First Contact Entertainment is finally bringing its most recent team VR shooter, Solaris Offworld Combat (2020), to PSVR today.
First launched on Oculus Quest and Rift late last year, the 4v4 arena shooter has struggled to replicate the same level of fanfare as the studio’s mil-sim team shooter, Firewall: Zero Hour (2018). Solaris focuses on fast-paced action, quick respawns, and abstracts away most all of the shooting realism which has seemed to have hooked diehard Firewall fans over the last few years.
Built around its ‘Control Point’ game mode, which is essentially a constantly shifting game of ‘King of the Hill’, Solaris pits players against each other to either reach the score limit, or have the most points before the five-minute round is over. We went hands-on before it launched last year on Quest and Rift, and you can read our full impressions here.
It’s a well-made game that is possibly too simplistic in some respects. The PSVR version however supports both DualShock 4 and PSVR Aim, which seem better suited to the single-handed nature of the game’s gunplay. It’s uncertain to what extent the game will support cross-play with the Quest/Rift versions though, and it seems we’ll have to wait until later today to find out.
In an effort to drum up support, the studio is offering 50% off for PlayStation Plus subscribers for the first two weeks after launch, putting Solaris at just $12.50. If you’re curious to see Solaris is action on Quest, check out our five-minute gameplay video below:
Solaris released on Quest and PC VR late last year, and the PSVR release was meant to arrive around the same time. However, delays saw it pushed into 2021 and then into May, with a separate physical release planned for June. From today, the game is finally out for PSVR players on PS4 and PS5. The big bonus is that the game will be discounted for the next two weeks for anyone that is subscribed to PlayStation Plus, available at 50% off. No doubt this is a shot and getting lots of players into the game at launch.
Given Solaris is an online-based competitive VR shooter, a PS Plus subscription is pretty much a requirement to play the game. Because of that, most people who are interested probably already have a subscription and will benefit from the discount automatically. That being said, if you’re not a PS Plus member and you’re definitely going to pick up Solaris, subscribing to PS Plus before purchasing the game will probably save you some money.
As you would hope from a shooter on the PSVR platform, Solaris also supports using the Aim controller for those that own it, otherwise the DualShock 4 is also an option.
Looking for the new VR games May 2021 list? We’ve got you covered.
We’re moving into Summer and releases are certainly heating up for VR headsets. Well, they are for the Oculus Quest at least – most of the big titles launching this month are on the standalone headset, though there are some offerings for PSVR and PC VR too. Let’s dig in!
New VR Games May 2021
Demeo (May 6th) – Quest, PC VR
Boardgame night moves to VR in Demeo, a four-player tabletop dungeon-crawling RPG that has you rolling die, casting spells and slaying monsters. Look out for a flat-screen version later this year too.
The Wizards: Dark Times (May 6th) – Quest
Carbon Studio’s fantasy adventure finally touches down on Quest. The Wizards has you summoning spells by making gestures with your motion controllers. Cast fire balls, shoot ice arrows and take on the linear single-player campaign, which is a first for the franchise.
Zero Caliber: Reloaded (May 13th) – Quest
The Quest version of the popular PC VR shooter is nearly ready to go. Zero Caliber packs a full single-player campaign and co-op support for up to four players, with weapon customizations promising a realistic combat experience.
Puzzle Bobble VR (May 20th) – Quest
The classic arcade puzzle game comes to VR for the first time. Puzzle Bobble is the ultimate color-matching experience. Arm yourself with a bobble cannon and blast your way through over 100 puzzles. Plus those dinosaurs have never looked so cute.
Wraith on SteamVR (May 25th) – SteamVR
Following last month’s launch on Rift and Quest, Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife haunts SteamVR later in May. Travel to the Barclay Mansion as an undead Wraith and uncover the mystery behind your death, all while trying to keep your pants dry.
Solaris (TBA May) – PSVR
There isn’t an exact date yet but the PSVR version of Solaris should be touching down in May. Fast arena-style combat awaits in the new game from the makers of Firewall: Zero Hour and support for Sony’s Aim controller is in too.
That’s the list of new VR games for May 2021. What are you going to be picking up? Let us know in the comments below!
Originally, Solaris was coming to PSVR late last year around the same time as the Quest and PC VR version of the game but got delayed. Now, it’s slated for release in just a couple of months.
The latest VR shooter from First Contact Entertainment (creators of Firewall Zero Hour) is a sci-fi competitive VR shooter that feels a bit like Quake in VR due to its speed and intense arena levels. It’s a very breezy, fast-paced game that’s accessible and easy to quickly jump in and out of. The closest comparison is probably Hyper Dash.
