Watch: Sairento VR Now Lets You Brutally Dismember Your Foes

Action shooter / slasher title Sairento VR just received a big update from developers Mixed Realms including new locations, a new enemy, AI tweaks and a much-requested feature – brutal, bloody enemy dismemberment.

One of the most interesting new VR action titles of recent times, Sairento VR had a couple of neat ideas which blended to form a first person shooter seemingly built with the express purpose of making you, the player, feel like a total bad-ass. This is what we said of it when we took an early look at it late last year:

All of that aside, it’s Mixed Realms’ twist on locomotion that may elevate the package to must-play status. Throughout the game, the player amasses ‘focus’ which is illustrated via blue bar toward the bottom of your view. This focus allows you to move throughout the gameworld via a fairly standard looking point-and-click method.

I can already hear the anti-VR-locomotion brigade readying their pitchforks so let me add this: the point-and-click mechanic actually adds to the coolness of this title. If you’ve amassed enough focus, you can string together leaps in slow motion, such that you descend on your enemies to obliterate with sword and pistol. But get this, you can augment your abilities to string those leaps together mid-air, double-jump style. This opens up opportunities for the player to choreograph some extremely cool combat together as they fend off waves of enemies. On top of this, you can unleash powered up projectiles via your sword and dispatching enemies is accompanied by a satisfying splash of over the top gore.

Now, developers Mixed Realms have released a new update with a bunch of new tweaks, fixes and features. But one of the the most notable gameplay additions, aside from the 2 new locations on offer, is the ability to slice and dice enemies in the game with your trusty samurai sword. According to Mixed Realms, this was one of the most requested features received when gathering feedback after the title’s first release – yup, figures. Youtuber Bumble takes a look at the new feature one his recent videos (below).

Sairento VR has received pretty positive feedback from players on Steam and some of that is a testament to the feverish rate at which the developers are improving the early access title. Here’s a full list of features and fixes included in the latest update:

– Added new enemy – Geisha.
– Revamped all difficulties to be more unforgiving.
– Added new currency drops : Beacons and Fabricators
– Fabricators are a required component for crafting relics
– Beacons can be used to increase a mission’s difficulty in exchange for better rewards
– Melee killing blows now hack apart the enemy’s body
– Max player level is now 100.
– Introduction of 30 Legendary relic properties.
– The skill system has been removed, with legendary relics being the means of empowerment and build customization.
– Introduction of Operations system. An operation consists of 3 randomly generated mission. You earn a bounty for completing all of them. Operations can be rerolled by spending Ducats.
– You can now hold melee weapons in a backhand pose, based on the angle you grabbed it.
– Added visual feedback when you hover your hand over a stored weapon
– Updated sound effects for weapons
– Added full body avatar for player
– Removed shift cost while in dojo/after completing a level.
– Ammo drops are now universal and will refill all weapons
– Guns now have their own individual ammo pools
– Guns no longer fire while pointing at a UI in the dojo
– Increased base spread for all shotguns.
– Updated ammo interface for guns
– Updated tutorial
– Improved jump logic to handle low curbs and ceilings better
– Improved jump feedback to show bouncing off walls
– Falling off a level will reset you back to the last good position instead of the spawn point.
– Fixed weapon rig orientation locking up when looking directly downwards
– Fixed relic selection screen not showing currently equipped relic
– Fixed Fade teleport locomotion

You can grab Sairento VR for via Steam Early Access here.

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‘Evangelion: VR’ Experience Immerses With a Motion Sim Cockpit and HTC Vive

On May 16, the Bandai Namco-backed VR studio ‘Project i Can‘ announced a new project called Evangelion VR: The Throne of Souls where you can maneuver an Eva, just like in the classic mech anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995).

This new Evangelion VR experience will be introduced this summer at VR ZONE Shinjuku, a new VR entertainment facility that is set to open in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo and operated by the same company (Project i Can).

