With growing usage of social virtual worlds and spaces like VRChat and Mozilla Hubs, you might be looking for a way to make your own avatar to represent yourself in VR. Here are two user-friendly avatar character creator apps for that purpose which won’t require the use of developer-level tools like Unity, Blender, etc.
Updated – March 3rd, 2021
Ready Player Me
Compatible with VRChat, Mozilla Hubs, LIV, MeetinVR and More
Ready Player Me is a free web-based avatar creator which allows you to make avatars which are easily imported into VRChat, Mozilla Hubs, LIV, MeetinVR, and more, as well as being easily portable to other applications which support the .glb or .fbx file formats.
The Ready Player Me avatar creator works on both desktop and mobile devices. Start by picking the Ready Player Me avatar maker for the app you’re targeting:
You’ll first be prompted to take a selfie to form the foundation of your avatar (though you can optionally skip this step and start from scratch). From there you can define features like hair, eyebrows, eye color, glasses, and clothing. The number of options is fairly limited for now, but we hope to see them grow with time.
When you’re done making your own VR avatar, you’ll be shown a button or given instructions to import the avatar into the app you’ve selected, or you can download the avatar itself in .glb or .fbx depending upon which option you started with.
With Tafi, you have control over your avatar’s body properties (like height, body shape, skin color, head shape, eye color, hairstyle, etc) as well as clothing and accessories (like shirts, pants, shoes, hats, tattoos, earrings, etc).
The app uses a ‘freemium’ model which allows you to pick from a range of free options, while many options are premium and paid with in-app currency. When you first make your Tafi account, you’ll be given 1,000 coins (enough to buy a premium hairstyle or article of clothing); if you want to buy more premium options you can purchase more starting at $2 per 1,060 coins.
When you’re done building your avatar in the Tafi creator, you can link the application to your VRChat account and then upload your newly created avatar directly to your account for use.
Tafi says that its avatars are automatically optimized to work on both the PC and Quest versions of VRChat; the avatars are also fully rigged for IK, mouth, and eye animation.
As far as we can see at this time, Tafi Avatar VRChat Edition doesn’t offer any kind of direct download or export of your avatar, which means your avatar is not currently portable or editable in other applications.
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It’s early days for the world of VR avatar creation, and if you aren’t willing to get your hands dirty with 3D modeling and animation tools, the options for easily creating your own for use in VR remain fairly slim.
In the future we hope to see more social VR apps support external avatars so that users have more options for defining what they look like in VR, and the ability to have a persistent virtual persona across VR applications.
Are there any other user-friendly tools out there which make avatars for use in VR? Let us know in the comments!
Did you know you can create your own mixed reality video on Oculus Quest and show off all your VR exploits to your adoring public? Oculus has published its own Mixed Reality Capture tool (MRC) to let you do just that.
Whether you’re creating content for YouTube, or simply want to capture your best moments in VR for all eternity, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to capture the sort of mixed reality video seen below.
It’s a lengthy process, but not difficult. Also, if you’re not into written instructions, check out Oculus’ own MRC video setup guide and OBS setup guide to get started.
What you’ll need:
Hardware
Oculus Quest
Compatible USB or HDMI Camera – Oculus suggests Logitech C920 or a GoPro
Compatible Gaming PC – at least 16 GB of RAM, SSDs for storage space, and a GTX 1080 or higher
Green Screen – make sure to have adequate lighting for solid green capture
Firstly, not all Quest games are supported through MRC. The ones listed below are guaranteed to work however, but you may also find that other games in your library actually have support baked in. You’ll be able to test that out for yourself later, but you should stick to one of these titles first to make sure everything is working.
MRC Supported Quest Games
Audica
Beat Saber
Dead & Buried 2
Gadgeteer
Kingspray
Racket Fury
Real VR Fishing
Richie’s Plank Experience
SUPERHOT VR
Space Pirate Trainer
Thrill of the Fight
Alright, now you know more or less what you need. Let’s put all of those pieces together.
Click ‘Search for Device’ in the MRC desktop tool. If the IP address is different on your computer than the one shown on your Quest, you can enter that IP address manually.
Step 3: Calibrate Your Camera
Image courtesy Oculus
Return to the desktop app. Once the device is found, click ‘Calibrate Your Camera’.
Select your camera from the ‘Current Camera’ menu and then click ‘Begin Calibration’. This is where you’ll visually match up your Touch controllers to virtual, onscreen versions.
Follow the onscreen instructions to calibrate your controller. Afterwards, you’ll get a chance to tweak things, so just try to get it more or less correct at this stage.
Take some time to toggle through the extra settings, which let you manually reposition the virtual controllers to better match them up with their physical counterparts. Once you’re happy, click ‘Save to Headset’.
Return to the MRC desktop app, and you’ll find a link to an OBS plugin you need to download.
Now import the plugin to OBS by going to Scene Collection -> Import and then navigate to the folder where you downloaded the plugin and select it.
From the ‘Sources’ panel, click ‘Video Capture’ in the device layer to make sure your camera is turned on.
Double click the Oculus Mixed Reality Capture layer in the ‘Sources’ menu. A blue and green split screen will appear.
Go to your Quest and choose any of the supported games mentioned above.
Return to OBS and click ‘Connect to the MRC-enabled game running on Quest’. Click ‘Ok’.
From here, you’ll have all the knowledge you need to start recording mixed reality footage of your VR exploits. Now go out and fire up Adobe Premier Pro and make something cool!
IPD stands for interpupillary distance—which simply means the distance between the center of your eyes. It’s important to know your IPD when it comes to VR and AR headsets because headsets can be adjusted to match your IPD for optimal image quality and comfort. Knowing your IPD is important for understanding which headsets are most suitable for your eyes. Luckily you can easily and automatically measure your IPD if you have a recent iPhone or iPad Pro, or use one of several simple measurement methods.
EyeMeasure is a free iOS app which uses the TrueDepth camera on recent iPhone and iPad Pro models to measure your IPD. Developer Dotty Digital claims the measurement is accurate within 0.5mm. Once you use the app the “far” IPD measurement is the one you’ll use when configuring your headset.
