You can watch the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase right here when it goes live today.
Meta’s second showcase promises to highlight loads of titles heading to Quest 2 in the coming weeks and months. Wondering where to watch? Worry not; we’ll be streaming the entire show on this very page, so come here at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BT.
Don’t have a Quest? Don’t worry; though the event is sure to focus on the standalone headset, we’ll likely see plenty of multiplatform titles on the way to PSVR and PC VR too, so it’ll be well worth tuning in.
Don’t forget this isn’t the only VR gaming showcase to look forward to this year – the Upload VR Showcase will return this summer with plenty of new announcements and trailers so make sure to look out for that too.
What are you hoping to see from the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase? Let us know in the comments below!
Slowly but surely, the Meta Quest 2 is evolving beyond its roots as a gaming headset.
Subscriptions to workout apps have turned the standalone headset into a viable fitness wearable, whereas the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the benefits of virtual productivity. Meta, meanwhile, is increasingly trying to push the device’s social features as it doubles down on its vision of the metaverse, hosting Foo Fighters concerts and viral campaigns for Wendy’s.
But we haven’t arrived at VR’s multi-functional future just yet. It’s early for these new categories, and the vast majority of apps being developed for Quest 2 are still games, with many of the most talented software developers today working in the gaming industry. Meta’s near-term strategy, meanwhile, is focusing on heavy hitter titles like Resident Evil 4 and Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. As it stands in 2022, Quest 2 is first and foremost a games console.
It’s on this front that the device — alongside the rest of the VR industry — has been floundering ever so slightly of late.
Clearly, Quest 2 had a strong holiday season with big new launches like Resident Evil and the Oculus app topping charts. But, since then, things have been a little too quiet. We’re now four months into 2022 and there’s been some great titles, like the launch of Zenith, Upload’s first ‘Essential’ game of the year in Ultrawings 2, and this week’s release of the surprisingly solid Green Hell VR. But we haven’t seen any truly significant, AAA titles to turn heads from either Meta or any other publishers, and most games releasing on the platform have a tendency to appear as if from thin air, with little to no marketing push. Cracks are also starting to appear in Meta’s strict store curation and release scheduling (seriously, why are Little Cities and Cities: VR releasing a week apart?).
Whereas the traditional gaming scene has been basking in an embarrassment of big titles, from Elden Ring to Horizon Forbidden West, there’s been very little to talk about in the VR space.
In the short term at least, this is a problem for Meta. We may be beginning to see Quest’s momentum start to wane; Valve’s Index saw bigger growth in last month’s Steam Hardware Survey than Quest, and the prospect of Sony’s PSVR 2 headset, with the promise of bigger, graphically richer VR experiences, has taken some of the spotlight away from the headset. Even within Quest’s existing fanbase, attention is turning to what the high-end Project Cambria will deliver when it releases later this year (although, admittedly, it will still be able to play Quest games). 2021 was similarly sparse for big releases, but Quest 2 was still the hot new item without any major new headsets to challenge it. Meta could afford to be patient.
I don’t mean to suggest that the headset’s in any sort of immediate danger. Quest is still going to be the dominant VR platform for years to come and I don’t believe PSVR 2, with its PS5 dependency, will sell more units than the collective Quest line over the next five years. As those other VR use cases become more and more prominent and future headsets continue to close the fidelity gap, the headset is only going to expand in appeal.
But, certainly, Sony’s headset promises to serve as a balm for dedicated VR gamers tired of experiences that wrestle with the power of mobile computing. And that audience matters.
Even just a few seconds of Horizon Call of the Mountain footage demonstrated gorgeous gameplay far beyond what’s currently possible with standalone VR. Meanwhile, between its five owned VR studios (including the developers of Beat Saber, Onward, Population: One, Asgard’s Wrath and Lone Echo) and partnerships with companies like Ubisoft and Rockstar, we still don’t know when the next massive Quest game will land and what it will look like.
That’s why Meta’s upcoming Quest Gaming Showcase is particularly crucial to its 2022 plans.
This could well be Meta’s last chance to show what’s coming to Quest and why there’s reason to be excited before PSVR 2 puts its foot on the gas in the near future. It’s going to need to show us counterpoints to the visually richer and likely bigger games PSVR 2 is going to be capable of, and it’s going to need to give us a roadmap for what the year’s going to look like.
Hype is how selling games consoles works. Supply constraints aside, people are rushing to buy PS5s because they know God of War: Ragnarok is coming this year and a Spider-Man sequel will follow in 2023. People want Xbox Series X units because Bethesda has cemented the launch of its next open-world epic for this holiday season. It might keep getting delayed, but the promise of a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild has kept people invested in the Switch these past few months and years.
Quest is lacking those hallmark titles right now. There are games we know that will cause a stir, like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas VR and new Splinter Cell and Assassin’s Creed games. We know that the new Walking Dead game is coming to Quest, as are plenty of other titles from some of the best VR developers. But most, if not all of these still only exist as press releases and key art with logos; it’s hard to drum up much excitement for games we haven’t actually seen yet. What are we going to be playing in the next few months? What’s Quest’s big holiday releases? Why, essentially, should a VR gamer buy a Quest 2 in 2022 over waiting for PSVR 2?
