No Man’s Sky: Beyond, which includes complete VR support for the entire game, finally has a confirmed release date for this August 14th.
That’s less than two weeks away in case you didn’t realize. In less than two weeks you can plop on a VR headset and take off for space to explore the stars, visit far-away galaxies, or explore entire planets from top to bottom. And we can tell that a lot of you are excited as well.
Sky’s The Limit
Earlier this year Hello Games announced No Man’s Sky: Beyond, a new overhaul of the game that would include revamped online features and VR support. A third and final component of the release is still under wraps for now. We should know a bit more about No Man’s Sky VR before the date, hopefully, to further whet appetites.
The No Man’s Sky VR release date news is exciting, but not too surprising. Just yesterday we learned about the game getting rated by the ESRB and Sean Murray made comments about the massive scope of the game not far before that.
Since No Man’s Sky is a procedurally generated game world that means that it’s functionally limitless. The game holds billions of planets in its digital universe, all ready to be mapped and explored. Players can even terraform planets and build structures. Or you can focus on the game’s core objective, gradually making your way to the center of the universe. Either that or just, y’know, do whatever you want. Hello Games has even gone the extra mile and implemented hand controllers like PlayStation Move. The Beyond update will be free to all existing owners.
No Man’s Sky VR is coming to PSVR and PC VR headsets on August 14th. Let us know if you plan on playing down in the comments below! Once it launches, we plan on founding Planet Upload somewhere with a nice green sky.
No Man’s Sky: Beyond, which includes the No Man’s Sky VR update, is now rated by the ESRB which implies an imminent release date.
Not long ago No Man’s Sky: Beyond was rated by the Australian ratings board and now the ESRB, spotted by Wario64 on Twitter, the North American game ratings board, has weighed in as well. Unsurprisingly, just like every other version of the game, it’s rated T for Teen.
We still don’t have a specific release date for No Man’s Sky VR announced, but they did say it would be coming this summer. The original game released three years ago on August 9th, but next week seems a bit too soon without an announcement yet. Hopefully it won’t be much longer, though — we loved the brief time we spent hands-on with it on PSVR and HTC Vive Pro.
Sean Murray from Hello Games has spoken very highly of his game’s VR support, stating that he and the rest of the team have wanted to include VR from the very beginning. Unlike Skyrim VR, Fallout 4 VR, Borderland 2 VR, and other non-VR games that get ported, No Man’s Sky VR is actually just an update to the entire base game. No new purchases required if you own it already and the multiplayer functionality works between both VR and non-VR players. That will immediately make it one of the most widely owned VR games once the Beyond update (all of which is also free) finally launches.
No Man’s Sky VR will support PSVR and PC VR headsets. In our discussion topic last week we asked what you intend to do first when finally playing No Man’s Sky VR with its release quickly approaching. Let us know here as well down in the comments below!
You might think Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is the biggest game reveal of the day. Well, we’re here to tell you you’re wrong; Onward is coming to Oculus Quest!
The port was announced during today’s instalment of the VR League, an esports competition for VR gamers. Downpour Interactive’s Dante Buckley joined the show to confirm the ever-popular VR shooter is coming to Oculus’ standalone headset.
For those that don’t know, Onward is a first-person multiplayer shooter. Initially developed by just Buckley himself, the game favors realistic modern combat. First released for the HTC Vive, it quickly caught people’s attention with its authentic gameplay that, at the time, was unseen in VR.
Buckley didn’t reveal exactly when Onward would be arriving on Quest. We’ll be incredibly excited to see how the game’s tense tactical shootouts translate to the wireless headset. On PC, the game’s still in Early Access and Oculus hasn’t yet launched a pre-release game on its new headset.
This is just the first in what’s sure to be a week of great announcements for VR. Make sure to join UploadVR on Monday when we host the first ever E3 VR Showcase, kicking off at 8:45am PT. We’ll host over 30 (close to 40, in fact!) VR games including exclusive gameplay, new trailers and, of course, big announcements. We can’t wait to show you what’s in store – there’s a few more Quest announcements on the way.
No matter the type of multiplayer experience you are looking for, this hybrid console has it all. Here are the best multiplayer games on the Nintendo Switch.