You can use the app to measure your IPD with the following iOS devices:
If you don’t have access to one of the above devices for an automatic measurement, here’s other ways you can measure your IPD.
Ask Your Eye Doctor (most accurate)
The most accurate IPD measurement you’ll be able to get is from an eye-doctor. If you’ve been to one since you’ve reached your adult size, your doctor should have an accurate measurement on file; give them a call and ask if they can provide your IPD measurement in millimeters. If you’re younger than 20 and it’s been more than a year since you saw the eye-doctor, you may want to get a check-up to make sure you have an up-to-date measurement.
Online IPD Measure Tool (easiest)
You can measure your IPD with a browser-based tool like this one from Ace & Tate. This will work through your browser on your computer or smartphone. You’ll be asked to upload a photo of yourself holding any standard-sized magnetic strip card (ie: credit card or drivers license) which will be used to establish the correct scale for the measurement.
Use a Mirror (accurate but you need a ruler)
With a ruler and a mirror you can easily measure your IPD. Our friend Oliver Kreylos offers these simple instructions, along with a more detailed breakdown.
Stand in front of a mirror and hold a ruler up to your nose, such that the measuring edge runs directly underneath both your pupils.
Close your right eye and look directly at your left eye. Move the ruler such that the “0” mark appears directly underneath the center of your left pupil. Try to keep the ruler still for the next step.
Close your left eye and look directly at your right eye. The mark directly underneath the center of your right pupil is your inter-pupillary distance.
Ask a Friend (but you need a ruler… and a friend)
Are you a vampire with no need for mirrors in your home? Ask a friend with a steady hand to hold a ruler directly under your eyes. Look straight forward at a distant object and ask your friend to align the “0” mark with the center of one pupil and then read the measurement under the center of your other pupil. That measurement is your IPD.
This is also an ideal way to measure the IPD of a VR novice to which you’re demoing VR.
Why Correctly Setting Your IPD is Important in a VR or AR Headset
Tricking our brains into believing we’re seeing another reality starts by feeding our eyes imagery which closely matches how we perceive the real world. That means making sure the images are correctly aligned with each eye, just like adjusting the width on a pair of binoculars.
Since we always see the real world from the perspective of or own IPD, correct alignment in a headset is important for matching our ingrained sense of 3D depth and scale. If the IPD of your headset is incorrectly set, the scale of the virtual world will appear to be slightly incorrect.
Even if a given headset doesn’t have a physical IPD adjustment, most headsets have a software IPD adjustment which can correct the sense of scale. In both cases you’ll need to know your own IPD measurement to set this properly.
Setting the correct IPD is also very important for maximizing image quality in VR and AR headsets.
Most headsets have lenses and displays which are designed to achieve maximum clarity and field of view when seen through the ‘optical center’ of the lens (this is also called the ‘sweet spot’). If the center of your eyes don’t align with the optical center of the lenses, you won’t get that maximum clarity and field of view; depending upon the lens, such misalignment can lead to a surprising reduction in visual quality.
Luckily, many headsets have physical IPD adjustments which allow you to change the distance between the lenses to align your eyes with the optical center of the lenses. All major headsets with physical IPD adjustments have digital readouts in millimeters that display inside the headset which you can use to match to your own IPD.
In summary, knowing your IPD and setting it correctly is important for achieving the best visual experience and comfort in any headset. And if your measured IPD is an outlier, you should make sure your headset of choice can accommodate your IPD; a headset with a physical IPD adjustment will support a much wider range of IPD measurements.
There’s are plenty of great apps on the Quest Store, but did you know you can download games, experiences, and useful tools from an entirely different library? With SideQuest, you can expand your horizons with unofficial mods, tools, and indie gems of all sorts, both paid and free. Find out how (and why) with this handy dandy guide.
SideQuest has an awesome library of content, including cool multiplayer games, mods for games you already own on Quest such as Beat Saber, and tools that can let you do things Meta doesn’t always allow.
That’s what ‘sideloading’ is for: letting you install any app you want and mod it without oversight. That level of functional exclusivity has changed somewhat with the entrance of App Lab, although SideQuest is still the fastest way of getting new apps. We’ve heard reports of developers waiting up to six weeks to get their apps approved for App Lab.
What you’ll need:
Quest or Quest 2
A computer or modern Android device – Computers include: Windows 8 or above PC, Linux PCs, macOS
USB Type-C cable to transfer apps from computer /Android device to Quest
A few minutes to jump through some hoops
1: Install SideQuest on Your Computer or Android Device
Computer: You’ll find all of the latest builds on SideQuest’s website, including those for Windows 8 and up PCs, Linux, and macOS. Once installed, you can technically launch it and peruse all of the apps, although you’ll need to do a few minor chores first before SideQuest will properly recognize your headset, so don’t plug it in just yet. There’s also now a new in-VR sideloading function which lets you download games from SideQuest directly when inside VR.
Android: Download the SideQuest Android app on Google Play Store. Don’t plug in your cable just yet.
2: Put on Your Dev Hat
Get under the hood of Quest as a developer. You only need to jump through a single hoop here to get you officially recognized as such.
Just head over to the Developer Organization dashboard, login to your Oculus account, and create what Meta considers an “organization.” Toss a random name in there (if you truly aren’t a developer) and agree to the terms of service. You may also need to verify your account using either a credit card or a phone number if it’s not already verified.
Image courtesy Meta
Computer: If you’re a Windows user, you’ll also need some extra driver software before going any further. Both mac and Linux users can skip to step three. If you’re a Windows user, download these Oculus Go drivers, which also work for Quest. Simply extract the zip folder by right clicking the android_winusb.inf file and clicking ‘Install’.
3: Enable Developer Mode and Reboot
As a Quest user, you should already have the Oculus app installed on your mobile device. Turn on your Quest if it isn’t already, open the Oculus app on you phone, go to ‘Menu’ section on the bottom right hand side, go to ‘Settings’.
Image captured by Road to VR
Make sure your headset is marked as ‘Connected’ within the app, head into ‘Developer Mode’, then simply toggle it on. Reboot your Quest now.
4: Connect Quest to Your Device via USB & Allow USB Debugging
You’re at the home stretch! Plug your freshly rebooted Quest into your computer/Android device using a USB Type-C cable.
