Last month Fox Innovation Lab at Twentieth Century Fox released the long awaited virtual reality (VR) videogame tie-in to hit film The Martian, starring Matt Damon, with The Martian: VR Experience. The launch supported Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) PlayStation VR and HTC Vive, but there were no details on Oculus Touch compatibility – the device the experience had originally been demoed with. The wait is over as the VR title has now arrived for Oculus’ new motion controllers.
If you’ve seen the film you’ll know what to expect, as The Martian: VR Experience takes you on an immersive adventure from astronaut Mark Watney’s perspective, performing tasks that will facilitate his chances for survival. You’ll be able to fly onto the surface of Mars, steer at zero gravity through space, drive a rover navigating over craters and experience key scenes from the hit film in a fully realise VR environment.
When VRFocus first previewed the title back in January, saying: “The Martian: VR Experience is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful VR titles VRFocus has yet witnessed. Putting most other Oculus Rift and HTC Vive titles to shame.” Other media outlets have also heaped praise on the experience, but the public haven’t been as kind. The HTC Vive version on Steam is rated as ‘negative’, while the UK and US PlayStation Stores give it one and two stars respectively. This is likely due in part to the price, when released The Martian: VR Experience was $19.99 USD, this has now dropped to $9.99/£7.99 GBP on both stores. The new listing on Oculus Store also has the lower price.
As and when Fox Innovation Lab releases further VR content, VRFocus will keep you updated.