Vertigo Games launched its long-awaited follow up to Arizona Sunshine, the snow-filled After the Fall across most virtual reality (VR) platforms last week and it’s been a welcomed success. Today, the studio has revealed that the co-op shooter managed to surpass $1 million USD in revenue in just 24 hours.
After the Fall managed to hit $1.4 million on its first day, via Meta Quest, PlayStation VR and SteamVR platforms. Vertigo Games says that’s more than Arizona Sunshine managed to achieve in its first month on sale in December 2016. Although that’s hardly surprising considering the popularity of VR in comparison to five years ago when you only had Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and the newly released PlayStation VR to choose from.
The developer hasn’t broken down the revenue figures per platform, however, so it’s unclear which has been the most successful and whether there was a clear trend among consumers.
The revenue landmark continues Vertigo Games’ success during 2021 that’s seen it acquire SpringboardVR, a management platform for location-based entertainment (LBE) centres, and Force Field (now Vertigo Studios Amsterdam). The company has also helped publish Anotherway’shand tracked Meta Quest title Unplugged, InnerspaceVR’s Maskmaker, and Little Chicken’s Traffic Jams. As for the future, Vertigo Games has already teased that five VR titles are currently in production, hopefully, more details on those titles will arrive in the new year.
If you’ve not yet jumped on the After the Fall hype, this new shooter is all about teaming up with a few mates and diving into the frozen hellscape of an alternative era Los Angeles, where climate change has ravaged the city and a designer drug mutated the populace into monstrous creatures called Snowbreed. Up to four players across supported platforms can go on Harvest runs to collect valuable resources to upgrade their weapons. Featuring 32-player hubs to socialise in, if teams of four can’t be built AI bots will fill in the blank space. Plus, there’s a 4v4 competitive multiplayer.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Vertigo Games and After the Fall, reporting back with the latest updates.
When a virtual reality (VR) developer reveals another rhythm action videogame it can be a little difficult to get excited about the whole prospect. However, when Joy way revealed that its latest project AGAINST would be in this genre it piqued VRFocus’ interest due to its dark aesthetic and multiple gameplay features. Looking unlike any other rhythm action title is one thing but providing a unique gameplay experience, that’s a bit harder. Due to arrive as a Steam Early Access videogame, AGAINST does have its own flair, even if it is a bit cheesy at points.
You might have already played a version of AGAINST as Joy Way took part in Steam Next Fest during the summer, offering an early demo of its gritty design. The look and feel of AGAINST has been significantly enhanced since then, particularly where the visuals are concerned. Gone is the very striking, almost film-noir style in favour of an environment a touch easier on the eyes. That hint of colour which would only appear in an enemy’s eyes or as the indicator to slice in a particular direction has made its way across the landscape, making for a far more polished looking experience.
AGAINST might look prettier but it’s no less brutal in its delivery, where you can hack henchmen in half, cut the heads off giant snakes and uppercut gormless goons with visceral trails of blood. Unlike a lot of other rivals AGAINST doesn’t pretend to try and handhold new VR players with friendly, bouncy rhythms; it’s brutal, in your face and definitely looking to attract those hardcore VR fans.
In a similar vein to Pistol Whip 2089, AGAINST employs a narrative campaign strategy rather than loads of individual songs you can swap between. So you get a story set in 1930’s New York City, playing out over seven levels. Full of the stereotypical comic book tropes, there’s an over-the-top villain who wants to unleash darkness on the world and you play a detective determined to stop him. While the narrative does provide a mildly humorous respite between levels and provides some explanation of why you’re fighting werewolves, burly blokes and snakes, if you skip it you won’t be missing much. Although the skip function never worked, so replaying levels meant having to listen to it all again and again, unfortunately.
When you first start AGAINST it drops you almost immediately into the tutorial, and for good reason, there’s a lot to get to grips with. If you’ve played any rhythm action title several components will be instantly familiar such as using the sword to slice opponents, knuckle dusters to punch them, and a revolver – followed by Tommy guns later on – to shoot them at range. Kill them in time to the music – which is mainly Dubstep or heavier EDM – and you’ll score points, helping attain that leaderboard position, you get the gist.
AGAINST mixes things up by adding punchable directional arrows, thus activating a short wall run sequence or boosting you up to a higher platform. The wall running especially helps to open up the dark and moody levels, providing a novel switch in focus for a moment. However, later levels naturally bombard you with opponents, obstacles to dodge and these switching moments. Even on the normal difficulty setting (Easy and Hard are also available), this can get quite fierce which some players may find jarring.
