with their environments through these experiences.
Why It Matters
For years Meta has held out on giving developers direct access to the headset’s cameras. That made it harder for developers to build interesting MR applications that properly integrate and interact with the world around the user.
In addition to Quest 3S helping to grow the population of Quest headsets with decent MR capabilities, this change also makes building MR applications a more attractive proposition for developers.
Ostensibly Meta had originally blocked direct camera access to preserve user privacy and prevent potential abuse by bad actors. Reversing that decision is risky; another privacy scandal is the last thing Meta wants its headsets to be known for.
New Tools for Developers to Bring ‘Spatial Computing’ to Quest
Image courtesy Meta
The News
This year Meta also introduced new tools to make it easier for developers to port both flat-screen and spatial computing applications to Quest devices. These tools are designed to streamline the development process, enabling developers to create more immersive XR content without requiring a steep learning curve.
Why It Matters
Meta’s headsets are great for gaming, but it wants them to be great at ‘spatial computing’ too. But getting developers to bring traditional apps to its platform has been a major hurdle for the company.
One of the biggest challenges traditional app developers face is moving from a flat screen modality to something that inherently exists in 3D. This generally requires a completely different set of tools that’s much more in the realm of game development than app development.
Meta’s new tools aim to simplify this process, allowing developers who are familiar with building flat-screen applications to bring their apps to the Horizon platform with minimal friction. This opens up the Quest platform to a wider range of applications, from 2D games and productivity tools to more immersive spatial experiences.
But Meta still faces an uphill battle with getting a critical mass of everyday apps onto its headset. The company has openly said it would love to bring the Play store (and all of its apps) to the headset, but it seems Google isn’t down to play ball. That’s likely because it’s busy working on its own XR strategy and doesn’t want to give Meta an upper hand.
New Headsets on the Horizon
Image courtesy Meta
The News
In a surprising move this year, Meta announced that it was planning to open up the Horizon OS to select partners who will make their own headsets that run the operating system.
Why it Matters
While Meta has made solid general-purpose headsets, the company believes the time is right for more specialized options. But rather than build those options itself, the company is enlisting help from companies that are already familiar with building hardware for someone else’s software.
While this could bring a wider range of headsets to market which retain access to Meta’s leading platform of content, the move shares a striking resemblance to Microsoft’s ill-fated VR play which enlisted major computer OEMs to build a round of VR headsets and then quickly lose interest.
Because Meta owns the Horizon platform, and subsidizes the cost of its own headsets, it’s difficult to understand how announced partners like Asus and Lenovo could hope to build a headset that’s meaningfully better than what Meta is already offering and compete with Meta on price. This has clearly been a struggle for HTC Vive which doesn’t have the money to burn to subsidize its hardware like Meta.
Meta’s ability to burn billions in its pursuit of owning the XR space (or the “next computing platform” as Zuckerberg often calls it) means the company is the one primarily steering the ship. The moves Meta made this year are the beginning of a new era for the company (while most of the industry remains in tow).
While Apple’s entry into the space has already had notable influence on Meta’s XR trajectory, it won’t be until both companies are competing in the same price-class (and for the same users) that Meta will have to truly fight to maintain control of XR’s near-term future.
PlaySide Studios, developer behind the upcoming Quest 3 party game Dumb Ways: Free for All, announced it’s releasing a psychological thriller on later this year that turns your physical space into a mixed reality escape room.
Called Shattered, the single-player MR game promises to turn your living room into a labyrinth of escape rooms and mind-bending puzzles.
“Investigate and alter memories to bend reality itself to your will as you collect evidence to expose the secrets of Greyvale and escape to safety,” the studio says.
Coming to Quest 3 and Quest 3S in December, Shattered is slated to use your floor, ceiling, and walls to pull objects and characters from memories into your own playspace, which you use to find the clues and solve puzzles.
Here’s how the studio describes the action:
Step into the shoes of Jessica, a private investigator tasked with uncovering the dark secrets of a twisted mental health facility. This MR adventure transforms your living space into a dynamic playground, letting you interact with your environment in unprecedented ways. Navigate through eerie vignettes filled with intricate puzzles and unsettling scenarios, all while exploring Jessica’s fragmented memories.
