Payday 2 and StarVR Owner Starbreeze: VR ‘Has Been Defined As Non-Core’

Payday 2 developers Starbreeze underwent some major restructuring and changes to the company over the last year.

In a Steam post, Starbreeze CEO Mikael Nermark wrote about the company’s current standing and their plan for future Payday 2 content. Writing about the company’s restructuring, the representative noted that “through extremely hard work and commitment by all of our employees, [they’ve] been able to stay afloat, clean up our business and start thinking about our future and the future of PAYDAY.”

Development was halted on Payday 2 late last year, but work will now resume on some products. We reached out to Starbreeze to ask if they intend to continue to develop and publish VR content, and whether future Payday 2 downloadable content will support VR, as previous DLCs did.

A Starbreeze representative explained they divided the business into core and non-core elements and “VR in general has been defined as non-core…The focus for the non-core businesses has since December 2018 been to make sure that these operations develop in a positive manner, but outside of Starbreeze. In some cases, this has resulted in divestments, or winding up the business.”

A document posted to the Starbreeze website as a mid-year report explains that the company “discontinued” a “VR Park in Dubai” and that its StarVR effort has been defined as “non-core” to the business. Last we heard Acer had taken majority ownership of the ultrawide field of view headset and its developer program was halted, but that was a long time ago and we haven’t seen an update on the hardware since then.

“The next DLC for PAYDAY 2 will be supported in the existing VR offering for the game,” according to the statement from Starbreeze.

Were you a fan of Payday 2 in VR? Let us know in the comments below.

The post Payday 2 and StarVR Owner Starbreeze: VR ‘Has Been Defined As Non-Core’ appeared first on UploadVR.

April 22, 2018

Something For The Weekend: Steam VR Spring Sale

The weekend is here and with the Steam VR Spring Sale still in full swing it is time to find something for the weekend. To help you out VRFocus has put together some of the best virtual reality (VR) deals from the Steam VR Spring Sale to make finding your new favorite even easier. As always be sure to check back every weekend for even more deals right here on VRFocus.

STAND OUT : VR Battle Royale

“Stand Out is the ultimate fight for your life. You will be parachuted on a wide island and you will have to explore your surroundings to find weapons and equipment to fight for your survival. Use vehicles to move faster and keep an eye on the deadly barrier that shrinks the battleground during the game and forces the players to murder each other. Only one will remain.”

STAND OUT : VR Battle Royale is currently half price at £13.64 (GBP) down from £19.49.

Serious Sam VR Bundle

If you are wanting to grab yourself a bargain that features a lot of shooting then you will want to pick up the Serious Sam VR Bundle. This package contains Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope, Serious Sam VR: The First Encounter, Serious Sam VR: The Second Encounter and Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE. Each of these titles will have you running, gunning and fighting against endless hordes of enemies in true Serious Sam style.

Serious Sam VR Bundle is currently on sale for for £36.26 (GBP) down from £120.96. Each title is available separately for around £15 as well.

L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files

“it’s that believability that makes L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files one of the most immersive VR videogames to date. As with most releases on modern VR hardware, it’s easy to pick flaws in the videogame due to the control systems and lessened visual quality, but to do so would be to ignore the huge leap forward L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files makes in the creation of a real-world playground. The delivery of unique characters impresses a sense of urgency, empathy and often distain unlike any other videogame experience, playing into the strengths of the VR medium by placing the player face-to-face with convincing digital human beings. L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files presents an unwavering argument for VR as a compelling entertainment medium, and should be welcomed as a yet another stepping stone to true presence in digital worlds.” – Read VRFocus’ Editor Kevin Joyce’s review of L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files.

L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files is currently the low price of £18.74 (GBP) down from £24.99.

The Talos Principle VR

The VR version of Croteam’s critically acclaimed first-person puzzle title in the tradition of philosophical science fiction. You will find yourself in a strange, contradictory world of ancient ruins and advance technology. Tasks by your creator with solving a series of increasingly complex puzzles, you must decide whether to have faith or to ask the difficulty questions: Who are you? what is your purpose? and what are you going to do about it?

The Talos Principle VR is currently on sale for £14.99 (GBP) down from £29.99.

