Category: Oculus VR

Posted on

Horizon Worlds Beta Goes Public In US & Canada With 18+ Age Requirement

After years of waiting, the Horizon Worlds beta is opening to anyone in the US and Canada, with no invite required.

Meta announced the change today, which moves the beta from an invite-only system to a public beta with no invite requirement. Anyone who is in the US and Canada and over 18 can download Horizon Worlds and try it out from today.

UploadVR asked Meta for clarification on how the 18+ age requirement will be verified, to which a spokesperson responded: “When you log into Horizon Worlds with Facebook, you’ll be able to use the app in VR if your age on Facebook is over 18.”

Horizon Worlds is the social hub and creation tool created by Meta as part of the wider Horizon brand, which also includes Horizon Venues and Horizon Workrooms. It was announced all the way back in 2019, then known as Facebook Horizon, and displayed similar social, world-building functionality as VR apps like VRChat and Rec Room.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has emphasized Horizon Worlds’ priority within the company’s VR/AR efforts, hoping it might start the ‘social fabric’ of VR. Likewise, Meta Consulting CTO John Carmack has stated that he wants the next iteration of the company’s annual Connect conference to be held inside Horizon apps.

We first tried Horizon Worlds at Oculus Connect 6 in September 2019. A Closed Alpha began in March 2020, followed by a transition to an invite-only closed beta in August. It was then that we were able to go hands-on with Horizon Worlds for a second time, which left us feeling that the app had good foundation but didn’t necessarily feel like the full picture of Meta’s social VR puzzle.

In October, Meta rebranded Facebook Horizon to Horizon Worlds and announced a $10 million fund to encourage Horizon creators, despite still being in closed beta at the time.

Now, more than two years after it was announced, the beta will be open to those in the US and Canada. There is no word on other regions at the moment, but expect to hear more as the open beta progresses towards (hopefully) a full launch in the future.

Horizon Worlds beta is open to anyone aged 18+ in the United States and Canada from today on the Quest and Rift platforms. Support for the original Quest 1 will end January 13, 2022.

Posted on

Meditation App Maloka Releases Dec 14 For Quest, Neil deGrasse Tyson Joins

The mediation app Maloka is set for a full Oculus Store release for Meta Quest headsets on December 14, with the renowned scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson joining the experience as the voice of the Universe.

Maloka initially launched in Beta back in May as an App Lab experience for Quest, but it’s graduating to a full release on the Quest store on December 14. The app offers guided VR meditations that take place in a pulsing, slowly moving psychedelic vortex. Unlike most meditation sessions, you keep your eyes open in Maloka, aligning your breathing with the patterns that engulf your field of view.

maloka meditation oculus quest

You also get your own zen island space in the app, which you can decorate with items that you earn as rewards for completing meditation sessions.

When I tried Maloka back in May, I found the entire experience to be surprisingly effective and satisfying — it’s a new twist on the traditional guided meditation structure that works unexpectedly well in VR.

There’s also a free companion Maloka app for mobile devices, which you can use to complete regular guided meditations via audio — handy for when you’re on the go or don’t have time for a full VR session.

The Quest release also comes with a new addition to the cast — renowned scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson is lending his talents to Maloka, playing the voice of the Universe. You can catch a sneak peek of his performance in the teaser trailer above.

Maloka launches for Meta Quest headsets from December 14 on the Oculus Store. You can read more about our experience with the early App Lab version of Maloka here.

Posted on

OZWE Games Share New Anshar 2: Hyperdrive Trailer, Coming Soon To Quest

OZWE Games have shared a new trailer and a bunch of beta footage of Anshar 2: Hyperdrive, the Quest remaster of Anshar Wars 2.

Anshar Wars 2 released for Gear VR and Rift in 2016 and is now being remade and remastered for Meta Quest headsets, set for release soon.

We got our first look back in August, but this week developers OZWE Games shared a brand new trailer and some footage, alongside a new shortened and subtitled name — Anshar 2: Hyperdrive.

The trailer promises new controls and visuals, as well as a full campaign (with 13 solo levels) alongside three multiplayer modes — battle royale, deathmatch and co-op. There will also be a new leveling system and cosmetic skins.

