Walkabout Mini Golf is coming to PSVR 2 on May 11.
As the name suggests, Walkabout Mini Golf brings the arcade sport into virtual reality, with a huge selection of courses that explore original concepts as well as DLC tie-ins with intellectual properties. Developers Mighty Coconut have slowly built the game up over the past few years, solidifying it as one of the best multiplayer VR experiences with ongoing support and content updates.
Walkabout Mini Golf launched in September 2020 and is now available across many platforms, including Quest, SteamVR, Pico and HTC Viveport, with support for cross-platform play. The addition of PSVR 2 rounds out support for Walkabout on all major VR platforms, with a compatible mobile phone-based version, ‘Pocket Edition’ coming to iPhones later this quarter.
Walkabout’s core selection of courses focus on original concepts that play with familiar mini golf themes. However, the selection of add-on paid DLC content includes courses based on IP such as Jim Hensen’s 1986 cult movie Labyrinth, Cyan’s classic game Myst and public domain works such as Atlantis and the works of Jules Verne, like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
To learn more about Walkabout Mini Golf, check out our walkthrough tour videos with Mighty Coconut, embedded above, which offer developer commentary from hole 1 through 18 across many of the game's courses.
Zenith: The Last City receives a new PvP mode in the upcoming Skyward Summit update, introducing 1v1 fights and team duels.
Announcing this Zenith: The Last City addition through PlayStation Blog, developer Ramen VR offered a first look at this new mode for its MMORPG. It confirms Skyward Summit’s PvP will “primarily focus on the implementation of one-on-one and team duels,” but states the team’s exploring additional options for PvP in future patches. Ramen also reveals this next update will introduce the Cyber Ninja class, alongside player housing, resource harvesting and crafting.
Introducing PvP in Zenith: The Last City ⚔️ A thrilling new way to put your skills to the test in #PSVR2.
It’s not all good news for Zenith fans lately, however. Last month, Ramen VR announced it’s dropping support for the original Quest and PSVR headsets later this year. While Quest owners will have full access removed after September 15, 2023, original PSVR owners can still play in their own isolated shard running version 1.2.2 of Zenith. In a separate post, Ramen cites PlayStation Move as a factor, stating support for these controllers is “just not possible” despite the team’s efforts.
Zenith: The Last City is available now on the Meta Quest platform, PSVR, PSVR 2, and PC VR, while Skyward Summit is currently targeting a Q2 2023 release window.
Looking for new VR games coming out in April 2023? We’ve got you covered.
The last few months have been some of the busiest we've seen in VR's recent history, with PlayStation VR 2 offering over 40 launch games. While many of these were enhanced ports of existing VR titles, new experiences like Horizon Call of the Mountain, Gran Turismo 7 and Resident Evil Village made it a busy time. While that calmed down across March, VR didn't lack for big releases and April looks like another strong month.
Here’s the full rundown of the big VR releases coming to Meta Quest 2, PSVR 2, PC VR and Pico 4 in April 2023.
Recent VR Releases – March 2023
Before we discuss the upcoming month, here's a list of VR games to check out from March.
Published by Fast Travel Games and developed by MobX Games, Everslaught Invasion offers an intense two-player co-op experience. Fast Travel Games confirmed to UploadVR that the game is set for release this month, with a final date to be confirmed down the line.
As one of three playable classes, you're tasked with taking down hordes of Corrupted foes, gradually building up your class skills and weapons. It's also coming to the HTC Vive XR Elite, though a release date remains unconfirmed.
Creed: Rise to Glory - Championship Edition - April 4 (PSVR 2)
A remastered version of 2018's Creed: Rise to Glory, the Championship Edition looks like a significant upgrade for the original game. Alongside new story content based on Creed III, Survios confirms it will include big visual upgrades like 4K/HDR support with foveated rendering, alongside haptic feedback and cross-platform multiplayer.
Across The Valley - April 6 (PC VR and PSVR 2)
Ever wanted to look after a VR farm? Utilizing a hand-drawn art style, upcoming sim Across the Valley tasks you with managing the fields while looking after livestock through minigames, using your profits to expand the farm.
