I-Illusions has been talking about expanding the Space Pirate Trainer universe for a couple of years now, going much bigger and bolder with a full arena-scale shooter. Today, the studio has confirmed that Space Pirate Arena won’t be a separate title, instead, it’s going to come in the form of a major update for the original, Space Pirate Trainer DX.
You can Buy Space Pirate Trainer for $14.99 through September 8th and receive the DX update without any additional cost
As previously revealed the studio has been working on a large-scale arena shooter where players can run around a wide-open space, shooting each other like they’re playing laser tag. This is the first of two new modes coming in the update, with Arena also coming in two flavours; Online Arena and Co-Located Arena Mode. Both require a space that’s at least 10m x 10m (32ft x 32ft) so your living room is out of the question. Hiring a sports hall or other similar venue will be needed here, transforming the area into a cyberpunk platform to run around in.
In Online Arena you’ll be able to challenge a friend to a match whilst Co-Located Arena Mode means two of you can play in the same physical space. There’s also a single-player mode where you can fight against droids. These new features have meant I-Illusions developing new mechanics to stop players from walking through walls or bumping into each other.
The other new mode arriving in Space Pirate Trainer DX is Versus. Adding another multiplayer element, this time you don’t need as much space. Instead, players go head-to-head online in the normal Space Pirate Trainer area, however, there’s a twist. Each time you shoot a droid one will spawn to attack your opponent and vice-a-versa, creating manic shooting battles in the process.
“We think Arena is the ultimate multiplayer game, and as a team it’s the thing that excites us the most. We still need to see if players are excited enough to find a space to play, but hopefully it will just become a thing people like to do – showing off creative places to play in a fun and safe manner,” said I-Illusions’ Dirk Van Welden on the Oculus Blog.
Space Pirate Trainer DX will be an Oculus Quest exclusive, arriving on 9th September for $24.99 USD. Remember, it’s a free update so you can pick up the original Space Pirate Trainer for $14.99 until 8th September. For further updates on Space Pirate Trainer DX, keep reading VRFocus.
Space Pirate Trainer (2017) is getting a truly massive expansion next month on the Oculus Quest platform that will bring two new modes including the previously revealed Arena mode, which requires a sizable playspace. Belgium-based developers I-Illusions hopes it will give users “a glimpse at the future of VR.”
The new update, called Space Pirate Trainer DX, will arrive to existing owners of Space Pirate Trainer on Quest for free. The base game will continue to cost the regular price of $15 up until its September 9th release. Afterwards, the newly renamed Space Pirate Trainer DX will be priced at $25.
The update brings two new multiplayer modes, one of which is called ‘VERSUS’. Versus lets two players compete in a modified version of the classic solo version of Space Pirate Trainer, but with a gameplay twist that’s a bit like a game of tug-of-war. Every time you shoot a droid another one will spawn to attack your opponent.
The most substantial update coming to SPT DX is undoubtedly the new Arena mode though, which requires a 32 × 32ft (10 × 10m) playspace. Five levels are included at launch, and it can either be played online with a friend or in the same physical space. Here’s a (very) brief look at some gameplay:
Arena mode is slated to include mechanics that won’t allow competitors to walk through through walls, and also keeps people from physically bumping into one another. There’s also a single-player mode here as well to help users bone up on their arena skills by letting you hunt autonomous drones.
We’re waiting to share more, but for now I-Illusions released a few new screenshots of Arena:
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Image courtesy I-Illusions
Image courtesy I-Illusions
Image courtesy I-Illusions
Image courtesy I-Illusions
Image courtesy I-Illusions
Image courtesy I-Illusions
Image courtesy I-Illusions
Back in 2016, I-Illusions bet on consumer VR with Space Pirate Trainer. With Arena, the studio is adjusting its scope to a time when more and more people own VR headsets—or more specifically, Oculus Quests. The studio says SPT DX aims to give users “a glimpse at the future of VR.”
