Trailblazer explores motoring history through VR with the true story of Bertha Benz this March on Quest.
The immersive narrative tells the story of Bertha Benz, the wife of Karl Benz, inventor of the first car powered by an internal combustion engine, who defied societal norms to embark on the world's first road trip.
Set in Germany in 1888, the VR experience invites you to step into the shoes of Mrs. Benz, portrayed by Daisy Ridley, and to experience the beginnings of the transportation age alongside the woman who ushered in the era.
Interior shot of Karl Benz’ workshop
During the 20-minute interactive narrative, players will assemble the famed Motorwagen, explore the Benz' workshop, and drive along Mrs. Benz' historic 120-kilometer route through the German countryside.
Directed by Eloise Singer, Trailblazer: The Untold Story of Mrs. Benz previously appeared at the Venice Film Festival and SXSW. It stands as the first in a new franchise, one which Singer Studios will expand to include graphic novels and a feature film. The Untold Story of Mrs. Benz joins Singer Studios' previous immersive narrative experience, The Pirate Queen.
Trailblazer: The Untold Story of Mrs. Benz drives onto Meta Quest 2 and Quest 3 on March 7, 2025.
You might not know Mike Wilson by name, but you've doubtless heard about one of the many gaming companies he's founded over the years, particularly Devolver Digital. His new venture, Realize Music: Sing, is a bit more outside the conventional gaming sphere.
Partnering with Mark Roemer, their pitch is certainly swinging for the fences. On paper, the pitch for Realize Music: Sing is a “singing-for-wellness app” that promises a merging of rhythm game, meditative self-care, and VR sensibilities. The app is launching for the Meta Quest platform on January 23rd, 2025.
As explained in the app's official announcement, Realize Music: Sing promises access to “more than 1 million songs.” It's already lined up Sony for post-launch support, also revealing agreements with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. The music library will be updated on a weekly basis, and the project is subscription-based with an introductory discount of $9.99 per month or $99.99 for an annual sub.
0:00
/0:44
In the app, players will “engage with dynamic visuals that respond to your singing, creating a deeply immersive experience where your voice shapes the world around you.” You will also have the chance to personalize your environment and experience by selecting different settings and visual themes, while engaging in other interactive activities.
For Wilson in particular, this focus on therapeutic app development has been a priority for some time. Despite distancing himself from DeepWell DTx back in May, the studio was also formed to explore such topics, as with their breath-centric rail-shooter game Zengence: Take Aim with Every Breath.
With Realize Music: Sing, you'll be able to create your own community playlists to quickly look through an array of albums. There will be drumming and painting mechanics, with the painting in particular offering various ways to express one's self visually amid each song.
The gameplay space will react and grow more lively as the player's singing grows closer to the intended delivery, though it's emphasized that having fun is more important than being pitch-perfect. On the topic of not leaving others out, Realize Music: Sing will be first launching on Meta Quest with subsequent releases planned on Apple, Samsung, PS VR2 devices and flatscreen media.
It's an ambitious plan. Music and rhythm games have done well in VR, though few have tried for the scale being promised. Even Guitar Hero at its height struggled to maintain so many licenses, let alone the Dance Central VR spin-off game. Be sure to keep an eye out for our further coverage on Realize Music: Sing soon.
djay integrates Apple Music and other music libraries for a spatial DJ experience, and it's out now on Quest.
Created by Algoriddim, best known for the djay app, today's release follows its previous launch on Apple Vision Pro. djay on Meta Quest aims for low latency audio, offering multi-channel sound, and dynamic spatialized sound effects. It also supports USB MIDI controllers, letting you connect existing DJ gear to your Quest for more tactile controls. Here's the announcement trailer.
0:00
/1:19
We went hands-on before today's launch on Meta Quest 3, though as someone who's never ventured into the DJ scene beyond playing some vinyl records at home, I couldn't use a MIDI controller to go all in. A helpful tutorial welcomes you in mixed reality mode with the DJ deck easily repositionable across your play space, and it's easy to learn.