Android: This can be tricky for users on older Android devices since micro USB to USB Type-C is fairly rare. We’d suggest using a modern Android device fitted with a Type-C port.
Now physically put on your headset, and you should see a window (in VR) that says ‘Allow USB debugging?’ at which point you simply click the check box ‘Always allow from this computer’.
The team behind SideQuest points out that it’s important to Disable Unlock Pattern too. You can do this by going back to the Oculus mobile app and going through Settings > Quest > More Settings > Unlock Pattern. It’s right near the Developer Mode option you toggled before.
5: Sideload Everything
And there you have it! Now you can open the SideQuest app and browse a whole new universe of VR games, prototypes, demos, tools and more. Keep your Quest connected (shown as a green dot in upper left corner of the app), and you’ll be able to install and uninstall sideloaded apps to your heart’s content. This goes for both computer and Android devices.
Image captured by Road to VR
Although, there’s one more trick for Android users. You can also wirelessly sideload apps via Wi-Fi.
To do that, you need to be already set up for transfer via cable connection. Go into the SideQuest app and pop in your local IP address. You can reveal your local IP address by clicking the Wi-Fi icon whilst in Quest’s home environment, selecting the network you’re currently connected to, and scrolling all the way down to reveal the string of numbers. These oftentimes beginning with ‘192’. Now you can sideload apps wirelessly from your phone to your Quest!
Oh, and if you’re still having trouble, check out this handy video guide from the good people at SideQuest:
Update (June 27th, 2022): Updated to include new in-headset sideloading mode.
One of VR’s biggest strengths is the ability to make those at a distance feel like they’re physically near each other. While this is great for visiting with friends remotely, there’s a number of VR companies betting that virtual reality office environments, remote collaboration, and working from home in VR are going to be the future of work. Here’s a look at a handful of VR apps built for remote collaboration.
Updated – August 31st, 2021
Team Collaboration, Presentation, & Virtual Offices
These apps are designed for professionals who need to collaborate, meet, discuss, present, and make collective decisions, as well as those who want to be able to use their PC for productivity in VR while connected with others.
“Connec2 is a virtual collaboration platform that allows you to have a lifelike social experience. Imagine a virtual extension of your workspace in which physical boundaries disappear. Teleport as your digital avatar to the virtual workspace to start collaborating together. It doesn’t matter where you are, Connec2 makes you feel present at any meeting.”
“Glue is a modern collaboration platform for teams who need remote meetings to be as great as face-to-face meetings. Glue brings remote teams together to learn, share, plane and create. Combining the best in immersive 3D graphics, virtual reality and cloud computing technology, Glue empowers teams everywhere to maximize their collaboration potential.”
“Immersed enables you and others to collaborate remotely by immersing you into the same VR workspace! Be in the same virtual room with up to 7 people! Multiscreen Sharing. Share as many screens as you’d like with others, no matter what computer you’re using. Remote Whiteboarding! Brainstorm ideas with others.”
“MeetinVR enables your company to have powerful meetings in interactive VR spaces. It enables activities which are impossible or very hard to do remotely such as to present and review products and 3D models, brainstorm, sketch, mind-map, prototype and have team-building activities. All of these while interacting in a natural and easy to learn way.”
“MeetingRoom has developed a platform which will transform how businesses collaborate. We offer a virtual meeting room with collaboration and presentation tools, manipulated by the participants; pointing, discussing, marking and deleting with up to 12 other team members using virtual reality headsets. Access from non-VR platforms is also available.”
“Step into your virtual reality office or classroom. rumii can be used across virtual reality headsets and desktops for collaboration, classes and meetings. Great for remote teams, education and digital nomads.”
“Spatial turns the space around you into a shared augmented workplace. Remote users can collaborate, search, brainstorm and share content as if they were in the same room.”
“vSpatial is a virtual reality workspace that connects users to their computer applications and coworkers in an amazing way that makes their jobs easier and more delightful. vSpatial leverages the magic of VR and makes it possible for all participants in a meeting to easily share multiple applications with each other all at the same time. This all happens simply and seamlessly, with the voice conversation moving to the next level with intuitive controls and crystal clear spatial audio. Collaboration has now become more efficient and effective saving our users time, money and frustration.”
“Horizon Workrooms (beta) is the VR space for teams to connect, collaborate and develop ideas, together. Meet teammates across the table, even if you’re across the world. Transform your home office into your new favorite meeting room—and your desk into a shared table where you can gather with your team. With the Oculus Quest 2 and Oculus Remote Desktop app, you can use your computer to collaborate side-by-side with your team in VR. Can’t make it in VR? Dial into a VR meeting through video call from your laptop or desktop computer.
Design, Creation, & Prototyping
These apps lean toward collaborative spatial design, sketching, prototyping, brainstorming, and review.
“Work together with your whole team in Sketchbox, and feel like you’re in the same room, even if you’re on different continents. Perfect for collaborative design sessions, presentations, and design reviews. Instantly start a VR meeting.”
“Softspace is a spatial thinking tool for creative individuals and teams. Build beautiful virtual project spaces where you can organize, develop, and communicate your best ideas.”
Visualization & Review
These apps are oriented toward collaborative visualization, review, and annotation of CAD designs, 3D models, big data, complex code, and more.
“Experience and collaborate in your 3D-model like you are there. We allow you to experience your 3D-design rather than viewing it on a flat 2D computer screen. Make better decisions, save time and Identify design challenges together with your colleagues or customers. Increase common understanding and facilitate for more creative discussions.”
“Communicate your vision with greater clarity and gain the trust of clients. Make decisions with speed and confidence by experiencing a true to scale space. Run QA/QC to catch costly coordination issues. Walk through your 3D files with colleagues in VR, no matter their location. Multiuser provides reliable voice chat and a shared virtual environment for presentations and design reviews.”
“PiXYZ Review allows you to easily import a wide range of CAD models from industry-leading solutions, easily handling large and complex assemblies. Interact with your CAD model using manipulation and visualization tools for a desktop use. Also, instantly switch to a powerful VR mode for an immersive and interactive experience with a VR headset. Finally, collaborate easily with your coworkers thanks to an easy-to-use Collaboration mode.”