“In the process of creating Arena, we had to come up with a whole bunch of original solutions for problems that arise with 1-to-1 movement-based gameplay. Let’s hope these set the bar for future similar experiences,” said project lead Dirk Van Welden. “In a lot of ways, this feels similar to releasing Space Pirate Trainer back in 2016. Back then we didn’t know if people would go out and buy a VR headset. There are a lot of Quests out there now, but we’re asking those people to find a safe 10 × 10m spot to play Arena.”
That 10 × 10m required playspace is about half the size of a tennis or basketball court, so it’s not unreasonable to think two players might meet up for a virtual shootout at their local gym. We’ll be going hands-on soon, so make sure to check back closer to the September 9th launch date.
Since the update requires untethered play, the original single-player Space Pirate Trainer will remain available for $15 across Steam, the Oculus PC Store, PlayStation Store and Microsoft.
Space Pirate Arena is an upcoming pseudo-sequel to VR classic Space Pirate Trainer (2017). All your training, it seems, was leading up to going head to head against other players in a huge virtual arena… and you’ll need an equally huge playspace in real life to play.
Space Pirate Trainer from developer I-Illusions was one of VR’s first killer apps, and after all these years it’ll soon be getting a follow-up in the form of Space Pirate Arena.
I-Illusions developer Dirk Van Welden said recently that the game will launch “soon” on Quest, and he confirmed the game will require a whopping 32 × 32ft (10 × 10m) playspace.
I would try to find a large space somewhere in the next couple of months, because Arena mode is coming to Quest this year! #SPTDXpic.twitter.com/jqQaXgtLaF
The reason for the huge playspace requirement is because the game will put players inside of a virtual arena that they must navigate entirely with real movement. While the virtual arena has lots of corridors and cover to hide behind, players will of course just be running around an empty space trying to spot each other (which can look pretty hilarious from the outside).
Given the playspace requirement, the game is almost certain to not launch on any tethered headsets since their cords wouldn’t reach far enough to cover the arena.
Van Welden acknowledges that the huge playspace requirement isn’t going to be something everyone will have access to, but says it’s necessary if you want to play Space Pirate Arena “the way it should be.”
In a lot of ways, this feels similar to releasing Space Pirate Trainer [early access] back in 2016. Back then we didn’t know if people would go out and buy a VR headset. There are a lot of Quests out there now, but we’re asking those people to find a safe 10 × 10m spot to play Arena. Similar to SPT, once you have played Arena the way it should be, you’ll be introduced to a whole new kind of experience, and it’ll just sell itself.
To make sure Arena is played the right way, it won’t boot unless you found a 10 × 10m space. That’s actually the only threshold, since we’ve added a single player mode to give you a taste of the gameplay. (If you don’t have friends with a Quest). In the process of creating Arena, we had to come up with a whole bunch of original solutions for problems that arise with 1-to-1 movement based gameplay. Let’s hope these set the bar for future similar experiences.
He goes on to say that the studio is in its “final push” of development, and that a release date announcement and more details are due “very soon,” so it seems that we can expect a launch before year’s end.
Back in 2016 when virtual reality (VR) began to find its way into consumers hands one of the most popular shooters at that time was I-Illusions’ Space Pirate Trainer. A few years later in 2019, the studio announced a grander vision for the franchise, a far more open laser-tag style experience called Space Pirate Arena. This week I-Illusions has confirmed that Space Pirate Arena will be hitting Oculus Quest soon.
Rather than your basic living room roomscale VR experience where you might have two or three meters each way to play with, Space Pirate Arena commands a far larger area. As I-Illusions’ Dirk Van Welden reveals in a Twitter thread: “To make sure Arena is played the right way, it won’t boot unless you found a 10 x 10m space. That’s actually the only threshold”
So you’ll need a decent garden area, sports court or field before you can even begin to play. With all that space to play in you and a few mates with Oculus Quests will be able to run around virtual arenas, hiding behind any available cover. “In the process of creating Arena, we had to come up with a whole bunch of original solutions for problems that arise with 1-to-1 movement based gameplay. Let’s hope these set the bar for future similar experiences!” Van Welden adds.