Photo courtesy Project i Can

Evangelion VR: The Throne of Souls reproduces the original Eva ‘entry plug’ cockpit using an HTC Vive and a bespoke motion sim chair with joystick controllers. In the experience you fight against the show’s ‘tenth Angel’ that appears in Tokyo-3.

The experience supports co-op with up to two friends piloting other Eva. Your goal is to make full use of your Eva and annihilate the Angel. The experience promises to let players “experience the thrill of the Eva activation sequence, including LCL immersion, A10 nerve synchronization, and sync ratio measurement,” core parts of the show’s fictional technology.

Project i Can also produced the brilliant Doraemon Anywhere Door experience that we wrote about back in March.


This article comes from MoguraVR, the exclusive Japan regional partner of Road to VR.

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‘Half-Life 2: VR’ Mod Gets Green-lit on Steam in 4 Days

Half-Life 2: VR, a revamped version of an older mod which will adapt the beloved Half-Life 2 for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, has been green-lit, signifying Valve’s official acceptance of the mod for distribution on Steam.

Although Steam Greenlight’s days are numbered, the Half-Life 2: VR mod which we reported on last week has managed to squeeze through the program in just four days. That means the team behind the mod has the official thumbs-up from Valve to distribute the mod to players via Steam, making distribution, promotion, and updates of the mod much easier than releasing it directly via the web.

The mod team reports that nearly 16,000 people had voted for the mod’s approval around the time it was green-lit, with a 95% ‘Yes’ vote, they said in an update on the mod’s Greenlight page today:

Having the project on Steam will make it easier for us to develop, and of course much easier for people to install and update when we start releasing builds. We know the top question on everyone’s minds is when exactly that will be, but these things they take time, especially with a team of unpaid volunteers. The best we can do for now is “soon”, as soon as the hands of our programmers and artists allow it.

Now the developers have set off to finalize the mod, telling Road to VR that the release will be “in the ballpark of months.” In the meantime, the group has released a gallery of 4k screenshots showing off some of the remastered lighting that’s being done. To demonstrate some of the work involved in preparing the game for VR, the team also showed an example of what the original weapon models look like (consisting of only partially complete geometry), and how they are being built out fully and remastered so that VR players can view them from all angles (as they will be wielded by VR controllers):

Last week we delved into the background of the Half-Life 2: VR mod and what the team was promising with their revamped approach.

Those who have been following the modern VR era since the beginning may recall the original HLVR mod launched in 2013 that was well ahead of it’s time, offering motion-controller input via the Razer Hydra, literally years before Oculus or Valve would announce their own VR controllers. Here’s some gameplay from the original mod played on the Rift DK1.

Back then we said that the mod “turned Half-Life 2 into one of the best virtual reality experiences available today.” Sadly, it wouldn’t last. While Valve had added support for the Rift development kits to their Source engine, as the software that the headsets relied on advanced over time, Valve didn’t update the Source implementation, leading to the present situation which is that the mod can’t be played on anything but old development kit headsets.

After several years of the mod in dormancy, members of the original mod, with some new help, have devised a method to make the mod work with the latest Rift and Vive. Watch the trailer above. Not only will it allow players to step into the world of Half-Life 2 in VR, it will also add motion controller support to make the game function much like a modern VR title. The mod team is further promising the following:

  • HDR lighting
  • Updated effects, textures, models & maps
  • A made for VR UI
  • Realistic weapon interactions
  • Multiple VR locomotion methods

The mod team is sensibly calling the package Half-Life 2: VR (not to be confused with the original mod’s name, HLVR). It will be released entirely for free, though it does require a copy of Half-Life 2 and Episode 1 & 2 to work correctly. Luckily you can pick up all three, along with Portal (2007) for the entirely reasonable price of $20 via The Orange Box.

Read on to learn more about the mod and the team behind it.

