A new listing for the short piece confirms a January 16th release. The Runaway is already available on the Oculus Store, though there’s been some confusion as to what regions it could be downloaded in. Hopefully this Steam release puts an end to any misunderstandings and also opens the experience up to HTC Vive and Valve Index users, too. It’s available for free on Rift so we’d expect that to be the case here too. We’ve reached out to the BBC to confirm all of this, just in case.
Update: The BBC confirmed to us that the experience is releasing on Steam tomorrow. Not only that, but it’s coming to YouTube too!
The Runaway is a great little short starring current Doctor Jodie Whittaker. Serving as an acting companion, you find yourself in the middle of the Tardis, helping the Doctor to care for an explosive teenage alien named Volta. Juggling Volta’s stress with avoiding pursuit from a police force hunting him down, you steer the Tardis to safety and wield the Doctor’s iconic sonic screwdriver.
The piece boasts wonderful animation and considered interaction, making for a wholly delightful 10 minute VR trip. Even if you’re not a fan of the show, it’s definitely worth checking out.
Sadly it was one of the last experiences released under the BBC’s VR Hub label, which shut its doors in 2019 while the wider organization continues to work on other projects. It’s not to be confused with Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time, which is a full VR game already available on Steam and other platforms.
Will you be picking up Doctor Who: The Runaway on Steam? Let us know in the comments below.
The first full week of the year offers no surrender for the tech industry. There is no room for new year, new you-ing or short-lived gym revivals. Nope, we’ve all been shuffled off to CES to bare witness to the latest technological marvels.
This week’s VRecap is a tribute to the past few days of electical gluttony. We’re going over some of the coolest things we saw at this year’s show, which include a strange new VR viewer from Panasonic, a fresh look at XTAL’s professional-grade VR headset and another chance to go hands-on with the HAPTX gloves.
But it wasn’t all showcases and sunshine; there was a little news too. For starters, Sony announced it had sold more than five million PSVR units worldwide. That’s a lot! But it’s a sign that sales are slowing down just a liiiiittle bit.
Meanwhile in HTC camp, the company is teasing a new direction for its Vive business. Could HTC be pulling out of the consumer market to focus on businesses? Or is there more to this story?
Next up, we’re going through release of which there are just a few this week. There’s a chance for some VR football on Quest and the arrival of a promising new SteamVR game. You’ll also get the chance to win 2MD: VR Football Unleashed in our competition above!
Finally, we’re going through your reactions to this week’s CES news. Unsurprisingly, you’ve got opinions.
Okay, that’s it for this week. No CES next week, thank god. Enjoy the weekend!
What upcoming Oculus Rift games are there to look forward to this year? What about Oculus Link titles for Quest? Read on to find out!
With Rift refreshed to Rift S in 2019 and Quest adding support for play Rift content via Link, 2020 is a big year for Facebook’s PC VR efforts. Oculus Studios continues to pump out polished exclusive titles but, as we all know, a certain other company is developing easily the biggest Rift game of the year. So let’s take a look at just some of the titles you should keep an eye out for.
Note that this list contains a mix of games appearing on both the Oculus Store and SteamVR.
Upcoming Oculus Rift Games
After The Fall – TBA
Vertigo Games’ full follow-up to Arizona Sunshine has been years in the making, but 2020 will be the year After The Fall steps out of the shadows. This polished, pretty zombie VR shooter offers co-op play, a sprawling set of missions and a frozen wasteland to explore. We’re looking forward to massive boss encounters and social interactions in the game’s hub environment.
Space Channel 5 VR – Spring 2020
The long-dormant Space Channel 5 series returns with this VR remake that has you dancing on to defeat a fleet of invading aliens. It’s a strangely fitting return for the series that will revolutionize its rhythm-based gameplay. If you’re a fan of the likes of Dance Central VR, then you’ll definitely want to keep an eye out for this one.