“STAGE gives you real-time communication, immersive visualization and an awareness for atmosphere. Additionally, a meeting in STAGE saves costs compared to present-meetings.”
“VISIONxR is an immersive platform allowing multiple users, in multiple locations, on multiple devices (VR, AR, desktop and mobile) to collaborate, communicate and learn together. It removes the barrier of geography, reduces time and travel costs and speeds up the process of learning and collaboration. VISIONxR is a response to the changing world of work and learning where real-time collaboration and knowledge share empower and enhance performance.”
“Meet with others inside your secure, real-time VR environment. Interact with objects and each other. Engage your audience to the max. Review sessions, then revise, republish, and re-use your immersive experiences. Work on them with others in your organization in real-time, like with a Google Doc.”
“Discover the best place for building teams to present, collaborate, and review projects together from anywhere. Put your stakeholders inside your design remotely from any location. Effectively communicate spatial concepts through immersive design reviews to unlock better decisions and alignment.”
Education & Training
These VR collaboration tools are built with an eye toward remote education, training, lectures, and large presentations.
“Acadicus provides a flexible method for delivering a wide variety of VR training scenarios. Live VR sessions enable multiple instructors and/or students to be together in VR, interacting with assets while participating remotely.”
“Engage is an education and corporate training platform in virtual reality. It empowers educators and companies to host meetings, presentations, classes and events with people across the world. Using the platform, virtual reality training and experiences can be created in minutes. The tools are very easy to use and require no technical expertise. You can choose to host your virtual reality sessions live, or record and save them for others to experience later. A wide variety of effective and immersive virtual experiences can be created with an extensive library of virtual objects, effects and virtual locations available on the platform.”
“Providing learners with quality clinical experiences is a challenge. OMS virtual reality nursing scenarios allows nursing educators to deliver immersive, standardized simulation scenarios, feedback and blended learning in one easy to set-up intuitive platform. The OMS VR platform allows nursing students to access flexible, immersive, engaging scenarios whenever they need to, achieving first rate educational outcomes whilst saving organizations time, space and money. With libraries of scenarios for nursing students, registered nurses and nurse practitioners OMS support all groups of learners.”
“Create your own immersive experiences. Combine any content to make your own VR experience in a couple of minutes. Collaborate and learn together from anywhere, synchronously or on-demand.”
Social VR Platforms
Social VR platforms are made for connecting users for general and entertainment purposes like discussions, group events, activities, and more. While there are many more social VR apps out there, we focused here on those which might provide value to those looking for remote working solutions rather than gaming and entertainment.
“AltspaceVR is the premier place to attend live shows, meetups, cool classes, and more with friendly people from around the world. All thanks to the magic of Virtual Reality.
Easily start your own meetup, show or class and discover the next frontier of entertainment and community.”
“Use cases of Bigscreen include both entertainment and productivity. It’s used as a virtual living room to watch movies, play videogames, browse the web, and hangout with friends. It’s also used for productivity as a tool for remote teams to collaborate together in virtual offices.”
So you’ve got your greasy mitts on a Meta Quest 2, and you’re wondering what to buy after you’ve exhausted all of the best free games and experiences available on the standalone headset. Whether you’re into active games, puzzles, or just want to slice or shoot the ever-living crap out of something, we’re here to help you settle into your new headset with a few games that should keep you playing for hundreds of hours yet to come.
Note: This list includes only native Quest games. Don’t forget that you can also play PC games with either Oculus Link or Air Link and a VR-ready PC. Find out if your PC is ready for Link.
This list below is a great starting point if you’re looking to burn pretty close to a single Benjamin, although you should definitely check out our list of the best and most rated Meta Quest games now available, which also includes prices to help you whittle away your hard-earned cash.
Each genre section breaks down pretty close to $100 bucks, which includes games to get your heart pumping, shooter fans, puzzle nerds, fantasy swordplay geeks, and much more.
Multiplayer Shooting Madness
After the Fall – $40
After the Fall is basically Valve’s Left 4 Dead in VR. This four-player co-op shooter pits you against hordes of zombies across a handful of linear levels, all of which are characteristically dotted with safehouses. Zombies aren’t very intimidating as individuals, but when the masses start streaming in from every corner, you’ll be glad you have a good team to back you up and the gun you grinded for with the points you picked up from—you guessed it—shooting zombies.
Population One is VR’s very own battle royale, letting you team up in 24-player matches so you can climb, glide, run, and scrounge your way to victory. You’ll be battling against teams of hardcore players in this heavily populated, cross-platform shooter, so make sure to pick your squad wisely.
The Quest version of Onward was widely maligned for bringing down the PC VR experience when it went cross-platform, but it’s still one of the best mil-sims on Quest. This online mil-sim shooter is filled with hardcore users thanks to its realism, which means you’ll need to use all of the sort of military tactics to win against the other team. Communicate clearly, make sure you’re not running ahead of the pack Leroy Jenkins-style, and get good at shooting.
Thanks to Steam’s hardware agnostic approach, it’s become the defacto repository of all things PC VR (excluding Oculus exclusives, of course). Every major PC VR headset is supported through the SteamVR platform, including Oculus Rift S, HTC Vive, Valve Index, Pimax, and Windows VR headsets; not to mention Oculus Quest, which thanks to Oculus Link lets you play PC VR games from the Oculus Store, Steam, and Viveport.
So you may be wondering, what are the best VR games for SteamVR headsets recently? You may find a couple repeats from our 10 Best Recent Rift Games, but there’s still plenty of top-scoring games to dig into here. Now, in no particular order, our top 10 best games for SteamVR headsets.
Note: Below you’ll find links pointing to Steam and Viveport, as the latter also offers support for many of the major VR headsets.
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
Ganking zombies takes practice, and you’ll get all of that and more as you grab walkers by the head, jab screwdrivers into their eyes, sneak around the shambolic horde, and think about how much your life has changed since you got a VR headset. It’s not an open world adventure, but it does its best to give you plenty of places to visit and even a few choices to make that definitely flexes its mostly-linear narrative.
Cool weapon mods, refined physics-based zombie killing, and a high level of polish put this one head and shoulders (ok, maybe not ‘head’) above many other similar games in the genre. Check out why we gave The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners a super solid [9/10] in our review.
