A few games are listed under the “Horror VR” category on the sale, including:
Organ Quarter – $12.49 (50% off)
Five Nights at Freddy’s VR: Help Wanted – $20.99 (30% off)
Horror of the Deep – $3.59 (55% off)
SCP: Blackout – $15.99 (20% off)
Rise of Insanity – $4.89 (51% off)
Emily Wants To Play – $2.44 (51% off)
Narcosis – $7.49 (50% off)
Don’t Knock Twice – $6.79 (66% off)
Stifled – $15.99 (20% off)
Frosty Nights – 0.84 (80% off)
Of those, the most notable is definitely Five Nights At Freddy’s VR: Help Wanted. The game recently received some new Halloween DLC as well – Curse of the Dreadbear. However, that DLC isn’t free and is not included in the base game. It is not included in the Halloween sale and is available at the regular price of $9.99 on Steam.
There are also a few non-horror VR games included in the sale as well. Most notably, Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes is available at half price for just $7.49. Another great VR title, Red Matter, is available at 20% off for just $19.99, while Racket: Nx is also available at 50% off for $9.99.
These are the most prominent titles on sale, but still only just a slice of the VR discounts on offer. You can view the full list of VR games that are discounted in the Halloween sale here.
Besides VR titles, there are a lot of significant regular PC games on sale as well, which you can also check out over at Steam.
Will you be picking up anything in this year’s Steam Halloween sale? Let us know in the comments.
VR games are difficult to market, especially when they don’t fit obviously into existing genres. Here’s 12 gems you may have overlooked but are well worth your consideration.
Updated – August 21st, 2020
The Paradox of VR Game Development
There exists a paradox of sorts in the VR game development landscape: many of VR’s most interesting games just don’t look like the sort of non-VR games we’re all familiar with. By not obviously fitting into existing genres—the ‘shooter’, ‘RPG’, ‘racer’, ‘puzzler’, etc—it’s very difficult to actually market such titles, no matter how excellent they may be.
The result, as I’ve found over the years, is a surprising number of ‘indie VR gems’: VR titles which are much better than their lack of noteirty would suggest. Oftentimes these games are rated exceptionally well by those who give them a chance, but getting people to decide to try them in the first place is the real challenge.
This is a double bummer because it’s these very developers—who are thinking outside the box and discovering what native VR games actually look like—which we should supporot if we want to accelerate the maturation of VR game design. Indies are usually working with small teams and shoestring budgets; if they don’t at least break-even with each VR project, it’s unlikely that they will be able to justify a followup and continue to help push VR game design forward.
So, if you want to help VR succeed, and have some fun in the process, take a careful look at these 12 indie VR gems and consider giving them a shot. I would be blown away if everyone doesn’t find at least one title they think is worth owning in this list. And you have little to lose here if you’re using Oculus or Steam; both have very reasonable refund policies: if you find out the game isn’t for you and you’ve played it for less than two hours, you’re entitled to a full refund within 14 days of your purchase.
Indie VR Gems
Real quick: this list isn’t intended to be comprehensive, nor is it scientific. In the VR space most developers fit the definition of ‘indie’ (those which aren’t working with a publisher). For the purposes of this article, I’m loosely defining an ‘indie gem’ to mean ‘a VR game which deserves more attention than it receives’, whether or not it is from a recognizable VR studio. Without further ado, and in no specific order:
Fujii is part walking simulator, part puzzler, and part meditation. The game presents a serene world which somehow manages to offer a feeling of exploration without traversing huge distances. As you explore and solve light puzzles, you’ll discover new plants and bring their seeds back to your garden. The garden acts as a persistent ‘home’ space which you can cultivate and customize to your liking by planting and watering your plants. Fujii does so much right in design and aesthetics. Nearly everything you do feels good, thanks to intuitive interactions and expert use of sound, animation, and haptics. This is a game which delivers a sense of delight just by being in its world.
Compound is a randomly generated rogue-lite shooter with a style all its own. Something about its 8-bit artwork manages to feel totally authentic and while still somehow completely at home even in the medium of VR which is so far removed from the 8-bit era. This is a challenging game; lethal and unforgiving enemies bring a heightened sense of immersion as you’ll need to be on high alert to prioritize and eliminate threats to succeed. Luckily you’ve got an array of interesting and fun weapons, each with its own sense of character.