Medal of Honor: Above And Beyond – TBA
In many ways, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond feels like a sort of homecoming. It’s been eight years since we last saw an entry in the franchise, for example, and some series alumni at Respawn Entertainment are working on this VR exclusive edition. In fact, Respawn is behind some of the biggest and best shooters of the last seven years, so expect this to be a step up for the genre. At the very least, it should be one of your most anticipated Oculus Rift games for 2020.
Down The Rabbit Hole – Early 2020
Down The Rabbit Hole’s hotpot mix of different storytelling styles and gameplay elements promises one of the most experimental VR experiences of the year. Set in the world of Wonderland (though, notably, not starring Alice herself), you play as a young girl that makes her way through a series of scenes, solving puzzles and meeting crazy characters. The game mixes third and first-person sections with curious invention.
Half-Life: Alyx – March 2020
Here it is, the big one. After years of rumors and speculation, we finally know that Half-Life VR is real. The first game in the series in well over ten years will bridge the gap between Half-Life 1 and 2, casting players as Alyx, no longer confined to sidekick status. The one trailer we’ve seen thus far promises a fully interactive world to explore, bar-raising visuals and lots of familiar faces (and face-eating monsters) in VR. This is surely at the top of everyone’s list.
Lonn – TBA
Boneworks and Half-Life aren’t the only VR games with full campaigns putting physics front and center of their design. Lonn is a very promising cyberpunk-style action title from SixSense Studios. You play as a former bounty hunter taking on an evil mega-corporation. With a trusty sword at your side and powers of telekinesis, Lonn looks like it could deliver in spades.
Crunch Element – Early Access In 2020
2020 not looking explosive enough for you? Then best check out Crunch Element, an infiltration-based shooter in which every wall is destructible. Scout out your surroundings, make your plan and then go loud in the loudest sense possible. Crunch Element looks like it will deliver simple sandbox thrills, and we can’t really argue with that.
Low-Fi – TBA
The developer of Technolust is back with another highly compelling sci-fi VR showcase. Low-Fi likes to think of itself as more simulation than game, allowing players to explore a Blade Runner-style metropolis, living the life you choose. From flying cars to rainy streets, we can’t wait to immerse ourselves in the game’s highly-detailed world.
Population One – TBA
Population One has taken a little longer to get out the gate than we were expecting, but we’re still hopeful for a full release in 2020. This is perhaps the most promising attempt yet at mashing VR with the battle royale genre and, even though the craze surrounding the last man standing style of play has subsided a little, Population One could well reinvigorate it for headsets. The game promises liberating traversal and, of course, plenty of ‘splosions.
Phantom: Covert Ops – TBA
Phantom’s premise might seem initially ridiculous but the game actually offers a very considered, thoughtful take on VR stealth. You infiltrate enemy bases by water, wading through rivers in a kayak. The seat-based gameplay, paired with paddling traversal, make for incredibly immersive sneaking, though questions remain over the kind of mission variety and enemy AI to hold the experience up. Still, this is easily one of our most anticipated upcoming Oculus Rift games.
Lone Echo 2 – TBA
While Echo VR has kept us busy since the launch of Lone Echo, we’re desperate to catch up with Jack and Olivia. The original Lone Echo was a revelation for VR immersion, locomotion and storytelling, but it left a lot of room for expansion. We’re hoping this sequel spins an epic yarn that brings us closer to these two characters. Of course, we’re expecting top-notch visuals too, making this one of our most anticipated upcoming Oculus Rift games for 2020.
Tarzan VR – TBA
Primordian developer Stonepunk Studios was a perfect choice for a Tarzan VR game. Dense jungles and primal combat are just what the doctor ordered here. Add in some vine-swinging, a lush art style and the promise of getting up close and personal with some exotic marvels, and we’re keeping a keen eye on this one.
Predator VR – TBA
Based off of the VR arcade release with new features, Predator VR promises the chance to hunt or be hunted by the iconic alien. In the game’s single-player campaign you’ll play as a soldier trying to survive a cruel game of cat and mouse, whereas a multiplayer offering lets you step into the shoes of the beast itself.