Half-Life: Alyx
It’s a weird time to be alive. After over a decade of waiting, Valve has finally revived the Half-Life franchise, and it did it to spectacular effect in VR with Half-Life: Alyx (2020). Delve back into the dystopian City 17, set between the first and second Half-Life games.
Seriously, the level of detail is amazing in Half-Life: Alyx, making the linear narrative feel lived-in and much larger than it really is. And that’s saying something, because this full-featured puzzle-shooter boasts 15 hours of gameplay that is totally justified playing it straight through. Stop and smell the daises though, because we gave it our top score of 10/10 for good reason.
Fujii
Funktronic Labs describes Fujii as “magical, musical hike through lush, chromatic VR wilderness,” and even though this little escape from the daily grind is more of a chill gardening sim than your standard game, it’s one of those games that will have you coming back, even if you’re not sure why.
Road to VR’s Ben Lang calls Fujii’s lack of instructions “a testament to the intuitive VR game design skills of developer Funktronic Labs,” noting that players learn to interact with the world almost exclusively by doing, exploring, and testing the limits of the world in way that makes it a truly unique and personal experience. Check out why we gave Fujii an [8/10] in our review.
Pistol Whip
It feels like Cloudhead Games took a slice of Beat Saber (2018), a little dusting of Smash Hit (2015), a few shards of SUPERHOT VR (2017) and mixed it all together to create Pistol Whip, a VR rhythm shooter that engages your body in a very unique and compelling way.
You’re constantly moving forward through a levels where enemies appear and shoot at you, and it’s your job to not only return fire, but dodge incoming bullets too. Flow state is the name of the game here (ok, it’s Pistol Whip, but you know what I mean), and although we are still technically waiting for more music to fill out its 10-song library, it’s a game you’ll be able to pick up easily but have a hard time mastering. Check out our preview to learn more about why we like it so much.
BONEWORKS
Boneworks (2019) from Stress Level Zero is not only an achievement in VR physics simulation, but it also basically brought to VR what Valve couldn’t. That was of course before Half-Life: Alyx was even public knowledge, but this part HL homage, part physics sandbox is still a super interesting game that takes a hardliner stance on how to best immerse the player.
We didn’t give it the best score in our review—a respectable [6/10], which on our linear grading scale puts it at “good”. Due to a minimal narrative, you have to create some of the fun for yourself, which might just be right up your alley.
Until You Fall (Early Access)
Until You Fall arrives to us from Schell Games, the studio behind the super successful VR puzzler I Expect You to Die (2017), making this hack-and-slash melee adventure a bit out of left field for the studio.
Nonetheless, it offers up what Road to VR’s Ben Lang calls “a surprisingly rich combat experience which successfully fuses meta-game elements in a way that no other VR title has yet managed.” It’s still in Early Access, so we haven’t given it a score in our EA review; if we had to, it would certainly be high up there.
Beat Saber
What’s a ‘best-of’ list without Beat Saber (2018), the game that has basically become synonymous with VR at this point. Granted, it’s available now on basically any VR headset worth owning, although its overall input simplicity makes it perfect for a multi-device platform like SteamVR.
Ok, we get it. It’s not super recent, but the content keeps flowing at a pace we simply haven’t seen in other VR titles. Now that Facebook has bought developing studio Beat Games, there’s been a strong influx of content from household names like Green Day, Panic at the Disco!, Timbaland, and more to keep you coming back for that sweet, sweet paid DLC.
No Man’s Sky (New VR Support)
With No Man’s Sky (2016), Hello Games has gone the full hero’s journey. With one of the biggest hype cycles for an indie studio to weather, the worst releases in video game history, and nary a sign of a light at the end of the tunnel, No Man’s Sky easily could have slunk away into the darkness, never to be heard from again. Instead, Hello Games persevered and ardently improved No Man’s Sky, eventually even adding VR support with its free ‘Beyond’ update.
Its VR support didn’t exactly wow us when it first released; Road to VR contributor Gabriel Moss called it “a wonderful, deeply flawed space odyssey,” giving it a still pretty respectable [7.5/10]. Quality of life updates have gone a long way of keeping us coming back for more since it first launched though—Bethesda could learn from.
Vacation Simulator
Job Simulator (2016) wasn’t an easy act to follow, considering it was likely people’s first VR experience when it arrived as a launch title on basically all VR headsets. No fear though, because the owls at Owlchemy Labs hashed out a slightly new direction with its more relaxed little bro, Vacation Simulator, which includes a story line, a more open environment and a ton of vacation-style activities to explore and play.
Some fans of the original may not exactly gel with the new direction Vacation Simulator takes, but we’re willing to bet many people will have a blast going through the gads of activities. Anyway, we did, which is why we gave it a resounding [8.8] in our review.
Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs
Angry Birds in VR? Pffft. That sounds lame! But no! It’s actually really fun, and not at all a diseased microtransaction-riddled mess like its mobile forbears have become. Here, Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs actually hits on some seriously fun gameplay by letting you not only knock down complex creations overrun by evil little piggies, but now you can even make your own block fortresses in creative mode.
Angry Birds just works in VR thanks to an intuitive shooting mechanic and a good mix of difficulty levels, which were big factors in why we gave it a [8.5/10] in our review.l
Update (March 26th, 2020): Out with the old, in with the new. We’ve updated to include a few of VR’s most promising recent games that you should definitely consider now that you’ll never leave the house.
VR is finding uses in everything from art and design to training, research, and entertainment. An unexpected byproduct of VR’s immersion is its ability to flip the notion of in-home entertainment being necessarily sedentary. With the right games and techniques, VR can be in fact be an excellent workout. Here we’re sharing a VR workout routine that’s designed to be as fun as it is physical and comprised of games compatible with all major headsets.
Updated – December 10th, 2021
Yes, there are dedicated VR apps specifically designed for fitness. But if you’re anything like me, the biggest challenge is not the ability to exercise, but maintaining consistent motivation. Luckily it’s easy to get yourself to workout if it’s a byproduct of something inherently fun—the difference between lifting weights vs. playing a sport.
