Fantastic Contraption, one of the first (and still one of the best) VR puzzle games out there, is finally coming to PSVR on July 11th and has been specially tuned for the platform, including unique levels not seen elsewhere and graphical enhancements for PS4 Pro.
Fantastic Contraption (2016) is a physics-based puzzle game made from the ground up for VR that will challenge your creativity by tasking you with a simple task: build a machine to deliver a purple orb into the goal zone. With a set of basic building materials—rods, wheels, and the like—you’ll be creating some surprisingly complex contraptions to beat the increasingly challenging levels.
Launching July 11th for $20
Originally launched on the HTC Vive and eventually Oculus Rift, the game has been well received on both platforms, and now it’s coming to PSVR. Announced via the Official PlayStation Blog, Fantastic Contraption will release on July 11th for PSVR priced at $20, including an additional 10% launch-week discount for PS Plus members. That’s $10 less than the Rift and Vive version.
Scale to Taste
Developer Radial Games says they’ve given special care to make the game work well with PSVR’s more limited tracking ability and computing power. While the Vive version has players building their contraption at life-size (thanks to a room-scale tracking area), the PSVR version of Fantastic Contraption is designed for seated play, giving players more of a workbench-like scale to craft their machines. The PSVR version will however allow players to resize the world at will to see it at any scale.
PSVR Exclusive Levels
Fantastic Contraption on PSVR will also get a “handful” of exclusive levels. “Try your hand bouncing around some moguls, attacking a big-bricked wall, and more! We’ve designed a few challenges specifically around seated play, and we know you’ll enjoy them,” the developer teases.
Native 120 FPS Rendering and PS4 Pro Enhancements
The game has been specially optimized for PS4 and PS4 Pro; Radial Games developer Andy Moore tells Road to VR that both consoles will render the game natively at 120 FPS which means it’ll look awfully smooth when you play (most PSVR games run at 60 FPS but interpolate to 120 FPS). The PS4 Pro version will see a range of enhancements, according to Radial Games:
8xAA – We averaged out all those sharp corners for smoother looking curves!
Higher-resolution textures – you can almost smell that wood-grain!
Improved backdrops and scenery
Additional special-effects and visual flairs
Extra island decorations
125% resolution oversampling – A fancy way of saying that things look real sharp in there.
If you love virtual reality (VR) puzzle experiences then Northway Games and Radial Games’ Fantastic Contraptionhas to be one of the best. An original launch title for HTC Vive and then arriving on release day for Oculus Touch, the lighthearted building title now has a confirmed released date for Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) PlayStation VR.
Back in December 2016 Radial Games’ Stephen Gray announced that Fantastic Contraption would be coming to PlayStation VR in Spring 2017. After that not much else was heard until today, when Radial Games’ Christopher Floyd revealed on PlayStation.Blog that the videogame now has a launch date of Tuesday, 11th July, 2017.
Not only that, but PlayStation VR users will also get exclusive levels found nowhere else and special headset only features that allow players to resize and position their gameworld at the press of a button. “We have a handful of brand-new, PlayStation-exclusive levels in the release,” said Floyd. “Try your hand bouncing around some moguls, attacking a big-bricked wall, and more! We’ve designed a few challenges specifically around seated play, and we know you’ll enjoy them.”
And it doesn’t stop there. If you happen to own a PlayStation VR Pro as well, there are a load of additional enhancements. These include: higher-resolution textures; improved backdrops and scenery; additional special-effects and visual flairs; extra island decorations and 125% resolution oversampling for improved sharpness.
At launch Fantastic Contraption will retail for $19.99 USD with a special launch-week promotion of 10 percent off available for PlayStation Plus users.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Fantastic Contraption, reporting back with the latest announcements.
Valve has added the first wave of SteamVR Collectibles to SteamVR Home, unlockable rewards which can be used to decorate your virtual Home space or modify your avatar. This new feature further expands the rich customisation and interactivity found in the SteamVR Home Beta, the recent major advancement to the SteamVR launch interface, and is a vision of what ‘achievements’ might look like in the future.