Half-Life 2: Episode Two VR Mod - April 6 (PC VR)
Similar to Half-Life 2 and Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode 2 now joins both games with its own VR mod. Developed by the Source VR Mod Team, it's a free mod offering full room-scale VR with motion controls, new weapon interactions, comfort options like motion vignettes and more. However, you must own the base game in order to use it.
Gambit! - April 6 (Quest, PC VR)
Yes, we know – this isn't the first time Gambit! has featured on one of these lists. The co-operative VR heist shooter from XREAL Games previously had a May 2022 release date set, before being moved to to December and then being delayed once again only one day before release.
However, the game is now set to release this week on April 6 for Quest and PC VR , with full cross-play support from day one.
Fruit Ninja 2 (Quest, PC VR, Pico)
This sequel brings back old game modes, while adding a new bow weapon, a rhythm mode and options for multiplayer. It slices its way onto Quest, PC VR and Pico headsets on April 6 – you can read more here.
Breachers - April 13 (Quest, Pico, PC VR)
Developed by Hyper Dash studio Triangle Factory, Breachers is a 5v5 tactical VR shooter reminiscent of Rainbow Six Siege and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Split between Enforcers and Revolters, there's a strong emphasis on verticality, letting you climb up walls to find different infiltration points.
Kill It With Fire VR - April 13 (Quest 2, PC VR)
Previously released for flatscreen platforms in 2020, Kill It With Fire VR is a first-person action game about taking down spiders and causing heavy collateral damage. First announced back in February, this is a separate release to the flatscreen Steam game, meaning owners of the original release will need to buy it again. Original PSVR and PSVR 2 versions are also coming later this year, though a specific release date remains unconfirmed.
A Knight In The Attic - April 13 (Quest, PC VR)
Developed by Mighty Yell, A Knight In The Attic is an adventure game with a medieval twist. Played like a board game in your grandmother's attic, you're tasked with guiding Guinevere to save Camelot from the evil Mordred, guiding them through puzzle-filled levels.
Call of the Sea - April 13 (Meta Quest 2, Quest Pro)
Initially released in 2020 for flatscreen platforms, this Bafta-nominated puzzle adventure is set in the 1930s and tells the story of Norah Everhart. She's investigating the disappearance of her husband Harry, who vanished while searching for a cure to Norah’s mysterious family illness.
Afterlife - April 19 (PSVR 2)
This new horror game from Split Light Studio promises a “twisted story” set within the Black Rose mental hospital. Playing a rookie police officer, you'll have to uncover the facility’s darkest secrets while fighting off enemies through firearms and psychokinetic powers, with a bit of telekinesis puzzle-solving in the mix as well.
Tennis League VR - April 20 (Quest)
Tennis League VR brings the full tennis court experience to Quest this month, with several game modes and options for single player and online multiplayer matches. You can read more in our Tennis League VR write-up from last week.
Amid Evil VR - April 20 (Quest, PC VR)
Influenced by classic 3D shooters, Amid Evil VR directly adapts the original flatscreen PC release from 2019. Promising seven episodes with different settings, enemies, magical weaponry and more, expect to see The Black Labyrinth DLC arrive for this VR version at a later date, alongside a PSVR 2 release down the line.
Fantavision 202x - April 27 (PC VR)
Previously released as a PSVR 2 launch game in February, Fantavision 202x is now heading to PC VR via Steam. A reboot of the PS2 puzzle game Fantavision, it's a puzzle game about catching fireworks of the same color from developer Cosmo Machia, who's taken over development duties from the now-defunct Japan Studio.
NBC’s streaming service Peacock is now available on Meta Quest 2 and Quest Pro, including three free months of Peacock Premium for existing Quest owners.
The Peacock app goes live today for Quest users in the United States (and certain US territories), which they will be able to launch as a resizeable tile in Horizon Home. Peacock offers access to a few popular shows, including The Office (US), Parks and Recreation, Yellowstone, Saturday Night Live and more.