Get past that and you’ve got a really challenging experience that takes two or three levels to get into. The first just seemed ridiculously difficult even on normal with multiple restarts required to complete the level. The second and third were a breeze in comparison and moments where you have to use the sword to deflect bullets back at the shooter became mini (John Wick style) badass moments that were very satisfying to complete. What you have to get used to is the constant weapon switching between the sword, guns and fists. As any Beat Saberplayer will know, you find a nice rhythm and flow that makes the more expert levels manageable. AGAINST doesn’t quite have that as it just feels like it’s trying to do too much all at once.
That being said, AGAINST has a personality that other VR rhythm games lack and additions like the mini-bosses at the end of some of the levels help to give it a classic arcade vibe VRFocus loves. Joy Way says that the Early Access period will be used to add a couple more weapons and polish and that the core campaign is done, which is slightly concerning regarding longevity as there are only seven levels. There is a free Beatmap Editor (VRFocus hasn’t tested this tool yet) which could extend the experience by making your own custom maps if you really want to. AGAINST didn’t instantly hook, it takes time to warm to but there is a little magic under the surface. Hopefully, Joy Way will nurture it and not leave it in the early access abyss.
Carbon Studio’s Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall looked set to offer a big glorious virtual reality (VR) adventure ahead of its launch last month but didn’t quite live up to expectations. The developer has been quick to respond to player feedback with a series of patches to hone the gameplay. Today’s patch is a big one, not only adding more quality-of-life improvement but also a new Hardcore Mode.
If you’ve already completed the campaign in Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall and want something tougher the new Hardcore Mode should, hopefully, offer the kind of challenge any Stormcast Eternal would relish. If heading back into the campaign doesn’t exactly fill you with excitement, maybe the addition of all the bug fixes and improvements may pique your interest?
Carbon Studio has been hard at work patching Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall with a smaller 1.16 patch earlier this month adding a few refinements. v1.2 will offer a much wider raft of enhancements to the gameplay, addressing critical performance bugs, improving motion-based tracking, combat polishing, audio refinement, as well as other elements.
Players should find that physical spell casting is easier to execute, chests are easier to open, and the inventory system has been improved. Carbon Studio hasn’t just been working on gameplay elements either: “The team has also added a selection of lighting and visual detail fixes as well as improvements to multiple environments throughout the game. In addition, a wide variety of bug fixes and combat improvements have been added,” a press release explains.
Combining both physical melee combat and devastating magical abilities, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall put you in the role of Lord-Arcanum Castor Stormscryer commanded by the god-like Sigma to vanquish a plague of Nighthaunt forces that have arisen. However, whilst the VR experience had some great elements the overall delivery wasn’t quite there with VRFocus saying in its review: “Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall offered the prospect for the sort of adventure Games Workshop’s brutal universe is renowned for, and the history and narrative is certainly there. Yet there’s no connection to or development of the main character, the action is mostly forgettable and there are just too many little glitches and inconsistencies to create a world Warhammer fans can really immerse themselves in.”
With this run of patches Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall might become the no-holds-barred Warhammer experience everyone hoped it would be. For further updates keep reading VRFocus.
Resolution Games’ table-top multiplayer Demeo arrived back in May for Meta Quest and PC VR headsets, to much acclaim. Since then, the studio has continued to expand the turn-based adventure with Realm of the Rat King and now Roots of Evil, available today for free. Additionally, Resolution Games has unveiled its 2022 roadmap including a PC version and a PvP mode.
The third adventure for Demeo fans, Roots of Evil moves away from the previous dungeon-crawling locations, heading to the surface and into the Drych Forest. Here you’ll find a commune of druids that have captured a being of absolute evil that can’t be controlled, and so it is up to you to liberate the forest of this dangerous force. To help in this quest Resolution Games has introduced a new character class; Molthas the Bard. Molthas comes equipped with a lute and dagger, playing songs that can buff party members, silence enemies, and summon destructive winds to defeat foes.
While that’s all available to download today, looking into 2022 Resolution Games has a feature-packed roadmap ahead. The biggest of the bunch is Demeo: PC Edition which is due for release on 7th April, offering cross-play functionality between PC and virtual reality (VR) players, allowing them to tailor parties that can be all PC, VR or a mixture. It’ll come complete with all the previously released expansions.