While Space Pirate Arena is primarily designed as a local multiplayer shooter Van Welden has confirmed it’ll feature a multiplayer element. It’s there to give you a taste of the gameplay if you don’t have friends with a Quest. “Similar to SPT, once you have played Arena the way it should be, you’ll be introduced to a whole new kind of experience, and it’ll just sell itself,” he notes.
Space Pirate Trainer
There’s still plenty to be revealed including player count, weapons, arena variety and quite what the technical requirements will be for connecting multiple headsets when you’re stood in the middle of a basketball court, or in the middle of a field?
Space Pirate Arena is certainly one of the more interesting uses of VR for general consumers. When launch date details are revealed, VRFocus will let you know.
Space Pirate Arena is coming to Oculus Quest and that means it is time to find a bigger play space.
Dirk Van Welden of I-Illusions shared a few details about the release of the upcoming arena-scale sequel to the defining wave shooter of consumer VR’s first generation. Space Pirate Arena, of course, is the follow-on to 2016’s Space Pirate Trainer and it takes the game fully multiplayer with intense competitive matches that require some of the largest VR play areas we’ve ever seen.
The sequel was first revealed in 2019 and has been teased a few times since then, but it’s been held back by the size of the play spaces allowed by the Oculus Quest system. Earlier this summer Facebook confirmed to UploadVR it expanded the maximum play area on Quest up to a staggering 15 meters in either direction. Space Pirate Arena requires a safe space of at least 10 meters in either direction, and Van Welden noted the game now includes a single-player mode if you don’t have a friend with another Quest.
Put another way, all systems are pretty much go for the launch of arena-scale Oculus Quest gameplay.
“In a lot of ways, this feels similar to releasing Space Pirate Trainer back in 2016. Back then we didn’t know if people would go out and buy a VR headset. There are a lot of Quests out there now, but we’re asking those people to find a safe 10x10m spot to play Arena,” Van Welden wrote on Twitter. “Similar to SPT, once you have played Arena the way it should be, you’ll be introduced to a whole new kind of experience, and it’ll just sell itself. To make sure Arena is played the right way, it won’t boot unless you found a 10 x 10m space. That’s actually the only threshold, since we’ve added a single player mode to give you a taste of the gameplay. (If you don’t have friends with a Quest) In the process of creating Arena, we had to come up with a whole bunch of original solutions for problems that arise with 1-to-1 movement based gameplay. Let’s hope these set the bar for future similar experiences!”
Here’s the teaser for the experience the developers released back in 2019:
Be sure to check back with us as we’ll bring you the details on Space Pirate Arena as soon as we have them.
Tilt Brush co-creator Patrick Hackett announced today that he’s leaving Google after nearly six years with the company. His next project will be a VR collaboration with I-Illusions, the studio behind the VR classic Space Pirate Trainer.
Tilt Brush co-creators Patrick Hackett & Drew Skillman joined Google in early 2015 after the company acquired the duo and their application. Both have remained with the studio since. Google formally launched the VR art application in 2016 to much acclaim among creatives and doodlers alike. The app eventually made it to Oculus PC, Oculus Quest, WMR, and PSVR, and even had a recurring cameo on The Tonight Show.
Dirk Van Welden is the head of I-Illusions, the studio behind the VR classic Space Pirate Trainer (2017). Though Hackett will be collaborating with the studio, he maintains “I’ll be independent again, so would love to hear if you’ve got a rad project you want to collaborate on,” indicating that he isn’t directly joining the team.
With Google receding from its VR ambitions in 2018, the company recently announced it would shutter Poly, it’s 3D model hosting site which also served as a repository for storing and sharing content made with Tilt Brush. While Tilt Brush itself will otherwise continue to function in perpetuity, it isn’t clear if the app is being actively developed beyond maintenance needs, though Hackett says “I’ve left Tilt Brush in good hands with a solid plan for the future. Stay tuned.”
Drew Skillman, the other Tilt Brush co-founder, continues to work at Google but has long since moved onto other projects, according to his LinkedIn profile.
I-Illusions released a big Quest 2 graphics update for its popular VR wave shooter Space Pirate Trainer.
