Review: Korix

Real-time strategy has a fair amount of history behind it. Dating back to the venerable Dune II, which was released for MS-DOS way back in the misty depths of 1993. Much has remained the same since then, and some things have changed, but adding virtual reality (VR) to the mix brings an entirely new dimension.

Korix is a hybrid between traditional real-time strategy and the new-ish sub-genre of tower defence. The campaign is where most people will start, as that is where the tutorial is. Right away, problems occur, though. The tutorial tips are presented somewhat awkwardly. The messages are projected upon the virtual version of the controller (if you are using the Dual Shock, which I was) in somewhat hard-to-read font. Decades of muscle memory that tells you not to look at your controller becomes something of a problem at that stage. Playing with a Move controller tends to work a little better.

The play area is presented as a large polygonal platform covered by a grid. The player is required to set up a base on one end and, in traditional RTS style, send out workers to harvest energy. Then you need to conquer territory by setting up towers, or ‘walls’ and stacking them with upgradable weaponry. Destroying the enemy base results in a victory.

There is an interesting variety of weapons and defences available, with more being unlocked as you progress through the campaign. The controls work fairly well, and are suitably intuitive once you get past the somewhat unhelpful starting tutorial, and the motion controls track with impressive accuracy, for the most part.

The campaign is fun, and it is quite satisfying to drop some of the higher-level weaponry upon the enemies’ head. The graphics, while well-crafted, are somewhat disappointing however, with the low-polygon style contrasting poorly with the gorgeous space backgrounds. The enemy troops suffer in particular as they are featureless red voxel blobs with no personality. On the plus side, the native 120fps means that it runs exceptionally smoothly and didn’t disturb my equilibrium at all.

Despite the blurb for the game mentioning an intergalactic war and a fight to avenge your destroyed planet, the campaign doesn’t really feature any story. The music is pleasant, a chill electronic soundtrack that mixes fairly well with the visuals.

Multiplayer is available, and also works pretty well. Sadly though, the current online community for the title is not huge, so you may find you are waiting a while to find a match. Though if you have a group of friends with PlayStation VR headsets, you could do a lot worse than invite them to a mutliplayer match.

Korix tends to veer more towards ‘tower defence’ that RTS as a whole. The lack of story and blocky, basic graphical style let the side down somewhat. Despite that, it is fun to play for short sessions, especially in multiplayer, but lacks the depth for holding your attention for extended periods of time.

60%

Awesome

  • Verdict

Competition: Win A Copy Of Korix, Command Legions & Save Your People

It may have started out life as an experiment on the Oculus Rift DK2, but now of course it is out as a full blown title for the PlayStation VR.

A virtual reality (VR) based real-time strategy (RTS) videogame with elements of tower defence mechanics anda a retro isometric styling. As the commander of what remains of the military following the destruction of your home world, it is up to you to unite your surviving troops and survive. All whilst taking the fight back to the enemy.

We’ve teamed up with Korix developer StellarVR to give away two codes from the US PlayStation Store (you will require a US account in order to play), all you have to do to enter is check out VRFocus on social media. Either be a follower of us on Twitter or visit our Google+ and Facebook pages – which you should definitely follow when you go there! Use the Gleam app below to enter the competition which ends at the stroke of midnight (UK) on Tuesday, 18th April 2017. We will then be drawing the prizes shortly thereafter.

Win Korix On PSVR

For more on the latest PlayStation VR releases, as well as news and features from anything and everything to do with VR,check back regularly with VRFocus.

New PSVR Releases For The Week Of 03/26/17

New PSVR Releases For The Week Of 03/26/17

Rejoice PlayStation VR (PSVR) fans; now is your time. After a painfully slow start to 2017, Sony’s headset is finally about to kick it up a gear with a slew of great new releases. Two of those arrive this week with the long awaited port of a really good Rift and Vive game as well as a new tower defense title that’s exclusive to the platform. Enjoy!

If you missed last week, you can see those new releases here. Also, UploadVR has launched the ‘UploadVR PS VR Community’ on PlayStation 4! Join up, find other gamers to play with, and engage in discussions with them.

Also, don’t forget to check out our list of the

Fated: The Silent Oath, from Frima Studios
Price: $9.99

The Oculus Rift and HTC Vive launch game finally comes to PSVR, and it’s well worth the wait. Fated is the first part of a first-person adventure series in which players are cast as a father and husband that must protect his family against mythical monsters and more. It’s a surprisingly effective journey that you won’t soon forget and we can’t wait to see where the developer takes it next.

Recommendation: Definitely pick this up if you haven’t already seen it on Rift or Vive. Read our review here.