Soalris is a notable release because other than Firewall Zero Hour, there really haven’t been many options for shooter fans on PSVR. Alvo is coming soon too, but the headset is on its last legs at this point.
The PS Aim Controller continues to be one of the best things about the PSVR platform, so I’m all for seeing more games support it, but it’s a shame games like this didn’t hit PSVR earlier in its life cycle. Hopefully PSVR 2 on PS5 is backwards compatible and it can give late-life cycle games like this one new life when it releases.
Solaris is coming to PSVR very soon with a planned digital release in May and physical release from Perp Games in June. For more on this game make sure and read our Solaris: Offworld Combat review and stay tuned for all the latest in VR.
A couple of days ago First Contact Entertainment announced that its arena shooter Solaris Offworld Combatwould be getting its PlayStation VR launch this Spring. Today, current players on Oculus Quest and Rift will get a new update further improving the title’s squad functionality.
Being introduced is an all-new pre-match warm-up lobby so players can settle in before each match. Here they’ll be able to explore the map, pick up weapons, practice ejecting opponents and, of course, chat with teammates. Once at least four players have joined Solaris Offworld Combat will start a match a few minutes later rather than waiting for a full roster of 8 players. As players get used to the system First Contact Entertainment will roll out further improvements based on feedback.
The 1.06 update includes the ability to communicate with your squad whilst in the squad menu thanks to the addition of Vivox. The studio has also tuned the shotgun so that it stays effective at close to medium range but its long-range damage is greatly reduced. Players will notice that the update has removed Vortex Prime from the map rotation.
Solaris Offworld Combat might be a 4v4 team-based shooter like First Contact Entertainment’s other FPS Firewall Zero Hour but that’s where the similarities end. Released for Oculus headsets in September 2020 Solaris Offworld Combat pits teams in a singular gameplay mode called ‘Control Point’. Once players spawn they have to rush to a designated area and hold it for as long as possible, building up their points in the process before the highlighted location moves.
This is made all the more difficult as you don’t select your loadout. Everyone starts equally, with a pistol. As you explore the arena more weapons can be found like rail guns or rocket launchers to give you that edge. Plus there are other useful items hidden around like health and shields.
The PlayStation VR launch this Spring won’t just give players another reason to use their PlayStation Aim controller, Solaris Offworld Combat will feature cross-play support, expanding the online community.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Solaris Offworld Combat, reporting back with further updates.
First Contact Entertainment’s multiplayer shooter Solaris Offworld Combat launched back in September 2020 for Oculus Quest and Rift, with the studio confirming more platforms would follow. Today, PlayStation VR owners will be pleased to hear that support will be arriving this Spring.
From the team behind PlayStation VR exclusive Firewall Zero Hour, Solaris Offworld Combat is an intense, team-based shooter offering 4v4 action. Matches revolve around a singular gameplay mode called ‘Control Point’, where teams spawn in, pick up items along the way then hold an area until it moves location. Players start with a basic pistol with further weaponry like Grenade Launchers, Shotguns and Rocket Launchers found throughout the arena.
It’s a double announcement today as the Spring launch won’t purely be digital. First Contact Entertainment has teamed up with Perp Games to bring physical copies to retail.
‘We’re pleased to announce that we’ll be working with PSVR specialist Perp Games to bring you the boxed version of Solaris Offworld Combat. We know how great it feels to hold a game in your hands, and we can’t wait for all of our fans to grab a copy,” said Fast Travel Games in a statement.
“First Contact Entertainment is one of the leading VR studios, and it is a great honour to partner with them,” said Rob Edwards, Managing Director at Perp Games. “We were fortunate to play an early build of Solaris Offworld Combat last year and we were blown away by the focus on all-out action and fun. We knew then that the age of immersive multiplayer VR gaming had begun.
Solaris Offworld Combat currently features seven arenas of various sizes and thanks to the recent Squad Update, players are now able to team up with friends rather than being automatically dropped in a group. Just like Firewall Zero Hour, Solaris Offworld Combat will support the PlayStation Aim controller, continuing to expand the list of compatible titles.
As further updates for Solaris Offworld Combat are released including Steam support, VRFocus will let you know
The PSVR version of First Contact Entertainment’s Solaris: Offworld Combat isn’t quite going to make it out in 2020, but it shouldn’t be too much longer.
First Contact stopped by PSVR Without Parole’s 2020 Awards show yesterday with an update on the sci-fi shooter. Solaris launched on Oculus Quest and Rift earlier this year and had hoped to come to PSVR before 2021, but this weekend’s video confirmed it’s now coming early next year. No specific date was given, but the team did offer some new footage of the game’s PSVR build being played with the rifle-shaped Aim Controller.