Pixel Ripped 1995 – Spring 2020
Following on from the success of the original game, Pixel Ripped continues on with its episodic series paying tribute to classic gaming. In 1995 we move into an era of 16-bit excellence, in which we’ll once again have to balance our gaming addictions with, well, making sure people don’t get in the way. We can’t wait to see what new ideas await us in Pixel Ripped 1995.
The Room VR: A Dark Matter – Early 2020
Fireproof Games’ The Room series made a name for itself on mobile devices by creating puzzles that truly consider the nature of the platform. Innovative interactions make The Room one of the most popular series for phones and tablets. We’re hoping Fireproof brings that same level of invention to the series’ VR debut, which offers a full story with detailed environments and puzzles on a scale the series hasn’t yet seen.
Solaris: Offworld Combat – TBA
First Contact Entertainment made a name for itself with 2018’s seminal online shooter, Firewall: Zero Hour. That game offered a mix of arcade action with tactical realism, going on to become one of PSVR’s best titles. For its next title, First Contact is leaning into the arena shooter genre with a fast-paced action game. We’re still yet to see a lot of Solaris, but what we know about it really excites us, making it one of our most anticipated upcoming PSVR games.
The Walking Dead: Saints And Sinners – Q3 2020
Zombie shooters are a dime a dozen on VR platforms, but The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners is hoping to stand out with a sharp level of polish and focus on storytelling. Set in the ruins of New Orleans, you take the fight to hordes of gory walkers, managing inventory supplies and securing stealth kills as you go. Archangel developer Skydance Interactive has been working on this for a while, so we have high expectations.
The Walking Dead: Onslaught – TBA
Yep, you read that right. There are not one but two Walking Dead VR shooters on the way in 2020, somehow. But, whereas Saints & Sinners focuses on a new area of the universe, Onslaught — developed by Creed and Westworld VR developer Survios — ties into the ongoing TV show. An all-new story casts you as famous characters from the franchise, including Rick Grimes. Seeing which game comes out on top will be interesting for sure.
The Wizards: Dark Times – TBA
The original Wizards game was a visual treat and fun to play, though undeniably limited in scope. For this standalone expansion, developer Carbon is going all out with a single-player campaign, new gesture-based spells and enemies to fight. There’s lots of spell-casting VR games out there, but Dark Times promises to be one of the biggest yet.
Vertigo 2 – TBA
Last year’s Vertigo 2 demo suggested developer Zulubo Productions was making great strides with this sequel. Half-Life-esque combat and exploration pays tribute to its inspirations with plenty of parody, but the game’s arsenal is genuinely fun to use. With a remaster of the first game also on the way, it’s set to be a very good year for Vertigo.
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What do you think of our list of upcoming Oculus Rift games? Are there any you think we missed? Let us know in the comments below!
The Remedy suggests several promising paths forward for VR narratives. In its first half this spritely VR animation, released as one of the free new Quillistrations on Oculus Quest, offers an enticing look at virtual comic books. Pristine art direction meets 3D storyboarding with lavish execution, and the carefully selected animations give director/artist Daniel Martin Peixe’s creations a beating heart.
The Remedy Oculus Quest Impressions
But it’s the second part of this hugely enjoyable short, in which a mother journeys to the heart of an active volcano to save her son, that really stands out. Here Peixe attempts bold action sequencing, hoping to capture an intimate ferocity by pitting viewers in the heat of the action.
I was reminded of the unrelenting machine gun fire pacing of Battlescar, delivered in violent bursts instead of stretched out across the entire narrative. Here The Remedy moves with such veracity and confidence you could, for a split second, mistake its swirls of fiery oranges and determined expressions for the lure of a summer blockbuster. It’s there for just a moment, but it’s as immersive an instance as you’ll discover on Quest.
It is at times a little too brash, pulling some tilted camera angles and fast cuts that leave your stomach in the previous scene. Sudden drops appear from nowhere and your view lurches back in order to see the scope of some sequences. A little inelegant, perhaps, but the momentary distraction is just that.