Songs are shown as vinyl sleeves to the side of your deck, adding some personality to this intuitive control scheme. Simply grab the sleeve with either Touch controllers or hand tracking and move discs to the turntable. You can scratch the vinyl by placing your hand over it, move the needle to change what part of the song plays, hit the play button to start or stop whenever needed, or use the crossfader for song transitions. I particularly like how throwing your hands up creates a fun little light show.
As a beginner, getting started in djay feels straightforward while balancing this with advanced options for more experienced DJs. You can set cue points for each song to immediately return to a specific moment, alongside fine-tuning individual aspects like the bass. I could feel myself getting a little overwhelmed by the extra settings given my inexperience here, so it's great that you can simply avoid them.
djay screenshot taken by UploadVR on Quest 3
Now, a music app is nothing without its library and there's a good range of options. Alongside over 5000 free tracks, djay also has integrated support for Apple Music, TIDAL, SoundCloud, Beatport, and Beatsource. I'm disappointed Spotify isn't available since it's my streaming platform of choice, and its absence feels like a major omission. That said, support for local music files on your headset is especially welcome.
While I'd need more time to offer more in-depth impressions, I've been enjoying this so far. Hosting gigs across fully immersive environments is quite fun, offering colorful locations like a club, hot air balloon, or even space, made even better by ridiculous song mixing. I've learned the hard way that Stardew Valley music doesn't blend well with Blinding Lights, but maybe you'll have better luck with other wild combinations.
djay is out now on the Meta Horizon Store for $20. It's compatible with Quest 2, Quest Pro, and the Quest 3 family.
Your choices matter as you interact with a unique world in Human Within, a game made with a combination of 2D cutscenes, 3D gameplay, and more.
Developed by Signal Space Lab and Actrio Studio (The Great Ocean), Human Within focuses on how AI and similar technology influence humanity, developed during a time when artificial intelligence is entering the mainstream with tools like ChatGPT and Apple Intelligence.
0:00
/1:45
Offering “branching storylines” that are affected by your own decisions, Human Within combines numerous ideas that give an interesting narrative. Using 2D film, 3D graphics, interactive elements, and puzzles, Human Within's story should provide an intriguing experience in virtual reality. There are five different endings to discover, offering a Telltale Games-like narrative in VR.
The story description states that “Cyber Engineer, Nyla, and her sister, Linh, developed a way to harness the immense processing power of the human brain to create the ultimate supercomputer.” Of course, things don't go too well, with the synopsis adding “Held against their will, Nyla finds herself in a situation that forces her to use the technology in the very way she feared it would be.”
Human Within will find you determining the past in flashbacks that offer 360° video while deciding the fate of the very technology Nyla and Linh helped develop. You'll also find yourself diving into interactive environments to engage with the story further.
Human Within launches today on the Meta Quest platform. There's also a Steam version 'coming soon', but no exact date has been revealed yet.
Update Notice
This news article was originally written by Callum Self and published on November 5, 2024. It was updated by Henry Stockdale on January 9, 2025, to reflect Human Within's launch on Quest.
Forum8's products are definitely a treat, though they're certainly not for the average consumer.
During the Tokyo Game Show, my wife and I visited the AR/VR Game Area, which was in a separate exhibition hall from the Makuhari Messe venue's other gigantic buildings. There, we chanced upon a booth showcasing the offerings from Forum8, a Tokyo-based company that manufactures simulators used in attractions and civil engineering projects.
Given that we dropped by during a public day—which meant that the general public was already allowed inside the venues, as opposed to the media-only business days—the booth was already packed with attendees. Still, we received an opportunity to try the products. We're certainly awed by the level of immersion, though expensive price tags also mean that they're not easily obtained by regular folks.
The Train Simulator program has a VR version, but the flatscreen version is more immersive due to the control system.
First on our list was the Train Simulator program, a customized modification of Forum8's UC-win/Road, a software that's used for road planning, construction, traffic management, and, yes, even seasonal conditions. The booth representative advised that the Train Simulator is used in cooperation with the East Japan Railway Company (JR-East), which operates hundreds of trains and stations in Tokyo, as well as the northern and eastern regions, except for the island of Hokkaido.