Other existing streaming services on Quest, such as Netflix, launch as fully standalone VR apps with their own immersive viewing environments. However, the Peacock app on Quest launches as a 2D tile in the Quest home, allowing it to be used while multitasking. This means users can stream Peacock while browsing the internet or while open alongside other 2D apps on Quest. The Peacock screen is fully resizeable and expands out to “full theatre size.”
However, Meta confirmed to UploadVR that there is currently no co-watching functionality, so multiple users won’t be able to watch Peacock content together in the same virtual space.
As part of Meta and NBC Universal’s ongoing three-year partnership, Quest owners will also be able to redeem some degree of free access to Peacock Premium, depending on the setup date of their Quest. Existing Quest owners who registered a Quest 2 or Quest Pro before April 11, 2023 are eligible for three free months of Peacock Premium at no extra cost. Those who purchase and register a new Quest 2 or Quest Pro between now and April 11, 2024 will receive 12 months of Peacock Premium.
To redeem either offer, Meta says users should check their email “for a message from Meta Quest with a unique promo code and a redemption link,” which will prompt them to create or sign-in to a Peacock account. In order to redeem the offer, users will have to provide a credit card and will be charged for a monthly auto-renewing subscription once the three or twelve-month promotional period expires.
Media Molecule confirms it’s shutting down live service support for Dreams this September, also ruling out a PSVR 2 port.
Three years after releasing Dreams, Media Molecule revealed it made the decision “to shift our focus to an exciting new project,” stating this “is not Dreams 2, or the Dreams IP.” Crucially, Dreams won’t be delisted from the PlayStation Store, servers will remain online for sharing creations and critical bugs will still be fixed once live service shuts down. New updates are also promised before September, with Media Molecule stating this includes “the much anticipated Tren, and a significant improvement to animation and our last Create mode update.”
Media Molecule also reconfirmed its planning to migrate Dreams onto a new server in late May but advised “not every feature in Dreams has been compatible with the needed modifications to the server.” There’s only two listed changes for PSVR support, which states Dreams will make personalised comfort ratings visible on content, while comfort ratings on maps and collections are being removed. Otherwise, storage limits will be established for Creations (existing Creations excluded), the ability to archive Creations will be removed and replaced by a delete option, and more.
Sadly, the announcement also ends any hopes of a PSVR 2 port. On the blog post, an FAQ definitively states “the planned releases for Dreams do not include multiplayer, PS5/PSVR2/3D printing support.” The team was asked about a potential next-gen version back in September, when Sony confirmed that PSVR 2 wouldn’t support backwards compatibility. Media Molecule stated it wasn’t part of the current roadmap, but that didn’t stop fans from hoping those plans might change.
We praised Media Molecule’s latest game in our Dreams review, with PSVR support arriving nearly half a year after the flatscreen PS4 edition back in 2020. Though we believed creative mode did “not integrate with PSVR as naturally as hoped,” we considered it an “incredible, robust creation platform.”
Paired with the platform’s inherent comfort issues, its sprawling, untamed ecosystem can prove to be a minefield to navigate, but for every unwelcome rollercoaster ride (literally and figuratively), there’s another wish waiting to be fulfilled or something genuinely original to discover. The only way to truly judge Dreams is by the strength of its creations and those already speak for themselves; if you want to embrace VR’s experimental side, you shouldn’t miss it.
Following its Steam release last September, Afterlife VR brings a new horror game to PSVR 2 next week.
Not to be confused with Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife by Fast Travel Games, Afterlife VR from Split Light Studio promises a “twisted story” set within the Black Rose mental hospital. As a rookie police officer, Afterlife tasks you with uncovering the facility’s darkest secrets, fighting off enemies through firearms and psychokinetic powers, and puzzle-solving via telekinesis. Here’s the official description:
What is really lurking behind the door of a well-known mental facility, where Adam’s younger sister, Allison, was recently sent? Is there any connection between missing patients and hospital workers and the groundbreaking study about the Indigo Children phenomena? Uncover the secrets hidden deep within the Black Rose mental hospital walls, where most of the patients pose a threat to themselves and to others. Look into the eyes of pure madness intrinsically linked with this place and its history.
