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Pistol Whip Confirmed For PSVR Release This Summer

Cloudhead Games says its arcade shooter Pistol Whip should launch on PSVR this summer.

The cinematic shooter with rhythm elements debuted on PC VR and Oculus Quest in November and looks like it should be a nice fit for PSVR given its forward-facing design. I rated Pistol Whip 5/5 because of its satisfying gameplay and addictive challenge curve which starts with an auto-assist mode that makes you feel like a badass John Wick. The title gains significant depth with built -in modifiers like a Deadeye mode that takes away the superpowered aiming.

There’s no specific release date announced yet for the game.

The game launched with 10 tracks or “scenes” inspired by various sci-fi and action movies set to thumping music. Since release Cloudhead added four more free tracks to bring the total to 14 as of this writing. The latest addition, called Dark Skies, is my favorite.

Check out the gameplay video of the latest track:

After PSVR release Cloudhead Games is planning “exciting new content updates, modifiers, and more to be revealed in the months after launch.”

We are still waiting on a new release date announcement for Iron Man VR on PSVR after COVID-19-related delays. The confirmation of Pistol Whip for release on PSVR should be a welcome addition to the release schedule for PlayStation 4 owners. We’ll bring you the latest on Pistol Whip as soon as we have it.

PlayStation VR owners, are you excited to finally play Pistol Whip this summer? Let us know in the comments below.

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Pistol Whip ‘High Priestess’ Update Arrives With Scoring Changes

One of the best games of 2019 receives its first major post-launch update today with the new song High Priestess, new modifiers, and changes to the scoring system.

The new update to Pistol Whip arrives today for Quest and PC VR and, according to development studio Cloudhead Games, “Due to popular demand, Deadeye has seen significant improvements including a revamped scoring system designed to punish missed shots. Dual Wield has also seen a reduction in penalty, allowing players to challenge the leaderboards no matter their style of play.”

The leaderboard is also being reset along with these changes.

The new track and level “High Priestess” from Kannibalen Records lives up to the game’s name as you’ll be hitting a lot of enemies with your gun to make it through. Cloudhead says the level is inspired by the movie Oldboy.

The new modifiers include “Unarmed Foes” to practice scenes without risk of elimination and “No Obstacles, intended for accessibility and standing room playspaces,” according to Canada-based Cloudhead.

Pistol Whip was announced in our E3 VR Showcase earlier this year and I gave it 5/5 stars when it debuted in November, writing that “Pistol Whip’s multiple difficulties and modifiers like Deadeye and Dual-wield add depth to a game that’s more addictive and satisfying than Beat Saber.” We’ve nominated Pistol Whip as one of the best games of 2019 and Cloudhead is promising a regular update plan for the game with new scenes, modifiers and customization options.

Cloudhead is planning to release Pistol Whip for PlayStation VR headsets in 2020.

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The Valve Index Is Now Available In Canada And Japan

The Valve Index is now available for purchase in Canada and Japan, further expanding the post-launch markets for Valve’s latest VR headset.

The headset, which launched earlier this year, has been available to order in the United States and a selection of European countries. Now, customers in Canada and Japan join the ranks of Index-available countries, after initial pre-orders sold out for the device in May this year. Notably, the Index is still not available for purchase in some major markets such as Australia or China.

There is also a special Canadian shipping FAQ for the Index , which clarifies delivery times, import charges and carrier information.

Customers can order the full kit, including the Index headset, 2.0 sensors and Index controllers, or choose from various other combinations of the kit, depending on what they need for their setup. The Index headset can be used with existing HTC Vive trackers, and the HTC Vive wands and does not require users to upgrade to Index controllers or 2.0 sensors.

The expansion of availability to Canada and Japan comes after a huge week in VR for Valve, after unveiling their flagship VR game and the next entry into their esteemed Half-Life series, Half-Life: Alyx. Despite being developed by Valve with the Index in mind, Alyx will still support most PC VR headsets with motion controllers and SteamVR compatibility. That being said, the Index controllers will offer expanded, yet optional, interactions in the game due to their grip system that includes advanced finger-tracking.

Existing and new owners of the Valve Index will also receive a free copy of Half-Life: Alyx at launch. It doesn’t need to be the full kit either – if you purchase, or own, even just the Index controllers, you will receive a free copy of Alyx at launch.

The Valve Index is available to order in select countries on Steam now.

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Mobile AR Game Minecraft Earth Is Now Available In The United Kingdom

Death, taxes and Minecraft Earth launch countries – that’s what it feels like lately, with new launch countries for the mobile AR game popping up every few days. This time, it’s the United Kingdom’s turn to get building.

People living in the UK can now download the game, which is in early access and launching gradually worldwide, a few countries at a time. The United Kingdom joins New Zealand, Iceland, Australia, Mexico, Sweden, Canada, South Korea and the Philippines as launch countries. There is still no word on a United States launch, but given that the UK is one of the bigger markets that the game has launched in, a US launch might be coming soon.

The mobile AR game is Minecraft’s response to Pokemon Go and other map-based mobile games that get you out of the house and exploring the real world, intertwined with AR elements. You can build structures, craft weapons, collect materials by exploring your real-world neighborhood and fight monsters in AR during the “adventure” events scattered across the map.

