Just a week after the surprise reveal of Star Wars: Squadrons (and confirmation of full VR support), we’re already getting our first glimpse of gameplay. What’s more, it won’t be long before you can hop in your ship of choice; the Star Wars: Squadrons release date is set for October 2nd.
Star Wars: Squadrons developer Motive says that the game is built around the “spiritual core of the best Star Wars flight games of the past.” Today the studio revealed the first gameplay trailer which offers a full breakdown of the game’s ships and modes.
This story is breaking, check back for more detail soon.
EA will reveal gameplay for Star Wars: Squadrons today, its upcoming 5v5 space fighter that will feature full VR support, during its EA Play stream. The stream starts at 4PM PT, you can watch here once it starts or over on EA’s Twitch.
We’re excited to learn more about Star Wars: Squadrons which is out on October 2nd this year and confirmed to be fully playable in VR on PC and PSVR with HOTAS and cross-play support. That’s a lot to take in but there’s also a lot more to learn. The game is also listed by EA as “PSVR or Oculus recommended” despite Steam listing Index, Vive, and Rift support for the game. In other words, we don’t know exactly why that recommendation is being made by EA. We’ve reached out to ask and hope to learn a lot more in the stream today.
This is a stretch to bring up since there’s zero information at this point, but is it possible Facebook paid for a port to Oculus Quest or will at some point in the future? And even if Facebook does end up coughing up that money, how likely is it that a Quest version would be set to launch in 2020 and not long after initial release? Porting content to Quest is a monumental undertaking and some titles have to make sacrifices that could strip out some of what makes a VR game work well on a high-powered PC system.
So while we’d love to see a space shooter like Star Wars: Squadrons on the standalone Quest headset (and the game is likely to work on Quest via PC over Oculus Link already), it is also a very tall order.
The stream kicks off at 4 pm Pacific time today on EA.com and is expected to be shown on the company’s Twitch as well with a full showcase of all upcoming EA games — most of which are non-VR. We’ll embed a link for the stream here on this page as soon as there’s an official one to share.
We don’t know exactly when Star Wars: Squadrons will appear in the showcase, or if they will actually show any VR footage, but gameplay of some kind is confirmed to be happening for sure and we’ll have all the latest details here on UploadVR.com.
Yesterday’s big videogame news was that EA’s upcoming Star Wars: Squadrons would also be coming to virtual reality (VR) headsets. While cross-platform support was confirmed new details have been uncovered including recommended devices as well as how interactive the experience will be for players.
Over on a support page for Star Wars: Squadrons, it states that while there’s “full Virtual Reality (VR) support throughout the game and a cockpit view” for some reason only “PSVR or Oculus” are recommended. The Steam listing confirms support for HTC Vive and Valve Index so its slightly unusual for a big developer to recommend one over another – it’s more common with indies if they haven’t managed to test a particular headset.
Further details also reveal how interactive Star Wars: Squadrons is going to be from a VR perspective. Good news is that “controller, joystick, and hands on throttle-and-stick (HOTAS) support,” are included, so those with the kit will be able to enjoy X-wing, A-Wing or TIE fighter and TIE Bomber.an immersive Star Wars experience. Which sticks will be supported will be announced closer to launch.
Motion controls like Oculus Touch or PlayStation Move aren’t mentioned, however. The Steam listing goes so far to say: “The VR mode for this game requires the use of a gamepad or a keyboard and mouse.” So that’ll probably mean no interactive cockpit to play with which is a shame.
Even so, there’s still plenty to look forward to. Namely diving into the Star Wars universe once again, this time controlling some of the most iconic vehicles from the franchise. These include the X-wing, A-Wing, TIE fighter and TIE Bomber.
There will be a single-player campaign mode set after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, but the core experience will be the team-based 5v5 multiplayer where you can be a Rebel or Imperial pilot. Star Wars: Squadrons will also feature upgradable ships so players can unlock new weapons, engines and shields.
Star Wars: Squadrons isn’t the only title from the franchise coming to VR headsets this year. Oculus and ILMxLAB recently announced Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge. As further details on both videogames are released, VRFocus will keep you updated.
Star Wars: Squadrons, the new space combat game set in the iconic franchise, is coming to PSVR and PC VR headsets on October 2nd (with HOTAS support). But, on PC, publisher EA says the game is ‘Oculus recommended’.
The note is made on the Q&A page for the game, which was announced yesterday. “VR support requires a virtual reality headset, which is not provided with the game,” a bullet point states. “PSVR or Oculus recommended.”
We’ve reached out to EA to ask why the game is ‘Oculus recommended’ over other headsets. The pre-purchase page on Steam confirms that Squadrons also works with the HTC Vive and Valve Index headsets. Plus the game doesn’t support each headset’s respective motion controllers; it requires either a gamepad, keyboard and mouse, or flight stick. When you boil it down to that, there doesn’t seem like there could be much to separate the experience on headsets; this comment may just relay to what devices the game has actually been tested on. Oddly enough the support page doesn’t list availability on the Oculus Store.
Star Wars Squadrons HOTAS Confirmed
As for Star Wars: Squadrons HOTAS support, the same page confirms the game supports “controller, joystick, and hands on throttle-and-stick (HOTAS)” with more specifics arriving later down the line. Those looking for the ultimate immersive experience in VR will likely want to play this way; it completely transformed the Ace Combat 7 PSVR experience when that released last year. With a single-player campaign and multiplayer modes, we’re hoping Squadrons reaches the same bar.