Having a fast-paced shooter in VR isn’t unheard of. With games like Robo Recall, Pavlov VR, and even the less traditional games like Audica around, shooting is commonplace within VR. It is completely natural to start firing off weapons in VR because of how intuitively the first-person perspective fits and how much more intense it makes everything feel. So, when Ubisoft announced Space Junkies, while there may have been some excitement, it’s not like it was new ground being broken here.
Space Junkies is a light-hearted free-flying space shooter that pits you against up to three other players. The tutorial sets the kind of tone you can expect from the gameplay. It is exceptionally silly and doesn’t take itself seriously. You start by learning the controls as you would in any game, but you also get to try out some of the weapons on offer. The movement is done in a similar style to Blade and Sorcery, you move in the direction you are looking. Unlike Blade and Sorcery though, you can look straight up and fully explore the zero-gravity environments in which the battles take place.
The freedom of movement makes the battles in Space Junkies absolutely exhilarating. Plus, the way the game moves never induces the motion sickness you can sometimes get with some VR games because you know the movement is unnatural. It means you can be boosting straight down at the floor and always feel in control. You can move using the thumbsticks too, but it is rarely needed outside of strafing in three-dimensions.
The weapons are excellent and have some great variety too. You get to choose a couple that you go into battle with like a sword and shield. This allows you to always have your own playstyle, but these are mostly gadgets like a sonar or a medi-kit rather than weapons. Most of the weapons can be picked up in the arenas themselves; whoever cleans up space is incredibly lax when it comes to immensely powerful weaponry it would seem.
There are standard things like pistols and sub-machine guns, though even these have a fun twist on them. Of all the weapons, though, three standout as being more interesting than the rest. Not because the rest are bad, just because these ones are incredibly good fun. The Slingshot is exactly what it sounds like, except instead of rocks or water balloons, you fire off powerful grenades. The Plasma Rifle is a long-range sniper rifle you have to charge up before each shot. It makes landing a hit so satisfying. Then you have a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher that fires rockets you can control. It’s reminiscent of the Cerebral Bore from Turok.
You even have different classes of character to play as. These give you a different mix of speed and resilience to allow you to play how you want to play. Take a strong class like the Juggernaut and then use a shield and you can be a tank. If you prefer speed, then playing as the Buzzkill and using the sonar allows you to hunt down enemies and then race away if needed.
The time to kill in this game is fairly small if someone has a good aim. It makes combat more satisfying when you are the first to react, but also means you can die out of nowhere because the enemy was below you. It never feels frustrating, though, because the respawn is exceptionally fast and you always get a new weapon to begin with. It’s just a lot of fun and very reminiscent of Unreal Tournament so many years ago.
Now, time to address the space elephant in the room. What is it like when compared to Echo Combat? Well, where Echo is a tactical shooter, one that requires good positioning and forethought, Space Junkies is chaos and fire. Space Junkies is very much an arcade shooter, one designed to be easy to get to grips with. There is no grabbing onto walls and using cover, it is pure, uninterrupted mania and it is, quite frankly, a lot more fun for it. The mindset is different two, the matches are faster, the games have less riding on them, so the atmosphere is a little mor jovial. Sure, there is a comparison here, but there really shouldn’t be.
Space Junkies is quite simply a different breed of game, and the setting alone isn’t enough to make the two similar. It is pure fun and unconcerned with things like tactics or thinking ahead. The only thing you need to keep in mind is what level you’re in, and where the weapons, armor, and health spawn. It effectively replicates the halcyon days of multiplayer shooters in VR. This is an incredible feat and one that is well worth paying attention to.
There are some small drawbacks. There could be more modes for example. While the deathmatch and king mode options are good, it all comes down to shooting each other a lot. It would be amazing to see some more classic modes introduced, things like zone control, or a sword only mode for example. What is there is an incredible time, but a little more would make it unmissable.
Final Score:8/10 – Great
Space Junkies does what games have done for decades: it brings a smile to your face. It’s the kind of game you can either play for one match, or accidentally lose hours to. The matches are fast-paced and frenetic, the weapons are fun and varied, and the customization brings a deeper level to it all. Frankly, it’s fun in a way that is sometimes missing from more serious affairs. It’s already an exceptional experience and if it evolves and gains new content it will become unmissable. Now, if you’ll excuse us, there is a slingshot with our name on it.
Note: This version of the review is specifically for the PC VR version of the game. There are a few differences on PSVR not accounted for here.