“Since Demeo launched, we have more than doubled the size of the team dedicated to its ongoing development,” said Tommy Palm, CEO and founder of Resolution Games in a statement. “The reception from players has been incredible — and with the PC Edition, we’re looking forward to bringing an authentic tabletop experience to even more players. This is the real deal for desktop gamers, as we’re completely rebuilding Demeo for a native PC experience — and we can’t wait to welcome you into the world of Demeo.”
Also on the list of updates is a PvP mode for later next year, creating fierce competitive battles with up to four players going head-to-head. Arriving much sooner on 24th February is the Players Hangout, a whole new environment where you can socialise and relax, customize your avatar, and play mini-games. The studio has also teased two new adventures that are set to arrive in 2022, bringing the tally to five.
“With Demeo, we set out to make a game that rekindles that feeling of gathering around a table with friends to fight monsters and find gold,” added Palm. “The game’s first year proved that we absolutely hit the mark. What really made those games fun in the long-term, though, was the promise of more content, more adventures and more ways to play. As we head into 2022, we recognize how beloved Demeo is and have made our most ambitious plans yet as a studio. This is a game we’ll all be playing for years to come — and with the launch of Demeo: PC Edition in 2022, even more friends will be able to join the adventure.”
Demeo is available for Quest and SteamVR headsets with the Roots of Evil expansion available as a free update. As further details on the 2022 roadmap are released, VRFocus will let you know.
HTC is doing a week-long holiday sale starting today that is bringing deep discounts to many of its PC VR headsets, as well as accessories such as the Vive Wireless Adapter and Deluxe Audio Strap.
The promo is in effect starting today, and goes until December 19th (or until supplies sell out).
We’ve listed prices in US dollars below, however you’ll find similar savings across both EU and UK regional sites. Here’s the full list of VR hardware currently on sale:
Natively compatible with original 2016-era HTC Vive
We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for more savings in the coming days, as the usual rush of hardware and software discounts tend to arrive around this time frame, often seeing repeats of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. Check back for more deals and discounts!
HTC is opening a non-fungible token (NFT) store soon that its says will host all forms of digital art, including AR, VR, and XR pieces.
The store, which will open on December 17th, is set to first offer NFTs featuring the works of Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha (1860–1939), which is being offered as a part of a collaboration with the Mucha Foundation.
Here’s a video in Chinese about the show, displaying some of Mucha’s iconic art.
The store is said to offer complete control over the number of NFT editions and the format of the sale, with both fiat and crypto currencies accepted as payment.
HTC says a new NFT series will come to the store each month until April 2022, which will conclude with what it describes as “a special auction.”
For those of us in the VR space, all of this may seem a bit out of left field for the company, which over the years has built itself a significant niche in creating enterprise VR hardware. HTC is no stranger to jumping on the crypto bandwagon though. In 2019 the company released Exodus 1, a blockchain-focused smartphone that acts as a hardware wallet for storing cryptocurrency among other things.
How NFTs fit into all of that, well, there’s no telling how deep of a commitment the store actually represents. The company’s VIVE Arts initiative has been involved in bringing art-themed content to Viveport, but moreover it bringing VR to cultural institutions in limited-time exhibitions at the Tate Modern, London’s Royal Academy of Arts, Taipei’s National Palace Museum, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris, Washington D.C.’s Newseum, and St. Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum since its founding in 2017.
Granted, NFT auctions are a far cry from bringing art to the masses—they primarily function as crypto-investment vehicles—although the earning potential for both the creators and buyers can’t be overstated.
The storied Christie’s auction house oversaw the sale of one NFT for $69 million back in March, something many NFT creators have hoped to replicate. Whether HTC makes those sort of headlines isn’t certain. At least Alphonse Mucha didn’t exclusively paint bored apes.
HTC Vive is getting into VR NFTs. But don’t pick up the pitchforks yet; maybe the idea of a VR NFTs works? Maybe?
A blog post today announced the launch of the Vive Arts NFT store. It’s essentially a browser-based sales gallery – the platform will reportedly offer a chance for artists to sell art made in VR and AR as well as other digital works.
HTC says creators will be able to decide the amount of copies of a work they can sell as well as whether to accept cryptocurrency or actual currency (for lack of a better term). The NFT Store will be hosting a sales meeting on December 17 in which it will feature NFT-ized works from Czech artist, Alphonse Mucha (pictured below) in collaboration with the Mucha Foundation.