PAYDAY 2

Have you ever wanted to carry out the prefect heist? Well, with PAYDAY 2 you can do just that. The title recently made the PAYDAY 2: VR mode free and a part of the main game meaning anyone with a VR headset can download the DLC and jump right into the VR mode. With up to four players carrying out each heist, you can expect to experience tense, action-packed moments throughout the title.

PAYDAY 2 is now only £3.74 (GBP) down from £7.49.

Fruit Ninja VR

The Fruit Ninja phenomenon comes to VR with the release of Fruit Ninja VR, bringing the fruit-slicing action title to a new level. Jump in and get slicing as you play through a number of different gamemodes making use of not just one but two swords. Can you earn the highest score and become the Fruit Ninja master?

Fruit Ninja VR is available for only £7.14 (GBP) which is down from £10.99.

Battlezone

“Battlezone is arcade VR action at its finest, with options galore allowing players to uniquely hone their combat strategies. With both extensive single-player and multiplayer modes there’s enough here for countless hours of gameplay, so you can comfortably sit cocooned inside these rolling machines of destruction and never get bored, because quite frankly, it’s too much fun. PlayStation VR owners have been enjoying Battlezone for months, if you own an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive you don’t need to have second thoughts about this, Battlezone is one of the best VR titles out there” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham’s review of Battlezone.

Battlezone is currently over half price on sale for £14.99 (GBP) down from £29.99.

GORN

“GORN is a ludicrously violent VR gladiator simulator, made by Free Lives, the developers of Broforce and Genital Jousting. Featuring a unique, fully physics driven combat engine, GORN combatants will be able to creatively execute their most violent gladiatorial fantasies in virtual reality. Savagely strike down an infinite supply of poorly-animated opponents with all manner of weapons – from swords, maces, and bows to nunchuks, throwing knives, massive two-handed warhammers or even your blood-soaked bare hands. The only limits to the carnage are your imagination and decency, in the most brutal and savage VR face-smashing game ever produced by man.”

GORN is currently on sale for £11.24 (GBP) down from £14.99.

VTOL VR

“VTOL VR is a near-futuristic combat flight game built specifically for Virtual Reality. You are the pilot of an AV-42C, a Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capable vehicle that can perform transport, air to surface, and air to air combat roles. Take on a wide array of challenges that will put your flight skills, situational awareness, and combat tactics to the test.”

VTOL VR is currently only £6.79 (GBP) on sale from £7.99.

Star Trek: Bridge Crew

“While Star Trek: Bridge Crew definitely appeals to the core fan base – Ubisoft has added the original USS Enterprise in there as well – non Star Trek fans of the franchise will also find something to like about the title, especially with a few mates playing. The production values are top notch making Star Trek: Bridge Crew one of those rare VR experiences that feels like a AAA title, and likely part of most VR gamers’ collections.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham’s review of Star Trek: Bridge Crew.

Star Trek: Bridge Crew is available for only £15.99 (GBP) right now on sale from £39.99.

That is all for this week but remember that VRFocus gathers all the best sales and deals every week, so check back next weekend at the same time to discover more.

March 25, 2018

Payday 2 VR Developers Reveal Details On The Title In Livestream Q&A

Developer Overkill Software and Starbreeze Studios recent held a livestream for the virtual reality (VR) version of their popular heist videogame Payday 2 to play the title and ask questions.

Payday 2 VR screenshot

During the livestream a number of questions were asked towards Tobias,one of the producers on Payday 2 and Payday 2 VR which, when answered, gave some interesting insight into the development of the VR title and what might be coming in the future.

For those who are unaware of Payday 2 VR, this version of the title allows for players to experience the title like never before in a fully immersive way. Once more, the VR version is crossplay with other players on PC even if they are not using VR themselves. This means that friends can get together to pull of heist and play with their preferred method of control, VR or keyboard and mouse. Recently the developers made Payday 2 VR available within the main section of the title and it is available to all who own the videogame, completely free of charge.

One of the main questions that was asked was around the weapons within the title, more so the missing crossbows and bows. The team said: “At the moment the crossbows and bows are not available in VR, we are still looking into the development process there because they need to be handled slightly different then regular weapons because of how a bow actually works so we wanted to take a little extra time with those.” When a viewer raised if they could handle like a throw-able item in VR, Tobias responded by saying: “We are looking into making bows work like proper bows so pull the arrow and shoot like a bow but like i said, we are still developing this and we’re still looking into it.”

