Preview: Payday 2 VR – The Right Kind of Daylight Robbery

Starbreeze Studios aren’t exactly newcomers to the field of virtual reality (VR), having collaborated on VR titles like John Wick Chronicles as well as developing its own head-mounted display, StarVR. Even so, it still came as a surprise when the studio announced back in May that it was working on a VR version of its 2013 smash hit, Payday 2, and that the VR version would be a free update. A month later the studio then made the gaming community even happier by making five million copies of Payday 2 available for free.

Payday 2 VR is a four-player co-op first-person shooter (FPS) that revolves around your crack team of criminals pulling off various heists, bank jobs, and other nefarious activities, earning loot and gaining experience to buy better equipment to pull off even more outlandish raids.

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Having such a strong community following Starbreeze Studios hasn’t rushed to implement Payday 2 VR into the main PC videogame just yet, starting proceedings off in beta to gauge reactions to the VR version. That being said, the studio hasn’t watered down the original title in any way to make it suitable for VR, merely used what it has already learnt to adapt the popular title for immersive headsets – which is very popular at the moment, just look at The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR for example.

This has and hasn’t quite worked on several fronts. Firstly movement, this is always a major consideration in VR over standard videogames because of what players find comfortable. Starbreeze has gone for the tried and tested – albeit safe option – of teleportation, giving you a marker on the floor which extends to a reasonable distance. Unfortunately, at this time this is the only option available to players, there’s no smooth locomotion options in the menu. Whilst this is understandable, when a robbery goes awry and all hell breaks loose, with cops attacking from all angles, trying to teleport about quickly becomes haphazard, jarring, and most importantly not that fun.

There are times when you want to quickly strafe behind cover or move backwards down a hallway with the loot providing covering fire. Yes, having roomscale allows you to physically duck behind cover but if the teleport doesn’t quite reach – or worse puts you on top of a counter or table – you can then become a sitting duck. So hopefully Payday 2 VR will see more movement options as development continues.

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Also the belt around your waist is a series of panels which need to be highlighted before they can be used, switching between guns, selecting your fist and other options. This does feel somewhat tacked on, easy to use when it’s calm, slightly more finicky when in the middle of a gunfight.

All that being said, for a beta title that’s free-to-play you shouldn’t miss out on playing Payday 2 VR because it still captures what made the original so great. There’s a wealth of content available, tons of missions and customisation options. While you can try and plan your heists, even trying to be stealthy, unless you’re an elite Payday 2 veteran most missions will tend to end in an all-out massacre, running around trying to complete objectives whilst a relentless swarm of police descend upon you.

As you may expect there are still bugs and glitches to be found – trying to grab loot can sometimes be awkward – yet these aren’t gameplay breaking. Among the endless wave shooters that litter content libraries what Payday 2 VR offers VR gamers is variety, the ability to get involved, making split second decisions that can make or break a heist, offering a challenge that doesn’t just involve being able to shoot someone in the head. Payday 2 VR is the type of experience VR needs, hopefully Starbreeze Studios can shape it into one of the best.

‘Payday 2’ VR Beta Now Available, Supporting Cross-play with Desktop Players

Payday 2 (2013), the popular FPS with four-player co-op, has now updated to include access to the VR beta for HTC Vive. The beta is free, and will see updates in discrete phases, the first of which is now available for owners of the game.

The goal behind the beta is to give players on PC and VR access to the same Payday 2 content. For now though, some weapons aren’t available for VR players, something that will hopefully change in successive beta phases.

Although technically running through SteamVR, the game currently only officially supports Vive, and only renders Vive controllers. Some users have reported that Windows VR headsets work fine as well. Oculus Rift users will have to do an extra step to emulate the Vive’s controller and remap Touch’s buttons however. Reddit user ‘ElectrickMedic’ put together a handy guide on how to install the OpenVR Input Emulator to get the beta working for Rift.

image courtesy Overkill Software

Since June 2017, the game has only been available in its ‘Ultimate Edition’, which includes all the DLC for a total of $45. At the time of this writing, the base game sans DLC doesn’t appear to be available anywhere.