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‘Detached’ Review

Straight out of Early Access on May 18th, Detached (2017) promises to deliver that free-flying experience, complete with smooth-turning that only a section of the most hard-core first-person VR junkies crave. Offering a single-player mission based on navigation puzzles and an online capture-the-flag multiplayer, space pioneers hoping for a long-term solution to their need for exciting and comfortable zero-G fun may have to look elsewhere.


Detached Details:

Official Site

Developer: Anshar Studios
Available On: Home (Oculus Touch), Steam (HTC Vive, Oculus Touch, OSVR)
Reviewed On: Oculus Touch, HTC Vive
Release Date: May, 18 2017


Gameplay

A deserted space station seems like a real treasure for two scavengers looking for loot. Another routine salvage. Everything is going according to plan. Suddenly, system alerts indicate a problem in the cargo area. It turns out that a group of scammers has infiltrated the station and will do anything to seize its precious cargo. The startup procedure has been initiated… There’s no time for retreat…

Primed with TV series like Firefly (2002), Cowboy Bebop (1998), and films like Event Horizon (1997) and the Aliens franchise, going on a real life space salvaging mission sounds like serious fun. Unfortunately, the text above is little more than flimsy pretext for zipping around a single level filled with a small collection of space hubs—indoor environments that ultimately deliver humdrum, navigation-based puzzle-mazes.

Interiors, while beautifully rendered, are strangely aseptic in Detached besides the odd fuel canister or oxygen tank. While both fuel and oxygen are finite, there was only a single moment when I almost ran out of air, and that was only because I began to ignore all of the tanks littered throughout the game. With no real need to survive, my interest generally fell on the puzzles ahead.

the only task here is opening a single door, image courtesy Anshar Studios

Most puzzles are simple with the most difficult tending to be time trials which come down to how well you can maneuver in the zero-G environment. In the end, I felt like 3/4 of the hubs were overly consumed with tutorializing the various systems; boost, shield and rockets, than letting you genuinely explore.

Locomotion in Detached is achieved either through hand controllers or gamepad, the latter of which felt more natural despite the environmental suit (EV suit), flight stick theme the game is running with. The game is a forward-facing experience best piloted from the safety of a chair. I talk more about the game’s locomotion and some of its drawbacks in the ‘Comfort’ section.

get everything on-line and you’re done, image captured by Road to VR

The single-player mission took me about an hour to complete, and although the open space scenery promises some awe-inspiring vistas and a modicum of that ‘space pirate feel’ I was hoping for, I couldn’t help but feel like I was on rails going from hub to hub. Boost gates are placed tactically throughout the map, which promise convenience but also detract from the ‘found wreckage’ feeling the game professes in its description.

Finishing the single-player portion, I was then urged by the game to play the online multiplayer, a capture-the-flag mode taking place on two maps. Only the original map made for Early Access was available to me though, so I can’t speak to the quality of the second. Using shields, boost and your EMP rockets, you’re tasked with out-flying and neutralizing your opponent so you can grab and return a randomly spawning flag.

If multiplayer is supposed to be the star of the show, there’s still much that studio needs to do to ensure ongoing interest for old and new players alike. Despite offering a few truly fun sessions of hide and seek as you hunt down your opponent and reclaim the flag, I have some concerns about the overall health of the multi-player mode. It’s pretty straight forward, and admittedly much more fun then a the single-player game, but with only two maps currently available and only a capture-the-flag mode, replay value doesn’t look promising. Also, with no apparent ranking system in place, you’ll also be randomly matched with another person regardless of how much time either of you’ve been playing. And if you have mastered the game’s locomotion, the danger of your sole opponent rage quitting (ending the match) is a real barrier to creating a healthy player base.

Immersion

Scenery alone can go a long way in terms of creating immersion, and lower budget, albeit competently-built productions like Detached definitely capitalize in this area with some good-looking environments. Yes, they’re too clean to be believed, and yes, they’re obviously contrived for the purpose of being a puzzle and nothing more, but they do look quite good.