So I’ve put together for myself a three-game VR workout routine in which none of the games are explicitly made for fitness (which means they focus first and foremost on fun), but combined with the right settings and technique can be a solid workout; here’s my FitBit tracked stats after a session.
Of course, what you get out of any workout depends on what you put in. Yes, you could play these games without putting in nearly this much effort, but I was playing for both fun and fitness, so I really put myself into my movements. I’ll explain below what kind of techniques will help you put the most into—and get the most out of—each game.
Since not all of these games are available on all VR platforms (we’ll note where you can find them), you can make up your own combination of games and time spent.
Grab a big cup of water (you will need it for breaks) and strap that headset on tight—here’s the rundown:
Beat Saber is a rhythm game that emphasises motion over timing. With a growing set of built-in tracks with polished beatmaps, it’s easy and fun to play, and very engaging trying to work your way up from Easy to Expert+ difficulty levels. Tracks vary in intensity, even at the same difficulty level; you’ll start to get a feel for which ones demand the most effort. [Read Our Beat Saber Review]
Settings & Technique
Play at the highest difficulty level that you’re comfortable with. Expert+ will of course be the most physical, and you should ideally build your way up to that, but even playing on Hard or Expert, the right technique will get your blood pumping. I highly suggest playing with ‘No Fail’ enabled; this will let you focus on fitness and flow rather than getting interrupted by failing a song.
The key is big swings. Keep your feet planted; focus less on your wrists and more on moving your arms. I find that the best way to have fun while putting in effort is to try to swing at each block with as much force as I can while still managing to reach the next block in time. The key is to smoothly move your swings from one block to the next; this makes a fun challenge where you need to strategize your movements to consider how to most efficiently move from one swing to the next even while making big, hard swings. When you really get into the zone you should feel that satisfying flow state that will carry you through.
You’ll want to take off the headset for a five minute cooldown and water break when you find yourself really out of breath. See if you can build yourself up to completing one entire ‘album’ before taking your break (albums have different lengths, so choose wisely).
Pistol Whip is a rhythm shooter focused on flow and target management rather than aiming precision. Enemies appear as you move forward through the level and it’s your job to dispatch them while also dodging their incoming fire. It might not look it at first glance, but because of the way you need to move to dodge incoming fire Pistol Whip can be a great leg workout, making it a perfect complement to Beat Saber. [Read our Pistol Whip Review]
Settings & Technique
Similar to Beat Saber, I highly recommend playing at the highest level you can and with ‘No Fail’ enabled; this will ensure you don’t get interrupted or frustrated by failing a level. Higher difficulty requires more movement and will provide a better workout. I also highly recommend the ‘Dual Wield’ mode, which will put a gun in each of your hands instead of just one. With two guns it’s easier to find that satisfying flow state that will keep you going.
The key for a good Pistol Whip workout is to keep your feet planted as often as possible. From here you’ll need to move your upper body around to dodge incoming fire as you return fire to kill enemies. Moving in this way will make great use of your legs. Don’t be afraid to get down real low to dodge—not only is it an effective technique for dodging, it’s also going to get those leg muscles flexing.
Listen to the music and keep your body moving to the beat. Combining your shooting and dodging into a continuous flowing motion is the key to fun and fitness in this game.
Until You Fall is a rogue-lite melee combat game in which you battle as far as you can until you inevitably perish. With each run you’ll earn money which can be used to buy and upgrade weapons to make you stronger for your next bout. Being a successful knight requires patience and strategy, making this a great cooldown game because you can flex your brain while your muscles wind down. [Read Our Until You Fall Review]
Settings & Technique
Just like Beat Saber the key here is to make big swings. This isn’t just for your workout though, bigger swings in Until You Fall mean more damage dealt to enemies, so you’re killing two birds with one stone.
In the game you can choose from a handful of weapons to hold in each hand. If you pick one of the ‘talisman’ items (which give stat boosts but cannot block or attack), you’ll be able to concentrate all of your physical effort into one arm. Try alternating the talisman into your opposite hand each time you die, this will force you to train up the coordination and muscle memory in your non-dominant hand which will help you in the game later if you switch back to using a weapon in each hand.
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Addendum
Mix it Up
The above is just a rough suggestion, modify the times to whatever feels suitable for you. If you want even more workout for your time, consider adding 10 crunches each time you have to take your headset off for a drink of water. In Until You Fall, consider adding your own fitness ‘penalty’ for dying (like 10 jumping jacks) to raise the stakes and make you fight harder to survive!
Wipe it Down
Don’t let your headset turn into a gnarly mess! After a good session you should definitely remove the headset’s face foam and give it a good squeeze down with a damp paper towel in hand, followed by a dry paper towel for any remaining moisture. Feel around the headset’s other straps to see if they need also need a wipe down. Your controllers may need some attention too.
Got suggestions for other great VR games which offer both fun and fitness? Drop them in the comments below!
Update (December 10th, 2021): Since originally publishing this article, all three games have become widely available on all major headsets! We’ve updated the article with the price of each game and links to each major platform, as well freshened up some links with our latest reviews.
Oculus Link and Oculus Air Link (also called Quest Link and Quest Air Link) allows you to use your Quest headset to play PC VR games, opening up a world of high quality content that you simply won’t find on the Quest Store. Here’s a breakdown of the Oculus Link and Air Link recommended system requirements and hardware specs, and what you’ll need to use Quest, Quest 2, Quest 3, or Quest Pro to play Rift and SteamVR games on your PC.
You’ll need a reasonably powerful PC to play Rift and Steam games on Quest via Oculus Link & Air Link, though many modern gaming PCs with NVIDIA or AMD graphics cards will fit the bill. Here’s the PC hardware you’ll need for Quest, Quest 2, Quest 3, and Quest Pro to work on PC.