This greatly piqued our interest because, apart from attending the Tokyo Game Show, we were also vacationing in Tokyo and surrounding areas. Given that we've previously visited Japan multiple times, we've been fascinated by their public transport system. We even plan our daily trips based on train schedules, right down to the specific platforms/tracks, transfers, and IC cards or metro passes that we had to use. That's why the notion of testing a simulator designed for training locomotive engineers and conductors is a memorable experience.
There were two rigs available to test the program. The first was a flatscreen variant, though it had lever controls for acceleration and braking. The VR variant used a HTC Vive headset. The controls for both were fluid and responsive for the most part. However, I genuinely preferred the flatscreen option since the levers and panel offer greater immersion compared to the Vive's controllers. Still, I had to chuckle when both my wife and I accelerated well past the next station. Thankfully, that immersion didn't extend to virtual passengers yelling at us because they missed their stop, though the representative did shrug and shake his head in disappointment.
The VR Motion Seat simulated the sudden movements while riding a roller coaster.
Next up, my wife tried Forum8's VR Motion Seat, which has a hefty $16,000 price tag on the official website. The short demo puts users firmly on a roller coaster ride. The VR Motion Seat itself can pitch forward and backward, as well as heave upwards or tilt sideways, simulating the sudden jerking motions while on a roller coaster.
From there, we tried the VR 360° Simulator, which is somewhat akin to VART's 360° Rotating Chair. This contraption is primarily meant for arcade businesses due to its large size, exorbitant cost, and function. Apart from having the pitch and tilt movements of the VR Motion Seat, the 360° Simulator does what its name suggests: a complete 360-degree turn that spins you on your vertical axis. Strangely enough, the demo being used for the showcase was a rather simple program where you automatically moved on-the-rails while avoiding obstacles; it wasn't a high-speed racer or a sci-fi flight sim.
Forum8's booth offered an impressive showcase at the Tokyo Game Show. That being said, their software and hardware offerings are primarily meant for transportation services, urban development, or facility attractions. It's unlikely that we'll be able to afford a 360-degree spinning chair for our living room any time soon, though the experience remained memorable.
An eye-catching world representing the Venice Immersive 2024 event held in Italy earlier this year can be visited on an ongoing basis in VRChat.
Designed to transport users to a rendition of the iconic city of Venice, the world serves as an artistic hub where culture, art, and interactive experiences converge in VR. As part of the Venice International Film Festival, Venice Immersive showcases a diverse selection of VR experiences, each one highlighting the individual creativity and style of its creator.
Below we take a virtual tour of Venice Immersive's presence inside VRChat. To start off the series, Michael Salmon, AKA Manglebird takes us on a tour of the main island world.
Manglebird gives a guided tour of the main Venice Immersive Hub
“All of the actual buildings in Venice have copyright. So we're not allowed to use any actual real building, or we're not allowed to build out any island to represent a real island in Venice," Salmon noted.
0:00
/0:59
"So what we had to do is get something that has the vibe of a Venice. It's like, is of Venice, but not actually Venice, which I think Deke has done really beautifully in this world. The main reason to have this space as well as being, like the jumping off point at the beginning of all of our tours, is also so that it can house all the portals to the worlds that we feature.”
The hub introduces the various attractions and serves as a gateway to some of the deeper experiences that Venice Immersive offers. You can also grab a quick selfie on the Red Carpet.
Stopping for a selfie on the Red Carpet
We also take journeys into the minds of a couple of the artists behind two of this year's contest entries. We met creators like MetaRick and Wondering Chew, each offering a distinctive VR storytelling experience, through MetaRick's "Uncanny Alley" and Wondering Chew's "StrangeWays". Both entries showcased inventive and engaging narratives, inviting participants to dive deep into these thoughtfully crafted worlds.
MetaRick gives a guided tour of his experience, "Uncanny Alley"
Wondering Chew gives a guided tour of his experience, "StrangeWays"
I recommend giving that a read if you have time, and if you're in a headset and want to check out some of these experiences for yourself, you can start at this VRChat world link below and play parts 2 and 3 of this guided tour after you finish the first for a kind of guided tour through the space with the artists and organizers of Venice Immersive 2024 providing context.