Developed by PlaySide Studios and published by Meta’s in-house Oculus Publishing arm, we can expect the game on Quest 3, Quest 3S and Quest Pro sometime this December.
The 2024-25 NBA season is here, and Meta has again partnered with the NBA to bring a fat slate of 180-degree immersive games to Quest.
Now in its fourth consecutive year, Quest users will be able to watch 52 immersive games in the Xtadiumapp (US only) and the NBA Arena in Meta Horizon Worlds.
In addition to watching those 180-degree immersive games from virtual courtside seats, NBA League Pass holders will also be able to watch live 2D game nightly in Xtadium, complete with real-time stats. Xstadium also includes the ability to hold a ‘Watch Party’, where you can invite friends to join you in your private room and watch up to eight games in 2D simultaneously.
Meta says it will be streaming immersive WNBA games at some point too, although more details will be available ahead of the 2025 season, which is expected to resume in May 2025.
Like in years past, geo-restrictions apply, which means some games may not be available in all regions, and viewers located near the physical event may be unable to view it based on localized restrictions. Xtadium is only available in the US.
Check out the current schedule (subject to change) of 52 immersive games below:
October 25 // Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks // 5:00 pm PT
October 26 // Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Chicago Bulls // 5:00 pm PT
October 28 // Indiana Pacers vs. Orlando Magic // 4:00 pm PT
November 2 // Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets // 5:00 pm PT
November 4 // Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons // 4:30 pm PT
November 7 // Portland Trail Blazers vs. San Antonio Spurs // 7:00 pm PT
November 12 // Phoenix Suns vs. Utah Jazz // 6:00 pm PT
November 15 // Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers // 4:00 pm PT
November 19 // Denver Nuggets vs. Memphis Grizzlies // 5:00 pm PT
November 22 // Boston Celtics vs. Washington Wizards // 4:00 pm PT
November 24 // LA Clippers vs. Philadelphia 76ers // 3:00 pm PT
November 26 // Houston Rockets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves // 5:00 pm PT
November 29 // Orlando Magic vs. Brooklyn Nets // 4:30 pm PT
December 1 // Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers // 3:00 pm PT
December 3 // Philadelphia 76ers vs. Charlotte Hornets // 4:00 pm PT
December 5 // Phoenix Suns vs. New Orleans Pelicans // 5:00 pm PT
December 8 // Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Golden State Warriors // 3:30 pm PT
December 20 // Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Miami Heat // 5:00 pm PT
December 26 // Miami Heat vs. Orlando Magic // 4:00 pm PT
December 27 // Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns // 6:00 pm PT
December 28 // Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls // 6:00 pm PT
December 29 // Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics // 3:00 pm PT
January 3, 2025 // San Antonio Spurs vs. Denver Nuggets // 6:00 pm PT
January 4, 2025 // New York Knicks vs. Chicago Bulls // 5:00 pm PT
January 6, 2025 // Dallas Mavericks vs. Memphis Grizzlies // 5:00 pm PT
January 10, 2025 // Golden State Warriors vs. Indiana Pacers // 4:00 pm PT
January 18, 2025 // Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves // 6:00 pm PT
January 19, 2025 // Philadelphia 76ers vs. Milwaukee Bucks // 4:00 pm PT
January 24, 2025 // Portland Trail Blazers vs. Charlotte Hornets // 4:00 pm PT
January 27, 2025 // Orlando Magic vs. Miami Heat // 4:30 pm PT
February 2, 2025 // LA Clippers vs. Toronto Raptors // 12:30 pm PT
February 3, 2025 // Milwaukee Bucks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder // 5:00 pm PT
February 8, 2025 // Indiana Pacers vs. Los Angeles Lakers // 5:00 pm PT
February 10, 2025 // Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Cleveland Cavaliers // 4:00 pm PT
February 22, 2025 // Phoenix Suns vs. Chicago Bulls // 4:30 pm PT
February 24, 2025 // Denver Nuggets vs. Indiana Pacers // 4:00 pm PT
March 3, 2025 // Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder // 5:00 pm PT
March 10, 2025 // Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs // 5:30 pm PT
March 14, 2025 // LA Clippers vs. Atlanta Hawks // 4:30 pm PT
March 16, 2025 // Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers // 3:00 pm PT
March 20, 2025 // New York Knicks vs. Charlotte Hornets // 4:00 pm PT
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Batman: Arkham Shadow stays true to the series formula, but did developer Camouflaj manage to make the game feel truly at home in VR? Read our full review to find out.