The new update brings the game’s visuals closer in line with its PC counterpart. There’s a noticeable shift in colors on Quest 2 before and after the update due to color correction that helps bring out the ‘80s arcade vibe. According to I-Illusions, there are also major differences to texture quality and lighting effects.
Space Pirate Trainer is one of a handful of games available on Quest that has a free demo version, and we’d definitely recommend giving it a try if you’ve never played before. Space Pirate Trainer has been in development by I-Illusions for basically the entire existence of room-scale hand-controlled consumer VR development platforms. That’s about five years now, and it is hard to find an early VR adopter who isn’t familiar with the game.
I ran through the game’s weapons with the latest update on Quest 2 and forgot how much polish and change it has seen over years of development. Each weapon has its own strength, and dual wielding can make things pretty dynamic especially with access to a shield. I’ve become so reliant on the Quark Cannon in the game over the years that I’d never noticed how much fun it is to launch a pair of grenades and detonate them in the middle of a swarm.
It felt pretty amazing to play such a clearly realized version of the game on a completely standalone headset.
Covering the immersive Out-of-Home entertainment scene for VRFocus, in his latest Virtual Arena column, industry specialist Kevin Williams reports in two parts on the new phase of investment with the growth in “Arena-Scale VR – Standalone”, This first part looking at the influence the new Oculus Quest has had on the deployment of this latest phase of location-based entertainment (LBE) VR, seeing phenomenal growth in interest.
“Arena-Scale VR” – the ability for groups of players to compete in the same virtual world has proven to be a big trend in the latest phase of commercial VR entertainment. Offering a unique element for this VR application, totally unachievable from a consumer perspective. Currently, the popular trend was for backpack PC’s to be employed to supply the virtual experience – but with the advancements in technology a new category has emerged with “Arena-Scale VR – Standalone”.
Employing standalone headsets with positional tracking, and enough processing power to create compelling content, one benefit is the ability to wirelessly communicate with each other, and in some cases additional peripherals and operator management screens; removing the cost and complexity of the backpack PC solutions.
One of the first examples of a LBE Standalone Arena-Scale experiences. Image credit: KWP
Oculus Attempts to Enter the Arena
The first series of standalone headsets started to make an appearance in 2018, and one of those which received a special amount of attention was the Oculus Quest. However, the interest in using this kind of hardware in location-based entertainment (LBE) has not been a priority for the manufacturer, until recently.
Oculus underlined a new commitment to LBE VR when, at 2018s Oculus Connect 5 (OC5) convention, the company invited the operator and developer, The VOID, to present an example of its “Hyper-reality” VR attraction (operating in some eleven sites). Running ‘Star Wars: Secret of the Empire’, the demonstration took OC5 delegates through a special enclosure that maps real objects with the virtual world, created in partnership with Lucasfilm’s ILMxLAB development studio.
The current chain of VOID locations is using a modified version of the, now discontinued, Oculus CV1 headset in its construction – developed under license. This is just one of a handful of such partnerships. However, in comparison to other VR headset developers, Oculus has been less active in establishing enterprise entertainment partnerships – previously seen as standoffish with regards to the explosion of interest in this application of the virtual hardware.
The same OC5 in San Jose revealed the Oculus Quest (evolving from the Santa Cruz prototype), as a new standalone platform. Separate of the PC offering, seeing the CV1 superseded by the Rift-S, the Quest offered a new cost-effective opportunity with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg promising it would run “Rift-quality experiences”. But it was the opportunity that it represented outside of the consumer market that interested a new group of developers.
During OC5, Oculus started to reposition its sights on a possible pivot to fully support the LBE VR scene. Running alongside The VOID popup installation at the Oculus event, was a demonstration of their Capability Concept Demonstrator (CCD), based on a previous popular CV1 game. ‘Dead and Buried Arena’ was a demonstration created by Oculus with support from the original videogame developers. The demonstration included a 371 square-metre arena, with two teams of three players each, wearing Oculus Quest. The demonstrations illustrated the prototype’s asymmetric “co-location” technology.