While a handful of better known flight simulators exist with optional VR support, the vast majority are made for keyboard and mouse input or peripherals like flight sticks. VTOL VR sets itself apart by being made from the ground-up for VR and motion controllers. So set your HOTAS aside and bask in the feeling of interacting directly with the controls in your cockpit as you operate critical aircraft functions, identify targets, and engage enemies without needing to buy niche peripherals to make it all feel great.
Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades (AKA H3VR) [Early Access]
Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, also known as H3VR, is a VR sandbox for the gun aficionado. With more than 300 unique weapons in the game, you could spend hours just exploring the detailed custom sounds and interactions of each gun, right down to individually chambered rounds, folding stocks, fire modes, and adjustable iron sights. With heaps of modular accessories, you can do everything from the realistic—like adding sights, grips, and lasers to your favorite assault rifle—to the unholy—like turning a pistol into a kitbashed sniper rifle. Once you’ve got your arsenal sorted out, you can hit the shooting range, play a heap of mini-games and activities, or make up your own. Though H3VR launched in early access in 2016, its developer has been actively updating the game ever since, regularly bringing major new content additions and improvements over time, like the Team Fortress 2 weapon set.
Sprint Vector is a racing game that offers a sense of speed and mobility that’s hard to find anywhere else in the VR gaming landscape. Channeling elements of arcade racing games like Mario Kart with a Mirror’s Edge sense of flow, Sprint Vector’s unique take on ‘arm swinger’ locomotion is a revolution in its ability to maintain comfort even while you’re cruising at breakneck speeds—and it can be a good workout to boot. Alongside a competitive racing mode, the game also offers time trials which challenge you not just to be fast, but also to be creative as you look for new routes to shave precious seconds off your record. This game’s strong visual presentation is topped off by an excellent soundtrack.
Panoptic is a stellar asymmetric VR game where one player wearing a headset takes on the role of a giant and menacing ‘overseer’ while another player outside of VR plays as a tiny saboteur who attempts to blend in with roaming NPCs and destroy key objectives without being discovered. Thanks to VR, the overseer’s embodied presence and giant scale feel exceptionally imposing to the tiny non-VR player, creating tense moments where a single slip-up could lead to a suspenseful cat-and-mouse chase. The overseer may be powerful, but they can’t watch everything all at once; with a blend of strategy and cunning, the saboteur can prevail. The need for only one VR headset makes Panoptic a great game for sharing some of VR’s unique fun with friends who don’t have VR headsets themselves. While the game currently only supports local multiplayer, we found that Steam’s Remote Play Together feature makes it pretty easy to play Panoptic together online.
FREEDIVER: Triton Down is a short but worthwhile narrative adventure about an oceanographer who gets caught in a capsized research vessel after discovering something unexpected in a cave in the ocean depths. The game is built entirely around a unique ‘swimming’ locomotion system which is more than just a way to get the player from A to B; not only does it allow you to seamlessly navigate in 3D space underwater, it creates a built-in tension between movement and survival as the player has to surface for air or risk drowning. This effectively puts a time limit on puzzle solving which is always in the back of your mind, especially as the oxygen indicator on your arm beeps as it gets closer to 0%. Thanks to engaging interactive elements and thoughtful VR design, this is an adventure worth taking.
Virtual Virtual Reality is a narrative-driven VR game with an intriguing concept that’s worth seeing through to the end. As the name implies, you’ll find yourself popping in and out of various levels of virtual reality to navigate the game’s light puzzle elements while experiencing its strong art direction, writing, and interaction design. The developers include “an artichoke screams at you” among the game’s ‘key features’, which ought to give you an idea of the comedic flavor within.
Electronauts is half game, half tool, and wholly unique. It’s a VR music mixing game which lets you tap into your inner musical creativity even if you don’t have any idea how to play an instrument or make music from scratch. Each song in the game is effectively a ‘kit’ which includes various backing tracks, vocals, and unique instruments. Even though the game does much of the heavy lifting behind the scenes to keep everything in the right key and on beat, you’ll be surprised at how much freedom you have to make each song your own. While there’s no ‘objectives’, there’s much satisfaction to be had at managing seamless transitions between song segments, creating instrument loops that add a new flavor, and one of my favorite challenges: bringing each song to a smooth conclusion. Electronauts is an incredible way to experience the magic of music, and with multiplayer (on the Steam and Oculus Rift versions of the game only) you can even jam with a friend.