To get access to the VR beta, you’ll have to opt into the beta branch on Steam:

Find PAYDAY 2 in your Steam library and right-click – select Properties. In the Properties window – select the tab called “BETAS”. In the drop down menu in the BETAS tab – select “open_vr_beta” and close the window. This will automatically push the beta branch update. You can opt out at any time by reverting back to the stable branch.

Overkill recommends playing on window 8 or higher and with a
GTX 980 or better.

The post ‘Payday 2’ VR Beta Now Available, Supporting Cross-play with Desktop Players appeared first on Road to VR.

Free Payday 2 VR Beta Test Goes Live

Starbreeze Studios and OVERKILL – A Starbreeze Studio have today announced the start of the highly anticipated beta for Payday 2 VR for the HTC Vive, now available via Steam. All owners of any edition of Payday 2 and its respective downloadable content (DLC) packages will be able to participate in the beta at no extra charge.

Payday-2-VR---2The Payday 2 VR beta will be on-going and is aimed to test several aspects of the virtual reality (VR) version of the videogame throughout the testing period. Instructions on how to join the beta, including how to play Payday 2 in VR, can be found on the official Steam page for the videogame. Developers will be at hand on the Steam forums to collect feedback for the duration of the beta.

The VR edition of Payday 2 was originally announced back in May of this year, with further details concerning the player mechanics and the beta testing phase revealed last month. During an ‘ask me anything’ (AMA) on Steam Tobias Remmers, Payday 2 VR producer, confirmed that the experience would be free to all existing Payday 2 owners, including any of those lucky enough to get the videogame free during a giveaway campaign earlier in the year.

“Yes, the [Payday 2 VR] will be free to all owners of the base game or the Ultimate Edition, no update will be required to gain access to VR.

“[Payday 2 VR] is developed for PC and it will be fully compatible with between desktop players and VR players. During the beta however all players will need to be on the beta branch.

“The VR and Desktop players will have acsess to the same content. They will be able to play together on all heists. [sic]”

Indeed, Payday 2 VR will allow players to cross-play with their friends on a standard desktop PC. Desktop PC ‘Heisters’ wanting to join their VR crew can simply participate by downloading the beta branch.

With more than 5.4 million community members on the main PC digital distribution platform Steam, Payday 2 has had more than 160 paid and free updates since its release in 2013. Payday 2 VR will likely bring something new to the mix, and VRFocus will bring you more details of exactly what that will be in a hands-on report very soon.

Payday 2 VR Beta Coming Next Month; Full Game Free to Payday 2 Owners

Earlier today, VRFocus reported on an official ‘Ask Me Anything’ (AMA) being hosted by Payday 2 developers, Overkill, regarding the forthcoming virtual reality (VR) edition of the videogame. A few interesting tidbits were revealed in the AMA, including the launch date for the beta testing phase.

Originally revealed back in May of this year, Payday 2 VR will be free to all current owners of Payday 2, including those five million copies that were given away free in June.

“Yes, the [Payday 2 VR] will be free to all owners of the base game or the Ultimate Edition, no update will be required to gain access to VR,” stated Payday 2 VR producer, Tobias Remmers, known in the AMA as ‘OVERKILL_Tobias’.

Furthermore, Remmers confirmed that Payday 2 VR will allow for VR and non-VR crossplay:

“[Payday 2 VR] is developed for PC and it will be fully compatible with between desktop players and VR players. During the beta however all players will need to be on the beta branch.

“The VR and Desktop players will have acsess to the same content. They will be able to play together on all heists. [sic]”

Remmers and his team are obviously aware of the balancing implications allowing VR and non-VR players to play together will incur, especially in a fast-paced first-person shooter such as Payday 2. Further discussing the cross-compatibility, Remmers stated that a period of the forthcoming beta will be devoted to addressing just that.

