Category: DiRT Rally

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‘DiRT Rally’ Is Coming To PS VR As Premium DLC With New Co-Op Mode

‘DiRT Rally’ Is Coming To PS VR As Premium DLC With New Co-Op Mode

It was a hotly contested category, but DiRT Rally [Review: 9/10] easily drove away with the racing game of the year award in UploadVR’s ceremony a few weeks back. Now it’s arriving on another headset.

Developer Codemasters is bringing the previously Oculus Rift-exclusive racer to PlayStation VR, it announced on Twitter today. As with the PC version, you’ll be able to tackle the entire game inside the headset with a first-person cockpit view.

But here’s the really interesting bit: PS VR support will not arrive as a free update for exisiting DiRT Rally owners. Instead, it will launch as premium DLC at £9.99/$12.99, and those that don’t own it yet will be able to pick it up either as part of a bundle on the PlayStation Store or as a limited boxed version at retailers.

Before you flip that table, though, there’s one more thing. The DLC includes a brand new two-player co-op mode using the PS VR’s Social Screen feature. With a DualShock 4 in hand, the second player will take on the role of a co-driver. From the sounds of it they can use buttons to send directions to the player in-game, though we also really like the idea of them being able to call out hard lefts and sharp rights in real life.

Does this new mode justify the price for support? DiRT Rally comes with free Rift support over on Steam (and, obviously, on Oculus Home). But this wouldn’t be the first game to charge for VR support; The Vanishing of Ethan Carter charged for its VR DLC when it launched last year.

Despite adding PS VR support, Codemasters told UploadVR that it still has nothing to announce on the HTC Vive front in terms of official integration.

We called DiRT Rally “the new high water mark for VR racing games” when it launched on Oculus Rift last July. “It never shies away from the challenges of this new medium and consistently offers creative solutions to maintain both its functionality and its sense of fun,” Joe Durbin wrote in our review. “DiRT is able to remind you at every turn just how exciting, surprising, and enjoyable racing simulators in VR can truly be.”

PS VR owners have something to be excited for soon, then. The DLC is expected to drop within the next few weeks, though no final date has been given.

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DiRT Rally VR is Coming Soon to PSVR

After a successful jump to virtual reality last year on Oculus Rift, developer Codemasters is bringing the VR experience to the PS4 version of DiRT Rally. It will be available as a standalone retail game or via DLC for existing owners.

DiRT Rally is the best video game representation of the spectacular sport of rally driving in over a decade. Starting life as a PC-only game, Codemasters surprised everyone with their first attempt at creating an authentic simulation; a dramatic departure from their previous highly-accessible ‘arcade’ racers. The risk paid off, and the game eventually found its way to Xbox One and PS4, receiving critical acclaim.

Being cockpit-focused and containing realistically scaled stages and environments, the game was an ideal candidate for virtual reality, and the PC version received a comprehensive update in July last year, with support for the Oculus Rift [our review]. It was well-received, and remains one of the most exhilarating driving experiences currently available in VR.

dirt rally vr review oculus rift (1)According to the official blog, Codemasters is giving similar treatment to the PS4 version of the game, with support for the Sony’s PSVR headset. It will arrive in the form of DLC for existing players on the PlayStation Store, and via a new boxed version of DiRT Rally (with the VR update included) at retail. The update also adds a new feature, a novel co-driver mode for a second player, which makes use of PSVR’s ‘social screen’ output.

The wording of Codemasters’ statement suggests that this won’t be a free update for existing owners (Eurogamer is indicating it will cost £9.99 in the UK), and it also doesn’t confirm a specific release date.

SEE ALSO
Top 5 Racing Sims for the Oculus Rift

We reached out to Codemasters again for any word on official Vive support, and there is still nothing to say on that front. It seems the development team are unable to justify the resources, and perhaps explains the decision to charge for the PSVR update. It was also likely a tougher challenge to optimise the game for PSVR compared to PC.

The post DiRT Rally VR is Coming Soon to PSVR appeared first on Road to VR.

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Codemasters Confirms PlayStation VR Support for DiRT Rally

When Codemasters first announced it would support virtual reality (VR) hardware with an immersive version of its popular racing title DiRT Rally, the studio only ever mentioned support for Oculus Rift, arriving in July last year. Today the developer has revealed its expanding support for the videogame by bringing to PlayStation VR.

Coming in the form of a DLC upgrade for existing players at £9.99 GBP on the PlayStation Store or as a new ‘DiRT Rally PLUS VR Upgrade’ retail version, whichever way players get their hands on it, they’ll be able to drive throughout the entire game supporting every car, every route and every discipline within DiRT Rally.