Before we make too much fun of the news (tempting as it is), there is perhaps some merit to the concept of a VR NFT. Works created in apps like Tilt Brush and Quill aren’t simple images or videos and, while you could still download and view them on lots of flatscreen devices when they’re hosted on platforms like Sketchfab, there is legitimacy in the idea of a VR artist selling a unique copy of their work. It’s not like a Tilt Brush expert can hang up a 3D model at a gallery and pass it over to someone else, and similarly you can’t just screencap a picture of a model and get the full experience of viewing inside VR.
Think of this as simply selling VR artwork and push the term NFT out of your mind and it kind of makes sense. Granted the works in the first sales meeting next week aren’t actually VR works, but the point remains. HTC also isn’t the first to touch on the possibility of VR NFTs; Mark Zuckerberg noted that they could be a part of Meta’s vision of the Metaverse at the Connect conference in October.
What do you think of HTC Vive getting into VR NFTs? Let us know in the comments below.
HTC Vive launched its latest all-in-one (AIO) virtual reality (VR) headset, the Vive Focus 3, back in June, and since then has been introducing new features whilst improving others. The latest update enhances the hand tracking capabilities of the device, making it more accurate and stable in the process.
Vive Focus 3 comes with its own controllers as standard with the hand tracking only introduced after the official launch. In this week’s free firmware update (v3.0.999.284), users should find that hand tracking now feels more natural, keeping up with quick movements while actions like pinching are more accurate when interacting with virtual objects.
HTC Vive’s hand tracking engine uses a 26-point skeletal hand modelling system to track all your individual finger movements, now used right from the room setup process thanks to the update. You can simply pop the controllers down and the Vive Focus 3 will automatically detect your hands.
Developers working on Vive Focus 3 compatible projects are able to integrate six predefined hand gestures for easy accessibility, ideal considering the headset is aimed towards the enterprise end of the market. This sector tends to lean towards training and development uses cases as well as design, all of which can benefit from hand tracking.
Retailing for £1,272 GBP, the Vive Focus 3 is based around the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Platform – like so many AIO headsets – sporting dual 2.5K displays (2448 x 2448 pixels per eye), a 90Hz refresh rate, a 120-degree field of view (FoV), adjustable IPD range from 57mm to 72mm and a rear-mounted battery for even weight distribution.
It’s been quite the hardware year for HTC Vive. Alongside the Vive Focus 3, there’s the new Vive Pro 2 for PC VR gaming and then there the Vive Flow. A slightly different tangent to Vive’s other offerings, the Flow is a smartphone connectable device that’s lightweight and for media consumption, with a strong focus on mental health.
As HTC Vive continues to improve its hardware lineup, VRFocus will keep you updated.
It’s now officially time for the annual discount spectacular that is Black Friday, where there are savings galore – some more dubious than others – for the next couple of days. VRFocus has been hard at it hunting down all the latest virtual reality (VR) deals currently available, from hardware packages to ridiculous savings on videogames and software.
There aren’t as many savings on hardware this year, most notably when it comes to PlayStation VR. Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) used to roll out a new mega pack this time of year, unsurprising, considering the headset is coming towards the end of its life with fans eager to see what the next iteration will be. As for the popular Oculus (Meta) Quest 2, the hardware hasn’t been discounted but at least new owners can start their library off nicely with some credit.
And that’s your lot, probably. There might be a coupleVRFocus has missed but all of those should keep you going for a while. Remember, most of these will be available today and through the weekend depending on the store. Have fun out there with the sales!
Games Workshop’s Warhammer franchise has rooted itself in every entertainment medium and virtual reality (VR) gaming is no different. It’s a universe that fits well in VR, where you become a god-like warrior defeating hordes of horrifying enemies. While Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister took you to the more modern equivalent of Games Workshop’s war-filleduniverse, Carbon Studio’s Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall takes place in an era without all that technology, where knights fought ghastly ghouls to ensure the protection of mankind. Which all sounds awesome doesn’t it? Yet the final delivery just doesn’t quite live up to the potential.
Ever since Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall was revealed in October 2020, each drop of information bathed the experience in deep, rich lore that you just couldn’t wait to be part of. All of that lore is there if you wish to delve into the menu and extract it, which is why it’s such a shame that all the surface level stuff – i.e. the main storyline itself – lacks delivery and a real sense that you’re embodying this epic Stormcast Eternal warrior come to vanquish the plague of Nighthaunt forces.