Racket: Nx is a polished and high energy game which feels like a futuristic mashup of racquetball fused with elements of Breakout. Players stand at the center of a 360 degree arena with neon targets that pulsate to the game’s excellent soundtrack. With racket in hand, players smack the glowing orb to destroy some targets while avoiding others. There’s some depth to hitting the orb too: you can slice it to give it spin, or give it an especially firm smack to send it roll along the wall for bonus points before it finally bounces back. Powerups and portals add additional variety. Racket: Nx can be a good workout, and is great for playing with VR friends thanks to cross-platform multiplayer between all versions of the game.
Until You Fall is a procedurally generated rogue-lite that’s all about melee combat. You’ll battle your way through a string of rooms populated with enemies of increasing difficulty. Eventually, inevitably, you’ll die. At the end of each round, you’ll respawn in a hub space where you can spend money you’ve earned on new weapons and upgrades, making you stronger for your next bout. The game successfully fuses VR sword combat with meta-game elements in a way that no other VR title has yet managed. Combat is underscored with a sense of deliberate strategy that can change from one encounter to the next, especially depending upon which weapons you choose to bring into battle.
As a VR mech game, Vox Machinae strikes and impressive balance between playability and immersion. It feels like a simulator, but manages to be almost as easy as an arcade game to pick up while remaining challenging to master. It’s controls and systems are intuitive enough that you can grasp the basics in a match or two, but that doesn’t stop the game from delivering a incredible sense of immersion thanks to its interactive cockpit and unique mech control model. Even now, two years after its early access launch, Vox Machinae remains arguably unmatched in immersion by any other VR mech game.
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Surely this list only covers a fraction of VR’s indie gems—let us know your own picks in the comments below!
Virtual reality (VR) is an awesome entertainment medium which has dramatically improved over the last few years. While the original entry point wasn’t exactly cheap or necessarily practical for a lot of people the launch of Oculus Quest has opened up the technology to a much wider user base. Its portability, inside-out tracking and 6DoF controllers allow for instantly immersive gameplay, but for those fresh to VR choosing the right experience can mean the difference between a lifelong passion or instant nausea and dislike. Which is why VRFocus has chosen the following selection to start newbies off.
The important variables to consider are whether the title offers enough of that VR spark without causing any discomfort. So that pretty much means no locomotion to begin with or maybe some light teleportation, coupled with lots of interactive elements. Below are ten videogames which not only fit the bill but also happen to be some of VRFocus’ favourites.
Pinball FX2 VR
Released only a few short weeks ago, Zen Studios’ Pinball FX2 VR offers a beautiful mix of graphics, gameplay and an easy difficulty curve when it comes to controls. With highly detailed tables that you can peer into and explore their complex mechanisms, the simple gameplay is highly addictive with that old-fashioned highscore goal great to challenge friends with. Given a full five-star rating in VRFocus’original review, Pinball FX2 VR retails on Oculus Store for £10.99 GBP.
Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs
Rovio Entertainment’s classic mobile title got a revamp this year by Resolution Games, Creating Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigsin the process. Featuring over 50 levels, the experience allows you to teleport around the 3D buildings to fixed locations to unleash those destructive birds. Another simple yet very engaging videogame Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs can be found on Oculus Store for £10.99.
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodesby Steel Crate Games was one of the earliest examples of local social VR multiplayer, highlighting the fact that VR doesn’t have to be a solitary experience. The VR player has to diffuse a bomb, unfortunately, they have no idea how to as each bomb is made up of different modules that have to be solved individually. To do this all the non-VR players have a bomb manual and must guide the person in VR to the correct solution. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes can be found on Oculus Store for £10.99.
Racket: Nx
Racket: Nx takes the classic contained sport of squash and gives it a futuristic twist. Players find themselves inside a giant dome with hexagonal wall panels which light up according to the mode and difficulty. Great for those who wish to extert some energy without the worry of nausea thanks to staying on the spot, Racket: Nx can be found on Oculus Store for £14.99.
Electronauts
Developed by VR powerhouse Survios, Electronauts allows you to unleash your inner musician even if you’re tone-deaf. With two sticks in hand like a composer, the title gives players a massive array of sound-altering options to choose from. Record loops, sequences, layer filters and more (there are even musical grenades), to twist and distort a variety of songs across genres such as EDM, hip hop and dubstep. Achieving a five-star review, Electronauts can be found on Oculus Store for £14.99.
Bait!