Announced via the SteamVR News page, Valve says the first wave of items are awarded based on ‘ownership or playtime’ of a selection of VR titles, but it seems likely that this could grow to support more skill-based unlocks or integrate with Steam’s existing Achievement and Trading Card systems, offering a much more tangible reward for specific challenges within Steam games.
Valve’s real money Community Market already features items for sale that have been unlocked for SteamVR Home, such as this AirMech model. It seems likely that Sony are paying close attention to Valve’s progress here, as PSVR would be the logical way to revive some elements of the PS3-based social platform PlayStation Home, which was also stacked full of virtual items and avatar customisation.
Virtual items have been a feature of Valve’s VR developments since the launch of the HTC Vive, demonstrated with various props found in The Lab, some of which made the transition to SteamVR Home. The first selection of Collectibles are mostly static, but it is possible for them to be interactive, such as the farting Neko toy from Fantastic Contraption.
Tangible collectibles in virtual reality is a very interesting idea for showing off one’s gaming achievements. Valve’s real-money take on trading compounds this interest; some of the most coveted and interesting items could be exceedingly rare based on how difficult they are to unlock, though those not wanting to spend the time (but with available means) could choose to purchase the item at a market-determined rate. That’s further down the road, but certainly spurs interesting questions about what a future virtual reality economy might look like, like how to retain reasonable value in digital goods when they can technically be copied indefinitely.
for now Valve has initially partnered with select developers to create virtual items based on characters and props from the following VR-enabled titles:
Now that the HTC Vive has been out for a while, we’ve seen a tremendous amount of content flow onto Valve’s flagship VR headset. Hundreds of games live on Steam with HTC Vive support, although it’s worth clarifying that the majority of them offer very little in the way of engaging content beyond a simple gameplay mechanic that’s fun for 30 minutes.
As a result, we feel the need to provide a definitive source with an up-to-date list regarding the very best Vive games that you can play right now. We’ll keep an eye on the VR gaming landscape and update this list over time, as appropriate, to better represent what’s available.
Obviously, it goes without saying that the first three Vive games you should play are the original three that came bundled with the Vive’s very first preorders: Tilt Brush, Job Simulator, and Fantastic Contraption. While these titles may not be bundled any longer, they’re still awesome demonstrations of what VR can accomplish by focusing on very specific concepts. Additionally, The Gallery: Episode 1 – Call of the Starseed, and Zombie Training Simulator were included with Vive bundles for a long time and also deserve recognition as being excellent games in their own right. Plus Google Earth VR, The Lab, and Rec Room are three of the best apps period, but since they’re totally free we opted to leave them off this list for now.
But this list is focused on games you don’t have access to out of the box. If you just got a Vive or are cruising for something to play, you already tried the bundle games. You want something more. And that’s where this list comes in.
None of these games come bundled with the device, prices will likely change depending on which week or month you’re reading this list, and chances are they’ll all receive updates and patches making them even better than they are today. But the fact remains that at the time of writing, these are the 9 must-play Vive games available right now, in no particular order.
What else can be said about this game that hasn’t been said already? It’s amazing. If you for some reason don’t know about this game, it goes like this: you’ve got a red and blue lightsaber, one i neach hand, and you’re tasked with slicing blocks that come cascading towards you to the rhythm of the music. It’s like DDR with lightsabers, basically.
Beat Saber is easily one of the most addictive VR games to date and it’s dead simple to pick up and play by anyone regardless of VR experience. And in the PC VR version you can download amazing custom songs!
As the winner of our 2017 Vive Game of the Year Award, it was only appropriate that we commemorate the occasion by adding the title to our Best Vive Games list as well!
In LA Noire VR you take on the role of Cole Phelps as you explore 1940s-era Los Angeles solving crimes, inspecting crime scenes, and interrogating people. The massive, sprawling city is one of the largest sandboxes in VR to date and it sports some of the best, most immersive visuals we’ve seen.
It’s not a perfect game, but it’s a strong indicator of the direction VR is headed if AAA game studios like Rockstar are getting involved with adapting their IPs to the VR format.