Your shadow projected on a nearby wall or asteroid certainly does the trick too.

image captured by Road to VR

Wearing your trusty space helmet, you’re given a heads-up display (HUD) populated with oxygen/fuel indicators and mission objectives, all useful in their own right. These near-field elements are projected at an uncomfortably close distance though, making me less willing to pay attention to them. This is because current VR headsets don’t let you see near-field objects like you would outside of the headset. Without going into too much detail, it has to do with the fact that your eyeballs are converging correctly on a digital object, but you’re not focusing the way you normally would because the light from the display is focused at the incorrect distance. Check out this article on dynamic focus tech in AR for the full explanation.

A big hit to immersion comes when you try to reach out and touch something, like batting away a canister. You’ll soon find your hands are nothing more than ghostly controllers, and fiddly ones at that.

Comfort

Admittedly the studio offers some forewarning when it calls Detached “an extreme VR experience that simulates sudden and dramatic acceleration, freefalling, twisting, and rolling,” but this advisory doesn’t excuse it entirely. While the game provides you with a helmet that offers the ‘anchored feeling’ of a cockpit, this isn’t a panacea to the zero-G locomotion scheme. Let’s talk about smacking into shit.

image courtesy Anshar Studios

In most first-person VR games, when you slam into something or otherwise encounter an immutable barrier, you’re treated with some degree of respect, which could mean a fade to black, or a reduction of physics so you’re gently slowed to a halt. But slamming into a wall or a simple fuel canister in Detached—which happens constantly because of the close quartersinvariably sends you head-over-heels on a spinning, wild ride that doesn’t stop even when you’re dead, making you scramble for the ‘reload’ button on the screen as your virtual POV is tossed about willy-nilly.

Since the game makes heavy use of the boost function and is chock-full o’ low ceilings and random pipework, you’re bound to hit something on accident eventually. The last hub, to my anguish, was exactly this—a sort of proving ground for every game mechanic you learned along the way. Disorientation due to the repeated us the same interiors and too many blunt force deaths forced me out of the headset and onto my couch for a few hours because I stupidly thought I had my “VR legs.” Reentry was a less attractive prospect.

To my surprise, there are actually two locomotion styles on offer, but neither seem to fix what was mentioned above.

It’s been a while since I’ve played a game like Detached, and although I personally think it has more in common with an Oculus Rift DK1-era PC port than a modern made-for-VR game, there is obviously still a group of people who prefer the front-facing, vestibular system-whirling wild rides it has on offer. I don’t think I’m wrong when I say most of us left those behind and never, ever want to look back.


This is a review of the full version of the game which is due on Thursday, May 18th. 

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Watch: ‘Bloody Zombies’ Brings Classic 2D Arcade Brawling to VR

Here’s the launch trailer for newly released zombie-themed brawler ‘Bloody Zombies‘ from developers of ‘The Assembly‘ nDreams and Paw Print Games. But before you roll your eyes at the prospect of yet another undead VR wave shooter, this one’s a little different.

Virtual reality gaming has defied expectations in many ways and its application and enhancement traditional (and not immediately obvious) gaming genres is one of them. You wouldn’t assume that 3rd person platform games would be a great fit for an immersive gaming platform and yet Lucky’s Tale proved that assumption resolutely incorrect.

Now nDreams, the developers who brought the multi-platform made-for-VR adventure ‘The Assembly’, and Paw Print Games have pivoted sharply for their next virtual reality compatible title. Bloody Zombies is a side scrolling beat-’em-up inspired by an era when ‘beat-’em-up’ was still a term in common use. If you’re old enough to recall classic fighting titles, born from arcades gaming stock (think 80s Final Fight and 90s Streets of Rage) then you’ll know what to expect from Bloody Zombies. Scroll from left to right, punching and bludgeoning your way through the zombie hordes all set against the backdrop of an apocalyptic London.