Another Resolution Games title, this was the studio’s first big success. A casual fishing videogame with a basic storyline to keep you catching fish, there are a selection of lakes each with their own particular fish to hook. What makes Bait! an instant purchase on Oculus Store is the fact it’s free.
Space Pirate Trainer
Originally released for PC VR headsets back in 2016, Space Pirate Trainerthe only first-person shooter (FPS) on this list offering a range of modes and gameplay options. With a selection of weapon loadouts from shotguns to lazer beams, the title is another one to get you moving dodging energy bolts from the flying robot enemies. For those that like shooting stuff Space Pirate Trainer can be found on Oculus Store for £10.99.
Moss
The most expensive title on VRFocus’ list, Polyarc’s Moss is a single-player, third-person puzzle adventure involving pint-sized heroine Quill. A great evil once befell her land and so all the mice now live deep in the forest, hidden away from danger. Of course, the situation arises where Quill finds herself chosen to go on a quest to help save her family and everyone else. You play a benevolent being that not only controls Quill and her actions but the environment as well. This adorable little puzzle solvercan be found on Oculus Store for £22.99.
Beat Saber
One of the most popular VR videogames of the moment, Beat Saber is a rhythm action title where you slice cubes with light sabers. Fast, frantic and great for burning a few calories is one of those videogames where you instantly have to have ‘one more go’ to either try a new song, to beat your previous score or challenge yourself to a higher difficulty level. Another title which has received a five-star reviewBeat Saber can be found on Oculus Store for £22.99.
Acron: Attack of the Squirrels
The newest videogame on this list, Acron: Attack of the Squirrelsis a purely multiplayer experience, great for when friends and family are round. The VR player takes the role of a tree trying to protect its acorns from hungry squirrels. Up to eight players can then join in on mobile devices trying to steal those acorns and get them back to base. A really fun and exciting local gameplay experience where you can swap between VR and mobile, Acron: Attack of the Squirrels can be found on Oculus Store for £14.99 (the iOS and Android part is free to download from their stores).
Indie VR gem Racket: NX (2018) launches today on Oculus Quest with cross-platform multiplayer with the Rift version of the game. Playing out as a techno-future infused mashup between Breakout and racquetball, Racket: Nx feels right at home on Quest thanks to its 360 degree tracking and lack of tether.
Lesser known but well received, Racket: Nx is a polished and high energy game which feels like a far flung imagining of racquetball fused with elements of Breakout. Players stand at the center of a 360 degree arena with neon targets that pulsate to the game’s excellent soundtrack. With a racket in hand, players smack the glowing orb to destroy some targets while avoiding others.
Having launched in Early Access back in 2017, Racket: Nx has been honed over the years, eventually hitting its full release for PC VR headsets in 2018 [our review]. Today Racket: Nx launches on Oculus Quest, and developer One Hamsa claims the game “is now tighter than ever, runs perfectly on the Quest, and without any significant compromises in visual fidelity or feel.”
On Quest, the game benefits from the headset’s 360 degree tracking and lack of tether. Priced at $20 (same as the PC version), the game also offers up cross-platform multiplayer between Quest and Rift. It’s at the moment unclear if the Quest version supports cross-buy with the Rift version, or if it can join multiplayer games with players using the Steam version of the game. We’ve reached out to the developers for confirmation.
Developer One Hamsa announced back in April that its futuristic squash multiplayer Racket: Nx would be coming to Oculus Quest. Today, the studio has confirmed the launch will take place this month, next week in fact, allowing players to engage in some wireless racket action.
Originally a PC VR release for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality devices last year, Racket: Nx takes the classic contained sport of squash and gives it a futuristic twist. Players find themselves inside a giant dome with hexagonal wall panels which light up according to the mode and difficulty.
There are three main panels in most modes, ones which score points, those that remove health and those that replace health. Others include warp portals which can make the ball reappear in random locations. Racket: Nx has real physics and then bends the rules on those physics as well. For instance, the ball will behave as normal when players simply hit it towards the dome. If they put some spin on it, however, then the ball can be manipulated to run across the wall, gaining combo points. Should the ball at any point lose momentum and become unreachable with the racket, a grappling hook mechanic is available to retrieve it.
Featuring both single-player and multiplayer challenges, the solo mode offers score-based challenges across dozens of stages of varying difficulty. While the multiplayer has various modes with a competitive league including head to head matches, a skill rating system and rankings.