At the time of the demonstration, Oculus stated that it expected location-based entertainment (LBE) developers to benefit from the technology developed for the D&BA system. But, after the expenditure of such a complicated demonstration, all news of further investment in this direction ceased, and even the original D&BA team was disbanded internally. On the conference stage, the pivot was on par with the statement from Oculus’ head of experiences, telling the audience that the company now loved the idea of an audience being able to go to a destination and have an experience and to love that experience and continue that adventure at home.
The 2018 artist’s interpretation of how Oculus envisaged an LBE arena. Image credit: Oculus
Oculus Quest would go on to be launched in May of 2019, and by October of that year it was reported that sales had achieved some 500,000 units, but it soon became a very popular seller up to the Christmas period (deliveries in some areas pushed to late-February). The platform is proving to be one of the most successful for VR sales from the Facebook-owned company, since its partnership with Samsung with the Gear VR. But regarding an LBE initiative, none was forthcoming until the end of 2019.
It would not be until the Facebook Developer’s Conference (F8) 2019 that we would see a reversion in the approach to commercial entertainment, with a pivot in the approach for the ‘Oculus for Business Initiative’. This came with the introduction of a new program for the Oculus headset range, including the Quest – led internally by Facebook directly. Oculus for Business had been created as a division in 2017, focused on enterprise customers rather than entertainment.
Others’ Lead the Charge in Standalone
Though receiving very little coverage, major LBE VR deployment of the OculusQuest was undertaken in partnership with leading Japanese video game and amusement operation, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment. This came with the launch of their brand new MAZARIA facility in Sunshine City, Ikebukuro, Tokyo, during July 2019, when the latest investment by the corporation in a hybrid VR-amusement crossover was revealed.
This came in the form of ‘PAC-MAN Challenge VR’, a two-player experience which sees players using the Oculus Quest standalone headset to allow players to race around the iconic PAC-MAN play-space, collecting power pills and avoiding ghosts, all in 256 seconds. The title was started by the BANDAI NAMCO “Project-i-Can” team two-years ago, working in cooperation with Oculus, at that time developing the prototype Santa Cruz version that would evolve into Oculus Quest.
Two-players take on the ghosts in PAC-MAN Challenge VR. Image credit: MoguraVR
The second big development surrounding Oculus Quest’s usage in location-based entertainment (LBE), saw ILMxLAB announce a popup training arena based on the ‘Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series’ – in partnership with LBE developer Nomadic. The company announced it was opening at six Cinemark theatres, running ‘Lightsaber Dojo, A Star Wars Experience’ (closing in February). The ILMxLAB videogame is an arcade-style version of the consumer original, using Oculus Quest standalone headsets, players paid some $9.99 for a six-minute experience.
This the first of the main announcements of Oculus supporting the use of their standalone hardware with major IP franchises (ILMxLAB, LucasFilms’ immersive entertainment studio, has connections with the company already, having previously worked together with The VOID projects). Nomadic previously opened its free-roam venue concept under a partnership with Oculus.
Much rumoured, Oculus eventually lifted the veil on its full pivot to support the LBE VR scene. Building on the initial Oculus for Business division’s work, and under the new direction, it was revealed during F8 that new Oculus for Business bundles would be available, supported by the needed Terms of Service (ToS) and warranties for deployment in commercial entertainment and other enterprise applications. This would be supported by a software development kit (SDK) that would allow access to a suite of tools, and most importantly the ‘Co-Location’ platform used for multi-player connectivity – unable to be achieved on the consumer Oculus Quest.
At the beginning of this year, the promise of Oculus support for a standalone VR solution for enterprise was indefinitely put on hold. After the disbanding of the 2018 Capability Concept Demonstrator (CCD) team, Oculus had been attempting to create a workable ‘co-location’ solution on top of the standard SDK that addressed concerns from legal, over tracking accuracy that could lead to injury. Taking much longer than hoped and leading to still being stated as “Available Soon”, months after being promised.