While the game does share similarities to other map-based AR games, it also has its own nice Minecraft-spin to it that offers some nice points of difference. I’ve been able to try the game out here in Australia already, so you can expect a first impressions piece on the game soon.

What are your thoughts on Minecraft Earth? Have you tried the game out, and are you still waiting for it to launch in your country? Let us know in the comments below.

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Minecraft Earth Launches In More Countries, Now Available In Canada, South Korea, Philippines

The Minecraft Earth release schedule seems to be speeding up a bit – just a few days after the last batch of countries, the new AR mobile game is now available in Canada, South Korea and the Philippines.

The game, while still in early access, is now available publicly to anyone in Australia, Mexico, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea, the Philippines and Iceland. The release schedule is gradual, rolling out a few countries at a time. With Canada, Australia and South Korea now on the map, it looks like we’re getting closer to a release in some of the bigger markets like the US and the UK.

Minecraft Earth is Microsoft’s response to the mobile AR craze that started with Pokemon Go. You’ll have to get out of the house and explore the real world and use AR to build structures and complete “adventure” events set in the Minecraft universe. You can also collect materials, craft items and smelt resources just like you can in the original version of Minecraft, but not without a few changes to adapt it to the AR-based mobile platform.

I’ve been jumping into Minecraft Earth here and there since the Australian release last week, and it’s definitely an interesting spin on existing AR-based mobile games like PoGo or Wizards Unite. You can expect a first impressions piece, and other Minecraft Earth content, coming soon.

Have you been able to dive into Minecraft Earth already, or are you still waiting for the game to release in your country? Let us know in the comments below.

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Exclusive: Pistol Whip’s First Full Level Gameplay Video

If you were already excited for Cloudhead’s Pistol Whip the video on this page may make the next few weeks excruciating ahead of its release on Nov. 7.

Not sure what the game is actually like to play? On the fence? Wondering if it can really make you feel like you’re in an action sequence from a movie? Before I embed the first full level of gameplay from a beta version of Pistol Whip I’m posting the links to the pages for the game where you can wishlist it for every major VR headset, with PSVR coming soon. I think there’s a good chance you’ll want these links when you’re done watching.

Let me also preface the video by conveying that what you’re about to watch is what Pistol Whip mastery looks like after countless plays of a single song. The song is Replicants by Black Tiger Sex Machine, Apashe for the label Kannibalen Records. It is one of 10 songs included at launch with Cloudhead Games planning regular music and level updates. 

I’ve put dozens of hours into an early version of the game and, though it made me feel like John Wick even on the easiest difficulty, I took so many bullets along the way and found myself hooked on replaying a single song for hours to try and achieve the highest score possible and a god mode play style like the one depicted here. This video is provided by Cloudhead and Pistol Whip is integrated with the LIV mixed reality toolset so it should be possible for others to capture gameplay footage like this.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

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Pistol Whip Launches In November On Quest, Rift, and SteamVR

Pistol Whip is coming to PC VR and Oculus Quest on November 7 with a PSVR version “coming soon” as well.

The new John Wick-inspired Cloudhead Games title is described as an “action-rhythm FPS” which appears inspired by the art style of Superhot and the global rhythm phenomenon of Beat Saber. While Beat Saber gives you swords, Pistol Whip gives you a gun and its design makes you feel like you’re in an action sequence from a movie.

“There’s all these great action movies. How do we pull a user in a relentless, unstoppable way through an action sequence in a movie,” said Cloudhead CEO Denny Unger. “What people want is the power fantasy of having a gun and feeling like they are a badass action movie hero, but they don’t necessarily have the skills to be a John Wick or somebody like that. People don’t inherently have that accuracy, and the coordination necessarily to do all these crazy things with their weapon, so we just kept pulling back on what the user needed to come out of an experience feeling satisfied and feeling like it fulfilled that fantasy for them.”

The Oculus version of the game includes cross-buy so a single purchase from Facebook’s Oculus should work for both Rift and Quest. You can wishlist the game now on Steam, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest and Viveport. It launches with 10 songs from Kannibalen Records with plans for regular music and level updates.

Cloudhead is known for its early hand-controlled room-scale VR game The Gallery and its sequel as well as the introductory experience it released earlier this year for Valve’s Index Controllers — Aperture Hand Lab.

Here’s the latest trailer for the game along with a brief exclusive interview with the creators:

Cloudhead describes it as “inspired by God-mode action movies like John Wick and Equilibrium, Pistol Whip throws you gun-first into an explosive batch of hand-crafted action sequences each set to their own breakneck soundtrack.” In Pistol Whip you’re pulled down a long corridor with enemies spawning all around you. You’ll need to dodge the incoming bullets and you can either shoot the targets or punch them with your gun if they get in your way.

I’ve put dozens of hours into early versions of Pistol Whip but I’ve agreed not to share gameplay impressions until we’ve played a more complete version of the game. We’ll have those impressions and gameplay footage for you in the coming weeks so check back soon for details.

“There’s a subset of people who we still need to get into VR,” said Designer Antony Stevens. “We still need to get people coming back into VR and Beat Saber is a great example of doing that. It’s great for first time players, its great for return players. It’s a solid product. But I mean — it’s not everyone — and maybe we hit the other side of the coin with Pistol Whip.”

pistol whip lot

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