The title is an ideal use case for the standalone headset, allowing players to really immerse themselves in the experience with no wires to worry about. And the Oculus Insight tracking system should be easily up to the task considering it can handle fast-paced videogames like Beat Saber.
Racket: Nx is scheduled to arrive for Oculus Quest next Thursday, 18th July. It’ll include cross-buy support with Oculus Rift for those that already own the videogame, a detail confirmed a couple of months ago along with several others. VRFocus will continue its coverage of One Hamza and Racket: Nx, reporting back with any further updates and announcements.
Though previously available on traditional PC-tethered VR headsets, Racket: NX was unable to meet its full potential because of the cords. With the Quest, you don’t have to worry about tripping over yourself as you turn from side to side and bash the ball against the walls’ targets.
Because of the intensity and Raquetball-esque speed of Racket: NX, you need to know where the ball is at all times. The game makes use of Waves’ spatial audio technology to allow for this, though you’ll also hear a bumping EDM soundtrack alongside the relevant noises.
If you want to play a progressively-difficult mode, you can jump into Solo, or you can try an endless gauntlet in Arcade mode. Once you’re ready to play against real people, you can compete in ranked or private matches complete with cross-platform support. It’s all wrapped up in a gorgeous science-fiction coating, helping to distract you from the fact that you’re essentially whacking a tennis ball against a brick wall.
When Racket: NX launches for Quest, it will also support cross-buy. Those who purchased the game on the Rift will automatically get a copy for the Quest, and those who buy it for the first time on Quest also get a copy for the Rift.
Der Release der Oculus Quest rückt immer näher und zeitgleich erwarten uns stetig weitere Veröffentlichungen für die autarke VR-Brille. So kommen nun auch Sportfreunde auf ihre Kosten, welche die VR-Brille für ein mögliches Work-out verwenden möchten. Die futuristische VR-Squash-Simulation Racket: Nx von Entwicklerstudio One Hamsa erscheint offiziell für Oculus Quest, wie die Devs in einem Trailer ankündigen.
Racket: Nx – Release für Oculus Quest mit Cross-Buy-Feature angekündigt
Mit Racket: Nx wurde ein neuer VR-Titel angekündigt, der zu sportlichen Aktivitäten in den virtuellen Gefilden einlädt. Während die beliebte Sportsimulation bereits seit Längerem für PC-Brillen auf Steam sowie im Oculus Store erhältlich ist, folgt nun auch eine Portierung für die kommende Quest:
Die futuristische Sportsimulation Racket: Nx wird gerne als eine Mischung aus der Rückschlag-Sportart Squash und dem Arcade-Spiel Breakout beschrieben. Entsprechend werden die Spieler in einer gigantischen Glaskoppel platziert, um mit einem virtuellen Ball Objekte an der Wand zu zerstören. Die Ziele müssen vor Ablauf eurer Energie vernichtet werden. Dafür schlagt ihr mit viel Kraft den Ball in die gewünschte Richtung, um diesen durch diverse Features, wie einen Trackingstrahl zu kontrollieren. Dank zusätzlichen Power-ups könnt ihr zudem die Spielmechaniken und Physik-Elemente verändern.
Neben zwei Singleplayer-Modi steht zudem ein kompetitiver Multiplayer-Modus zur Auswahl. In seiner bisherigen Fassung für PC-Brillen konnte der VR-Titel dank des eingängigen Gameplays sowie der visuell ansprechenden Grafik die Spielerschaft begeistern. Besonders durch den Wegfall der störenden Kabel ist das Spiel für die autarke Oculus Quest prädestiniert und lädt zu spaßigen Spielstunden ein.
Wer das Spiel übrigens bereits für Oculus Rift besitzt, darf die Sportsimulation dank Cross-Buy-Feature zukünftig kostenlos mit der Oculus Quest spielen. Selbiges gilt natürlich auch umgekehrt beim Neukauf.
Racket: Nx soll zwar nicht als Starttitel zum Release der Quest erscheinen, dafür laut Devs allerdings zeitnah folgen. Sämtliche weitere VR-Titel, die euch für die Oculus Quest erwarten, haben wir hier für euch zusammengefasst.
Racket: Nx, the game described as “racquetball meets breakout”, is coming to the Oculus Quest standalone VR system.
The developers, One Hamsa, filmed a new trailer for Quest in their home country of Israel. They shot it playing outside in the desert and edited in a sci-fi background. It is just an advertisement but this is the first time we’ve seen Quest being used outside.