Attempting to stem the floodgates, Oculus for Business went ahead and released an Enterprise User Agreement addendum for the Quest, permitting “Hospitality Entertainment” deployment. But sadly, much of what the LBE sector was waiting for was still prohibited, the addendum seemed more drafted for single-site VR arcades to use the Enterprise licensed Quest but forbidding use of Oculus co-location functionality.
New stipulations saw enterprise developers forced to create their own co-location firmware, and undertake appropriate liability coverage, all to placate the concern overshadowing corporate thinking. However, this “speedbump” has not deterred the entertainment sector from embracing the opportunity, even if they may be looking at alternative VR platforms to release on.
Independent Devs stake their claim
The corporation had initiated the Oculus ISV (Independent Software Vendors) Program to accelerate customer adoption of VR solutions built for Oculus enterprise products. The first of the developers selected by Oculus to support this program was the French location-based entertainment developer, Scale-1 Portal. Earlier in 2019, the company launched its ‘VOXEL ARENA’ platform, which saw networked Oculus Quest systems for four-player competition employed in the LBE VR market. The new system will be launched in March of 2020, with its first title being ‘PANIK’, offering a fun and challenging teamwork-based virtual experience.
Players competing in ‘PANIK’ at one of the first tests of the platform in September. Image credit: Scale-1 Portal
Another member of the Oculus ISV program is Chicken Waffle, an independent developer with a wide track record in content development and with videogames on many of the leading platforms. The company has also partnered with CenterTec, one of the established leaders of the deployment of the concept of VR arcades, with a successful location business that has also expanded into the educational side of the market, to become a community technology centre.
Working with Chicken Waffle, CenterTec has developed its own Oculus Quest powered mobile multi-user solution and has defined several titles that will offer a cost-effective platform. For operators looking at the investment needed to operate a sensible free-roaming offering, this platform will be backed up with the experience gained from operating educational content and will use many of the unique patents held by the operation. But unlike other developers, this system is cross-platform reliant and was seen supporting several of the standalone VR headsets at CES 2020.
Concerning the availability of a software and hardware solution for the VR arcade operators was one aspect under scrutiny with a question over the Oculus Quest availability for LBE deployment. One of the leading providers of commercially licensed VR game content, and venue management solutions, is Springboard VR – an operation with some 500 companies globally deploying their solution, utilising content from all the major consumer game studios, offering suitable VR content licensing through the platform. Most recently, Beat Games (Beat Saber) and VR Nerds (Tower Tag) added their successfully licensed content to this extensive library.
Springboard VR announced during last July its LBE + Education Solution for the platform, offering a device management kit for the Oculus Quest, allowing access for LBE, training and educational content, and for operators to run the system in location-based entertainment venues. This includes the content that had been appropriately licensed with a subscription model for commercial usage. The company is supplying a beta landing page – which at this point has not been updated. Springboard VR is working to support the Oculus Quest and currently supports VR hardware from Pico, HP, and HTC.
The marketing campaign for the beta program for interested supporters. Image credit: Springboard VR
Fennec Labs, an augmented and virtual reality development studio with specialisation in VR arcade content, had a big hand in developing the Springboard VR management platform. The company has been privately working on its own standalone VR platform, having undertaken a detailed evaluation of the current crop of headset options, evaluating Oculus Quest and Pico Neo 2 platforms for their PvP title called ‘RE: COIL’ – offering a new multi-player arena-scale LBE VR experience (the project is not tied to the Oculus API). With the launch in early-2020, the company proposes a basic licensing model for operators to get their hands on this title initially but are intending a complete turnkey model in the future.
SynthesisVR – the developer of one of the most advanced software solutions and management programs for operators of VR arcades and LBE VR venues, has established its own considerable library of the latest commercially licensed VR game content. SynthesisVR revealed its entry into LBE standalone support, having developed a version of its premium platform to support the Oculus Quest, HTC Vive Focus Plus, and Pico, as well as other upcoming Android-based headsets. This agnostic approach will offer VR arcade operators the ability to manage multiple devices, launching content simultaneously across them, and with tools for time management and payment collection (all licensed for commercial deployment).