“There will be a beta period devoted to game balance. There will be difference between a VR player and a Desktop player. However our approach is not to match the VR player exactly to the PC player but rather giving them a different way to play that will be let you have the same survivability.

“You can shoot around corners this is one of the ways the VR players can reach the same survivability as a desktop player. Our approach is not to match the VR player exactly to the PC player but rather giving them a different way to play that will be let you have the same survivability.”

That beta edition of Payday 2 VR will officially begin on 16th November 2017, and will arrive in different ‘phases’. According to Remmers, each period of the beta will add content and focus on different aspects.

Payday-2-VR---3Moving on to the specifics of control in Payday 2 VR, Remmers confirmed that only a ‘system similar to a teleport’ has currently been developed and will be available during the beta. However, he later stated that the team would be open to a free locomotion option given the player demand.

“We are using a system similar to a teleport where the player dashes to the location rather than an instant teleport with a screen fade. We try to make the movement as easy and fast as possible without being disorianting. In 3rd person this will look like you are running. [sic]

“The development has focused on using the dash system.We can look into a trackpad system once the beta has been released.We are not against the idea since a lot of people have request this.No changes will be made until launch of the beta. [sic]”

Remmers suggested that ‘more info about the control scheme’ will come ‘closer to the release of the beta’. He also offered some information on the weaponry and skills that will be available in the beta version of Payday 2 VR.

Overkill are clearly intent on recreating as much of the original Payday 2 content appear natural and balanced in Payday 2 VR. As such, there will be modifications to many aspects. For example, in Payday 2 VR melee weapons will inflict more damage, and akimbo weapons can be fired in different directions.

“There will be changes to skills for VR. There are some skills that will not be working as intended in VR. There will be addressed during one of the beta periods. The actual dash range and cooldown will be subject to balance changes during the beta. We welcome you all to try it out when it’s out to give us your feedback. The guards can see you mid dash so there is no way to teleport past a guard. Stealth is one reason why we used a dash system rather than a true teleport.

“The ambition is that all weapons should be supported. For the first beta period not all weapons will be available. For example the bows will not be released in the first beta period.”

Rounding up the selection of new information offered today, Remmers stated that Payday 2 VR is currently only in development for HTC Vive, but when questioned suggested that Overkill may look into Oculus Rift support after the beta testing period. However, there was no mention of PlayStation VR support.

“The game is developed for the Vive. If there is a big interest in the Oculus is we can look into it later in the beta period or post release.

“For the beta the focus has been the Vive and this room scale system. Oculus is something we can look into in the beta or post release.”

Payday-2-VR---2The Payday 2 VR beta testing phase will begin on 16th November 2017, and will be available to all current and future owners of either Payday 2 or the Payday 2 Ultimate Edition at no extra charge. You can read the full AMA with Overkill here, and check out the official Payday 2 VR website. VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest details on Payday 2 VR as the launch date of the beta approaches

Starbreeze Host AMA for Payday 2 VR

Payday 2 is a hugely popular title across multiple formats, and there are few virtual reality (VR) titles that have generated as much interest amongst the core gaming audience here at VRFocus as the forthcoming Payday 2 VR. Having already teased new information on the VR title will be coming soon, Starbreeze Studios is today hosting an Ask Me Anything (AMA) on the official Steam page for Payday 2.

The AMA is currently ongoing as part of a Payday 2 event called ‘Locke and Load’. Developer Overkill has appointed  team member with the username ‘OVERKILL_Tobias’ to answer many of the questions posed to the team, and has already promised to ‘answer a lot of question about the beta today’.

Payday 2 VR was officially announced as a HTC Vive title back in May of this year, but very few details have since been revealed. In June, Starbreeze Studios offered five million copies of Payday 2 for free download via Steam, reinvigorating the community with new players and increasing anticipation for the VR edition of the videogame.