Check it out below – the studio says it thinks this is the best way to play Solaris.
Solaris PSVR Gameplay Revealed
Solaris is an arena shooter similar in style to Quake or Unreal Tournament. It’s a fast-paced shooter in which players can grab new weapons, teleport between arenas and even slide forwards as they run. We think the game is a fun, accessible take on the genre, saying in our review: “Despite the issues, Solaris is easily the most accessible and streamlined VR shooter I’ve played in recent memory and scratches the arena shooter itch I’d forgotten I had.”
The PSVR version will see the First Contact team returning to the platform it made its name on. The studio is best known for its PSVR-exclusive multiplayer shooter, Firewall: Zero Hour, which also made great use of the Aim Controller.
Will you be checking out Solaris: Offworld Combat on PSVR next year? Let ys know in the comments below!
Solaris Offworld Combat (2020), the team-based VR arena shooter for Oculus Rift and Oculus Quest, is getting an update this week that’s set to bring a number of highly requested features to the game, including the long-awaited ability to squad up with friends.
In addition to the ability to create a squad, the studio is packaging a few features in the update too, which include:
New Map: Fury Major – redesigned to focus on more centralized player engagement and close quarters combat
Stamina Cooldown Changes: enjoy unlimited sprinting with a cooldown that happens only if you spam slide
IRL Crouch To Slide
Daily XP Bonus & Weekly Challenges
Free Hand Tracking: you can now move both arms independently while playing, this will not affect your weapons accuracy
Gameplay Balancing
Bug Fixes & General Improvements
There’s no precise timing on release of the update, however developers First Contact Entertainment say it should be here sometime this week.
Fury Major Map, Image courtesy First Contact Entertainment
In our preview of Solaris Offworld Combat, we liked the fast-paced experience designed for anyone can pick up and play, although it was still a bit rough around the edges. Some of those items we noted in the preview are being featured in the squad update, namely the lack of controller tracking for non-dominant hands. It’ll also be interesting to see whether the update can better balance its casual and competitive ambitions.
Solaris Offworld Combat includes cross-play and cross-buy between the Rift version and Quest version, priced at $30. The game is expected to also land on Steam and PSVR at some point, although it’s still unclear when. In the meantime, check out some of out preview gameplay footage below to get and idea of what Solaris has to offer.
Solaris: Offworld Combat is getting squad support in its biggest post-launch update yet this week. The update will also introduce a brand new map, several fixes and improvements, and will enable players to freely move their non-primary hand.
When Solaris first launched it delivered on the promise of fast-paced, easy-to-pickup-and-play thrills with addictive gameplay, satisfying gun mechanics, and vibrant map designs. However, the inability to group up and play with friends was a huge issue.
According to developer First Contact Entertainment via email, squad support was “probably the most requested feature” since launch, so it’s finally getting added.
A new version of Fury is coming as well, dubbed Fury Major, which will focus on centralizing player engagement with more close quarters combat moments. Stamina is also getting reworked so you no longer lose any for sprinting and you’re only impacted for spamming slide over and over.
The other major change which should improve player immersion dramatically, at least in my opinion, is that now your free hand has full tracking. Previously whichever hand was not your primary hand (for example your left hand if you are righthanded) would just be glued to the gun at all times even if you moved the controller around. Now, they’ve unattached it, just like in the main menu, so you can move it freely. Weapon accuracy is unaffected.
There are a handful of other changes as well, such as crouching in real life triggering a slide if you’re sprinting, daily XP bonuses and weekly challenges, balance adjustments, and more.
For more on Solaris: Offworld Combat follow the game’s official Twitter and YouTube and make sure to check out our full review and launch day livestream right here.
Solaris: Offworld Combat, the next VR shooter from Firewall Zero Hour developers First Contact Entertainment, is out now for PSVR, Rift and Quest. Check out our impressions in our Solaris: Offworld Combat review!
Note: This review was originally published on September 26th, 2020. It’s now been updated to include the PSVR version.
Following up on one of the most successful and well-known PSVR games, Firewall Zero Hour, is no small task. Especially when your next game, in this case Solaris, launches first on different headsets (before the recent PSVR homecoming). But for all its differences and unique challenges, I think Solaris is still mostly a worthy follow-up to the breakout PSVR hit.
The big difference here is that Solaris is not a realistic-style tactical military shooter. At all. Whereas Firewall borrows heavy inspiration from the likes of Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon, Solaris is more like an alternate reality sci-fi version of Quake with its focus on pick-up-and-playability and quick-paced gameplay.