Studio I-Illusions recently teased us with footage of Space Pirate Arena, in what has been described as a multiplayer “hall-scale” VR game, based on the Oculus Quest, for deployment in commercial locations. It is at an early (beta) stage of development but has seen serious interest from VR arcade operators based on its IP – this is a serious addition to the ranks of content looking at this opportunity.
Sequence from the teaser video of the beta version of ‘Space Pirate Arena’
UK-based developer Make Real, with a background in immersive networked technology solutions for enterprise and Out-of-Home Entertainment, is another entrant working towards releasing its own Oculus Quest LBE experience. The company is working on a four-player networked VR videogame within a shared “co-location” space, whilst a “theatre-scale” AR audience, powered by 5G, mixes the realities scale. Building on a collaborative puzzle solving narrative, the title has been developed in support of the Oculus for Business LBE initiative and is expected to go live in mid-2020, for operators to franchise.
The concluding part of this feature on the Standalone LBE scene follows shortly.
There are certain virtual reality (VR) titles now that could be called classics. Videogames all fans of the technology should have tried at least once, such as Job Simulator, Battlezone, EVE: Valkyrie and Space Pirate Trainerto name just a few. The developer of the latter experience I-Illusions has today announced a sequel, set in the same universe but going multiplayer – Space Pirate Arena.
Space Pirate Trainer was a purely single-player experience set in a 360-degree environment but with an interactive area of just 180-degrees. With no movement, it was great to showcase VR to new players. Space Pirate Arena aims to turn that gameplay on its head, providing a genre-defining experience for standalone headsets.
At present, Space Pirate Arena is a PvP shooter designed to work in court-sized environments – think basketball, tennis, any sort of sports hall – in what can be described as a frenzied game of hide and seek. With an open area to run around in, Space Pirate Arena creates a virtual environment with walls, doors and such like. It’s all designed around movement and getting players active in VR (a theme becoming far more commonplace).
“Space Pirate Trainer gave a glimpse of what happens when you add physicality in gameplay,” said I-Illusions’ founder Dirk Van Welden in a statement. “We wanted to push it further because we believe in the added immersiveness of one to one movement in virtual reality. There’s zero motion sickness, and feels incredibly real.”
I-Illusions has released a teaser trailer showcasing an early version of the videogame in action and it certainly looks promising. Recorded using Oculus Quests and GoPro camera’s the studio hasn’t finalised which VR systems Space Pirate Arena will support, although Oculus Quest seems to be a given. Untethered devices like HTC Vive Focus are the most likely avenue to go down for complete freedom in the large areas required.
Supposedly there isn’t a limit to the number of players which could participate, so scaling up is definitely going to happen. When is also a mystery, with I-Illusions yet to settle on a release window. When further details are made available, VRFocus will let you know.
The developers of one of VR’s earliest and most popular wave shooters — Space Pirate Trainer — are showing footage from a multiplayer Oculus Quest game requiring court-sized play areas.
Space Pirate Arena needs a large open space for a VR play area and players connected on the same Wi-Fi network to work, says I-Illusions founder Dirk Van Welden. Just how large? Around 10 meters by 10 meters, or more than 30 feet in either direction. That means you’d need a large open region, like a tennis court, with the proper lighting conditions to make this possible with Oculus Quest as depicted in a teaser video shared today by I-Illusions.
There’s no release date or pricing structure set for the experience yet and they believe they can scale up to support larger sessions. The gun in the game can charge up and a charged up shot can bounce off the walls. The developers say it plays like a game of hide and seek rather than a player-vs-player deathmatch.
I-Illusions isn’t sharing much more about the title just yet but Van Welden did say they are “using tech that is out for everyone” to share spatial anchors between systems. “It is all bound to change,” Van Welden said, while also specifying that it can work without an active connection to the full Internet. That means the game should be playable camped out in the middle of nowhere with untethered VR headsets like Oculus Quest all connected to the same laptop’s shared Wi-Fi network.
We’ll share updates on Space Pirate Arena as soon as we have them.
The same OC5 in San Jose 
Much rumoured, Oculus eventually lifted the veil on its full pivot to support the LBE VR scene. Building on the initial 