Games like this which depend on strong distinct gameplay mechanics rather than graphics are ideal for standalone VR systems like Quest. While Quest is significantly less powerful than a PC, it has room scale tracking and Touch controllers which enable the same kind of gameplay as PC VR.
In fact, when playing Racket: Nx on PC the cable could often be a burden. This kind of active game with frequent rotation is perfect for wireless and standalone VR.
The developer also enabled cross-buy. That means if you own it already on the Rift store, you won’t have to buy it again for Quest. Or if you buy it for Quest and get a Rift S in the future, you’ll still be able to play it on that headset as well.
One Hamsa say the game probably won’t be a launch title, but should be available “very soon” after launch. We’re excited to give this game another try with the freedom of movement of standalone VR.
Racket: NX (2018), the VR racket sports game, is now out of Early Access. Offering a surprising level of polish, fluid gameplay, and both an engaging single player and competitive multiplayer mode, Racket: NX has taken a fairly simple concept and fleshed it out to an ultimately fun (and addictive) conclusion.
Featuring breakable blocks like gaming classics Breakout or Arkanoid, Racket: NX pits you against a 360 degree domed wall filled with flashing yellow targets of various designs and placements. In a race against an ever dwindling energy meter, your job is simple: accurately break the blocks as fast as possible, collect energy pick-ups to refill your energy bar, and avoid the precariously placed energy-drainers which are littered throughout the multi-stage levels.
The game contains three principal modes: solo mode for classic single player gameplay, arcade mode for infinite survival with both classic and ‘zen’ mode, and multiplayer mode for one vs. one online battles.
Image courtesy One Hamsa
Single player mode features four increasingly hard difficulty level subsets: basic, advanced, hardcore and insane. To move up, you’ll have to complete at least four of the five bespoke levels in the preceding difficulty level. Each of these bespoke levels contains multiple stages, which take anywhere from three to ten minutes to pass in total.
Controls are very simple, as you only use one controller (left or right) with a single trigger pull acting as your only input, which retracts the ball to your racket wherever you’re facing. Besides the obvious benefit of getting your ball back quicker, this can be useful when your ball is flying dangerously close to energy drainers so you can pull it to safety mid-run. Smacking the ball harder will send your ball wall-sliding for those tasty combos, so a tactical ball retract is always useful.
Later in the game you run across things such as gravity wells that suck in your ball and spit it out somewhere else, and speed boosters that can either send your ball for a level-winning combo, or straight into a minefield of energy drainers. Floating power-ups such as scatter shots, extra points, and a temporary buff that changes all of the energy-drainers into positive energy pickups keep things moving at a fun, and always varied pace.
Image courtesy One Hamsa
While I had trouble at first with the racket (auto-aim is either non-existent or very subtle), after a few levels of brick-bashing and power-upping, I had a good enough grip on how to accurately smack the ball for a more or less consistent arc to my target. As I headed into ‘insane’ mode though, that’s where I really started to feel the rush of the clock ticking, the ball flying just one brick off its target, and that’s where I started to consistently lose a battle of what turned out to be a real test of ball-handing precision.
Abandoning my first real test of difficulty, I went off for my first multiplayer game to see how I stacked up after about an hour and half playing from the beginning tutorial through to the beginning of ‘insane’ mode. When I could find a match (more on that below), they usually turned out to be a thrilling competition that really combines everything you’ve learned in single player, but letting each player return the ball one at a time, which is color-coded when your serve is up.
Getting into a multiplayer game isn’t always easy due to unfortunately low player numbers. You can invite a friend to play, but the friend’s list isn’t as straight forward as I would have hoped. Contacting a friend through the Oculus app and starting an Oculus Party (voice chat) to coordinate—we were both on Rift and playing through the Oculus Store—we were unable to actually get into private match by sending the game’s match invite request. A tone would sound in the game when you were sent a request, but there wouldn’t be any obvious way to accept the invite afterwards. While this will no doubt be fixed in the future (it’s a crucial element, after all), at the time of launch getting into a private match seemed hopeless. We ended up both going for a competitive match at the same moment, and were fortuitously matched up. Now, back to the good.
With voice chat on as default, it was really cool to glance over for a chat, only see that the avatars are equally as futuristic (and befittingly weird) techno-lizards whose heads would articulate and pulse when they talk.