DiRT_Rally_PlayStation VR screenshot 1

This new upgrade also includes something special for PlayStation VR owners, a completely new Co-Driver Mode for the rally sections. The feature allows a second player to use a Dualshock 4 controller to give pace note calls to the driver from the social screen.

Paul Coleman, Chief Games Designer, DiRT Rally, said in a statement: “The PlayStation VR upgrade allows you to get closer than ever to the experience of being a real life rally driver. The addition of the co-driver mode also allows you to work together with a friend to get through the stage and adds an even deeper level of realism and immersion to the rally stages.”

Checkout the new trailer below and for any further VR updates from Codemasters, keep reading VRFocus.

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VR Wins Big at the 2016 TIGA Games Industry Awards

TIGA, the independent trade association representing the UK videogames industry, today announced the winners of the 2016 TIGA Games Industry Awards. The virtual reality (VR) development scene was well represented, with DiRT Rally, The Assembly and more taking home trophies.

The Assembly screenshot

A total of 37 awards were handed out last night, with VR developers or titles taking home 4 of the awards. nDreams, UK-based VR specialist developer, won the award for ‘Most Original Game’ thanks to their adventure experience, The Assembly, while Codemasters’ DiRT Rally, available to play with VR head-mounted displays (HMDs) on PC, won ‘Best Racing Game’.

Also worthy of note to the VR industry were awards given to Supermassive Games, developers of Until Dawn: Rush of Blood and Tumble VR, for ‘Outstanding Creativity’, and ‘Best QA Provider’ for Testology, who have been vocal about the need for a different approach to QA testing for VR experiences.

Finally, Epic Games, Ninja Theory, Cubic Motion and 3Lateral continue to take home trophies for their combined efforts in real-time rendering of motion-captured actors. Deemed ‘Best Technical Innovation’, the performance capture technology first demonstrated at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), San Francisco, earlier this year has since been spun-off into its own facility, Senua Studio.

Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice

The full list of winners at the 2016 TIGA Games Industry Awards follows below, and VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest from the UK’s VR development scene.
The winners of the 2016 TIGA Games Industry Awards are as follows:
BEST ARCADE GAME
HOUSEMARQUE  (SIEE)
ALIENATION
BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME
NAUGHTY DOG
UNCHARTERED 4:  A THIEF’S END
BEST DEBUT GAME
GHOST TOWN GAMES
OVERCOOKED
BEST CASUAL/SOCIAL GAME
REBELLION
RACELINE CC
BEST PUZZLE GAME
FIDDLESTICKS GAMES
HUE
BEST RACING GAME
CODEMASTERS
DiRT RALLY
BEST ROLE PLAYING GAME
FUNKY PANDA GAMES
MONSTER MOUNTAIN
BEST STRATEGY GAME
SPACE APE GAMES
TRANSFORMERS: EARTH WARS
BEST GAME ON AMAZON APPSTORE
CHANNEL 4
EDEN:  THE GAME
BEST AUDIO DESIGN
ROCKSTEADY STUDIOS
BATMAN:ARKHAM KNIGHT
BEST CREATIVE GAMEPLAY
THE CREATIVE ASSEMBLY
TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER
DIVERSITY AWARD
NEXT GEN SKILLS ACADEMY
NEXTGEN ASPIRING WOMEN
BEST EDUCATIONAL GAME
THE TIMES TABLE ADVENTURE
STRAWDOG STUDIOS / PITSTOP PRODUCTIONS
BEST GAME BY A SMALL STUDIO
PIXEL TOYS
WARHAMMER 40,000:FREEBLADE
MOST ORIGINAL GAME
nDREAMS
THE ASSEMBLY
BEST VISUAL DESIGN
MEDIA MOLECULE (SIEE)
TEARAWAY UNFOLDED
BEST ANIMATION SUPPLIER
ATOMHAWK

BEST AUDIO SUPPLIER
PINEWOOD STUDIOS

BEST IN-HOUSE STUDIO
UBISOFT REFLECTIONS

BEST EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE  AND TALENT DEVELOPMENT
LONDON SOUTH BANK UNIVERSITY

BEST EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTATION
BOURNEMOUTH UNIVERSITY

BEST ENGINES, MIDDLEWARE, TOOLS & TECHONOLGY
GAMEBENCH

BEST INDEPENDENT STUDIO – SMALL
LOCKWOOD

BEST INDEPENDENT STUDIO – LARGE
SUMO DIGITAL

BEST LEGAL SERVICES SUPPLIER
WEIGHTMANS

OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP
PLAYGROUND GAMES LEADERSHIP TEAM