The title features simultaneous four player co-op support, with one of those players able to join the game in VR. nDream’s approach is to the immersive component is to present the gameworld as a diorama to the VR player, allowing them to peer in, over and around the scene to give them the ability to spot hidden loot and, as nDreams put it, “provide tactical support to your friends.” You can see the game in action with VR in the gameplay overview video at the top of this page.

As for the gameplay itself, the developers have tried to infuse Bloody Zombies with an easy to learn yet hard to master ethos, with basic combat leading to more advanced techniques including combos and juggle combos. Of course, this being a zombie title, there’s also an array of weaponry with which to dismember everything in your path too.

All in all, it looks like great and I knwo from experience that ostensibly 2D games can look great in VR, but I’m struggling to see the immersive aspect of Bloody Zombies as anything other than a cleverly integrated ‘nice to have’ bonus for headset owner. We’ll reserve judgement however as the title will be heading to PlayStation VR, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift later this year.

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‘Battlezone’ Launches on Steam and Oculus Store

Battlezone (2016), the low-poly, high-action reboot of the classic Atari game, launched as a timed exclusive with PlayStation VR when it hit shelves in October of last year. Today owners of HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and OSVR can now strap into the cockpit of the game’s sci-fi hovertanks.

Designed by Rebellion to work with gamepad (and Touch controllers for Oculus Store purchases), the new PC version of the game promises higher resolution textures, shadows, reflections—basically higher resolution everything to make good use of the graphical horsepower of VR-ready gaming PCs.

You can find it on Steam for all Steam VR supported headsets and Oculus Store for the Oculus Rift.

Here’s a peek into what Rebellion says is possible with Battlezone.

EPIC VR TANK WARFARE
Battlezone offers unrivalled battlefield awareness, a monumental sense of scale and breathless combat intensity.

LIMITLESS SOLO & CO-OP PLAY
Experience a thrilling campaign for 1-4 players where different environments, enemies and missions blend together across a procedurally generated campaign. No two playthroughs will be the same!

DEVASTATING ARSENAL
Unleash destructive weapons and awesome special equipment, from laser-guided missiles and rail guns to EMPs and shield boosts

CUTTING-EDGE UPGRADES
Unlock more powerful tanks, weapons and special equipment and pick from hundreds of deadly combinations!

CLASSIC MODE
Experience where it all started with Classic Mode – featuring original two-track controls and worldwide leaderboards to test yourself against!

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Remastered ‘Half-Life 2’ Coming to Vive & Rift with VR Controller Support via Revamped Mod

Praised as one of the greatest games ever made, the 13 year old Half-Life 2 is a lauded piece of gaming history. But soon you’ll be able to revisit the perils of City 17 using the latest and greatest VR hardware around. A reborn mod project is bringing compatibility for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive with full motion input support, remastered visuals, a made-for-VR UI, realistic weapon interactions, and more.

Those who have been following the modern VR era since the beginning may recall the original HLVR mod launched in 2013 that was well ahead of it’s time, offering motion-controller input via the Razer Hydra, literally years before Oculus or Valve would announce their own VR controllers. Here’s some gameplay from the original mod played on the Rift DK1.

Back then we said that the mod “turned Half-Life 2 into one of the best virtual reality experiences available today.” Sadly, it wouldn’t last. While Valve had added support for the Rift development kits to their Source engine, as the software that the headsets relied on advanced over time, Valve didn’t update the Source implementation, leading to the present situation which is that the mod can’t be played on anything but old development kit headsets.

A Mod Reborn

After several years of the mod in dormancy, members of the original mod, with some new help, have devised a method to make the mod work with the latest Rift and Vive. Watch the trailer above. Not only will it allow players to step into the world of Half-Life 2 in VR, it will also add motion controller support to make the game function much like a modern VR title. The mod team is further promising the following:

  • HDR lighting
  • Updated effects, textures, models & maps
  • A made for VR UI
  • Realistic weapon interactions
  • Multiple VR locomotion methods

The mod team is sensibly calling the package Half-Life 2: VR (not to be confused with the original mod’s name, HLVR). It will be released entirely for free, though it does require a copy of Half-Life 2 and Episode 1 & 2 to work correctly. Luckily you can pick up all three, along with Portal (2007) for the entirely reasonable price of $20 via The Orange Box.