So some context. As the name implies the videogame is set within Warhammer’s Age of Sigma universe, where a devastating Necroquake wakes up all these horrible forces who go on to attack the mortal realms. As Lord-Arcanum Castor Stormscryer, an all-round badass and leader of the Stormcast Eternals you have to cleanse the world using your superhuman skills, some rather brutal melee weapons and a suitable amount of magical abilities.
Starting in a city ravaged by Nighthaunt forces, Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall is mostly a linear adventure that takes around 7-8 hours if you don’t get lost or delve into all the side missions. Lost you may be wondering? Carbon Studios has created an intricate city where the narrative will simply move you forward as intended but with a bit of exploration, you’ll find plenty of hidden secrets including Sigmarite and ancient scrolls (vital for upgrades) and doors unlock that provide handy shortcuts later on. Alas, these are useful but other gameplay elements hamper that usefulness, more on that later.
Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall is in no way subtle about its gameplay style, you’re a massive warrior who smashes through everything to get the job done. In your inventory are three weapons ranging from the really close combat sword to the long staff. These can be dual-wielded so you can mix and match depending on your preferred strategy and the magical abilities of each weapon. They all have three castable spells, performed by holding the trigger and either lunging forward, swiping horizontally, or lifting the weapon skyward He-Man style. Fairly simple yet they’re all effective in different circumstances and are suitably fun to unleash.
However, even though combat is the core of Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall, it also becomes one of the titles weakest facets. To begin with, smashing Deathrattle Skeletons apart – you can just rip them apart with your hands – or unleashing magical bolts of lightning at Nighthaunts is a blast until it becomes clear that the collision detection isn’t that great. There were numerous times when slashing at an enemy produced no result, and the same goes for the magic casting. It was erratic enough that it took a lot of the joy out of battles, especially when surrounded.
And you’ll get surrounded a fair bit as the enemy AI is set on grunt default of charging straight at you. You’d kind of expect it from the skeletons but you’d hope for a bit more from the Nighthaunt that float menacingly around. Fights then become a real close quarter hack ‘n’ slash affair instead of intense sword fights. Elements such as being able to block and parry are there, alas they fail to properly solidify the battles as they’re not easy to read when toe to toe with multiple enemies. And when waving both weapons around does just as good a job why bother?
On the subject of opponents, there’s also a lack of variety, Deathrattle Skeletons and Nighthaunt come in several flavours but you have to wait until the latter half of the campaign that some new enemies actually appear, at which point you’ll miss the ghostly foes. Running the Steam version of Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall at full resolution the enemies are incredibly well designed and intricately detailed, they do look the part, but after continually fighting so many the repetition quickly sinks in.
That’s made all the worse by the spawning layout. Basic enemies like the skeletons appear in packs during the city level, making for nice natural fights as you turn a corner and suddenly spot a group. It’s when you come across a wide-open area that you know Nighthaunts will appear and quite often you’ll be locked in an arena battle, over and over again. You’ll feel that inevitable sigh building as you walk into another grand area to fight the same enemies. Remember that mention of opening up handy shortcuts, they’re all well and good but the spawns happen in the same spots so wandering back over an area looking for secrets will trigger them again.
It must be said Carbon Studio has done well with the level layouts, they twist and wrap around one another to simulate multiple paths and there are plenty of sneaky hidden areas to find. This is vital if you want to upgrade that equipment of yours. Weapons can have their base stats improved followed by each magical spell, so there’s plenty of reason to hunt down elusive chests. As you might have guessed by now there is a but, a big but. There’s no easy way to access your main base to incrementally add these upgrades unless you want to keep walking through the city fighting the same opponents again and again. There really needed to be more anvil placements or a quick return feature.
If that wasn’t enough Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall has some annoying mechanics that hampered the general gameplay. It was little things like picking up a Spirit Flask or using the Gravesand Hourglass. Weapons instantly appear in hand when pressing grip so you can get right into a fight, that’s perfectly fine. Pick up an empty Spirit Flask – used as a grenade when full – and it automatically equips, the Hourglass is two-handed but with the same effect. Thus, every time either of these items are used you have to reequip your weapons again. After several hours of this, you’ll understand the annoyance.
Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall offered the prospect for the sort of adventure Games Workshop’s brutal universe is renowned for, and the history and narrative is certainly there. Yet there’s no connection to or development of the main character, the action is mostly forgettable and there are just too many little glitches and inconsistencies to create a world Warhammer fans can really immerse themselves in. Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall isn’t a bad VR game, there were enjoyable moments and with a bit of refinement it could be a decent game; at the moment being a Stormcast Eternal just isn’t a blockbuster experience.