GAVIN RAEBURN – CEO
TREVOR WILLIAMS – COO
RALPH FULTON – CREATIVE DIRECTOR

OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP – HIGHLY COMMENDED
VICKIE PEGGS

BEST QA PROVIDER
TESTOLOGY

BEST RECRUITMENT AGENCY
AARDVARK SWIFT RECRUITMENT

BEST START UP
PROJECT M STUDIO

BEST TAX AND ACCOUNTANCY FIRM
SAFFERY CHAMPNESS

BEST TECHNICAL INNOVATION
EPIC GAMES/NINJA THEORY/CUBIC MOTION/3LATERAL

BEST PUBLISHER
SOLD OUT SALES AND MARKETING

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL AWARD
GISELLE STEWART

OUTSTANDING GROWTH AWARD
OUTPLAY

OUTSTANDING CREATIVITY AWARD
SUPERMASSIVE GAMES

GAME OF THE YEAR 2016
SPACE APE GAMES
TRANSFORMERS: EARTH WARS

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5 Rift And Vive Games That Need To Come To PlayStation VR

5 Rift And Vive Games That Need To Come To PlayStation VR

For some developers, porting an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive game to PlayStation VR is easier said than done. For starters, the PlayStation 4 that powers PS VR doesn’t measure up to the high-powered PCs behind the other two. PS VR also doesn’t have roomscale tracking and struggles with occlusion, making it harder to port full 360 degree experiences to the headset.

But some developers have already defied that status quo. Sports Bar VR and Job Simulator both came from Vive to PS VR with a good degree of success, while games like The Brookhaven Experiment have only made small compromises to make it onto the platform. We honestly believe any studio could take a good shot at bringing their game to Sony’s headset regardless of features and, with an install base of over 40 million PS4s, it’s in their best interest to.

With that in mind, here are five Oculus Rift and HTC Vive games we’d love to see on PlayStation VR.

Fantastic Contraption, from Northway Games

Fantastic Contraption was one of the first games to be bundled with the HTC Vive, and it’s an awesome example of what can be done with roomscale tracking, but we don’t see any reason it couldn’t work with two Move controllers in your hands either.

Here you use position-tracked controls to construct vehicles that will transport objects into goal areas, crossing over gaps and tearing down obstacles if necessary. It’s building these machines and watching them run that’s really fun in VR, and we’d hope with a few tweaks it could make it to Sony’s headset.

DiRT Rally, from Codemasters

Codemaster’s popular racer hasn’t actually even made its way from Rift to Vive yet, but it would be great to see it on both platforms in the near future. This is one of our favorite VR racers, seeing as it was already a pretty excellent entry into the genre on standard displays.

Pair this with a racing wheel peripheral and then maybe the sting of the recent news that Gran Turismo Sport wouldn’t fully support PlayStation VR would start to subside just a little.

Tilt Brush, from Google

We’re not sure if Tilt Brush will ever come to Oculus Rift, what with Oculus championing its own Medium platform for the launch of Touch and it being bundled with Vives. There’s a complete lack of creativity apps on PS VR, though, save for some of the modes in Harmonix Music VR, and adding Google’s fantastic experience to its library would be a welcome addition.

Again, occulsion can be an issue with the Move controllers, but that could easily be bypassed with the addition of some simple teleportation and orientation mechanics.

Trials on Tatooine, from ILMxLAB

PS VR already has one short Star Wars experience on the way, so why can’t it have another? We already know that ILMxLAB has helped DICE bring the upcoming Battlefront VR demo to the platform, but we’d love to see the developer’s own piece, in which you’re cast as an apprentice of Luke Skywalker himself, launch on the device, perhaps with a teleportation mechanic.

This is the only official Star Wars VR piece to let you wield a lightsaber, and the PlayStation Move is the only motion controller that actually resembles a handle for the weapon. This is a no-brainer.

Minecraft, from Mojang

Microsoft’s acquisition of Minecraft and developer Mojang two years ago led to the somewhat strange situation in which Microsoft now publishes a game that runs on Sony’s console as well as the Xbox One and PC.

Somehow, we still doubt the company is willing to go the extra mile and add PS VR support for the hit game, but we can still dream. Minecraft is already an impressive demonstration of what’s possible on the Oculus Rift and Gear VR  and it could be the exact same for PlayStation VR.