But in order to launch the Half-Life 2: VR mod on Steam for a simple one-click installation, the team needs your help. The group has launched a Steam Greenlight campaign for the project, which allows the community to vote on those which they think should be allowed to be distributed through Steam. Head over to the page to vote for the mod if you’d like to step into the shoes of Gordon Freeman in VR.

Half-Life 2: VR on Steam Greenlight

Motion Input on Modern VR Controllers

Perhaps one of the coolest parts of the Half-Life 2: VR mod is the ability to feel like you’re really wielding the game’s arsenal of memorable weapons. Because the game was originally a flat first-person-shooter, the mod team had to rebuild many of the weapons to be viewed from any angle now that players can hold them in any position.

They also went one step further, adding realistic reloading gestures. Several weapons require additional actions from the player to complete the reload. The .357 Magnum Revolver, for instance, requires the player tilt the gun up to dump out the spent cartridges, then swing the chamber back into place with a flick—much like the reload mechanism of Dead & Buried.

And yes, you can physically swing the Crowbar to break boxes and kill enemies.

The team has described the current set of reload operations as “gesture-like”, but say they plan to build these out further over time, making them more realistic. Work is already underway for a motion-based pump-reload on the Shotgun (yes please).

Presently, guns are linked to your right hand (as per the original programming), but the team plans to offer ambidextrous support in the future and make the two-handed weapons wieldable with input from both hands.

Continue Reading on Page 2: Behind the Tech >>

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‘PAYDAY 2 VR’ Beta Launches November 16th, Free to All Owners

PAYDAY 2, the multiplayer bank-heist game by Overkill Software, is soon to get full VR support as PAYDAY 2 VR, which will also allow VR and non-VR players to play together.

Update (10/23/17): Payday developer Overkill Software hosted a Q&A on the development of Payday 2 VR. A beta offering VR support for the game has been confirmed to launch on November 16th, and will offer VR and non-VR players access to the exact same content, and the ability to play together. VRFocus has summarized the parts of the Q&A most relevant to the VR aspect of the game, including confirmation that all owners of Payday 2 will get access to VR support for free, and a discussion about the challenges of balancing gameplay between VR and PC players.

Original Article (5/10/17): Starbreeze Studios is the company behind the StarVR headset, but they’re first and foremost a game developer and publisher. The company’s studio, Overkill Software, is behind Payday 2 (2013), a well regarded FPS that focused on four-player co-op action.

Now Starbreeze and Overkill are adding total VR functionality to the game which they’re calling Payday 2 VR, which is said to not only offer players “all your PAYDAY content in VR!” but also to allow VR and non-VR players to play together. The trailer heading this article shows Payday VR in action running on the HTC Vive, though it isn’t clear what other platforms might be supported.

SEE ALSO
Hands-on: Latest StarVR Upgrades Highlight Ultra-wide FoV & Nearly Invisible Pixels

It’s still somewhat unclear at this stage but our understanding based on the available info is that Payday VR will be made available for free to all Payday 2 owners. Overkill says that the Payday VR beta will begin in 2017.

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Watch: SuperChem VR is a Cool Virtual Lab for Fun and Immersive Learning

Schell Games have released a trailer for their latest project SuperChem VR, an incredibly fun looking way to teach chemistry and perhaps a glimpse into the potential future for VR in education.

We’ve seen a lot of application attempt to capture some of the potential VR enthusiasts of immersive computing know VR can deliver. But Jessie Schell’s studio, responsible for the ingenious Bond-esque VR puzzle title I Expect You to Dieseem to really be onto something with their latest title SuperChemand I think it may be one to watch.