This is Meta’s chance to pull back the curtain on that line-up and cement Quest’s place as a device with a regular flow of incredible content. If it misses the mark, then the company risks losing ground to other headsets in 2022 as the conversation switches right back over to what new hardware will instead enable.
The Meta Gaming Showcase airs at 10am PT on April 20 and we’ll have all the headlines from the show.
Among Us VR and Cities: VR will be present at the Meta Gaming Showcase next month.
The showcase is the second of its kind, providing the latest looks at titles coming to Quest. As announced yesterday, it will begin at 10am PT on April 20, hosted by Oculus Studio Executive Producer Ruth Bram.
Yesterday we speculated on what we might see at the showcase, including potential updates on GTA: San Andreas, Vertigo Games, Stress Level Zero, Splinter Cell/Assassin’s Creed and Among Us VR.
heads up Crewmates, we're gonna be in the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase! april 20 new bean footage no Impostors allowed
Well, it looks like we’ll be getting our wish for at least one of those — the Among Us VR Twitter account confirmed the game will appear in the upcoming showcase, featuring some new footage. Hopefully we’ll also learn a little about a possible release date for the game, too.
We also got confirmation that Cities: VR, the spin-off of the popular Skylines game, will be at the show. Developer Fast Travel pointed out that you won’t want to miss the event. Could this be where we learn about the spring release date for the Quest 2 exclusive?
For now, those are the only developers and publishers we’ve heard from — the rest of the showcase remains wrapped under a blanket of mystery. We should also expect a bit of the unexpected as well — Meta confirmed yesterday that alongside updates on previously-announced titles, we’re also in store for some brand new game announcements.
It won’t be the only VR showcase this year either — the UploadVR Showcase is back this June. Keep an eye out for more details soon.
Back in the old Oculus days the company would hold big demo presentations at events like GDC or tease a few titles during Connect. Times have changed, last year saw the first-ever Oculus Gaming Showcase combine this into one, seeing the likes of Resident Evil 4and Lone Echo IItake centre stage. For 2022 there’s been a slight name tweak to the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase but the idea remains the same, loads of VR videogame announcements.
The event is set to take place across Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and Oculus TV on 20th April 2022 at 10 am PT (6 pm BST). The Oculus Blog (should we keep calling it that?) teases that: “You can expect new game announcements, gameplay first-looks, updates on games coming in the next year, and a whole lot of surprises.”
So that begs the question, what does gmw3 hope to see? Plenty of the “Most Anticipated” list has either arrived or will be shortly, but hopefully, we’ll hear more about Fun Train’s SIN (Safety in Numbers) the follow up to The Exorcist: Legion VR. Also on the list could be NERF Ultimate Championship, Resolution Games’ upcoming Ultimechs or Wands Alliances from Cortopia Studios; so many possibilities.
It’s likely that the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase will be heavily updated oriented much like the 2021 showcase, although a few unexpected titles wouldn’t go amiss. For example, Vertigo Games revealed during Connect that it’s working with Oculus Studios on four new videogames so one of those could appear.
And remember two years ago when Ubisoft announced that the Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell franchises would be coming to Quest, with nothing being heard since. The Meta Quest Gaming Showcase would be an ideal time for a “gameplay first-look”.
Guessing aside, there are only three weeks to go until the showcase so you’ll find out soon enough. Let us know in the comments below which games you’re looking forward to. For further updates keep reading gmw3.
The second annual Meta Quest Gaming Showcase will take place on April 20, featuring updates and new game announcements for the Quest platform.
The showcase will begin at 10am PT, hosted Ruth Bram, Executive Producer at Oculus Studios. Meta says the showcase will feature “announcements, gameplay first-looks, updates on games coming in the next year, and a whole lot of surprises.”
Here’s hoping for news on all of the above and more. Last year’s show gave us an in-depth look at Resident Evil 4 VR and saw the announcement of Carve Snowboarding, though also largely focused on updates for games that are already available. You can tune in to the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase at 10am PT on April 20 on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and Oculus TV. Of course, it won’t be the only VR gaming showcase this year – we’ll be back with the Upload VR Showcase in June. More details soon!
Meta announced it’s returning this year with another installment of its Quest Gaming Showcase, which means we’ll soon be getting our annual download on upcoming Quest games and updates coming this year.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg today announced the second annual Meta Quest Gaming Showcase, which is slated to take place on April 20th at 10am PT (local time here).
Meta says we can expect new game announcements, gameplay first-looks, updates on games coming in the next year, and “a whole lot of surprises.”
Ruth Bram, Executive Producer at Oculus Studios, will be returning to present the show this year.
Last year’s showcase, which was previously called the Oculus Gaming Showcase, was mostly centered on updates to platform favorites such as Pistol Whip, The Climb, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, and revealed footage of I Expect You To Die 2, Resident Evil 4, and Lone Echo II.
We’re hoping this year’s show focuses more on wholly new games. You can follow along with us on April 20th by watching the showcase via Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, and Oculus TV.
april 20
no Impostors allowed