You can visit the Venice Immersive VRChat world here:
Flappy Experience is a clone of Flappy Bird with first-person gameplay, and it's free on Apple Vision Pro.
Developed by Tal Kol using RealityKit, Flappy Experience takes direct inspiration from 2013's casual mobile side-scroller, Flappy Bird. All you do is move your arms up and down like a bird flapping its wings while aiming to avoid green pipes, and this experience features four levels of difficulty. As part of this release, Tal Kol also released the full source code on Github.
Here's how it looks in action.
0:00
/0:30
Flappy Experience comes at a time when Flappy Bird has witnessed an unofficial but controversial reboot. After being delisted in 2014, a new version built on a blockchain platform recently emerged after the trademark was abandoned and acquired by Gametech. It's faced significant criticism for introducing cryptocurrency and not involving the original developer, Doug Nguyen.
The Office's Dunder Mifflin is coming to Meta Horizon Worlds next month.
While the explosive (that's what she said!) reveal of the Meta Quest 3S took center stage at Meta Connect 2024, the ability to explore Dunder Mifflin from the hit sitcom The Office could be just as exciting for fans. Of course, work is never fun, but would you ever be able to get work done with the cast of characters from The Office around?
Coming next month, the Horizon Worlds location will allow you to enjoy 'fun mini-games' that use the show's humor, as well as earn 'Schrute Bucks' to buy trinkets. Just make sure Jim doesn't shove them into Jell-O if you can help that. If you're excited to immerse yourself in the Dunder Mifflin offices, you can RSVP for The Office World Launch Party right now, ahead of the opening on October 10, 2024.
When you're done exploring the Dunder Mifflin office, you can use the Peacock Quest app to watch the series again.
The Office world would be perfect for the upcoming AI NPCs, so you could speak to beloved (or hated) characters like Michael Scott, Jim Halpert, Pam Beesly, and of course, Dwight. But to be clear, there's no indication that will happen.
With the rise of Horizon Worlds, bringing in more interesting and fun IPs like The Office will certainly entice users to enjoy various realities of their favorite shows, movies, and more. In any case, who doesn't like sitting back in the same chair Michael Scott does?
The Office World will be available in Meta Horizon Worlds on October 10.
Supernatural Together is a new expansion that adds group-based workouts to the fitness app on Quest.
Confirmed during its annual Connect conference yesterday, Meta revealed that the Supernatural Together expansion lets you carry out joint workouts that support voice chat with up to two additional people. Alongside open lobbies through a 'Quick Play' option, private online rooms are also available via the 'Play with Friends' choice. Here's the announcement trailer.
0:00
/0:36
Building upon this further, other new features in Supernatural Together include customizable avatars with different styles and color pairings. Team Workouts also feature special Challenge Zones and Victory Tunnels that "require teamwork and coordination to complete." Your performance is then assessed through a scoring system that awards bonus points for hitting specific goals.
Supernatural is available now for the Meta Quest platform in the US and Canada for $10 per month or $100 per year.
Venice Immersive returned once more with the Venice International Film Festival, and we went hands-on with a number of projects from creators worldwide.
As someone who's traditionally been nearly exclusively focused on video games, I'm slowly finding my feet with film festivals. Venice Immersive 2023 was my first time exploring this space, followed by April's NewImages Festival. These festivals aren't geared to consumers directly. Instead, they usually offer stages for projects and their creators to gain momentum toward longer-term aspirations.
Much like before, 2024's lineup is also home to the 'Venice Immersive World' in VRChat with a Worlds Gallery inside. Here's everything we saw.
The Art Of Change
My festival began with two projects on the first day. The Art of Change is a made in VR experience using Quill that presents a short but poetic experience with a great narrative. It weaves a series of recorded messages from one woman across the different stages of her life, presenting as an audio-visual adventure reflecting on how we change as people.