In addition to the original third-person view, the game also now supports a cockpit first-person camera as well. This feature was requested by a Reddit commentator a few months ago, to which the developers responded that it “wasn’t officially planned” but they “will try a few things to see how it goes.”

It must have gone well, because the studio has shared footage of the first-person cockpit view in action, embedded above.

There’s also some multiplayer gameplay footage, embedded above, with one player uses the third-person camera while the other plays in the cockpit using first-person. If you just want third-person solo footage, check out this video here.

A release on the Meta Quest platform is confirmed for now, but other platforms might receive the remaster as well — the description for the trailer on OZWE Games’ channel says Hyperdrive is a remastered version “for 6DOF VR devices”.

Anshar 2: Hyperdrive is coming soon to Meta Quest and the original game, Anshar Wars 2, is available now on Oculus Rift.

Posted on

Horizon Workrooms 1.2 Adds Customization, New Themes, Lectern

Horizon Workrooms 1.2 is available now, bringing more customization to rooms and a lectern for easier presenting.

Originally announced back at Connect 2021, the new update lets users upload custom posters and logo graphics to display in the room, as well as pick a room theme.

When Workrooms launched, there was only one room available (the ‘Lakes’ room). Now there are two room locations available, each with two different themes: Lakes – Cabin, Lakes – Vibrant, City – Bright and City – Sleek.

The latter Vibrant and Bright themes feel a bit more casual, while the Sleek and Cabin themes take on a slightly more professional tone, especially the former.

The City room is a nice change of pace from the standard offering, but the view does look a little close to the ‘The World If’ meme skyline for my liking. Nonetheless, you can make it feel a little more homely by uploading custom graphics and decorating the walls.

To upload custom graphic files to Workrooms, you’ll need to ensure that both your Workrooms Quest app and the Oculus Remote Desktop app are updated to version 1.2. Oculus Remote Desktop doesn’t update automatically, so you’ll need to head over to workrooms.com and download the latest version.

Once everything is updated, head to the Room tab in Workrooms in VR, then scroll down until you find the option that lets you customize the room’s graphics. Clicking on the plus icon for each graphic will open a link in the browser of your connected computer, where you can upload the poster and logo graphics.

Once uploaded, apply them to your room and feel a little bit more at home. We managed to get our UploadVR logo into the City – Sleek theme, as pictured above, and it definitely makes the space feel a little more personal.

The last new feature is a lectern, to be used when presenting so that you still have access to your desk area while speaking to the audience.

Will you be customizing your Workrooms environment? Let us know in the comments.

Posted on

Dead Second Is A Bullet Time Arcade Shooter Coming To Quest, PC VR

A new shooter, Dead Second, is releasing soon for Quest via App Lab and PC VR, inspired by classic arcade games like Time Crisis.

Developed by Australian studio Spunge Games, Dead Second is bringing a mixture of arcade cover shoot and bullet time slow-mo to your VR headset. The Time Crisis inspiration is evident in the latest trailer, embedded below, along with hints of similarly-inspired VR titles like Crisis VRigade.

As you can see in the trailer, you’ll take on a bunch of enemies using different weapons, jumping between cover to strategically take down your opponents. According to Spunge Games, the AI system is built to follow and track you according your last known position (via sight) or where shots were last fired. This can be taken advantage of to mislead and redirect the enemy, allowing you to pull off flanks before anyone realizes you’ve changed positions.

The guns are a combination of hitscan and projectile-based weapons, with no aim assist and the latter allowing for rebound shots as well. Each level will be short and sweet, targeting easy replayability with leaderboards for each combination of guns, levels and difficulty.

On Quest 2, the target is 90fps with 1.25x render scale and 4X MSAA, but the developers will also give the option to run at 120fps with 1x render scale if the Experimental Mode switch is turned on in the Quest settings.

The game is currently undergoing App Lab approval, which Spunge Games hopes will be approved this month. It’s an initial $9.99 ‘Early Access’ release for Quest via App Lab and PC VR, with a plan to build

The plan is to build the game out even more over 2022, adding new features and levels as well as potentially new gameplay elements and cosmetics. Spunge says that it’s planning for all new content to be available for free as an update, and the hope is to eventually move from an App Lab release to a full Quest release on the Oculus Store.