Korix, from Stellar VR
Price: $19.99

Korix offers a pretty promising mix of single player and multiplayer tower defense and real time strategy gameplay. Your home world is destroyed and you have to fight off attackers in stylish action inspired by games of the late 90’s. If that sounds up your street then this is probably an ideal pick for you.

Recommendation: Definitely one to check out for RTS and tower defense fans.

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PlayStation VR RTS game Korix reveals release date

Hybrid real-time strategy (RTS) and tower defence virtual reality (VR) videogame Korix will be coming to the PlayStation VR (PSVR) on 28th March 2017, developer StellarVR has announced.

Korix is an RTS videogame with a retro graphics style. The player takes the role of a commander charged with gathering resources, building defences and battling the enemy against a surreal polygonal space backdrop.

korix-screen-02-ps4-us-15aug16

Developer StellarVR announced recently that that Korix would run natively at 120FPS on both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro. Research has shown that higher frame rates can reduce or eliminate some of the symptoms of motion sickness and headaches that affect some people during prolonged periods of using VR.

Korix features a single-player game comprising roughly 3-5 hours of content as well as a skirmish mode and multiplayer. Multiplayer can be played as 2-4 player co-op or in head-to-head versus mode.

korix-screen-08-ps4-us-15aug16

Mark Taylor, lead developer and founder at StellarVR said of the game: “Korix has been a real labor of love over the past year with my sole goal being to release a game with old-school gameplay reminiscent of RTS’s from the late 90’s on PS VR. I’m so excited to see Korix released and more importantly, I finally get to play with you! “

Korix will be released on 28th March. A price point has not yet been confirmed.

VRFocus will keep you informed on any updates regarding Korix and the PSVR.

PlayStation VR: Korix ist erstes Spiel mit nativen 120Hz

Korix ist ein Echtzeit-Strategiespiel (RTS) für die PlayStation VR-Brille, das auf minimalistiche Grafik setzt. Die Entwickler rühmen sich damit, dass Korix das erste Spiel sein soll, dass mit nativen 120Hz auf Sonys VR-Brille läuft.

Multiplayer VR RTS Korix setzt auf native 120Hz

Während das PlayStation VR Headset in der Lage ist nativ 120 Bilder pro Sekunde wiederzugeben, laufen die meisten Spiele für Sonys VR-Brille mit 60Hz. Dank einer Technik namens „Asynchronous Reprojection“ wird die Framerate mit interpolierten Bildern künstlich aufgepump. So ist es mit PlayStation VR auch möglich eine Bildwiederholungsrate von 90Hz zu erreichen, der Wert, den auch die Oculus Rift und HTC Vive erreichen.

Dem Entwickler von Korix, Mark Taylor zufolge ist es das erste Spiel für die PSVR Plattform, das die 120Hz nativ erreicht. Dies ist sowohl für die PlayStation 4 als auch für die PS4 Pro der Fall.

PS Move und Dualshock 4 Controller Support

Das Spiel ist ein Real-Time-Strategy-Game, das mit Retro Charme und minimalistischer Grafik daher kommt. Der Titel hat außerdem Support für die PlayStation Move Controller, auch wenn man Korix auch mit dem Dualshock 4 Controller spielen kann.

Korix Echtzeit Strategie Spiel für PlayStation VR

Obwohl das Spiel mit echten 120 fps läuft, kann es in komplexeren Spielsituationen passieren, dass die Framerate einbricht. Hier soll dann die künstliche Anhebung der Framerate eingreifen, um ein flüssiges Spielerlebnis zu garantieren. Dies wird weniger bei der PlayStation 4 Pro der Fall sein, als bei der regulären Variante von Sonys Spielekonsole.

Obwohl das Spiel schon seit August 2016 angekündigt ist, gibt es noch kein offizielles Veröffentlichungsdatum. Korix soll jedoch in den nächsten Wochen für PlayStation VR erscheinen. Später sollen auch Versionen für Oculus Rift und HTC Vive herauskommen.

Total*: 395,00 EUR Versand*: n.a. s. Shop Preis kann jetzt höher sein.
Abruf der Informationen: 10.03.2017 16:52:16 | Bitte Disclaimer beachten

(Quelle: Road to VR)

Der Beitrag PlayStation VR: Korix ist erstes Spiel mit nativen 120Hz zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

PlayStation VR RTS Game Korix To Run At 120FPS

Real time strategy/Tower defence game Korix for the PlayStation VR (PSVR) will be the first title on the headset to run 120 frames per second (FPS) natively on both the PlayStation 4 Pro and PlayStation 4 models.

Research has established that higher framerates in VR games can help mitigate some of the issues that a percentage of users experience when using VR, such as motion sickness, eye strain and headaches.