Payday 2 VR screenshot

This lead onto a question about the possible addition of a new frying pan melee weapon: “I don’t know, we have so many cooking utensils already, with the BBQ pack we got psycho killing knife, spatula, I think we have half a kitchen as melee weapons already. I don’t think we are looking into a frying pan melee weapon at the moment.” Tobias explained.

On a more technical note the viewers asked how Payday VR handled aim assist and if it was different from the non-VR version of the title. “It has a similar system to PC, because it is the same game right. We’re not trying to give a clutch to VR we’re just bringing the systems over with a few tweaks here and there.” This was followed by the question over which of the currently available head-mounted displays (HMDs), HTC Vive or Oculus Rift, were best for the title

“That is going to be very much to your prefer,” Tobias said, “I wouldn’t say that one is better than the other. The ones that we use in house are the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift, so those are the ones we are officially supporting. The development has been on both of these, to make them work to the benefits of how the players usually play on the different headset as that does change. Vive is out of the box room scale, so a Vive player has more tendency to use the dash system where as Oculus plays tend to prefer the joystick movement. So we try to make these feel as functional and balanced as possible.”

One other interesting question that was answered by the team was the if they had any plans to add support for text chat within Payday 2 VR to allow players to respond to their team. Tobias explained: “This is again something we are looking into on how to solve. We have a few different ideas that we want to try for how to solve text chat, at the moment on the tablet you have on your arm, you can swipe to see text chat but there is no way to interact. We are looking into how we can give the VR players some ability to communicate. That is of course a little bit more tricky as a PC plays has a full keyboard in front of them so we will have to look into a solve for how that could work.”

This is only a taste of the content from the full stream which is over an hour long. You can watch it in full over on Starbreeze’s Twitch channel here.

For more on PayDay 2 VR in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

March 16, 2018

‘Payday 2 VR’ Exits Beta, Now Available as Free DLC to Main Game

Payday 2 (2013), Overkill’s 4-player bank heist co-op shooter, has offered a VR mode in beta for the past few months, but now it’s off the beta branch and pushed out as a free DLC to the main game.

Payday 2 VR offers users with Oculus Rift or HTC Vive access to the entire game including its bustling userbase – decidedly making it one of the most-populated VR-accessible games out there thanks to its cross-platform support.

Before, owners of Payday 2 had to install the beta branch of the game to give them access to the VR features.

If you don’t already own the game, the only way to get it currently is through one of the Payday 2: Ultimate Edition bundle, which includes a number of previous DLCs bundled into one. If you already have it (or pulled the trigger on the $45 bundle), you simply need to download the Payday 2 VR DLC here.

While the specs say users should at least have a 1GB GPU, this is likely referring to the main game, as the beta suggested at very least a GTX 980 or better to play.

The post ‘Payday 2 VR’ Exits Beta, Now Available as Free DLC to Main Game appeared first on Road to VR.

March 15, 2018

No More Beta Switching Needed, Payday 2 VR now Available in Main Game

Last November Starbreeze Studios brought its highly popular bank robber videogame Payday 2 to HTC Vive as a beta, allowing VR players to immerse themselves in the crime spree shooter. Today, the studio has announced a brand new update for Payday 2 VR, combining it with the main Payday 2 title so players no longer have to switch.

Payday 2 VR screenshot

The update isn’t just merely about integrating the two videogames for ease of use, far more work has gone into it. As Starbreeze Studios explain in a Steam posting: “Nearly the entire game is now unlocked and available to our VR heisters, with a few exceptions that are still in development. Play all heists with just about all weapons that are available in the game. Bring a sniper rifle with a magnified scope to cover your friends from afar, or why not stand on the front line with an LMG and a rocket launcher? Afterwards you could blast into the distance in a Longfellow packed with goats, it’s your choice!”

For example, the sniper rifles have been tuned to make them feel more immersive and realistic, swapping scopes to suit how you play. The inventory belt can be customised with quick access to the weapon switch and melee weapon. Then there’s the new VR skills and perks, with Starbreeze creating differences between VR and non-VR players.

