Ivanovich Games, the studio behind virtual reality (VR) title like Operation Warcade and Final Soccer VR (formerly Final Goalie: Football Simulator) has announced its latest project. This time the team is heading to the track for what looks like some Mario Kart inspired racing in Touring Karts – VR Edition.
The studio is building Touring Karts for both VR and non-VR gameplay, with both versions featuring 22 tracks and 30 customizable cars inspired by real tracks and teams. They’ll also feature both single-player and multiplayer modes, with cross-platform gameplay supporting up to eight-player races. As for power-ups, players will have access to 45 options with the ability to combine them as well. For instance, there’s the classic banana to make the opponent spin out, or the bazooka to blow them up. Combine the two and you’ll get a banana bazooka!
Whether in solo or online modes, there are more than 400 prizes to collect. Players don’t even need to unlock tracks and karts, because in ‘Quick Start’ mode they’re all available straight away.
For the VR version, the big difference comes in the number of views available, ensuring most players should hopefully find one that’s comfortable. For the really nausea prone there’s the mode where you’re sat in a kart simulator looking at a screen. Then there’s the traditional 3rd-person viewpoint or for the hardcore the 1st-person view. Finally, there’s the very wide angle ‘roomscale’ view, which reminds VRFocus of the old Micro Machines videogames.
There will also be plenty of versatility in racing peripherals. Ivanovich Games seem to have included every possible controller configuration, from gamepads and steering wheels to motion controls (PlayStation Move, Oculus Touch) and even devices like 3dRudder.
Touring Karts – VR Edition is expected to launch in Q4 2019, supporting PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift/Rift S, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality headsets.
Head on over to the official Touring Karts website for further details on the different versions – there will also be a mobile edition and a VR Arcade Edition for location-based entertainment (LBE) venues using PC VR headsets. As further details are announced regarding the release date, VRFocus will keep you posted.