SuperChem’s concept is simple; Utilise the immersive properties of virtual reality to provide students with both a safe and fun environment in which to learn about chemistry. Doing this in VR means there’s no danger of harm from caustic or corrosive chemicals, no risk or accidental fire damage and, perhaps most importantly, you can give the user access to infinite resources and ensure maximum engagement by designing the setting to be fun and to encourage curiosity.

SEE ALSO
Designing a VR Escape Room Puzzle Game with 'I Expect You to Die'

“Teachers report that learning about chemicals, lab equipment and how to use the equipment correctly can be a slow process,” says Jessie Schell, CEO of Schell Games, “So SuperChem VR is designed to allow you to learn about these concepts in a safe, interactive and immersive way.”

The application as it stands puts the user in a futuristic space laboratory, surrounded by chemical dispensers, but also very un-futuristic, very familiar conical flasks and measurement cylinders. You can access different chemicals which are virtually synthesised on command and then mix any of them using the same physical actions you’d perform in real life. You can mad scientist your heart out, analysing the results as you go and, should you get stuck, there’s a friendly assistant to guide and prompt you in the right direction and to set you individual tasks and experiments to carry out. “This combination of an immersive and engaging environment with scaffolding for exploring chemistry allows you to have fun while learning,” says Schell.

The project was created with support from the Institution of Education Sciences (part of the U.S. Department of Education) along with the Small Business Innovation Research although it’s not clear if or how it’ll be rolled out for actual use in educational institutions. From my perspective however, the format seems like a winner and for someone like me who really struggled grappling with some aspects of science at school, despite having a keen interest, I think something like SuperChem VR would have been a real help in earning my engagement.

What do you think of SuperChem VR‘s concept and its practical uses for programs like it in education today and in the future?

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Beautiful PvP Space Explorer ‘Detached’ Gets Offical Steam Release May 18th

Already on Steam Early access, the very pretty online PvP space explorer / dueller Detached from developers Anshar gets a new, official release on May 18th with a sprinkle of new features and a new multiplayer map.

Described by Polish developers Anshar Studios as “probably the most hardcore VR title out there”, Detached is an online space exploration title designed for virtual reality which sports some rather striking visuals.

The setting for the game goes something like this:

Years of warfare and human greed have led to catastrophe. Once-thriving human colonies in the far reaches of the cosmos are today just useless scrap. But to some they are no mere collections of metal. Space scavengers traverse the galaxy in search of spoils. A deserted space station seems like a real treasure for two scavengers looking for loot. Another routine salvage. Everything is going according to plan. Suddenly, system alerts indicate a problem in the cargo area. It turns out that a group of scammers has infiltrated the station and will do anything to seize the its precious cargo. The startup procedure has been initiated… There’s no time for retreat…

The gameplay itself is an intriguing mix of survival adventure, one on one PvP space combat and exploration with some light puzzling thrown in for good measure. As such, Detached offers a somewhat more sandbox-like experience than another title which might draw comparisons, the largely linear, narrative driven ADR1FT from developers Threeonezero.

Players are jettisoned into space with the ability to boost, wield defensive shields and deploy weapons like EMP homing rockets against opponents. All of this is set to a fully orchestrated score by artist Mikołaj Stroiński (The Witcher 3, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter).

That aforementioned “hardcore” tag may stem primarily from the freedom of movement the title offers the player, with the anti-gravity environments enabling 360 rotation and 6 degrees of freedom for movement. This is likely music to the ears for VR locomotion purists, but may mean the title is tougher to stomach for those of a gentler constitution or with less hours logged in VR.

The title hits Steam VR for its official release on May 18th, and will include a new multiplayer map, German and French localisation and OSVR support. Stay tuned for a review of the title around launch time. In the mean time you can get yourself up to speed with the narrative via the recently released and fetchingly illustrated story trailer below.

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