If you’ve been playing the beta since launch you may be worried about how this update affects your save files. This has been thought of, with the team providing the following solution: “If you took part in the Beta you may have noticed that it used a separate save file from the main game. When you start PAYDAY 2 after the update, the game will compare your character levels in both branches, main game and VR Beta. If your progress in the VR Beta is higher than in the main game you will get a prompt to overwrite the progress with your VR Beta progress.”

PayDay2VR

If you’ve recently picked up a HTC Vive or Oculus Rift headset, own Payday 2 and want to get in on the VR action then its now super easy. Payday 2 VR is now available for free in the DLC list to download. There’s a massive amount of update info on the main Steam listing, and as always, keep reading VRFocus for the latest updates.

December 22, 2017

Payday 2 VR Update Revamps Sight Aiming, Adds New Levels and More

Overkill has added a whole heap of new content to Payday 2 in time for the holiday season, but more importantly comes another new update for Payday 2 VR. Currently undergoing a beta testing phase, Payday 2 VR has clearly taken inspiration from the recent Fallout 4 VR discussions, improving the aim-down-sight system as well as adding more fresh content.

Payday 2 VR art

A new heist added to the core Payday 2 experience asks players to mask up and get their guns out to join Locke in wreaking some havoc in the streets of New York. This first ever Christmas heist was contracted by Bain, and now Locke is bringing players some soft presents to put on when you heist on Alaskan Deal.

For Payday 2 VR however, the latest update is much more mechanical. The biggest change comes to the aforementioned aim-down-sight system, which now triggers automatically when moving the gun sights within your line of sight.

“We have improved the Aim down sight system. From now on it will trigger when you hold the gun up in front of your eyes with either one or two hands,” reads the latest update from Overkill.

The full changelog for Payday 2 VR Beta follows below, verbatim from Overkill, and VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest details on the videogame.

Update VR Beta 1.5 Changelog

Update sizes:

Beta 1.4 – Beta 1.5 – 487,4MB
Main Branch to Beta 1.5 – 97,4MB

General

• Improved the ladder climbing system
• Fixed an issue where bags were thrown from the chest of clients instead of the hand
• Fixed an issue where you could grab a magazine with manual reload even if there was no bullets in the magazine
• Fixed an issue where the manual reload would display a full clip reload even when the player does not have enough ammo for it
• Improved the Aim Down sight system and removed two-handed trigger for ADS skills
• Removed the movement speed penalty while ADS is triggered
• Fixed issue where the player could interact and move at the same time with the direct movement system
• Fixed an issue where warp functionality was not interrupted by interactions
• Improved the wall check system for automatic weapon
• Disabled belt while being tased
• Disabled belt while being cuffed
• Prevented controller input during in the pause menu to affect gameplay
• Fixed so ingame vissual effects and waypoints won’t appear in the pause menu

Weapons

• Added the Ksp 58
• Added the RPK
• Added the KSP
• Added the Brenner 21
• Added the Buzzsaw 42
• Added the Vulcan Minigun

Levels

• Added the Brooklyn Bank
• Added the Brooklyn 10-10
• Added the White Xmas
• Added the Jewelry Store
• Added the Ukrainian Job
• Added the Murky Station

December 17, 2017

Payday 2 VR Beta Update Brings New Levels, Smooth Locomotion

Payday 2 VR had been riding high on many virtual reality (VR) gamers’ most wanted lists since its announcement back in May. The eventual launch of a beta testing phase for the videogame was warmly received, so too was the development team’s willingness to listen to community feedback; a passion for the audience that has now resulted in smooth locomotion being added to the videogame.

Payday 2 VR screenshot

The first major update to Payday 2 VR’s beta resulted in the addition of Oculus Rift compatibility, complete with in-game representations of the Oculus Touch motion-controllers. Now, the development team are continuing to listen to community feedback as is evident with the launch of the beta 1.4 update.