Korix involves the player taking on the role of a commander of a deep space fleet aiming to take down the enemies who destroyed your homeworld. The gameplay is reminiscent of real-time strategy (RTS) games from the 90’s, with some elements from modern tower defence games thrown in. The game uses a block, retro visual style, with much of the action taking place on mostly flat, polygonal planes in a variety of shapes that float in an outer-space background.

korix-screen-08-ps4-us-15aug16

Korix features a 3-5 hours single-player campaign, skirmish modes and multiplayer modes. In multiplayer, players can team up with each other for 2-4 player co-op or go head-to-head in versus mode.

The official release date has not yet been confirmed, but a spokesperson for the developer has said to expect an announcement ‘In a matter of weeks.’.

korix-screen-07-ps4-us-15aug16

VRFocus will keep you informed on updates regarding Korix and PSVR titles.

Update: ‘Korix’ Claims to be First PSVR Title to Run Natively at 120Hz, Launching March 28th

Korix a visually-minimalist VR RTS headed to PlayStation VR claiming to be the first title to run natively at 120Hz on the headset.

Update (3/21/17, 11:05AM PT): The official PlayStation Blog confirms Korix will be released on March 28th with and include single-player campaign, skirmish, and online multiplayer (two to four players in co-op or versus) modes. The price of the game is still unannounced. Original article continues below.

While the PSVR display supports a 120Hz refresh rate, most games on the platform run at 60Hz and use a technique called asynchronous reprojection to inject interpolated frames to bring the output up to the 120Hz rate. The headset can also run with a native 90Hz refresh rate (matching the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive).

According to developer Mark Taylor, Korix will be the first game on PSVR to run natively at 120Hz, on both PS4 and PS4 Pro. The game, which is soon to get an official release date, is a “retro styled real-time strategy [game] crossed with tower defence elements,” which also has support for the PlayStation Move controllers (though they won’t be required).

Hitting such a high framerate, especially on the PS4’s 2013-era hardware, takes careful optimization. No doubt, the sharp, minimalist visuals of Korix have helped in that regard.

90Hz is good, but researchers say that framerates as high as 240Hz could improve the immersion of VR. I’ve previewed an earlier tech demo running on PSVR at 120Hz and was very impressed with the feeling of realism.

And while the game is designed to run natively at 120Hz, Taylor says the reprojection will kick in if needed during complex scenes, though ostensibly it will happen less on the more powerful PS4 Pro than the older PS4.

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PlayStation VR to Get Improved Tracking and 3D Blu-ray Playback in Next PS4 Update

According to a technical preview video by NX Gamer, Korix will also employ supersampling and 4x MSAA on both systems:

While Korix was announced way back in August 2016, ahead of the October launch of the PSVR, the game will launch on March 28th though the price is unknown.

The post Update: ‘Korix’ Claims to be First PSVR Title to Run Natively at 120Hz, Launching March 28th appeared first on Road to VR.

Develop:VR Reveals Eight Titles Being Showcased at Indie Zone

Submissions opened last month for virtual reality (VR) developers to showcase their latest projects in the Indie Zone at the upcoming Develop:VR conference, an offshoot of the popular Develop:Brighton event. Organiser Tandem Events has now announced the eight projects which will be on display.

The Indie Zone is an area within the expo at Develop:VR showcasing some of the most interesting indie VR and augmented reality (AR) projects. These were selected by Solomon Rogers (Rewind:VR), Sam Watts (Make Real) and Steve Jelly (Hammerhead VR), and were chosen based on a criteria that all the projects must be independently developed, that the studio is smaller than 12 members and the budget was less than £1 million GBP.

Windlands screenshot

Those chosen were: The Circle by Manos Agianniotakis, Korix by StellarVR, Tin Hearts by Rogue Sun, Ctrl by Breaking Fourth, Pierhead Arcade by Mechabit, Windlands by Psytec Games, PaperLander VR by ThisWayUp Games and Candy Kingdom by GameplaystudioVR.

“It was a tough decision to make being a judge for the Develop:VR Indie Showcase with so many excellent submissions with exciting, fun and technically competent titles to choose from,” commented Sam Watts. “However we feel that the final selection gives a fantastic broad overview of a range of types of games available, with VR powering new experiences from genuine small teams without publishers or large-scale financial backing. I wish all the participants the best of luck and hope they have a great show!”

While Andy Lane, managing director of Tandem Events added: “These eight projects demonstrate the high level of creativity the indie scene can bring to VR and AR projects. I’m really looking forward to testing this section on the expo floor.”

Develop:VR will be held on 24th, November 2016 at The Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London. Passes for the event are still available at the Early Bird rate of £245 GBP plus VAT until 15th, October 2016, and VRFocus readers can also get a further 10 percent discount by entering code: DEVR16VF at the checkout.

The full conference programme has been available for the last couple of weeks, and for any further announcements, keep reading VRFocus.