The Remedy delivers a welcome shot of adrenaline to VR storytelling; a surprising crunch of combat choreography met with typically stunning visuals. If you have a Quest, it won’t take a penny from your wallet, nor more than a few minutes of your day to sample a prime example of the kinds of treasures VR storytelling holds.
The Remedy is available in the Oculus TV section on Oculus Quest. It’s free to watch.
Happy New Year! We’re back with another healthy helping of VR news, summing up some of the stories from the festive break!
A handful of headlines broke over the holidays. For starters, it’s getting harder and harder to get your hands on an Oculus Quest. The kit was completely sold out over Christmas and it’s now expected to reach new buyers in late February. What will you do in the meantime? Well you probably won’t be buying a Valve Index, which is back-ordered too.
Elsewhere, Superhot is celebrating making a bunch more money, having raked in $2 million over the holiday period across all platforms. Will the excellent VR shooter ever stop churning out cash?
Well Steam’s top-selling VR games for the year suggests not; Superhot is one of many top-ranking titles on this year’s list. Other hits like Beat Saber and Blade & Sorcery also topped the list, whereas pre-orders for Valve’s Half-Life: Alyx are also high enough to be recognized. Cripes.
Finishing up, we’ve got the reveal of our 2019 awards. If you missed the full show where we went over the winners, make sure to check in with the big list; we covered a lot of ground!
No big releases this week, so we haven’t got a round-up or a competition to talk about, but they’ll be back next week should everything go according to plan. Plus we’re still going through some of your comments from the Christmas break.
And that’s it. Time for a weekend already! CES is next week, so expect the VRecap to return to full strength very soon.
We’re officially in 2020 and there are plenty of upcoming Oculus Quest games to be excited about.
2019 was an amazing year Facebook’s incredibly popular standalone VR headset. Some fantastic original games were propped up with a slew of ports from other headsets. That trend looks to continue in 2020, with some of VR’s best games still to arrive on the platform and some brand new titles on the way too. This is what you’ll need on your shopping list heading into this year.
Some of these games you can already pre-order on the Oculus Store, and others will be coming a little later in the year.
Upcoming Oculus Quest Games In 2020
Boneworks Spin-Off – TBA
Stress Level Zero’s Boneworks saw off 2019 in style for PC VR headsets. The game’s fantastic physics system and sandbox combat made it a hit with Rift, Vive and Index owners. But we also know a new game set in the same universe is on the way to Quest. We’ll be incredibly interested to see just how much of Boneworks’ hardware-intensive rules can survive that transition, and how the team expands its fledgling universe. This is easily one of our most anticipated upcoming Oculus Quest games for 2020.
Eclipse: Edge Of Light – Early 2020
Now that Google’s Daydream platform is basically done and dusted, we can confidently crown Eclipse: Edge Of Light as the best game to ever grace its store. Thankfully, developer White Elk is finally bringing the experience to other platforms in 2020. Eclipse is a moody, atmospheric piece of sci-fi exploration, with smooth controls, fascinating sites and an earnest sense of discovery. We can’t wait to dive back into it on more advanced headsets.
Down The Rabbit Hole – Early 2020
Down The Rabbit Hole’s hotpot mix of different storytelling styles and gameplay elements promises one of the most experimental VR experiences of the year. Set in the world of Wonderland (though, notably, not starring Alice herself), you play as a young girl that makes her way through a series of scenes, solving puzzles and meeting crazy characters. The game mixes third and first-person sections with curious invention.
Ghost Giant – January
Originally set to release last December, one of our favorite PSVR games of 2019 is taking just a little longer to reach Quest. Ghost Giant offers an endearing world to immerse yourself in and one of VR’s very best friendships. You embody the imaginary friend of a young boy, quickly forming a strong bond that sees you both through a grand adventure. But, for all its pleasantries, Ghost Giant hides a story with emotional heft and deft handling, making it an essential piece.