“We are really happy to see how well our latest addition to CrimeNet, the Reservoir Dogs Heist, has been received. We saw a few issues reported on the forums and we quickly got to work on ironing out the wrinkles,” reads the latest update from Overkill, developers of Payday 2 VR. “We also bring an update to the VR Beta today. Jump in and have a blast with some grenade launchers and a few new levels. We are adding the new level here as well so that you can do some classical heisting with modern tech. Finally we are also including some updated animations for grenade launchers, shotguns and revolvers.”

In addition to this new content, Overkill has brought smooth locomotion, dubbed ‘direct movement’ by the development team, to Payday 2 VR. Players can now choose to play with either ‘Dash + Direct’ movement or ‘Dash’ only.

Payday 2 VR screenshot

The full changelog for the update follows below, verbatim from publisher Starbreeze Studios, and VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest details on Payday 2 VR.

Update VR Beta 1.4 Changelog

Update sizes:

Beta 1.31 – Beta 1.4 – 1,2Gb
Main Branch to Beta 1.4 – 94,9Mb

General

Added Dash + Direct movement system for HTC vive and oculus
Fixed and issue where the hands and weapons would lag behind when dashing

Levels

Added The Basics – Stealth
Added The Basics – Loud
Added the Reservoir Dogs Heist
Added the Watchdogs job
Added the Prison Nightmare job
Added the Nightclub

Weapons

Added the China Puff 40mm
Added the GL40
Added the Piglet

Animations

Added reload animations for Shotguns
Added reload animations for Revolvers
Added reload animations for Grenade Launchers
Added visual shotgun shells for the manual reload system
Added visual grenades for grenade launchers for the manual reload system
Added visual bullets for revolvers for the manual reload system

December 1, 2017

Overkill Launch Beta 1.3 for Payday 2 VR

The development team at Overkill have not been content to sit on their laurels since the launch of the Beta of Payday 2 VR earlier this month. Only a few days after the release of Beta 1.2, Overkill has launched Beta 1.3.

The development team have been working closely with the Steam community during the development of the virtual reality (VR) version of Payday 2 since it was originally announced in May, 2017.

One of the first updates the team introduced was support for the Oculus Rift as well as the HTC Vive, beginning with adding recognition for Oculus Touch controllers. The new Beta 1.3 extends this support by bringing in updates to the Oculus movement system, introducing the ability to rotate, improving the experience for Oculus Rift users playing at room-scale. Oculus Rift users will also get improved dash controls that allows the user to place a finger on the joystick to activate a targeting line and push it forward to activate the dash.

Another improvement introduced in the update is a change to the weapon grip functionality so users can now choose if they wish to turn it on or off and don’t need to hold the grip buttons in order to have a two-handed grip on a weapon. The team has also adjusted some weapons to make it easier for left-handed players to use those weapons.

The development team have also introduced a number of gameplay balance tweaks, changing some aspects of the weapons, Perk Deck and heists in order to improve the experience for players. The Halloween-themed heists, Safe House Nightmare and Cursed Kill Room, are now being integrated into the title permanently.

Payday-2-VR---1

The upgrade from Beta 1.3 will be introduced alongside the regular update. The patch notes are as follows:

GENERAL

Improved the ladder control system
Fixed a graphical issue with Flashbang distortions
Improved the visuals of the menu laser

WEAPONS

Added the ability to use the Saws
Adjusted grip points for left handed player
Added a grip toggle system for holding weapons in two hands

OCULUS

Improved dash controls for Oculus Touch controllers
Added rotate player buttons for Oculus Touch controllers

VRFocus will bring you further news on Payday 2 VR as it becomes available.

November 28, 2017March 16, 2018

Hands-On: Payday 2’s Free VR DLC Is A Heist-Fueled Killing Spree

Hands-On: Payday 2 VR’s Beta Is A Heist-Fueled Killing Spree

Update: The VR DLC for Payday 2 is now available and released out of Beta. You can find details on how to download it, for free, right here.

Original (11/2017): Red. That’s all I saw. The blood dripped down the walls, bodies were stacked on top of each other up and down the hallways, and the chorus of gunfire echoed through my ears in a hailstorm of death. That was my Payday 2 VR experience.

While Payday 2 doesn’t bill itself as an ultra-violent murder simulator by any means, when you play it in VR it’s hard to experience it any other way.