Oculus Link & Air Link Compatible Graphics Cards
GPU
Supported
Not Currently Supported
NVIDIA Titan Z
NVIDIA Titan X
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (desktop, 3GB)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (desktop, 6GB)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (all)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (all)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Super
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20/30*/40-series (all)
AMD 200 Series
AMD 300 Series
AMD 400 Series
AMD 500 Series
AMD 5000 Series
AMD 6000 Series*
AMD Vega Series
*NVIDIA 3050 (laptop) and 3050ti GPUs are not recommended for use with Link *Radeon RX 6500 is not recommended for use with Link
Oculus Link & Air Link CPU, RAM, USB, and Operating System Recommended System Requirements
Recommended Specs
Processor
Intel i7 / AMD Ryzen 7 or greater
Memory
16GB+ RAM
Operating System
Windows 10+
USB Ports
1x USB-C port (unless using Air Link)
Oculus Link vs. Air Link
What’s the difference between Oculus Link and Oculus Air Link? Oculus Link uses a cable to connect your headset directly to your PC. This will generally result in the best visual performance, and in most cases it will let your headset’s battery last significantly longer than if you use Air Link.
Oculus Air Link is the same feature as Oculus Link, except wireless. If you have an ideal network configuration, Air Link can be a great way to easily play PC games wirelessly with Quest. Without an ideal network configuration, you might have issues with Air Link (like lag or low quality visuals).
Tethered: Oculus Link Cable
Oculus Link technically works with any USB cable, including the one that comes in the box with Quest, but without a fairly long cable you won’t have much room to move around. If you’re only planning to play seated games like racing or flying sims, you can probably get by with the included cable, but you’ll probably want to buy a dedicated cable that’s long enough that you can really spread your virtual wings.
Alternatively, Oculus sells a lighter (but much more expensive) 16ft USB 3.0 Oculus Link cable for $80, also available on Amazon.
Whether you pick a third-party USB 3.0 cable or Oculus’ own cable, both will give you the same visual experience when used with Oculus Link.
Wireless: Oculus Air Link Network Recommendations
You’ll need a properly configured network for Oculus Air Link to deliver a good wireless PC VR experience. Here’s what to do to ensure the best performance:
PC connected to router/access-point via Ethernet cable
Router supporting Wi-Fi 5 (also called 802.11AC) or Wi-Fi 6 / Wi-Fi 6E (also called 802.11AX)
Headset connected to 5GHz Wi-Fi band
Router in the same room as the headset or in line-of-sight, and at least 1m off the ground
Don’t use a mesh network configuration (extenders, etc)
Get the Most Out of Quest
The Best Quest 3 Accessories: Quest 3 is a great headset but there's a few areas where accessoires can really improve the experience, especially the headstrap!
The Very Best Quest Games: The Quest library can be daunting, here's our quick guide to the best games.
Essential Quest Tips, Tricks, and Settings: If you're just diving into VR as a new Quest owner, you should absolutely check out our Quest Tips & Tricks Guide for a heap of useful tricks and settings everyone should know about.
Fitness and Fun on Quest: For fitness in VR that's as fun as it is physical, check out our suggestion for a VR Workout Routine.
Relaxing in VR: Are you less of a competitive gamer and more interested in how you can use VR to chill out? We have a great list of VR Games for Relaxation and Meditation.
Flex Your Creativity in VR: And last but not least, if you're a creative type looking to express yourself in VR, our list of Tools for Painting, Modeling, Designing & Animating in VR offers a huge range of artful activities, with something for everyone from fiddlers to professionals.
VR games are difficult to market, especially when they don’t fit obviously into existing genres. Here’s 12 gems you may have overlooked but are well worth your consideration.
Updated – August 21st, 2020
The Paradox of VR Game Development
There exists a paradox of sorts in the VR game development landscape: many of VR’s most interesting games just don’t look like the sort of non-VR games we’re all familiar with. By not obviously fitting into existing genres—the ‘shooter’, ‘RPG’, ‘racer’, ‘puzzler’, etc—it’s very difficult to actually market such titles, no matter how excellent they may be.
The result, as I’ve found over the years, is a surprising number of ‘indie VR gems’: VR titles which are much better than their lack of noteirty would suggest. Oftentimes these games are rated exceptionally well by those who give them a chance, but getting people to decide to try them in the first place is the real challenge.
This is a double bummer because it’s these very developers—who are thinking outside the box and discovering what native VR games actually look like—which we should supporot if we want to accelerate the maturation of VR game design. Indies are usually working with small teams and shoestring budgets; if they don’t at least break-even with each VR project, it’s unlikely that they will be able to justify a followup and continue to help push VR game design forward.
So, if you want to help VR succeed, and have some fun in the process, take a careful look at these 12 indie VR gems and consider giving them a shot. I would be blown away if everyone doesn’t find at least one title they think is worth owning in this list. And you have little to lose here if you’re using Oculus or Steam; both have very reasonable refund policies: if you find out the game isn’t for you and you’ve played it for less than two hours, you’re entitled to a full refund within 14 days of your purchase.
Indie VR Gems
Real quick: this list isn’t intended to be comprehensive, nor is it scientific. In the VR space most developers fit the definition of ‘indie’ (those which aren’t working with a publisher). For the purposes of this article, I’m loosely defining an ‘indie gem’ to mean ‘a VR game which deserves more attention than it receives’, whether or not it is from a recognizable VR studio. Without further ado, and in no specific order:
Fujii is part walking simulator, part puzzler, and part meditation. The game presents a serene world which somehow manages to offer a feeling of exploration without traversing huge distances. As you explore and solve light puzzles, you’ll discover new plants and bring their seeds back to your garden. The garden acts as a persistent ‘home’ space which you can cultivate and customize to your liking by planting and watering your plants. Fujii does so much right in design and aesthetics. Nearly everything you do feels good, thanks to intuitive interactions and expert use of sound, animation, and haptics. This is a game which delivers a sense of delight just by being in its world.
Compound is a randomly generated rogue-lite shooter with a style all its own. Something about its 8-bit artwork manages to feel totally authentic and while still somehow completely at home even in the medium of VR which is so far removed from the 8-bit era. This is a challenging game; lethal and unforgiving enemies bring a heightened sense of immersion as you’ll need to be on high alert to prioritize and eliminate threats to succeed. Luckily you’ve got an array of interesting and fun weapons, each with its own sense of character.
While a handful of better known flight simulators exist with optional VR support, the vast majority are made for keyboard and mouse input or peripherals like flight sticks. VTOL VR sets itself apart by being made from the ground-up for VR and motion controllers. So set your HOTAS aside and bask in the feeling of interacting directly with the controls in your cockpit as you operate critical aircraft functions, identify targets, and engage enemies without needing to buy niche peripherals to make it all feel great.
Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades (AKA H3VR) [Early Access]
Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, also known as H3VR, is a VR sandbox for the gun aficionado. With more than 300 unique weapons in the game, you could spend hours just exploring the detailed custom sounds and interactions of each gun, right down to individually chambered rounds, folding stocks, fire modes, and adjustable iron sights. With heaps of modular accessories, you can do everything from the realistic—like adding sights, grips, and lasers to your favorite assault rifle—to the unholy—like turning a pistol into a kitbashed sniper rifle. Once you’ve got your arsenal sorted out, you can hit the shooting range, play a heap of mini-games and activities, or make up your own. Though H3VR launched in early access in 2016, its developer has been actively updating the game ever since, regularly bringing major new content additions and improvements over time, like the Team Fortress 2 weapon set.
Sprint Vector is a racing game that offers a sense of speed and mobility that’s hard to find anywhere else in the VR gaming landscape. Channeling elements of arcade racing games like Mario Kart with a Mirror’s Edge sense of flow, Sprint Vector’s unique take on ‘arm swinger’ locomotion is a revolution in its ability to maintain comfort even while you’re cruising at breakneck speeds—and it can be a good workout to boot. Alongside a competitive racing mode, the game also offers time trials which challenge you not just to be fast, but also to be creative as you look for new routes to shave precious seconds off your record. This game’s strong visual presentation is topped off by an excellent soundtrack.
Panoptic is a stellar asymmetric VR game where one player wearing a headset takes on the role of a giant and menacing ‘overseer’ while another player outside of VR plays as a tiny saboteur who attempts to blend in with roaming NPCs and destroy key objectives without being discovered. Thanks to VR, the overseer’s embodied presence and giant scale feel exceptionally imposing to the tiny non-VR player, creating tense moments where a single slip-up could lead to a suspenseful cat-and-mouse chase. The overseer may be powerful, but they can’t watch everything all at once; with a blend of strategy and cunning, the saboteur can prevail. The need for only one VR headset makes Panoptic a great game for sharing some of VR’s unique fun with friends who don’t have VR headsets themselves. While the game currently only supports local multiplayer, we found that Steam’s Remote Play Together feature makes it pretty easy to play Panoptic together online.
FREEDIVER: Triton Down is a short but worthwhile narrative adventure about an oceanographer who gets caught in a capsized research vessel after discovering something unexpected in a cave in the ocean depths. The game is built entirely around a unique ‘swimming’ locomotion system which is more than just a way to get the player from A to B; not only does it allow you to seamlessly navigate in 3D space underwater, it creates a built-in tension between movement and survival as the player has to surface for air or risk drowning. This effectively puts a time limit on puzzle solving which is always in the back of your mind, especially as the oxygen indicator on your arm beeps as it gets closer to 0%. Thanks to engaging interactive elements and thoughtful VR design, this is an adventure worth taking.
Virtual Virtual Reality is a narrative-driven VR game with an intriguing concept that’s worth seeing through to the end. As the name implies, you’ll find yourself popping in and out of various levels of virtual reality to navigate the game’s light puzzle elements while experiencing its strong art direction, writing, and interaction design. The developers include “an artichoke screams at you” among the game’s ‘key features’, which ought to give you an idea of the comedic flavor within.
Electronauts is half game, half tool, and wholly unique. It’s a VR music mixing game which lets you tap into your inner musical creativity even if you don’t have any idea how to play an instrument or make music from scratch. Each song in the game is effectively a ‘kit’ which includes various backing tracks, vocals, and unique instruments. Even though the game does much of the heavy lifting behind the scenes to keep everything in the right key and on beat, you’ll be surprised at how much freedom you have to make each song your own. While there’s no ‘objectives’, there’s much satisfaction to be had at managing seamless transitions between song segments, creating instrument loops that add a new flavor, and one of my favorite challenges: bringing each song to a smooth conclusion. Electronauts is an incredible way to experience the magic of music, and with multiplayer (on the Steam and Oculus Rift versions of the game only) you can even jam with a friend.
Racket: Nx is a polished and high energy game which feels like a futuristic mashup of racquetball fused with elements of Breakout. Players stand at the center of a 360 degree arena with neon targets that pulsate to the game’s excellent soundtrack. With racket in hand, players smack the glowing orb to destroy some targets while avoiding others. There’s some depth to hitting the orb too: you can slice it to give it spin, or give it an especially firm smack to send it roll along the wall for bonus points before it finally bounces back. Powerups and portals add additional variety. Racket: Nx can be a good workout, and is great for playing with VR friends thanks to cross-platform multiplayer between all versions of the game.
Until You Fall is a procedurally generated rogue-lite that’s all about melee combat. You’ll battle your way through a string of rooms populated with enemies of increasing difficulty. Eventually, inevitably, you’ll die. At the end of each round, you’ll respawn in a hub space where you can spend money you’ve earned on new weapons and upgrades, making you stronger for your next bout. The game successfully fuses VR sword combat with meta-game elements in a way that no other VR title has yet managed. Combat is underscored with a sense of deliberate strategy that can change from one encounter to the next, especially depending upon which weapons you choose to bring into battle.
As a VR mech game, Vox Machinae strikes and impressive balance between playability and immersion. It feels like a simulator, but manages to be almost as easy as an arcade game to pick up while remaining challenging to master. It’s controls and systems are intuitive enough that you can grasp the basics in a match or two, but that doesn’t stop the game from delivering a incredible sense of immersion thanks to its interactive cockpit and unique mech control model. Even now, two years after its early access launch, Vox Machinae remains arguably unmatched in immersion by any other VR mech game.
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Surely this list only covers a fraction of VR’s indie gems—let us know your own picks in the comments below!
Ready Player Me is a free web-based avatar creator which allows you to make avatars which are easily imported into VRChat, Mozilla Hubs, LIV, MeetinVR, and more, as well as being easily portable to other applications which support the .glb or .fbx file formats.
Tafi Avatars VRChat Edition is a freemium app which lets you configure and build a VRChat avatar.