Vertigo Games released its mix of real-time and turn-based strategy experience Skyworldback in 2017, offering a mashup of several genres. Today, the company in collaboration with Vive Studios have announced a new title in the franchise, a multiplayer card-battler called Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl.
Designed to be a highly competitive cross-platform experience, Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl will allow players to unlock, collect and upgrade dozens of cards to build powerful decks. This being virtual reality (VR) they’ll be able to see their cards come alive as they cast spells and summon forces to wipe their opponents off the map. As a multiplayer focused title, players can go it alone or join a clan, taking on opponents from around the globe in regular online tournaments to rank on the global leaderboards.
“We set out to deliver a consistent, uncompromising cross-platform experience across PC VR and standalone VR hardware with Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl and it’s exciting to see how far we’ve been able to push the devices; from drawing massive numbers of units on screen to delivering awesome combat effects,” said Trevor Blom, Lead Tech at Vertigo Studios in a statement.
Having partnered with Vive Studios, Vertigo Games will be debuting Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019, offering attendees a cross-platform multiplayer hands-on demo on HTC Vive Pro and the HTC Vive Focus in the VR Play Area.
“Vertigo Games and Vive Studios have delivered on the VR industry’s desire for a gripping multiplayer game where players can battle friends regardless of their different VR hardware,” said Joel Breton, Vice President, Vive Studios. “We are very excited to be partnering with Vertigo Games to bring Skyworld Kingdom Brawl to the entire VR community.”
The studios are celebrating today’s announcement by launching the original Skyworld on Viveport Subscription today. As for the official launch of Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl, that will take place on 2nd April 2019, supporting HTC Vive, HTC Vive Pro, HTC Vive Focus, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. An HTC Vive Focus Plus version is scheduled for later this year. For any further updates on Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl, keep reading VRFocus.
Remember that incredible boss battle with The End in Metal Gear Solid 3? Sneaking through the forest for hours on end, using camouflage to avoid detection? Sniper’s Ground looks set to capitalize on that in VR.
Indie developer Mohammed Alsharefee introduced this upcoming game to the world this week. It’s a multiplayer shooter in which players trade bullets over massive maps and try and sneak past the enemy. Check it out in the trailer below but take note this isn’t really what the game will look like. It uses Unity’s Book of the Dead Forest environment, which is not something that would easily squeeze inside a VR headset. It’s very much a concept trailer, so expect the final product to look very different.
According to the developer, this will be an in-depth sniping experience. You’ll be able to customize weapons and bullet types and even have to take the wind into account before pulling the trigger. He envisions Sniper’s Ground as a slow-paced action game, more akin to chess than Call of Duty. Expect three maps at launch and different modes include plans for, you guessed it, a battle royale game type.
But Sniper’s Ground needs your help to become a reality. Alsharefee now has a Patron campaign up and running for the game to fund it. He’s hoping to hit $400 a month, which he’d use to pick up a VR headset. Right now he’s using a Kinect and the Trinus VR app on iPhone to develop the game. That can’t be the best way to do it.
A possible release date depends on how much funding the developer gets. It’s coming to PC VR headsets but final platforms also haven’t been announced at this time.
The long wait for Ubisoft’s next VR game, Space Junkies, is almost over. Not only that, but it’s coming to PSVR too.
Ubisoft announced today that the zero gravity shooter will hit PSVR, Rift, Vive and Windows VR headsets on March 26th. The PSVR edition isn’t too surprising considering the ESRB rated the game for launch on PS4 last month.
In the game, players bound across zero gravity arenas in 3D shootouts. It’s set to launch with 1v1, 2v2 and free-for-all modes as well as six different maps. Over time, developer Ubisoft Montpellier will introduce new modes, maps and weapons across several updates.
On PC, Space Junkies uses each headset’s respective motion controllers. On PSVR, however, the game will only utilize DualShock 4 with a “unique navigation system”. This is likely down to the tracking limitations with PSVR’s camera. DualShock controls will use Sixaxis motion control, though.
On top of all of that, an open beta is set to run across all platforms ahead of launch. You can sign up to participate in more closed tests right here.