The official AMA can be found on the Steam page for Payday 2 and, at the time of writing, has just begun. VRFocus will of course keep you updated with any important new details revealed for Payday 2 VR as the AMA continues.

Starbreeze Tease Possible Payday 2 VR News or Beta Release

Back in May developer Starbreeze held a livestream event which saw the studio announce work on a virtual reality (VR) version of Payday 2 for HTC Vive. Since then news on development has been fairly quiet, until now that is. This month Starbreeze will be having a Payday 2 event called Locke and Load and in a teasing tweet seem to indicate a possible VR announcement.

The event begins on Thursday 19th, running until 28th October and in the tweet (seen below) the studio has put several icons indicating what to expect on each day. And what’s that on day four, this Sunday 22nd, well that looks like an image for a VR headset.

Could it be that the long awaited release of Payday 2 VR – even in a beta form – could be happening in less than a weeks time? That would be the first assumption, and the one most fans of the series would want, as developer Overkill has previously stated that the beta would arrive this year – and it’ll be free. Hence why 5 million copies of Payday 2 were given away during the summer.

If it’s not the beta then it’ll most likely be an update, revealing more details on the VR mode.

Whatever happens, VRFocus will let you know.

Starbreeze Approved For Listing on Nasdaq Stockholm

Virtual reality (VR) content creators Starbreeze have been approved by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority to begin trading on the Nasdaq Stockholm stock exchange.

Starbreeze have previously been involved with location-based VR centres, producing content for such centres and purchasing Location-based VR company Enterspace earlier this year. The board of Starbreeze believe that listing the company’s shares on Nasdaq Stockholm is an important part of the further development of the company.

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“The up-list to Nasdaq Stockholm is an important milestone for Starbreeze and the result of a goal-oriented effort. Starbreeze has had an amazing journey since 2014 when we were listed on First North Premier. Having previously operated only as a game developer working with external game publishers, we now own our internal product development and run a succesful publishing business with externally developed games to broaden our portfolio. We’ve also expanded the business ventures in the Virtual Reality (VR) segment including the development of the StarVR head mounted display and by taking a stake in the location based VR market. Starbreeze is well-positioned for continued development towards becoming a leading provider of world-class experiences in the global entertainment industry,” says Starbreeze CEO Bo Klint Andersson.

The management of Starbreeze believe that this step will give Starbreeze better access to Swedish and international investors, and will raise the profile of the company around the world, creating a positive impact for Starbreeze customers, suppliers, partners and shareholders.

VRFocus will continue to report on further developments within the VR industry.

Starbreeze Will Supply Content For VR Centre in Dubai

Earlier this year, Starbreeze Studios acquired location-based virtual reality (VR) company Enterspace for an estimated 2 million Euro. That acquisition has now borne fruit as Enterspace have been contracted as the main supplier for a new VR centre in Dubai.

Dubai has been one of the places to quickly embrace the emerging VR technology, with VR attractions and exhibits appearing in various location in the city. The new VR centre will be located in one of the largest shopping malls in Dubai. Enterspace will be responsible for providing installation, hardware and operations, as well as content that will be provided through Starbreeze Studios.

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“We are very proud to deliver unparalleled virtual reality experiences at one of the largest and most-visited retail and entertainment destination in Dubai. This opportunity was made possible by Enterspace operational experience and location-based entertainment vision, Starbreeze VR content pipeline, StarVR’s unique 5K resolution and 210-degree field of view VR headset, Nozon’s PresenZ technology as the next movie format for virtual reality and our great partnership with Acer to provide hardware support”, says Bo Andersson Klint, CEO of Starbreeze.