Everything in Solaris is about as streamlined as it can possibly get — for better and (in some small cases) for worse. For example, there are no game modes to pick from, maps to select, playlists to queue for, or anything like that. The main menu literally just says ‘Play’ or asks you to put on the helmet to enter a game. That’s it. From there you’re spawned into a match with seven other people in a 4v4 game to capture control points that move around the map, sort of like Headquarters in Call of Duty. It’s very quick and efficient and, above all else, very fun.
In addition to the four guns (starting pistol, automatic assault rift, grenade launcher, and rocket launcher) there are two equipment items: proximity mine and deployable cover shield. It’s enough gear to add some strategy to encounters, but does feel a bit light overall.
Another example of this streamlined approach is the lack of an inventory, weapon switching, or reloading. You walk over weapons to pick them up and then it auto-switches to that new weapon. You shoot the special weapons until they’re out of ammo and it switches back to your starting pistol. No reloading ever required. In this way the “weapons” actually function a bit more like upgrades since they’re temporary. It adds intensity because you can visibly see when others pick up the weapons and creates competition to see who can get them first.
Solaris: Offworld Combat Review – Quest vs Rift
Solaris: Offworld Combat is out on both Quest and Rift with cross-buy and cross-play support. So even if you only have one headset, you’re playing against and with people on both platforms at all times. Visually it’s extremely similar. So similar in fact, that other than a few particle effects and lighting enhancements you can barely tell the difference. Gameplay is functionally identical. The only difference I’ve ever really spotted from a performance level is at the start of a match on Quest, before you’re ever in combat, there is a little bit of jitter and stutter as things are initializing, but once you’re in the game and actively playing, that all goes away. Refer to the video below for a side-by-side comparison.
However, not all of the streamlining they’ve done is for the better. One great example of this is weapon handling. In Solaris, you literally cannot control your left hand at all. Every weapon in the game is essentially one-handed just like the pistol, which is fine in and of itself, Half-Life: Alyx did this as well, but in Solaris your left hand isn’t tracked at all. If you reach out with your left controller it doesn’t do anything, you’re only using it as a thumbstick to move around.
The issue with this is twofold: a lack of presence and immersion, but also a lack of gameplay opportunity. In games like Onward your left hand is equal to the right hand, you could pull your pistol with the left hand, cradle the gun on your left shoulder and even pull the trigger left-handed if you wanted to. But in Solaris your left hand is basically the left half of an Xbox controller in your hand without tracking.
All that being said — you will forget about it. While playing I tended to rest my right controller on top of my left controller to steady the aim regardless of weapon so it generally felt like I was using both hands in-game even though I wasn’t. I genuinely stopped noticing or caring about it during the heat of battle.
Solaris: Offworld CombatReview – Comfort Settings
Solaris: Offworld Combat should be avoided if you require teleportation movement to enjoy VR because smooth, direct locomotion is the only option. That being said, there are some settings you can tweak to make it more comfortable if you’re not extra sensitive. In the main menu options you can switch between smooth and snap turning or turn on/off the FOV vignette for turning and sprinting.
Another odd limitation is the restricted physical crouching. I know the Quest and Rift S are capable of accurately tracking me as I lay down on the ground, or even roll around, because I’ve done it in games like Rec Room and Onward, but there are invisible barriers in Solaris that only let you go down as low as the crouch button animates.
Probably more than any other shooter I’ve played in VR, Solaris is the most seamless to play. It’s pure entertainment that just works. You never have to fuss around with anything feeling wonky or off because all the things that usually cause those issues in VR just aren’t here. On the surface things can see simplistic, but in the moment they absolutely are there to ensure the game is as fluid and playable as possible from top to bottom.
Solaris: Offworld Combat Review Final Impressions
Solaris: Offworld Combat is more than just the sum of its parts. While it’s easy to nitpick some of the decisions made, like your left hand not really being tracked in the game or the lack of a party/friend system at all for launch, the fact of the matter is that it’s still just incredibly fun to play. Visually it looks great on both Rift and Quest and the gameplay has that quick and seamless feel of Quake mixed with a slick Tron-style aesthetic. Despite the issues, Solaris is easily the most accessible and streamlined VR shooter I’ve played in recent memory and scratches the arena shooter itch I’d forgotten I had.
Solaris: Offworld Combat is out now on Rift and for Quest with cross-buy and cross-play functionality across both platforms. This review was conducted using both versions of the game, but most time was spent in the Quest version. A PSVR version also release today, May 18th. For more on how we arrived at this score, check out our review guidelines.
on Twitter: “We’re not finished just yet. Solaris Offworld Combat is the next game to be getting a physical box release. Coming in June to global markets! Will you be buying it? https://t.co/5sphrqsh10” / Twitter
