Category: Penn and Teller VR: Frankly Unfair Unkind Unnecessary and Underhanded

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Penn & Teller VR: F U, U, U & U Will Appear on PlayStation VR Today

Last month Gearbox Software (Borderlands 2 VR) released Penn & Teller VR: Frankly Unfair, Unkind, Unnecessary & Underhanded, a social virtual reality (VR) experience to entertain and prank your friends for PC headsets and Oculus Quest. Now, the studio has announced that it’ll be releasing the title for PlayStation VR owners today.

Penn and Teller VR

There’s no difference between the PC and PlayStation VR version of the videogame, with players having access over 12 tricks (or ‘Bits’ as they’re called). Penn & Teller VR: F U, U, U & U combines the duo’s own personal brand of magic and comedy, featuring some of their most famous tricks including the infamous ‘Bullet Catch’.

The title has both single-player and local multiplayer modes available. The multiplayer is the core of the experience, where the magician is the non-VR player while the willing participant (or unwitting friend) dons the headset to engage in some magical VR fun. For instance, there’s a digital version of ‘Whack ‘a’ Mole’ with players having to slam their hand on a table. If the magician was feeling so inclined they could place an item on the table for some hilarious consequences, a lump of goo for example or an egg.

When there’s no one around the single-player mode enables players to become a ‘willing’ volunteer in one of Penn & Teller’s acts, such as trying to escape a tank filling with water by trying to find the right keys for a series of padlocks. Or in between acts players can always relax in the Monkey Room, the actual room participants of the live shows get to see. Here players can learn more about Penn & Tellers tricks.

Penn and Teller VR

Gearbox Software announced Penn & Teller VR: F U, U, U & U back in April, with the first official debut to press taking place at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2019 last month. VRFocus took a look at that early showcase and spoke with Jacob Lavender, Technical Designer on Penn & Teller VR in this interview. This is the first Penn & Teller videogame from the studio, the first being Desert Bus.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Penn & Teller VR: F U, U, U & U, reporting back with any further updates to the title.

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E3 2019 Interview: Gearbox Software Talks Penn & Teller VR

While Gearbox Software is better known for its Borderlands franchise, the studio has some quirkier titles under its belt as well, including Desert Bus VR. This was the brainchild of none other than magic duo Penn & Teller during the 90s. This week the pair are back with another virtual reality (VR) videogame (care of Gearbox) that’s a bit closer to home, Penn & Teller VR: Frankly Unfair, Unkind, Unnecessary & Underhanded. Unveiled during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2019 this month, VRFocus had a chat with the studio to find out more.

Penn & Teller VR: F U, U, U & U was certainly one of the weirder and wonderful VR titles to appear during E3 week, offering their unique brand of comedy and magical entertainment. At its heart, the videogame is a local party experience where players can engage in different tricks (called Bits in the experience) being taught by Penn & Teller. There’s just one catch, the Bits allow the VR player to be pranked if they’re not careful.

Without giving too much away, one of the Bits sees the person in VR playing a form of whack-a-mole. Best played using a table to hit, while the player is happily whacking digital objects someone else (if they’re feeling devious) could put an item in play, say an egg for example, which would lead to messy and humorous results.

VRFocus tried a quick preview of the title during E3 2019, saying: “What’s impressive about Penn & Teller VR: Frankly Unfair, Unkind, Unnecessary & Underhanded is that it really plays to VR’s strengths, offering an experience that’s distinctive and a refreshing change for some of the other releases on the horizon.”

Penn and Teller VR

So what did Gearbox Software have to say about the videogame? Well, VRFocus spoke with Jacob Lavender, Technical Designer on Penn & Teller VR: F U, U, U & U to learn a little more about how the project came to be and some of its features in the video below.

The videogame itself is due out for Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift/Rift S and HTC Vive on 27th June, priced at $19.99 USD, with a PlayStation VR version due to arrive shortly after on 9th July 2019. For further updates on the experience or Gearbox Software’s VR plans, keep reading VRFocus.

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Preview: Penn and Teller VR: Frankly Unfair, Unkind, Unnecessary & Underhanded

Magic has long enthralled mankind for generations, offering a fascinating twist on reality that’s both entertaining and perplexing in equal measure. There have been many a famous magician, from Houdini all the way up to current street magicians like Dynamo. When it comes to stage magic, duo Penn & Teller are up there with the best, mixing magic with comedy and a little danger (as well as debunking). Collaborating with Gearbox Software, the pair have created a rather intriguing virtual reality (VR) experience called Penn and Teller VR: Frankly Unfair, Unkind, Unnecessary & Underhanded which could well be a highlight for any local VR gathering.

Penn and Teller VR

Gearbox Software shared a brief demo of Penn & Teller VR during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) this month, allowing VRFocus to gain a sneak peek behind the curtain. It’s one of those sort of videogames where discussing it can reveal too much, as once the twist is spoilt there’s no going back. You have been warned.

The title is made up of 14 tricks (or ‘Bits’ as they’re referred to). Each Bit is essentially one magic trick which can either be performed with a friend or solo. For the demo, VRFocus got to see several of these, as well as some other parts of the experience. These were Bits involving the game paper, scissors, stone; a sawing in half trick and a water tank escape.

In Penn & Teller VR you are the magician which means you tend not to put the headset on as often, controlling the sequence via a monitor. This is because of the videogame’s other fiendish feature pranking. So the Paper, Scissors, Stone game is a prime example. Here both VR player and non-VR player enter into the classic game, trying to beat each other as usual. The twist is that you can then automate the hand movements without the VR player knowing. So while they’re happily trying to win, blissfully unaware they’re no longer playing you that frees you up to prank your mate. In VRFocus’ case, the Gearbox Software team member playing then snuck up and tapped me on the shoulder for a surprise scare.