“This is an incredible achievement for Enterspace and Starbreeze, as well as an extraordinary event for the VR industry. It’s a true honor to have Enterspace chosen as the leading partner for the new VR centre. With the Enterspace concept we will push VR beyond the imaginable and utilize all our previous investments in this space to a maximum. The VR centre will be our flagship location for Starbreeze VR initiatives together with our esteemed hardware partners Acer and StarVR as well as our content partners”, continues Bo Andersson Klint.

VRFocus will continue to report on new VR installations.

Starbreeze Finalises Purchase Of Location Based VR Company Enterspace

Whilst most discussion in virtual reality (VR) is about the big name head-mounted displays (HMDs) out there – PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and smartphone-based HMDs such as Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard and Daydream there are of course a great many other headsets out there doing their own specific thing. One of those is the StarVR HMD belonging to Starbreeze AB, perhaps better known as videogame publisher and creator Starbreeze Studios.

Unlike its contemporaries however the StarVR headest and Starbreeze’s focus is more on the event spaces, Digital Out-of-Home Entertainment (DOE) – although that’s not to say they are ignoring the home market – a vision brought to life back in May with the reveal of Storm, an immersive  multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) for StarVR that was in development. Whilst details about Storm‘s future are understandably vague considering what was shown was purely the envisioning of the concept that doesn’t mean the firm isn’t moving forward by degrees with it’s VR vision.

Their latest move sees Starbreeze complete the acquisition of Enterspace, a fellow Stockholm-based tech firm founded in 2016 that focusing on larger scale and multi-user interactive experiences in VR, such as their debut experience Ringwalker. The move was first confirmed last month, and sees Starbreeze take control of the location based company after a deal involving over one million B-shares being issues in Starbreeze AB, the majority of which are with Enterprise’s founders (Staffan Klashed, Daniel Arnberg and Olof Englund) and a cash payment of 3 million in Swedish krona (SEK).

How exactly Enterspace’s acquisition factors in to Starbreeze’s future plans remains to be seen, however Enterspace is set to launch a VR Experience centre in central Stockholm later this year, which is set to include 9 600 square feet of VR experience space.

VRFocus will bring you more information on the developments with Starbreeze and StarVR as it becomes available.

Starbreeze Studios Invests in VR, Acquires VR Company Enterspace

Swedish developer Starbreeze Studios, well known for hit games such as Payday 2 and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, have acquired virtual reality (VR) company Enterspace for 20MSEK – about 2 million euro. The acquisition just might hint at Starbreeze’s future plans.

The Stockholm-based Enterspace is only a small company with 14 employees, but their promise can’t be understated. Founded in early 2016 they have since released Ringwalker, their debut experience, a “multi-user space adventure with a story that mixes a thoughtful narrative and unexpected twists with inspiring science.”

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Enterspace are planning a VR Experience Centre, set to open in Stockholm in Autumn 2017. The centre will include a huge “virtual experience space” and a café.

Starbreeze’s CEO Bo Andersson Klint shares his enthusiasm for Enterspace and their new partnership; “The Enterspace team brings technology and content that is very well suited for entertainment and that also have an educational touch. They have established experience from location based entertainment and provide a concept ready for launch.”

Starbreeze have of course already shown an interest in VR, with the announcement of Payday 2 VR for HTC Vive.

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Klint continues; “We see that Enterspace fits our VR ecosystem perfectly and are looking forward to seeing the StarVR Virtual Reality HMD being utilized in their business. We look forward to kick-starting with a centre in Stockholm this fall with more locations to come.”

Enterspace’s founder, Staffan Klashed, want to bring more unique experiences to people through VR; “We’re creating virtual experiences that anyone with a curious mind can enjoy. The technology itself is amazing and takes over your physical world. We’re adding stories and themes that inspire, amaze, and at times even educate. Stories that will have an impact on the visitor – whether it’s a thought, a discovery, or a feeling.”

Starbreeze Studios are an experienced developer, and we’re interested to see what king of built-for-VR experience they could bring to our head-mounted displays (HMDs).

For everything on Starbreeze Studios and VR, stay on VRFocus.