Batman: Arkham Shadow Details:
Publisher: Oculus Studios
Developer: Camouflaj Available On:Meta Horizon (exclusive to Quest 3 & Quest 3S) Reviewed On: Quest 3 Release Date: October 21st, 2024 Price: $50
Gameplay
Image courtesy Camouflaj
Batman: Arkham Shadow is a lot like Half-Life: Alyx. No, not in the gameplay. Or the story. Or the graphics.
It’s a lot like Half-Life: Alyx in the way that the creators managed to completely reimagine how the game actually works, without losing the essence of the series.
For some context: I’m not the world’s biggest ‘Batman’ fan. I’d say I’m a casual enjoyer. I liked the Christopher Nolan trilogy and I enjoyed the Arkham games (though I’ve only played two of the four main line titles). I’ve never read any of the comics, nor do I own a single piece of Batman-related paraphernalia.
Even so, just like the Arkham games I played before it, Batman: Arkham Shadow is a fun game.
And it feels like an Arkham game. The gameplay primarily falls into the buckets of exploration, light puzzling, and combat, and all are done pretty successfully. Let’s start with exploration and puzzling.
Although you don’t have a whole city to roam like in Arkham City, the game does a reasonably good job of having large open and connected spaces that feel convincingly large. It’s much closer to Arkham Asylum in that sense; for the most part you’re roaming a ‘facility’ sized space.
Aside from just walking around the ground, you’ll also use your grapnel gun which you can use to quickly ascend to balconies and other high places that are great for staying out of sight. Although I would have liked to see a more immersive approach to how the grapnel gun is actually initiated, the unique way it pulls you through the air feels both fun and surprisingly comfortable.
Another important traversal tool is gliding with your cape, which also feels fun and surprisingly comfortable. As it’s initiated with an immersive gesture (grabbing your cape and pulling your arms up), it feels cool every time you do it. This is aided by the cool detail of seeing the shadow of your outstretched cape cast onto the ground below where you’re flying.
As you’re moving through the game world, there’s at least five different kinds of collectibles to find, most of which unlock some bits of lore. While I normally don’t care about ‘collectibles’ (or off-screen lore), I enjoyed hunting these down because each was either hidden in a clever place that was fun to find, or locked behind a little puzzle. Although the puzzles are light, they’re just the right amount of bite-sized fun to keep you entertained on your way to primary objectives. For the ‘100%’ people out there, I think you’ll enjoy the hunt.
Part of the puzzling is also figuring out how to get from A to B and some objective-based puzzles. You’ll often need to search for ways around obstacles, whether they be locked doors or electrified floors. Sometimes the solution is finding another path, and sometimes it’s figuring out how to unblock the door in front of you.
There’s no major headscratchers—or highly memorable puzzles for that matter—but the game hits a perfect sweet spot of difficulty where you spend 30 seconds or less understanding the logic and then actually solving the puzzle involves some fun itself (whether that be throwing batarangs to hit buttons, pulling levers at the right time, or using one of your other gadgets to assist the process).
Next we’ve got combat, which plays like a beat-em-up. The game cleverly uses your punches as your primary means of locomotion, turning swings into lunges that launch you toward enemies. Arkham Shadow is about as far from a physics-driven VR melee sim.
Instead the game makes significant use of instructed motion mechanics [a concept I explored in a recent episode of Inside XR Design], asking players to make specific attacks in specific directions. While this removes a lot of freedom, it means players fight like Batman, which adds to the fantasy of the game.
It also leads to fluid and satisfying combat that allows meta-game elements to be layered on top in the way you’d typically expect from a flatscreen game. Just like the prior Arkham games, that means different enemy types that need to be handled in different ways.