The news comes shortly after Ubisoft launched an arcade version of the game in over 100 locations worldwide. We’ve been impressed with that we’ve seen of the game thus far. “So far I’ve been really impressed with Space Junkies visually and this map only strengthened that feeling,” we wrote in our most recent preview. “Colors are bright and eye-catching and the team at Ubisoft has done a great job of giving everything a strong sense of personality. It’d be very tough to mistake Space Junkies for any other game, which is a great credit to the art team that’s worked on this one.”
Epic Games today announced it will be releasing a free cross-platform networking software development kit (SDK) for games. The SDK will allow developers to leverage the same server infrastructure used by Fortnite, for free.
Players will use the same login as Fortnite and the new Epic Games store, so for many gamers no new account would need to be created.
Currently, VR developers can leverage each platform’s multiplayer networking system for free, but developing a cross-platform solution requires hosting or renting servers. For example, a developer can add multiplayer to an Oculus Store title for free. However, if they wanted their Oculus players to play with their Daydream players, they’d have to do this at their own expense. The same situation applies to Steam and PlayStation.
This leads many developers of multiplayer VR games to either release on only one platform, or to have separate multiplayer pools. But Epic’s solution could change this as it would give developers a free and reliable solution to scale their mulitplayer across multiple platforms.
The platform is planned to release for Windows in Q2 2019. In Q3 achievements and voice chat should be added, and support for macOS. Some time later in the year, matchmaking and parties will be added, as well as support for Android and PlayStation (as well as iOS, Xbox, and Switch). Though not mentioned specifically, Oculus Go, Oculus Quest, and Daydream headsets are Android-based devices.
In 2020 the company intends to add advanced features like anti-cheating measures and support for user-generated content (perhaps similar to Steam Workshop).
The SDK will be natively supported in Unreal Engine, will have a Unity plugin, and can be added to other engines with a C SDK. It runs on the same infrastructure used by Fortnite, hosted on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud.
So why is Epic releasing this for free? It’s likely to entice both players and developers into their new Epic Games store ecosystem. If a developer uses the SDK their game will be already suitable for release on Epic Games, and all their players will need to create an Epic Games account. Along with the higher revenue share Epic provides to developers, this could make Epic Games a serious competitor to Valve’s Steam in the long term. For VR, it should simply make developers’ lives easier.
Obwohl wir derzeit weiterhin mit Hochdruck an unserer Virtual-Reality-Arcade und unserer virtuellen Welt im Kreativspeicher M28 in der Hamburger Speicherstadt arbeiten, wollen wir euch Tower Tag nicht länger vorenthalten. Deshalb laden wir euch herzlich dazu ein, unseren Arcade-Shooter vor Ort auszuprobieren. Ab sofort könnt ihr ein Spiel bei uns im VRHQ am Sandtorkai 27/28 entweder als Gruppe buchen oder alternativ unser Super Saturday Special wahrnehmen und bereits ab zehn Euro pro Person für 30 Minuten in die Virtual Reality eintauchen.
Tower Tag ab sofort in der Hamburger Speicherstadt spielen
Wir öffnen unsere Pforten und würden uns sehr freuen, euch schon bald in unserer neuen Location begrüßen zu dürfen. An jedem Samstag könnt ihr entweder alleine oder mit Freunden vorbeikommen, um euch in spannende Gefechte mit anderen VR-Nerds zu stürzen. Sollten die rabattierten Slots nicht ausgelastet werden, können die Teams optional mit Bots aufgefüllt werden. Dadurch müsst ihr nicht lange warten und könnt direkt ins Spielgeschehen einsteigen. Zusätzlich habt ihr die Möglichkeit, einen Zeitraum für bis zu vier Personen buchen, um mit Freunden oder Kollegen zusammenzuspielen.
Möchtet ihr mit einer größeren Gruppe vorbeikommen oder das Tower-Tag-Erlebnis ungestört genießen, dann könnt ihr auf unseren Gruppentarif zurückgreifen. Dadurch dürft ihr die Guns nach freiem Belieben von Montag bis Freitag zum Glühen bringen.
Besonders für spezielle Veranstaltungen wie Junggesellenabschiede, Geburtstage, Exkursionen, Kurztrips und Teambuilding-Maßnahmen ist das Angebot bestens geeignet, um gemeinsam eine spaßige Zeit zu verbringen.
Wir freuen uns auf euren Besuch und wünschen euch viel Spaß mit Tower Tag!