Dead Second will be available soon for Quest via App Lab, with a PC VR release to follow.

Posted on

Art Studio VR Brings Canvas And 3D Model Painting To Quest

Another painting tool is on its way to Meta Quest (previously Oculus Quest) — Art Studio VR will launch on App Lab on December 10.

There’s been an influx of VR painting apps over the last year, especially for Quest. Now, Art Studio VR is bringing more another option to the table.

art studio vr quest app lab

Set to launch for Quest via App Lab on December 10, Art Studio VR lets you unleash your artist and paint on a virtual canvas in a quaint European-looking setup.

The big difference between Art Studio VR and other available (and upcoming) options is that the ability to paint on an imported 3D model, in addition to the standard flat canvas.  You can see footage of the 3D model painting in the embedded tweet below from Art Studio VR developer Daniel Santalla.

As expected, you can use a variety of different brushes, colors and finishes on your canvas or model, with JPEG and PNG export capabilities as well. To see more of the app in action, you can take a look at the trailer over on the title’s App Lab page.

art studio vr quest app lab

If you’re looking for other painting options on Quest, there’s quite a few.  Brushwork VR is a free WebXR solution with a surprising amount of features, while Painting VR is available on the Oculus Store and was recently updated with an updated UI and new features.

For something super realistic, Vermillion presents the most accurate translation of the oil painting process yet, but is only currently available on PC VR — a Quest release is in the works and set for release soon.

Art Studio VR launches on Quest via App Lab on December 10.

Posted on

The Last Clockwinder Brings Automated Robot Fun To VR Next Summer

The Last Clockwinder is bringing the frightening horizon of robot automation and turning it into a wholesome VR game next summer.

You can check out the announcement trailer below, which depicts some cute robots performing automated tasks over and over again.

Judging from the trailer, the core premise of the game seems to involve acting out jobs in certain positions using VR, which are them mimicked and repeated in place by the automated robots. This seemingly lets you build a long chain of automated robots, each fulfilling one small task toward a larger goal.

the last clockwinder

Here’s the official description from developers Pontoco:

The Last Clockwinder is a VR automation game about building clockwork contraptions out of your own clones.

You are on a mission to repair an ancient tower built into the trunk of a colossal tree. Inside, you find a pair of gloves that allow you to turn anything you do into a looping clockwork automaton.

Use your automatons to grow plants, harvest resources, and find a way to save the clocktower!

All-in-all, it sounds like an interesting concept and we’re curious to see how it feels to play. The Last Clockwinder is set for release Summer 2022 on Quest 2 and PC VR via Steam, listing support for Valve Index, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets.

Posted on

Real VR Fishing US West DLC Releases December 16 For Quest

The first paid DLC for Real VR Fishing releases on December 16 for Quest, adding 20 new fishing locations, 76 new species and a new level system for the DLC content.

Us west DLC real VR fishing

Real VR Fishing has had a plethora of free content updates since release, but this marks the first expansion release of paid content. The December 16 release is only for the Quest platform — developers at Miragesoft told UploadVR that they “hope to release” the DLC on other platforms like Steam further down the line, but there’s no concrete release date yet.

The DLC will cost $11.99 and features 20 new locations — 15 freshwater and 5 saltwater — including some iconic American locales such as Yosemite Valley, Lake Tahoe, and the Grand Canyon.

The 76 new species in the DLC include 36 freshwater species (green sturgeon, northern pike, tiger muskie and more) and 40 saltwater species (great white shark, sixgill shark, pacific sailfish and more).

There’s also a brand new level system for the DLC, allowing players to work through the US West levels separately from the main game’s campaign. This also means the DLC can be a starting point for new players who buy the base game and the DLC together.

The update also brings an improved user interface for the main menu, alongside a new world map.

“[The] US West DLC is not only a map extension, but also a new starting point for Real VR Fishing,” developers MirageSoft said in a prepared statement. “The goal of Real VR Fishing is to allow players to fish in all fishing spots around the world. The US West DLC is the first footprint for this project.”