Echo VR – TBA
Echo VR is one of those games we might have assumed probably couldn’t work on Oculus Quest’s tracking tech. But Ready at Dawn Studios is ready to prove us wrong, even if this anticipated port was delayed out of 2019. Echo VR is the online portion of the studio’s excellent Lone Echo series, taking place in zero-gravity arenas in which you compete in Tron-style esports. It’s addictive, active and will hopefully find a great home on the platform.
Onward – TBA
The shooter sim that emerged as one of VR’s first true success stories should find a fitting home on Quest this year. Onward was one of the first games for headsets to offer a compelling multiplayer shooter experience and has since only grown with constant updates from developer Downpour Interactive. Playing this one without the tether tugging at our heads should make for a much more immersive experience.
Population One – TBA
Population One has taken a little longer to get out the gate than we were expecting, but we’re still hopeful for a full release in 2020. This is perhaps the most promising attempt yet at mashing VR with the battle royale genre and, even though the craze surrounding the last man standing style of play has subsided a little, Population One could well reinvigorate it for headsets. The game promises liberating traversal and, of course, plenty of ‘splosions.
Phantom: Covert Ops – TBA
Phantom’s premise might seem initially ridiculous but the game actually offers a very considered, thoughtful take on VR stealth. You infiltrate enemy bases by water, wading through rivers in a kayak. The seat-based gameplay, paired with paddling traversal, make for incredibly immersive sneaking, though questions remain over the kind of mission variety and enemy AI to hold the experience up.
Spaceteam VR – TBA
There haven’t been many VR party games that have surpassed the strained collaborative brilliance of Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes, but Spaceteam VR could certainly measure up to the task. Based upon the mobile classic, the game has you teaming up with up to four friends to repair your ship as you venture through the galaxy. You’ll need to listen out for orders from your teammates and issue commands to them too, all while trying to put out fires. It’s safe to say there’s a lot of shouting involved.
The Room VR: A Dark Matter – Early 2020
Fireproof Games’ The Room series made a name for itself on mobile devices by creating puzzles that truly consider the nature of the platform. Innovative interactions make The Room one of the most popular series for phones and tablets. We’re hoping Fireproof brings that same level of invention to the series’ VR debut, which offers a full story with detailed environments and puzzles on a scale the series hasn’t yet seen.
Snow Drift – TBA
Very little is actually known about Snow Drift, save for some glimpses we saw at Oculus Connect 6. The game seems to be promising a chilly survival-based adventure in which you find yourself against nature in frozen wastes. Developer Perilous Orbit is best known for its work on Sports Bar VR, so we’ll be interested to see how the team adapts to an all-new genre.
Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time – January 23
Maze Theory’s fun-filled adventure is on its way to Oculus Quest a little later this month. The Edge Of Time is a little like an extended episode of a Doctor Who show, taking you on a tour of time and space as a companion to Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor. Iconic enemies can be found around every corner along with an assortment of puzzles and other problems. For fans of the show, this isn’t one to miss.
Audica – TBA
Harmonix’s likable rhythm action game has found solid footing on PC and PSVR, but in 2020 the game will finally make the jump to Quest. Audica is basically Beat Saber with blasters, and much closer in tone to BS than, say, Pistol Whip. With new tracks arriving and the developers offering fun tie-ins to other games, Audica should offer some polished fun on Quest.
Solaris: Offworld Combat – TBA
First Contact Entertainment made a name for itself with 2018’s seminal online shooter, Firewall: Zero Hour. That game offered a mix of arcade action with tactical realism, going on to become one of PSVR’s best titles. For its next title, First Contact is leaning into the arena shooter genre with a fast-paced action game. We’re still yet to see a lot of Solaris, but what we know about it really excites us, making it one of our most anticipated upcoming Oculus Quest games.
Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul – TBA
No one does cheap scares better than the Paranormal Activity series and that’s especially true of The Lost Soul, a VR experience so unconcerned with player’s heart health it might well be a murderer. Think jump scares, loud bangs and big screams with a supernatural twist and you’re on the money. It’ll be an ideal addition to the library of any horror VR fan.