For a game that wasn’t originally designed for VR at all, Skyrim VR is nothing short of impressive. This really is the Skyrim that you know and love, but now you can enjoy it like never before with the immersive presence of a VR headset. With a large variety of control schemes to choose from and hundreds of hours of content, this is a game that all RPG fans should play as long as you can look past the wonky controls, downgraded visuals, and frustrating UI. Not to mention all of the mods for the PC version!
There is just something special about the sensation of walking down the dirt road to Riverwood in VR for the first time, or staring down the throat of a fire-breathing dragon, or even gazing out upon Tamriel from the top of the Throat of the World. Whether you’re a Skyrim-veteran or one of the lucky few that get to see this world for the first time, Skyrim VR is enrapturing.
The Exorcist: Legion VR is without a doubt one of the best VR horror experiences available. The slow-building tension is expertly paced, each and every scare feels visceral and dangerous, and the sheer sense of terror you feel while methodically exploring the richly detailed environments is staggering. It honestly felt like I could hear the voices inside my own head and I could feel the heat from my crucifix as I stared down the faces of demon and eradicated the evil within.
The Exorcist: Legion VR will turn even the most hardened horror fans into whimpering piles of fear.
This is the hardcore VR shooter for hardcore VR gamers. If you grew up playing games like Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, SOCOM, and other similar tactical military shooters, then you’ll feel right at home in Onward. It has much more in common with the grueling teamwork of those games than the run-and-gun hip firing found in modern shooters like Call of Duty, and it was all created by one guy.
From holding your rifle with both hands and using your walkie talkie on your shoulder, to pulling out your knife to sneak up on an opponent, Onward is the visceral, realistic VR game many people have been waiting for. It uses full roomscale tracking with motion controllers and artificial locomotion attached to the trackpad — no teleporting here. The community is healthy and fun, making this one of the clear standout titles for the HTC Vive so far.
SUPERHOT VR is a pure, distilled, injection of unadulterated adrenaline that will get your blood pumping just as quickly as time stops in the game itself. With every movement you make, time creeps forward ever so slightly, and everything from the level design to the way it feels to dodge a series of bullets in slow-motion is orchestrated to reinforce the core ideals of the experience. From start to finish it plays out like a fantasy ripped from the screen of every action movie; an indulgent cacophony of visual and gameplay excitement.
This is easily one of the best titles available for Rift with Touch and the recent Forever update makes it even better with expanded game modes, more challenges, and an improved sense of replayability.
This is a VR game that really came out of nowhere and surprised us this year. Ninja Theory went from being hush-hush about projects to announcing and releasing Hellblade in VR within a manner of just a couple of weeks. And oh boy are we glad that they did!
Hellblade may not have been made originally for VR, but it adapts so perfectly. The game tells the story of Senua on her journey to save the soul of a loved on as she slowly descends deeper and deeper into both the bowels of celtic hell and the depths of her own mind. Voices constantly talk to you and pull you in various directions and it all sounds incredible with the 3D spatial audio that VR affords.
Undoubtedly Hellblade VR is an experience like no other.
You may have heard of most other games on this list at some point, but I’d be willing to bet you’re not familiar with Transpose at all. Allow me to introduce you to one of the most mind-bendingly cool puzzles games you’ll see this side of Portal. In Transpose you create “echos” of yourself and your past actions to solve a variety of puzzles.
An excerpt from our review:
“Transpose is a stunning VR puzzle game that elevates the genre and delivers an out-of-body-like experience about manipulating gravity and bending time. There isn’t much of a story to follow and not all of the puzzles are as satisfying as the rest, but fans of the genre would be doing themselves a disservice to not play this excellent adventure from Secret Location.”
These two go hand in hand and should be experienced in sequential order. The Gallery is building towards becoming one of the best, most intimate narratives experienced in VR thus far and does an excellent job of showing how the “adventure” genre has evolved over the years to allow for something beautiful and emotional.
You can get through each episode in just a handful of hours but you’ll be left with your jaw on the floor after it’s all over. We can’t wait to see where the story goes next.