Payday 2 is an online multiplayer heist game originally released in 2013. You join up with other players around the world, don your fancy mask and elaborate outfits, and make your way through a crime-riddled city as you hit banks, diamond stores, jewelry shops, and everything in between on your quest to grow your stash of weapons and wealth. Remember The Dark Knight’s opening scene? It’s basically that, but as a video game.

The VR feature is an optional, free mode that anyone can opt into during the Beta period right now. When it fully releases it’s expected to be a globally available free update. Currently it’s recommended that you play with an HTC Vive, since that’s the only officially supported headset, but I’d assume support for Rift, Windows VR, and other headsets will come in the future.

As of now the VR features include the entire game. This isn’t a limited Tour mode like we’ve seen in some other popular games, but instead lets you play the full, entire game in VR if you’d like. Payday 2 features both offline single-player (with AI companions) and online multiplayer to indulge your Purge-esque inclinations.

The rhythm of gameplay generally involves picking a loadout with perks and gear that compliment the mission (having someone with a saw is super useful for bank jobs, for example) and then you’ll spend the first few minutes casing the location. Figure out where the exits are, identify guard posts, and see if you can stop someone from sounding an alarm. Once you’re in position and ready to go you just put on your mask and get started.

That’s a lot of bodies. And blood.

While stealth is technically an option, it’s never my first choice — especially when in VR. When I walked up to my first bank I shot the guard in the back and took all of the civilians hostage immediately. This bought us a lot of time to get the drill started in a chaos-free environment.

What ensued after that can only be described as what felt like a scene out of Kill Bill, but with guns instead of swords. My difficulty must have been turned down low, or the VR mode is just easier right now, because it seemed like I was able to absorb an incredible amount of bullets without ever really needing to worry about my health.

The action is intense and there’s a lot to take-in, so Payday 2 isn’t for the squeamish — especially in VR. The only movement method I was able to use was a dash-based teleportation system, similar to that in Raw Data. It worked fine, but I was yearning for a full, smooth locomotion such as in Onward.

The fact that VR support is being added for free is great, so if you have Payday 2 and an HTC Vive there’s really no reason not to check out the VR features as long as you don’t mind a bit of virtual blood on your hands. Let us know what you think down below!

Tagged with: Payday 2, Payday 2 VR

November 23, 2017

Payday 2 VR Beta Update Improves Your Crime Spree Capabilities

Last week Starbreeze Studios released the long awaited beta for its highly popular crime spree videogame Payday 2, giving HTC Vive owners the chance to pull off heists, have shootouts with police and more. Today, the studio has rolled out a second update for players, adding content whilst ironing out some issues.

The update doesn’t feature anything too major, with some added transports, a couple of characters and a new melee weapon. It’s mainly an issue fix patch more than anything, improving the gameplay for a smoother experience.

If you missed the first update last week that had one big addition, Oculus Touch support so the Payday 2 VR beta recognises the motion controllers.

Check out the full Payday 2 VR Beta 1.2 update changelog below. For any further announcements, keep reading VRFocus.

Content
Added Transport: Crossroads
Added Transport: Downtown
Added Transport: Harbor
Added Transport: Park
Added Transport: Underpass
Added Big Oil
Added Mallcrasher
Added Ethan and Hila
Added the Tag Team Perk Deck
Added the Great Ruler Melee WeaponGeneral
Fixed a “divide by 0” crash that caused some players to not be able to every start the game
Fixed an issue where the stop hand icon and interaction circles was not visible through walls
Tweaked the controls to climb ladders
Changed the adaptive quality setting, it will now default to 140% of supersampling quality level when turned off
Increased resolution of the game image in the pause menu and custody screenMenu
Fixed an issue where laser pointer was not disabled properly when switching hand in the menu
Fixed an issue where the belt did not switch sides when choosing a different weapon hand during game play
Fixed an issue where the reload system did not change when choosing a different setting during game play
Fixed an issue where Dallas would spawn in the main menu before the players chosen character would appear
Implement name labels in the VR lobby
Moved the characters in the VR lobby slightly closer to the playerWeapons
Fixed tased state so it properly shoots from the weapon, and fires both weapons when using akimbo
Added a small amount of damage to weapon butt hits
Fixed an issue where switching weapons would use the wrong grip settings