Image courtesy One Hamsa
Some niggles not withstanding, Racket: NX is a very solid experience gameplay-wise, which on its own is a pretty great thing to proclaim, but what really puts the cherry on the cake is the game’s impressive visuals. A bright and varied color palette helps you quickly distinguish target from trap, and combines a fun mix of translucent materials to give it that ultra slick, futuristic feeling.
The game’s music also helps set the scene, giving you a pulsing vibe that keeps you going until the energy meter’s tempo takes over for heart-pounding last-minute saves. You can replace it with your own music, but I never felt the need, as it fits to perfectly with the game.
Immersion
In a physical tennis game, learning where the edge of an actual racket is takes a bit of time when you start learning; a few key elements such as the weight of the racket, the vibration of hitting the ball, and how the racket cuts through the air all help us ‘feel’ where the ball hits, and know where it might land. In the physical world, this level of proprioception (knowing the position of your own body) helps the racket become a part of us, something that isn’t equally reflected in VR racket sports currently.
At times, it’s difficult to tell where the virtual racket is when it’s out of your field of view, and it’s not always clear at what angle the racket takes when you swing at the ball. When you do hit a ball, we miss out on that level of proprioception I talked about earlier, making it difficult to fully ground yourself in the virtual sport. That said, this can be overcome with practice though, as you get a better feel for the ball, and become more consistent in your racket hits. This isn’t so much a downfall of the game, but it’s a clear drawback of any racket sport in VR that uses stock motion controllers.
Outside of this, citing all of the game’s positives above, Racket: NX does everything it can to make you lose yourself in the task at hand.
Comfort
As a room-scale game that requires a 360 setup, Rift players may have a tougher time playing without a third sensor due to occlusion. Using a two-sensor, front-facing setup though didn’t create nearly as many issues as I thought I would have, as I only lost positional tracking for a moment and was still be able to return balls with the always-on rotational tracking of my single Touch controller.
Obviously three sensor setups and HTC Vive’s SteamVR base stations won’t have this problem, but it’s a valid warning nonetheless.
While you could play seated, provided you clear your space entirely, this is really a standing game that requires some physicality to play. I found myself switching between left and right hands to give my elbows a break too—but outside the obvious physical demands, the game is ultimately one of the most comfortable VR gameplay experiences you can have, thanks to the room-scale only nature of the game.
Racket: NX (2018), the futuristic VR racket game, has left Early Access on Steam and the Oculus Store.
Developed by Tel Aviv-based studio One Hamsa, Racket: NX puts a stylish VR spin on some classic game mechanics made famous in titles such as Breakout and Arkanoid. Using your single racket to break block targets, you go for the high score as you hammer the ball at the dome-shaped wall, hoping for that wall-sliding chain reaction to help you clear the level.
Racket: NX supports Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Windows VR headsets, and features two single player modes, and an intense multiplayer. You’ll definitely need to clear some space though, because once the targets start to envelop your entire 360 playing space, you can easily lose track of where you are (and how close you are to lamps, kittens, innocent bystanders).
Road to VR‘s Matthew MacGee was mightily impressed with Racket: NX in our Early Access review of the game, saying:
“At times it’s breathless entertainment, and a good rally will have you laughing at the sheer thrill of it all. It feels very pure, very old school, and very polished. For a game in the vanguard of the initial VR wave—embracing the most modern gaming tech—in the hands, it whisks you back to playgrounds and simpler times.”
The full title now boasts new powerups, more impressive visuals, a completely new solo campaign, and what One Hamsa calls a “much improved multiplayer.”
Image courtesy One Hamsa
While the thumping soundtrack fits really well for a heart-pounding session, you can also play with your own music now too, which is an available option through the game’s settings menu.
“Developing this game, the first One Hamsa release, has been a life changing experience for us,” the developers say in a statement on Steam. “We had many challenges along the way, and we can honestly say we would not have been able to withstand them if it wasn’t for our Early Access players. The love, enthusiasm, feedback and companionship you guys offered throughout made all the difference.”
RX: Racket is currently on sale for 25% off the usual $20 price tag, and is available from both Steam (Vive, Rift, Windows VR) and the Oculus Store (Rift).
The important variables to consider are whether the title offers enough of that VR spark without causing any discomfort. So that pretty much means no locomotion to begin with or maybe some light teleportation, coupled with lots of interactive elements. Below are ten videogames which not only fit the bill but also happen to be some of 