11/22/18 Update: This is a big, long overdue update. We’ve removed Star Trek: Bridge Crew, Arizona Sunshine, Island 359, Project Cars 2, and Raw Data from this list to make room for Skyrim VR, Beat Saber, Hellblade VR, The Exorcist: Legion VR, and In Death.
12/27/17 Update: Vanishing Realms has been removed from this list and replaced with LA Noire VR.
11/23/17 Update: Redout, AirMech, The Brookhaven Experiment, and Chair in a Room: Greenwater have been retired from this list and replaced with SuperhotVR, Star Trek: Bridge Crew, The Gallery Episodes 1 & 2, and Project Cars 2.
4/5/2017 Update: The Lab and Rec Room have been retired from the formal list and added to the intro section of free titles. They were replaced by Arizona Sunshine and AirMech Command.
8/30/16 Update:The Gallery was moved into the ‘bundle’ paragraph at the start of the article, while Unseen Diplomacy, Space Pirate Trainer, and #SelfieTennis have been retired. The list has also been expanded from 7 games to 9, opening up 2 new spots. In the 5 total vacant slots, we’ve added Raw Data, A Chair in a Room: Greenwater, Island: 359, Battle Dome, and Rec Room.
This article was originally published on 4/13/16.
Editor’s Note: Another version of this list, specifically focused on multiplayer games, has been retired and will no longer be updated. This list is our definitive collection of the overall best Vive games we’ve identified as of the last time the list was updated.
It might be Vive’s birthday, but owners of the headset are getting the presents. HTC today launched its Viveport Subscription service, allowing players to choose five of a select range of VR apps every month. Usually the service costs $6.99 a month, but you can get started for free in April with over 30 titles from which to choose. These aren’t just games but a wide range of experiences.
Looking through the list, it can be hard to know what to choose, so we’ve pulled out some highlights depending on what kind of VR user you are. Whether you like to play, explore, learn or something else entirely, these apps should give you just a taste of the power of VR.
For The Creators
Those of you that like to use VR to build things are in luck; some of Vive’s best experiences are available in this category. Titles like Northway Games’ Fantastic Contraption do a great job of showing you just how creative VR can be, while Space Draw lets you visualize whatever comes into your head in a 3D space. Sketchbox, meanwhile, is a VR design tool that lets you edit images and more. There’s plenty here for creatives.
For The Players
Viveport may favor experiences over games, mainly letting Steam handle the latter, but it is not without its own offerings for playtime. If you’re quick, you can grab Vive Studios’ Arcade Saga completely free of charge today only, but it’s a great pick in this category too. Indie action game Dimensional is also worth a look for its excellent use of room scale, while Albino Lullaby‘s first episode is a chilling example of what VR can do for psychological horror.
For The Explorers
If there’s one thing VR does best it’s almost certainly explore, and Viveport’s offerings have some great destinations. If you haven’t already tried it then you have to head to the icy peaks of EVEREST VR for Solfar’s stunning, informative trek up the mountain. But why stay on Earth? Mars Odyssey gives you a chance to step onto the red planet and explore for yourself, while the beautiful iOMoon gives you some of the most stunning sights yet seen in VR.
For Historians
VR isn’t as quite as good as a time machine but we’re pretty sure it’s as close as we’re ever going to get. If you’re considering a trip back in time then you have to try Airborne VR 1944, which places you in the shoes of a paratrooper making a dramatic jump on D-Day. Remembering Pearl Harbor, meanwhile, transports you to another part of the war, allowing you to live one of the most decisive days in the global conflict. Finally, the Apollo 11 VR Experience documents man’s historic mission to the moon like never before.
For The Learners
VR’s ability to educate is arguably its most important asset, and Viveport has plenty of apps that showcase that potential. 3D Organon VR Anatomy gives you a detailed run down of the human body with startlingly accurate 3D models, while We Are Stars is an imaginative and entertaining way to learn about the history of our universe. Or, hey, if you just want to learn how to be a more interesting cook then Chinese Cook VR has you covered.