First Contact Entertainment gave me something new to experience in consumer VR with a recent hands-on demo of Firewall Ultra.
The 4v4 tactical shooter coming “soon” to PSVR 2 gave me a new tactic to try. I found myself attempting to assault my enemy’s senses with a flashlight. First Contact says the game uses Sony’s eye-tracking to tell whether your eyes are closed, so if you’re careful you can keep yourself from being temporarily blinded by the searing light beam of a bright flashlight cutting across a dark room. You can also hold up your hands to shield your eyes from the bright lights.
PSVR 2’s eye tracking is also used to make selections in the game’s menus, as part of stabilizing your aim, and to target where you throw grenades. It’s also “used to avoid the effects of flash bangs and flashlights, so you can close your eyes physically to avoid that from affecting your vision,” First Contact’s David Jagneaux explained. “My favorite use of it is on the cameras where after you’ve died in the game you transition to looking in the cameras and you can look at enemies, and it highlights them in red for your teammates who are still alive to see where they’re at. So you’re still useful even if you’ve gone down.”
The Firewall Ultra demo showcased a more detailed vision of fast-paced tactical team battles compared with its 2018 predecessor, Firewall Zero Hour. I last played Zero Hour with Jagneaux on the original PSVR when he was UploadVR’s Games Editor. Now he’s at First Contact and we recently played Ultra together on PSVR 2 before sitting down for a short interview.
“How dare you,” I asked him about his departure from UploadVR. I didn’t wait for an answer and proceeded with questions about Firewall Ultra.
“The people that play the previous game I think have a lot of expectation for what this game can be. And I think that the people that are new to PSVR hopefully will approach this with a lot of interest and hunger for something that’s meaty and has true progression,” Jagneaux said. “Resources have shifted to this game, obviously, but there’s still a very active community and people play it all the time.”
We played three matches on two maps, with best of three rounds each. I found myself drawn into the deep tactics available here. The maps, Oil Rig and Social, featured multiple routes to the objectives using either vertical and horizontal paths. PSVR 2’s OLED display and Firewall Ultra’s varied lighting tempted me to crouch and hide in dark corners, but when you’re hiding for 20 seconds and your team is getting mowed down in a hallway nearby, camping may not last long.
I couldn’t get the hang of throwing an eye-tracked grenade in my demo time, but I also didn’t go through a complete tutorial where I successfully accomplished that task a couple times. The game will have a full tutorial at launch, according to First Contact.
HDR & Flashlights
Last year at SIGGRAPH, I went eyes-in with Meta’s high-dynamic range Starburst VR headset research prototype and I felt myself squinting at a light that was so bright my eyes reacted the same way they might staring into a bright indoor light bulb. While Sony’s PSVR 2 headset doesn’t have the same range or brightness attributes as Meta’s demo from last year, Sony’s headset is also VR’s first consumer HDR head-mounted display. Comments on our reporting of Meta’s research device last year considered HDR’s potential use for simulated flash bangs. Seeing that overall concept realized here just a few months later by Sony and First Contact stands out as an example of PlayStation’s commitment to moving VR gaming forward.
Firewall Ultra uses Unreal Engine 5 and also features dedicated servers rather than peer-to-peer networking. That networking change that could lead to a more reliable matchmaking experience, according to First Contact. The game should also expand arsenal available to players, with Jagneaux confirming Ultra adds sniper rifles absent in the first game.
Firewall Zero Hour supported the PlayStation VR Aim Controller with the sequel supporting Sense controllers. A Sony representative said they had “nothing to share” on the potential of a new PlayStation VR Aim Controller or gun stock accessory that could be used with games like Firewall Ultra.
We’ve come to think of PSVR 2’s early 2023 release as a sort of soft launch for the platform. While First Contact wouldn’t confirm a release date for the game yet, if it arrives before Christmas there’s a good chance Firewall Ultra will serve as a major draw for players to adopt Sony’s second-generation VR platform in both 2023 and the years to come.
Sony paid for UploadVR’s travel costs to attend a Firewall Ultra demo at PlayStation’s headquarters in California.
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