World famous magical duo Penn & Teller might be better known for their tricks but they do dip into other forms of entertainment. Most notably videogames and virtual reality (VR) in particular thanks to weird driving sim Desert Bus by Gearbox Software. Well, it seems there are more VR plans afoot thanks to an announcement during PAX East this weekend.
During the event Gearbox Software revealed work on Penn and Teller VR: Frankly Unfair, Unkind, Unnecessary & Underhanded. The title will feature the magicians in some way, supporting HTC Vive, PlayStation VR and Oculus headsets when it arrives this summer. Other than that currently nothing else is known about the experience. How will Penn and Teller make their appearance, what will the gameplay involve and does ‘Oculus headsets’ mean, Oculus Rift, Rift S and Quest?
Whatever Gearbox Software and the duo have planned it can’t be much weirder than Desert Bus. Originally part of an unreleased Sega CD title called Penn & Teller’s Smoke and Mirrors, Desert Bus was a mini-game that involved players being challenged to drive a poorly-maintained bus on the long journey between Tucson, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada.
The twist was that completing the videogame involved driving the bus for eight actual hours. Unfortunately, the bus had tracking and steering problems, which meant that if you came off the road you’d be picked up and carted back to the start all in real-time. It’s become a cult classic with competitions based around it. It’s currently available for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
Gearbox Software had plenty of announcements to make during PAX East, the biggest involving Borderlands 3. But it did happen to mention a new partnership with Squanch Games that’ll see Gearbox Publishing create a physical version of Trover Saves the Universe for its PlayStation VR release on 31st May.
And for fans of Borderlands 2 VR, don’t forget that the studio also confirmed last week that the title will be getting all the DLC ever made for the standard version ported to VR, set to arrive soon and completely free. For further Penn and Teller VR: Frankly Unfair, Unkind, Unnecessary & Underhanded updates, keep reading VRFocus.