The first gameplay for the game will be shown at the EA Play digital event on June 18th at 4pm PT. Needless to say, we’ll be tuning in.
Star Wars: Squadrons also arrives on PS4, Xbox One and traditional PC screens on October 2nd. Want to see other cool PSVR, PC VR and Oculus Quest games? Check out the Upload VR Showcase: Summer Edition taking place at 9am PT today!
After a leak was first reported about Electronic Arts’ upcoming Star Wars: Squadronslast week the company has now released the first details. These have included an action-packed trailer and confirmation that virtual reality (VR) support will also be included.
Developed by EA’s Motive Studios, Star Wars: Squadrons will be purely starfighter combat-based and lean heavily towards team dogfights. Offering intense 5v5 battles, you’ll be able to pilot ships from the New Republic and Imperial fleets, like the iconic X-wing, A-Wing or TIE fighter and TIE Bomber.
In Star Wars: Squadrons you’ll be able to plan attacks with your squadron before deploying, then in the midst of a battle control options such as diverting the power between a ship’s systems to remain in the fight, opening up different strategic possibilities. Ships will also be upgradable with new components like “weapons, hulls, engines and shields” to unlock.
Motive Studios has included locations “never-before-seen including the gas giant of Yavin Prime and the shattered moon of Galitan.” There will also be a single-player story mode set after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi covering a key campaign near the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War. You’ll switch between both sides customising your character along the way.
“We created this game for every Star Wars fan who has ever dreamt about soaring across the galaxy in their favourite starfighter,” said Motive Studios’ creative director Ian Frazier in a statement. “We’ve been able to create a high-fidelity starfighter experience with an authentic storyline that invites Star Wars fans to explore never-before-seen corners of the galaxy in their own ship.”
When it comes to platform support most seem to be covered. PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, while on the VR side PlayStation VR and PC VR headsets are all included. Importantly, they’ll all feature cross-play support.
Star Wars: Squadrons will launch for all supported platforms on 2nd October 2020. It’s available to pre-order now for $39.99 USD/£34.99 GBP/€39.99 EUR. This Thursday, 18th June, EA Play will be premiering Star Wars: Squadrons gameplay at 4pm PST/12am BST. As further details for Star Wars: Squadrons are released, VRFocus will let you know.
Star Wars: Squadrons is an upcoming first-person dog fighter that’s set to release on PC and consoles this fall. As luck would have it, both PSVR and PC VR owners will also be able to play the game when it arrives.
The game was first discovered on Friday due to a leak by Xbox.com, and was later formally confirmed by EA a few hours later with the promise of a trailer reveal, scheduled for today. At the time, there was no indication that we’d be getting a full-fledged VR Star Wars game.
Compete in intense 5v5 dogfights, unite with your squadron to tip the scales in monumental fleet battles, and take off in a thrilling Star Wars single-player story. Immerse yourself in the pilot’s seat completely with the option to play the entirety of Star Wars: Squadrons in virtual reality (VR) on PlayStation®4 and PC with cross-play support.
Created by EA’s Motive Studios, the Star Wars dog fighting game is said to take place after the events of Return of the Jedi (1983), letting you take part in both a campaign and multiplayer modes.
Star Wars: Squadrons is set to launch on October 2nd for $39.99 across PS4, Xbox One, and PC via Origin, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. Pre-orders are now available.
Although there’s no word on precisely which PC VR headsets it will support, it’s likely we’ll see the standard mix of SteamVR headsets.
Star Wars: Squadrons VR support has been confirmed by publisher EA.
First teased last week after a leak, Star Wars: Squadrons is a new space dogfighting game set in the beloved franchise. It’s developed by EA Motive and is on the way to consoles and PCs later this year. Players climb into iconic ships from both the Rebel Alliance and Empire factions and take to the stars. VR support seemed like a natural fit for the title, especially considering EA released a special X-Wing VR Mission for Star Wars: Battlefront on PSVR a few years ago. It appears the game supports both PSVR and PC VR headsets though that’s not explicitly confirmed yet.
A trailer for the game showed plenty of space explosions. It has story-driven content and a multiplayer component.
“Compete in intense 5v5 dogfights, unite with your squadron to tip the scales in monumental fleet battles, and take off in a thrilling Star Wars™ single-player story. Immerse yourself in the pilot’s seat completely with the option to play the entirety of Star Wars™: Squadrons in virtual reality (VR) on PlayStation®4 and PC with cross-play support,” the game’s website confirms.
Funnily enough, Star Wars: Squadrons was the name given to an ongoing VR fan project that also allowed players to fly familiar ships like X-Wings and TIE Fighters in VR. It’s not clear if that project remains in development after Squadrons’ reveal.
There are two sides to Star Wars when it comes to VR content, though. On the one hand, EA develops and publishes more traditional games like Squadrons. But Disney also runs an internal studio named ILMxLAB that specializes in immersive content production. The team’s already produced episodic series, Star Wars: Vader Immortal, for home headsets as well as Star Wars: Secrets Of The Empire for The Void. Later this year it will also release Star Wars: Tales From The Galaxy’s Edge on Oculus platforms.
Star Wars: Squardons arrives on October 2nd.
Now that Star Wars: Squadrons VR support is confirmed, will you be picking the game up? Let us know in the comments below!
single-player story. Immerse yourself in the pilot’s seat completely with the option to play the entirety of Star Wars