Five Nights At Freddy’s VR – TBA
Speaking of scares, Five Nights At Freddy’s is also on the way to Quest at some point this year. The VR adaptation of the infamous collection of games — which features content both old and new — originally hit PSVR and PC VR last year. No word yet on if the Halloween DLC for the game will also come to the Quest version, but fingers crossed.
The Walking Dead: Saints And Sinners – Q3 2020
Zombie shooters are a dime a dozen on VR platforms, but The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners is hoping to stand out with a sharp level of polish and focus on storytelling. Set in the ruins of New Orleans, you take the fight to hordes of gory walkers, managing inventory supplies and securing stealth kills as you go. Archangel developer Skydance Interactive has been working on this for a while, so we have high expectations.
What are your most anticipated upcoming Oculus Quest games? Let us know in the comments below.
UPDATE: As of 01/02/2020 we’ve announced our winners for every category! If you want to see the discussion and debate, which was recorded and streamed live, you can find that here:
Original: We’ve had a wild year in 2019 for the VR/AR industry.
From the releases of big games that blew us away to some of the most impressive hardware we’ve seen yet finally release, there have been lots and lots of highs to celebrate. This year we even hosted the first-ever VR-focused E3 Show with our E3 VR Showcase that amassed over 16,000 people watching it live and well over 100,000 views across all formats and re-streams to date.
So, without further ado, this is our full list of nominees for each of the respective categories. We’ll announce winners later this week during our latest episode of The VR Download podcast, which is filmed from inside of our VR studio, live, with viewer feedback and then reposted as an audio podcast later.
All entries are listed alphabetically in the corresponding category with the first entry used as reference for the category’s corresponding photo (unless it’s been used already in which case we’ll use the next entry as the photo). When we announce winners we will just go back in here and update the list like we did last year. You can already see our reasoning for every nominee for best overall in 2019 if you’d like.
Best Hardware
– Oculus Rift S *WINNER* Oculus Quest
– Valve Index
Best PSVR Game/Experience
– A Fisherman’s Tale
– Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown VR Missions
– Blood & Truth *WINNER* Ghost Giant
– No Man’s Sky
– Trover Saves the Universe
– Vacation Simulator
Best Quest Game/Experience
– A Fisherman’s Tale
– Beat Saber
– Pistol Whip
– Star Wars: Vader Immortal Trilogy *WINNER* Superhot
– Titans of Space Plus
– Vacation Simulator
Best PC VR Game/Experience
– A Fisherman’s Tale *WINNER* Asgard’s Wrath
– Boneworks
– Ghost Giant
– No Man’s Sky
– Pistol Whip
– Wolves in the Walls
Best Location-Based VR
*WINNER* The Void’s Avengers: Damage Control
– Sandbox’s Star Trek: Discovery Away Misson
– Capcom’s Biohazard: Valiant Raid
Best Ongoing Support
– Bigscreen
– Borderlands 2 VR *WINNER* Beat Saber
– Firewall Zero Hour
– Hot Dogs, Horseshoes, and Hand Grenades
– Onward
– Rec Room
Best Multiplayer/Social
*WINNER* Acron: Attack of the Squirrels
– Dance Central
– Final Assault
– No Man’s Sky
– Poker Stars VR
– Stormland
Most Immersive Moment
– Asgard’s Wrath: Looking at the Vistas *WINNER* Boneworks: Testing the Physics
– No Man’s Sky VR: Taking Off in Your Ship
– Getting in the Zone: Pistol Whip
– Spider-Man: Far From Home VR – Web Swinging
– Stormland: Meeting Friends
– Superhot Quest: Dodging Bullets in 360 Wireless Roomscale
Best Visuals
– Asgard’s Wrath
– Boneworks
– No Man’s Sky
– Stormland *WINNER* Until You Fall
– Westworld: Awakening
Most Active VR Game/Experience
– Beat Saber
– Boneworks *WINNER* BoxVR
– Dance Central
– Pistol Whip
– Thrill of the Fight
– Until You Fall
Developer of the Year
– Beat Games *WINNER* Cloudhead Games
– Hello Games
– ILMxLAB
– RUST LTD.