There’s the run-of-the-mill bad guy that just needs a beat down, the armored dude that needs to be stunned with your cape before a flurry of blows, the stun-baton wielder that you need to vault off of before the slam down, and the swat-shield holder that needs a combination of the two.
The game really nails the essence of Arkham combat, in which players fluidly tackle these different threats, weaving various gadgets and abilities into the mix to keep enemies busy while you dish out the pain.
Combat does take some getting used to, but the game does a good job of introducing mechanics and new enemies at the right pace to give the player time to improve as the game grows more challenging. The game achieves a satisfying arc of combat, making the player feel at first like a novice, but a beast of a brawler by the end.
As you play you’ll earn skill points which you can use to unlock skills and upgrades. The combat skill tree has quite a few new and fun moves to be unlocked, like the ability to use the grapnel hook to pull enemies toward your knuckle sandwich. Although the moves are fun, most need to be activated by not only hitting a certain combo count, but then pressing a button and doing an additional unique gesture.
It can be a lot to juggle mentally in the heat of combat, alongside the ability to use your batarang and explosive gel. I had to consult the game menu several times to remind myself which of these abilities I had and how to use them.
The game doesn’t force you to use most of these extra abilities, but they’re essential to both success in combat and a solid level of combat variety. I’m sure there will be players who forget about these abilities and pretty much just throw basic punches the whole time, which would leave the combat feeling a bit one-note.
While there’s plenty of all-out brawls, there’s also enemies with guns which will not hesitate to put you down if you’re spotted. For these situations you’ll want to stick to the shadows in what the game calls its ‘predator’ gameplay.
Anyone who has played the other Arkham games will recognize this gameplay loop. You’ll use high vantage points to stay in the shadows while surveilling the landscape below you with your ‘detective mode’ vision which reveals enemies through walls and highlights useful environmental objects.
And this gameplay loop works just as well in Arkham Shadow. If you jump in without a plan you’re almost sure to take damage, if not die outright. But if you take time to assess the situation and find the best opportunities to exploit, you’ll steadily disarm the threat.
Sticking to stealth in these situations is important. It wasn’t until later into the game that I realized I could fly down with my cape and land behind someone while remaining undetected. This allows for a stealth takedown before returning to the shadows. Up until that realization it felt like most of my actions would immediately alert all the guards in the room, causing bullets to fly my way within seconds.
Overall, the combat in Arkham Shadow feels very cohesive, and the different forms of ‘all-out brawl’ and ‘predator’ gameplay gel well together while still feeling fun and varied.
All of the above is largely to say that the developers of Arkham Shadow really took their time to understand what an Arkham game is and what it’s supposed to feel like. It’s the latter part that’s often missed in VR. But they managed to distill the formula and then successfully reconstitute it with thoughtfully designed VR mechanics.
But hey, the gameplay managed to pull me through. And there is a good bit of it. Batman: Arkham Shadow is a rare VR game with a campaign that feels like it has meat on the bones. It took about 10.5 hours to complete the game on medium difficulty. I did take my time to find many of the collectibles along the way, but the game says I’ve completed 84% of everything there is to be found, so I could still go back for some more if I was so inclined. There’s also a handful of ‘challenge’ sequences outside of the main campaign which offer some extra fun for those that want to put their combat skills to the test.
Immersion
Image courtesy Camouflaj
While Batman: Arkham Shadows’ gameplay is really solid, the game also has a significant narrative which holds all the pieces together. This is the only major area where the game isn’t particularly successful, and unfortunately it cut down the immersion for me.
It’s a shame because clearly a lot of time went into the narrative side of things, with solid motion capture, above average voice acting, impressive world-building, and some cleverly presented sequences that used pre-rendered immersive video playback.
The key narrative issue for me is one of pacing and direction. The narrative is largely presented in first-person moments with characters monologuing in your direction.
The way the characters are written makes them feel like caricatures, and the way the scenes are directed makes it feel like you’re watching a theater play rather than listening to a real conversation that’s right in front of you. The pace of delivery was just so painfully slow across the board that I found myself literally twiddling my thumbs (distracted by the impressive procedural finger animation tech) while characters were delivering their lines.