Penn and Teller VR

Highly amusing, it’s easy to see how with a few friends Penn & Teller VR could be the party title to beat Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. The water tank escape, on the other hand, called ‘YOU be Houdini’ was a solo experience. Chained into a tank – for added effect both hands were put through the Oculus Touch strap – there were loads of padlocks each with different key shapes (circles, triangles, squares etc.) which needed to be unlocked by random keys being dropped in. The aim is not to drown – probably best not played if you have a fear of water or tight spaces – and needless to say, VRFocus failed but managed to survive thanks to the duo.

They’ve certainly tried to make Penn and Teller VR: Frankly Unfair, Unkind, Unnecessary & Underhanded more than just the Bits by themselves. You can go into the famous ‘Monkey Room’ which guests for Penn & Teller’s live shows in Las Vegas wait in before going on stage, and the pair have recorded videos going into greater details regarding their tricks.

What’s impressive about Penn and Teller VR: Frankly Unfair, Unkind, Unnecessary & Underhanded is that it really plays to VR’s strengths, offering an experience that’s distinctive and a refreshing change for some of the other releases on the horizon. VRFocus does have one quibble at this point, and that’s longevity and repetition. Will 14 Bits be enough? Because once you and your friends are in on the gag it no longer becomes entertaining or funny, killing any pranks in the process. Hence why most magicians keep their tricks a secret.

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Fool and Prank Your Friends With Penn & Teller VR: F U, U, U & U

After an initial tease back in April, Gearbox Software has finally released details regarding its next virtual reality (VR) project, a collaboration with famous magical duo Penn & Teller. Called Penn and Teller VR: Frankly Unfair, Unkind, Unnecessary & Underhanded (or Penn & Teller VR: F U, U, U & U for short), the soon to be released title is all about magic tricks and having some fun pulling pranks on friends along the way.

Penn and Teller VR

Penn & Teller VR is a local party style experience based around 12+ tricks (or ‘Bits’ as they’re called in the videogame). These Bits aren’t simple magic tricks to perform and learn, oh no, they do in fact help you prank your friends if you see fit.

Just like any good magical show, there’s the magician (you) and the audience (your friends), where you’re able to test your telekinetic powers, or even guide your soon-to-be-ex-friends as they perform The Most Dangerous Act in Showbiz. It’s not all about pranking your friends though, as there are single-player elements like being chained inside a tank filling with water, from which you have to escape.

“When a new mind-blowing technology comes out, the first thing Teller and I think is, ‘How can we use this to help people play tricks, cheat, and prank’,” said Penn Jillette, the larger and louder half of Penn & Teller. “Luckily for us, (and maybe less luckily for the world), Randy Pitchford, the big cheese at Gearbox, is our buddy, and worked as a professional magician. We are the same soulless motherhubbards. So, we’ve found a way for people to use VR as a tool to monkey with their so-called ‘friends.’ It’s what we do, and we’ve done it.”

Penn and Teller VR

“In our collaboration, we became animated by advances in the transformative medium of virtual reality and are now excited for fans of magic, pranks, tricks, video games, and VR to be able to experience an entirely new kind of interactive experience,” said Randy Pitchford, President, CEO and Co-founder of Gearbox Software. “With Penn & Teller VR: F U, U, U, & U, you’ll have the tools and technology to feel what it’s like to *be* magicians like Penn & Teller.”

There’s not long to wait for Penn and Teller VR: Frankly Unfair, Unkind, Unnecessary & Underhanded. It’ll be available for Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift/Rift S and HTC Vive on 27th June, priced at $19.99 USD. While a PlayStation VR version will arrive on 9th July 2019. For further updates from Gearbox Software, keep reading VRFocus.

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Penn & Teller VR is Gearbox Software’s Latest Immersive Project

World famous magical duo Penn & Teller might be better known for their tricks but they do dip into other forms of entertainment. Most notably videogames and virtual reality (VR) in particular thanks to weird driving sim Desert Bus by Gearbox Software. Well, it seems there are more VR plans afoot thanks to an announcement during PAX East this weekend.

During the event Gearbox Software revealed work on Penn and Teller VR: Frankly Unfair, Unkind, Unnecessary & Underhanded. The title will feature the magicians in some way, supporting HTC Vive, PlayStation VR and Oculus headsets when it arrives this summer. Other than that currently nothing else is known about the experience. How will Penn and Teller make their appearance, what will the gameplay involve and does ‘Oculus headsets’ mean, Oculus Rift, Rift S and Quest?

Whatever Gearbox Software and the duo have planned it can’t be much weirder than Desert Bus. Originally part of an unreleased Sega CD title called Penn & Teller’s Smoke and Mirrors, Desert Bus was a mini-game that involved players being challenged to drive a poorly-maintained bus on the long journey between Tucson, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada.

The twist was that completing the videogame involved driving the bus for eight actual hours. Unfortunately, the bus had tracking and steering problems, which meant that if you came off the road you’d be picked up and carted back to the start all in real-time. It’s become a cult classic with competitions based around it. It’s currently available for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

Desert Bus Vr 3

Gearbox Software had plenty of announcements to make during PAX East, the biggest involving Borderlands 3. But it did happen to mention a new partnership with Squanch Games that’ll see Gearbox Publishing create a physical version of  Trover Saves the Universe for its PlayStation VR release on 31st May.

And for fans of Borderlands 2 VR, don’t forget that the studio also confirmed last week that the title will be getting all the DLC ever made for the standard version ported to VR, set to arrive soon and completely free. For further Penn and Teller VR: Frankly Unfair, Unkind, Unnecessary & Underhanded updates, keep reading VRFocus.