– Stress Level Zero
Most Anticipated VR Game/Experience
– After the Fall *WINNER* Half-Life: Alyx
– Iron Man VR
– Lone Echo 2
– LOW-FI
– Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond
– The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
The road toUploadVR’s Best of 2019 awards starts here! Every weekday for the next fortnight, we’ll be revealing one of the ten nominees for our Overall VR Game/Experience of the Year, counting down to the reveal of our full list of categories and nominees later in December. Today we’re looking at how effortlessly Wolves in the Walls transforms Lucy into a believable, alive character worth spending time with.
When playing a non-VR video game I and probably most gamers around the world have subtly and gradually learned the language of game design. Intuitively we can figure out where to go, what to do, and who to talk to based on how things are laid out, color cues, sound clues, and more. And above all of that, we’re experts at suspending disbelief to get sucked into a fictional, digital world.
But VR changes all of that. The same tricks don’t work anymore and the same quality of NPC voice acting, animation, and scripting just isn’t good enough. In order to truly be immersed, it takes much more elegant AI to sell the illusion of a VR experience. This is something that Wolves in the Walls figures out immediately.
Fable Studio’s VR adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s classic children’s book begins with the main non-playable character, Lucy, literally drawing you into existence. You’re part imaginary friend, part tourist in her cartoon world where no one believes her that wolves are lurking in the walls. So she brought you here as witness.
You immediately have agency and purpose and Lucy treats you like an equal. She’ll walk around you, make eye contact while speaking, react to moves you make, and even remember things you do. Despite her bold colors, large eyes, and animated whimsy she is still the most believable virtual being I’ve ever seen in a piece of interactive media.
Wolves in the Walls is relatively short, you can see the entire three-part series in less than an hour probably, but it’s highly engaging. The latte portions do some amazing things by playing with your perspective, tricking your mind, and altering what seems real and what doesn’t. It’s a mind-bending story that’s told in a way that only VR can afford and it manages to deliver one of the most memorable things we’ve seen in a headset this year.
Wolves in the Walls is a free, interactive VR experience available exclusively on the Oculus Home for Rift store. We haven’t tried it with Oculus Quest via Link or over ReVive, but we expect it to work fine.
A total of 25 new web-based VR projects have been lined up for next week’s New View Awards in Tokyo, Japan.
The New View Awards highlight VR experiences focused around fashion, culture and art, showcasing projects created on web-based development and publishing platform, Styly, developed by Psychic VR Lab.
You can check out some of the finalists now just through your browser, and there are some really interesting picks from developers all over the globe. We particularly like this unique take on Japanese manga, which has you navigating a virtual world in which panels of a story overlay certain locations. Intersubjectivity, meanwhile, boasts impressively lush visuals for a web-based VR project, though it gets a bit trippy to say the least.
Elsewhere, Piece of String showcases an impressive degree of photogrammetry and Tsukumo offers an authentic exploration of Japanese culture and history. If you want to see them all in VR, you can also download the free Steam app right here. The company also recently published an AR app on iOS and Android.
A Gold Award totaling $20,000 will be given to one winner. Three runners-up will also receive $5,000. Styly will also be hosting a VR exhibition at the new Shibuya PARCO building from December 14 – 22, where you can see these sorts of experiences for yourself.
The awards take place on December 15. We’ll bring you coverage of the winners, and look out for some of these projects to pop up in our next episode of the VR Culture Show!
Disclosure: UploadVR is a media partner for the New View Awards and will be attending the ceremony with accommodation paid for by the awards.
Oculus Quest is home to a lot of great VR games but, from today, you can play Oculus Rift games on your headset too thanks to Oculus Link.