Us west DLC real VR fishing

We know that the original plan for the US DLC was to release it as one big expansion, before the team decided to separate it into East and West releases. Fingers crossed for a US East DLC release next then?

The US West DLC for Real VR Fishing will be available from December 16 on the Quest platform for $11.99.

Posted on

New Green Hell VR Trailer Focuses On VR Interactions & Visuals

A new trailer for the upcoming VR port of Green Hell is here, showcasing more footage of how the game looks and plays in VR ahead of its release for PC VR and Quest next year.

Green Hell began its life as a flatscreen survival game, developed by Creepy Jar, set in the jungle and forcing players to gather resources, fend off predators and fight for survival. The game is now making its way over to VR headsets and this new trailer gives us one of our closest looks yet at how everything will transfer across to the new medium.

The trailer, embedded above, shows full motion controls and mechanics that have been reworked especially for VR, allowing players to act out their jungle survival lives with increased immersion.

It also gives us a look at how the visuals have transferred across, although this seems to be the PC VR version and it’s not clear if any Quest footage is shown at any point. All-in-all though, it’s shaping up to be a pretty promising port.

Both the PC VR and Quest version of the game are now set to release in Q1 of 2022. The initial plan was to release the PC VR version first in Q3 2021 and then follow up with the Quest version in Q4. However the studio announced a delay back in August, in order to “polish the mechanics even further” and ensure players get the best experience possible.

We do know that the PC VR port and Quest are being developed at the same time, but handled by two separate teams. This in-tandem, two-studio development technique — along with the push to 2022 — hopefully positions the game well for a same-day release on both Quest and PC VR next year.

Are you looking forward to Green Hell VR? Let us know in the comments.

Posted on

Walmart Selling Refurbished 64GB Quest 2 Headsets For Just $199

A listing on Walmart’s site offers a refurbished Quest 2 headset for its lowest price yet, with a few caveats.

The first caveat is, of course, that this is a refurbished standalone VR headset, which means that this hardware was most likely returned to Meta/Facebook/Oculus, for what could be a number of reasons, and is now being resold. These might include ex-demo headsets, opened headsets that were returned, or headsets with faulty parts that have been replaced and restored with equivalent new parts. In any case, refurbished headsets should appear and operate like new. In the past, Facebook tested the $199 price for a refurbished original Quest, with the program ensuring there were no visible cosmetic imperfections, no scratches, and a 6-month warranty. The refurbished Quest 2 listing on the Walmart site still mentions an “Oculus limited Warranty one (1) year from the date of purchase or delivery of the Product, whichever is later”

Previous refurbished headsets were sold directly on the Oculus site, but this Quest 2 refurbished offer has only been spotted at Walmart.

Quest 2 headset refurbished

These 64GB refurbished Quest 2s are the lowest priced version of the headset we’ve seen since its release — a full $100 below the $299 price of base model when sold new. Keep in mind that while this refurbished Quest 2 might be cheaper than a brand new system, it also has less storage. These specific models are the old 64GB SKUs, now phased out of the Quest 2 lineup and replaced by the updated 128GB model for the same base price of $299. So while you’re paying $100 less, you’re also getting less storage than a new base Quest 2 model.

For some people, 64GB of storage might not be a problem, but it’s definitely something that you’ll need to consider, as Quest 2 games are getting bigger and bigger in size. Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond only barely fits on the 64GB Quest 2, taking up 41GB of space — when you factor in the storage taken up by the system software, that doesn’t leave room for much else. Likewise, Resident Evil 4 VR and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners take up 12GB of space each.  If you want to install a lot of the Quest 2’s big software draws (and yet-to-come mega titles like GTA: San Andreas) at the same time, then you might think about going for a larger brand new 128GB Quest 2 or even the top end 256GB version priced at $399 new.

Given the 64GB models are now discontinued, these refurbished models may only be available in limited numbers. It’s been just over a year since the 64GB Quest 2 model launched, so there’s a chance that we’ll see refurbished 128GB models later down the line. The original Quest headset launched in May 2019, but refurbished models for $199 only became available in February this year — almost two years after launch.

You can purchase the refurbished 64GB Quest 2 from Walmart for $199 while stocks last.