It doesn’t help that the story covers extremely familiar ground. Like I said, I’m not even a particularly huge fan, but even I have probably seen 5 different interpretations of ‘Bruce Wayne’s parents killed in a mugging outside the theater’. A 6th version isn’t really adding anything.
For what it’s worth you can skip most of the narrative moments by holding B. But the thing is, I don’t want to skip the story. I want to know what’s going on and I want context for what’s happening—I just also want it to be engaging. I want characters to care about.
While many of the narrative moments felt like they could have been played at twice the speed (and still might have been too slow), there were a few that were more successful. These were almost universally the narrative sequences that were mixed with some level of interaction—like when you’re interrogating a bad guy and punch him through a wall before lifting him up by the collar to intimidate him.
I did appreciate that the game tried to make use of asking the player to hand things to characters (to create a feeling of real interactivity), but this was unfortunately undercut by both the slow pacing of these moments and the lack of any other kind of player-to-character interactivity.
With its gesture-based combat, Arkham Shadow might not be the most embodying game [another concept I touched on in an episode of Inside XR Design], but it’s surely immersive. There’s enough to juggle mentally while laying the smackdown on a group of varied enemies that one can easily forget about the outside world. I expect to hear many real-life reports of bruised knuckles and broken TVs as a result. Make sure to wear your wrist straps folks!
The game’s visual presentation is impressive throughout. It’s clearly not modern AAA graphics, but the look fits the Arkham art style very well, and the world is feels suitably detailed. There was scarcely anything in the game to overtly remind me that this is all running on a standalone VR headset (except, perhaps, the number of slow opening doors that mask much of the game’s level loading process). This is a strong example of what Quest 3 and 3S can do when backed with the right talent and funding.
Image courtesy Camouflaj
While the world is detailed and there are occasionally interactive objects to play with, there’s much in the game that’s completely static. The gameplay is such that you don’t tend to get lost in the weeds with smaller interactions, but it’s always a little jarring to find one book on a bookshelf that’s interactive right next to a row of books that are fused together and completely static.
While the game defaults to directing users to use thumbsticks for a handful of actions (like mantling or climbing out of a grate), I appreciated that there was usually an immersive alternative as well. I found it much more natural to reach up to a ledge and pull myself up rather than hold the stick forward to automatically climb.
One thing that felt like a miss is that characters in the game are 100% unaware of player actions. You can clip your hand through their face while they’re talking to you, or throw a bottle at their head, but they won’t react.
Counterintuitively, when characters don’t react, it doesn’t just make the character feel less believable, it also makes the player feel less convinced that they actually exist in the world. This isn’t a hugely important detail but it was notable considering how often you are within arm’s reach of the game’s characters during narrative moments.
Comfort
For all of its movement, I was impressed with how comfortable I felt while playing Batman: Arkham Shadow for sessions stretching an hour or more. I’m not surprised—considering the magic the studio pulled with Iron Man VR’s comfort—but I am impressed.
There’s a lot of thoughtful comfort design throughout. For instance, the game manages to recreate the classic Arkham ‘counter attack’ by quickly snap-turning you into the correct direction to face the off-screen enemy. And you can automatically face forward when grapneling up to a vantage point by holding the A button as you move through the air.
There seems to be some trick to how the game moves the player; a certain intentional smoothness about it. Like the way the grapnel gun pulls you up, or the way you lunge at enemies, or the way you glide through the air with your cape. It all felt more comfortable than I expected.
That’s not to say that everyone will be able to handle the game. There’s a lot of artificial locomotion, and unfortunately no teleport option to speak of. So if you’re someone who can’t tolerate much artificial movement, this one might need to be a pass.
But, as always, don’t forget Meta has a fair refund policy: you can own the game for up to 14 days and play it for up to two hours before refunding it. So don’t be scared to give it a try to find out about the comfort—you can get your money back if it isn’t for you.
Arkham Shadow has an above average selection of comfort and accessibility options. There’s some thoughtful inclusions like the ability to turn off ‘speed lines’ while sprinting, adjusting the color of the game’s critical combat icons, and even changing the way the game interprets your object-grabbing intent.
Batman: Arkham Shadow’ Comfort Settings – October 21st, 2024