Now available in beta, Link requires a type 3 cable to connect to a high powered PC (check the specs here). If you have all of those things, then you can access a bunch of PC VR content. But what games and apps should you be sure to check out?
We already have extensive lists of the best Oculus Rift and SteamVR games, but they have a lot of overlap with games that are already on Quest. You’re of course free to check them out with improved fidelity, but for this list we’ve kept it to experiences that aren’t on Quest natively. With that in mind, here’s 10 Oculus Rift games and apps to play on Quest via Oculus Link.
Note: We’ve tested the first 5 – 10 minutes of each of these games in Quest to ensure they work. If anyone encounters any problems, be sure to let us know!
Three and a half years on from PC VR’s launch and The Lab remains one of the best experiences you can have on the platform. Valve’s collection of minigames offer a taste of its signature brand of humor and, more importantly, a template for incredible VR interactions that separate this new technology from its traditional gaming roots. Plus it’s free, and you can’t really argue with that.
Gorn’s physics-driven over the top combat would likely struggle to fit on Quest natively, so we fully recommend picking it up for Oculus Link. In this slapstick gladiator combat game you impale, dismember, and bash enemies with a wide array of weaponry. It is ridiculously gory and utterly hilarious, refined through years of Early Access development. Don’t miss Gorn.
Rockstar holds the keys to some of the best virtual worlds out there. L.A. Noire might not rank up there with GTAV and Red Dead 2, but its dedication to authenticity still makes it an essential setting to explore with a headset. The VR Case Files cherry-picks a handful of cases from the original game to reexperience in VR. It’s one of the most polished experiences you can have on the platform.
No one expected Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice to get a VR adaptation. Better yet, no one expected such an adaptation to work so well. And yet Hellblade VR is a shining example of how to get VR ports right, with fantastic visuals and select moments that work even better inside the headset. If you already own the game this is a free update, so don’t forget to download it.
Turns out the Skyrim of VR is, well, Skyrim! Bethesda did an incredible job porting its legendary role-playing game to PC VR headsets, offering a massive open world to explore with hours worth of quesst to tackle. Plus, when you add in mods, Skyrim VR becomes is own metaverse of possibilities.
There’s tons of amazing VR experiences out there right now that straddle the line between games, films and something entirely new. Star Wars: Vader Immortal shows us that on Quest but, for our money, Wolves in the Walls from Fable Studio is the best example yet. This interactive story has you befriending a young girl. Fable goes to great lengths to make the bond between you as natural as it can be. If you’re looking for something other than gaming, this is a great place to start.
An infinite universe of planets to explore, adventures to go on and friends to work with. That’s the promise No Man’s Sky’s ambitious VR update makes and, though launch was marred by technical hitches, Hello Games delivered. This is the entire original game with native-feeling VR support, giving you an endless amount of content to enjoy.
Insomniac Games makes the list again with its most recent title, Stormland. This is an incredibly slick first-person shooter in which you traverse a series of islands connected by a sea of clouds. A fluid, free movement system makes this one of VR’s most liberating experiences, and the live features and two-player co-op make this worth the jump.
Lone Echo was a pioneer of the now-beloved zero-gravity locomotion system for VR. Not only that but the game delivers incredible visuals, thoughtful pacing and a great story, driven by strong characters and the bonds you grow with them. Plus it’s required playing before the launch of Lone Echo II and you can get in a bit of practice before the release of Echo VR on Quest.
We recently crowned Asgard’s Wrath as VR’s best game and, though only a month has passed, that still remains true in a busy holiday season. This is the massive, VR-native role-playing game that many fans have been waiting for, taking you on a tour of Norse Mythology and adding in biting melee combat and brilliant animal companions.
Insomniac’s VR debut remains one of the best, most thrilling gamepad-based games in VR. You can think of this as a mix between Uncharted and Dead Space; it’s a third-person action horror game in which you travel to the Arctic in search of a lost expedition. Inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, the game presents a chilling descent into madness you won’t want to miss.
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