Oto's Planet involved more interactivity with hand tracking, letting me pick between an MR mode or VR mode. I opted for VR and, using a pinch motion, I could spin this planet around as the story unfolded to see what's happening in some locations. The visuals are nice, and some of the narrative tricks surprised me, but I also struggled to engage with the wider experience.
Day two involved three new projects. Pudica is a mixed reality experience that provided my first time trying out Sony's new standalone enterprise headset. My experience was purely hand-tracking in a room-scale environment, so I didn't test the controller. There's an interesting musically-focused audiovisual adventure here, but the headset's limited field of view hampered my immersion significantly.
My next appointment was Marvel's What If - An Immersive Story, one of my most anticipated bookings as someone who enjoyed ILM Immersive's previous work on Vader Immortal. Seeing this for myself was entertaining and I found the hand tracking worked better than I anticipated with certain actions, leading to a satisfying conclusion. It's an experience I'd happily recommend to anyone trying Apple Vision Pro for the first time.
I then moved to Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom which showcased the opening segment but not the MR mode. I can immediately see why Atlas V and Bandai Namco Filmworks have been calling this an interactive VR movie. You won't find a full game here, and that's certainly not a bad thing.
There are times when I wish you had more freedom with interactivity, and swapping from 1st person gameplay to watching scenes in 3rd person isn't as natural as I'd hope. Still, the storyline currently has me invested, and it's looking great on Quest 3.
My third day kicked off with something rather different, Ceci est mon coeur. This didn't take place inside a headset or use AR, so I'm not giving this a dedicated write-up, yet this narrative tale held my interest and I participated with five other people. Wearing a blanket-like garment that lights up during this story offered a sense of connection with other participants, and the story of self-acceptance ultimately resonated with me.
My next stop was Project: Lost Worlds, the latest VRChat world from Fins (Complex 7), and I'd consider this my daily highlight. Playing Complex 7 last year was an eye-opener as to what VRChat creators can do with these worlds, and that feeling only persisted with Lost Worlds. Aided by two tour guides with a small group of others, I'm impressed at the depth of this experience.
My journey began at home before entering a space station, fading between scenes like I was falling asleep and subsequently waking up. Seeing the prehistoric planet below was impressive in a way I didn't anticipate; the floating islands reminded me of Avatar's Pandora, and being able to pet dinosaurs was a lovely touch. I'm told the full release won't be ready until next year, but I'm looking forward to it.
I then moved on to Impulse: Playing With Reality, which explores the lives of four people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The subject matter is handled carefully, and though I have some issues with the wider execution, there's a strong narration from Tilda Swinton as these stories unfold. You can find my impressions below.
Fragile Home kicked off day four with some heavy subject matter. Focused on the Russo-Ukrainian war, it questions what you would do if your home was suddenly in danger. From before 2013's Maidan Uprising to more recent events, this mixed reality experience sees your surroundings transform from more peaceful times to a highly turbulent present.
I also went hands-on with A Cure For Straightness, the next project from 'Body of Mine' director Cameron Kostopoulos. This new immersive project used wearable haptic technology to highlight the cruelty behind electroshock conversion therapy used against the LGBT+ community, telling the harrowing story of a transgender survivor who underwent such treatment from the UK's NHS.
Address Unknown: Fukushima Now
My final day saw me explore two additional projects, starting with Earths To Come. This short project aims to take a philosophical look at the concept of desire through a multi-user VR theatre, intending to "salve the last wounds on our post-pandemic hearts." It's designed to be collaborative, but beyond sitting in a room with others, that feeling isn't well reflected by the experience.
My last stop was Address Unknown: Fukushima Now, which explores the long-term impact of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 through an immersive documentary. That's achieved using volumetric capture and photogrammetry, revealing some heartfelt tales of how the community cannot return to their former homes, though some pacing issues let it down.
Some experiences present I've previously tried, like Astra, and I shared my Tonight With The Impressionists thoughts during the NewImages Festival. Venice Immersive also showcased some big games that we've reviewed in the past, like Riven and The 7th Guest VR. Still, the wide range of titles being showcased was impressive, and I'll be keen to see what next year brings.
Venice Immersive 2024 ran from August 28 until September 7.
