Monday, 2 December 2024

Well-received Release of ‘Trombone Champ’ Bodes Well for Port-focused VR Studio

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Flat2VR Studios, a recently-formed game studio focused on bringing existing flatscreen games to VR, has released its first game, Trombone Champ: Unflattened!. A positive early reception bodes well for both the studio’s ability to deliver and its choice of which games to port in the first place.

Flat2VR Studios is a formalization of a group of dedicated modders who were making unofficial VR mods for flatscreen games. The studio announced earlier this year that it would release official VR conversions of four games.

The first of those projects, Trombone Champ: Unflattened!, has launched to overwhelmingly positive user reception on Quest, PC VR, and PSVR 2:

  • Quest: 4.9 out of 5 stars (251 ratings)
  • PC VR: 100% positive (43 ratings)
  • PSVR 2: 4.9 out of 5 stars (120 ratings)

While the ratings don’t suggest blockbuster sales numbers (not expected for this unique and quite niche game), it’s clear that the studio’s first official VR conversion has delivered something that people are enjoying.

That bodes well for the studio’s foundational premise: that certain existing flatscreen games can be adapted for VR to make them not just playable in a headset, but actually fun and fitting for the medium.

It also bodes well for the studio’s ability to pivot from unofficial projects to commercial work with partners, and its ability to make good choices about which games would fit well in VR. Trombone Champ, in particular, certainly seems like a game that was destined to be in VR in the first place—after all, there’s no more realistic way to mime the trombone than with motion controllers.

Image courtesy Flat2VR Studios

While Trombone Champ looks to have been a fitting choice, the next three titles that have been announced from the studio are very different in subject matter and it remains to be seen how well they will port to VR. Those are: WRATH: Aeon of Ruin VR (a Quake-inspired shooter), Roboquest VR (a modern roguelite shooter), and Flatout VR (a demolition derby racing game)Release dates have yet to be announced.

The post Well-received Release of ‘Trombone Champ’ Bodes Well for Port-focused VR Studio appeared first on Road to VR.



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This Free ‘Halo: Combat Evolved’ PC Mod Brings VR Support to the OG of Shooters

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Halo Combat Evolved (2001) released on the Xbox over two decades ago, but thanks to this mod, you can now play the original PC version in VR, which critically includes motion controller support.

The mod, called ‘HaloCEVR’, was created by modder ‘LivingFray’, who is also known for their work on an unofficial Metal: Hellsinger VR mod before the release of the official Metal: Hellsinger VR in September.

If you already own the remastered Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary edition via The Master Chief Collection, we have some bad news; HaloCEVR only supports the original 2003 PC edition of Halo: Combat Evolved.

Still, the mod brings a host of wishlist items any PC VR mod ought to include, such as first-person shooting, tracked motion controller support for weapon and grenade aiming, two-handed aiming modes, and motion-controlled features like melee, flashlight activation, crouching, and both snap turning and smooth turning.

You’ll also find a functional PiP scope, rebindable controls with a left-handed preset, a detached floating UI layer, joystick-steered vehicles, and a floating crosshair, with desktop mirroring recommended via SteamVR.

Notably missing is first-person vehicle riding, as it zooms you out to a third-person view, which is also the case for the game’s many cutscenes.

You can check out a full gameplay session, courtesy of Beardo Banjo below:

Finding the original game for download isn’t difficult, as it’s largely considered abandonware at this point. As Beardo Banjo notes, the original PC version is available for free via various sources, such as Internet Archive if you can’t find your own copy.

You’ll also need a separate Halo PC patch, also available for free via Internet Archive in addition to the VR mod itself.

Check out the steps below to see what it takes to install and mod it work with PC VR headsets:

  1. Install Halo: Combat Evolved for PC using an original installation CD + product key
  2. Install the 1.10 patch
  3. (Optional) Install chimera (fixes a few bugs/issues such as entities moving at 30fps)
  4. If using chimera: open chimera.ini, locate the “Font Override Settings” section, and change enabled=1 to enabled=0 (failing to do this will break many UI elements in VR)
  5. Download the latest version of this mod from the releases page
  6. Extract HaloCEVR.zip and place the files in the same directory as the halo executable (You should see a VR folder, openvr_api.dll and d3d9.dll if done correctly)
  7. Launch the game once to generate a config.txt file in the VR directory
  8. If setting LeftHanded=true in the config, consider selecting the left handed controller bindings in the game’s SteamVR controller bindings page

The post This Free ‘Halo: Combat Evolved’ PC Mod Brings VR Support to the OG of Shooters appeared first on Road to VR.



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‘Shapelab’ 3D Modeling App Launches on Quest in Early Access, Bringing Polygon-based Sculpting

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Leopoly, the studio behind PC VR modeling software Shapelab (2023), has launched a new version built specifically for Quest headsets.

Called Shapelab Lite, the polygon-based 3D modeling app is now in early access for Quest 3, Quest 3S and Quest Pro.

Shapelab Lite offers up many of the core features of the PC VR app’s toolset, targeting its intuitive sculpting tools at beginners, hobbyists, and professionals seeking a standalone 3D modeling solution.

Key features include a polygon mesh-based framework for precision modeling, dynamic topology for flexible detail adjustments, and user-friendly controls for creating 3D assets like props and characters.

Shapelab Lite represents a significant step forward in making professional-grade 3D modeling accessible to everyone,” said Daniel Andrassy, Chief Product Officer of Shapelab. “We’re excited to bring the core features of Shapelab PCVR to standalone VR users, empowering a new wave of creators. This is just the beginning of what we envision for the future of Shapelab Lite. As an early-access software, we’re actively listening to user feedback to guide future updates and ensure the app meets the needs of our community, keeping in mind the capabilities and constraints of a device with lower processing power compared to the PC version.”

You can find Shapelab Lite on the Horizon Store for Quest 3/S/Pro, priced at $15.

The post ‘Shapelab’ 3D Modeling App Launches on Quest in Early Access, Bringing Polygon-based Sculpting appeared first on Road to VR.



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