While the first couple of E3 2017 press conferences were a bit of a disappointment for virtual reality (VR) news, the last couple have greatly improved matters. Today has seen Intel hold its event alongside the PCGamer Show, with reveals including the release date of Lone Echo on Oculus Rift as well as Echo Arena arriving alongside it for free. Additionally, Echo Arena will feature in a new eSports event being run by Intel, ESL and Oculus called VR Challenger League.
Both Echo Arena from Ready at Dawn and magical combat experience The Unspoken by Insomniac will be featured during the challenge, which will encompass both European and North American communities with regular online and offline competition. After playing online players will qualify for offline regional events, which will then seed them into the world championships at IEM Katowice in 2018.
Insomniac’s The Unspoken is a dueling spellcasting experience where players face up against opposing mages in 1v1 battles. Players can cast powerful spells and utilize the destructible environment to gain an advantage over their opponents. While on the flip side is Echo Arena which is a team-based, 5vs5 multiplayer where players have to score points by scoring goals. But the arenas all feature low gravity as well as obstacles to stop the ball and cause issues for the players themselves.
The VR Challenger League will begin in July 2017, namely due to Lone Echo and Echo Arena both launching on 20th July. The former is available for pre-order for $39.99 USD, while the latter will be free.
In terms of other VR news, Bethesda made a couple of little announcements yesterday, revealing DOOM VFR and Fallout 4 VR, the former for HTC Vive and PlayStation VR and the latter just for HTC Vive.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of E3 2017, reporting back with the latest announcements.