Report: Assassin’s Creed VR Called Nexus, Menu Footage Leaks

Supposed leaks may give us new information about the Assassin’s Creed VR game, apparently called Assassin’s Creed: Nexus.

Two posts surfaced online this weekend, both citing the Nexus name for the Meta-exclusive project. Take note that these reports could easily turn out to be false. Update: An Ubisoft spokesperson declined to comment, saying the company does not comment on rumors and speculation.

The first report was from a site called Exputer, which reported that the game will let you play as Assassins from across the entire series including fan-favorite, Ezio. According to the report, Nexus will focus on the core tenants of the main series, including stealth gameplay, combat and climbing.

Movement will apparently allow for either smooth locomotion or teleporting, with a sound meter used to keep you from simply jumping around undetected. The report also says you can hold a button and flick a wrist to reveal the iconic assassin blades.

Interestingly, though, the article also mentions that Nexus will be made up of 16 individual missions, which suggests it won’t be truly open-world like other games in the series. The second report from a Reddit user backs this up, saying missions are pretty large and allow for backtracking, but the game itself is not open world.

The second source from Reddit also claims to have played “a fair bit of the game” and has posted footage of what they claim is the menu for Nexus, which you can see above. The menu resembles the clean white aesthetic used in the Animus system in the main games, with the player loading into a level called ‘The Sword of Ezio’. There’s no actual gameplay and it’s much easier to mock up a menu than it is in-game content so, again, take this with a big pinch of salt for now.

The Exputer report also claims the game aims to release in the next 12 months. Last week Meta hosted its second annual Quest Gaming Showcase which focused on games releasing within the next year, but Assassin’s Creed was missing from the line-up.

We first heard that Meta had signed deals for Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell VR games in 2019 before the company made them official in late 2020. Since then Ubisoft has been heavily recruiting for both projects, but neither has been officially revealed in any form.

Elden Ring VR Mod In Development From GTAV Modder

An Elden Ring VR mod is in development.

Modder Luke Ross, known for his series of REAL VR mods, is behind the upcoming ‘port’. As you can see in the video below, the mod will allow you to play the game in first-person, seeing the enormous world from the RPG masterpiece in a whole new light. This first footage gives us just a quick look at the opening tutorial area.

Elden Ring VR Mod Gameplay

Ross’ other mods — which include work on Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Horizon: Zero Dawn — all use the gamepad for traditional controls rather than attempting to implement motion controllers. This will still be the case here which makes a lot of sense. Like the other Souls games before it, Elden Ring is all about judging attack animations and weapon speed. That simply wouldn’t translate to VR controllers, which is one reason why we probably haven’t seen many Souls-likes in VR yet.

You’ll no doubt need a beast of a PC to keep the game running at a stable framerate. According to PC Gamer, Ross is hoping to release the mod by the end of April but there may be some delays on that front. The developer will release the mod as part of his Patreon campaign, with subscribers getting access. Most recently, the developer put out a mod for Cyberpunk 2077, and has plans for yet more big titles in the future.

Would you play an Elden Ring VR mod? Let us know in the comments below!

VRChat’s Avatar Dynamics System Aims To Upgrade Interactions

A new system for avatar interaction is now available in VRChat enabling users to interact with each other’s avatars in new ways.

The Avatar Dynamics system was in open beta earlier this year, but now it’s fully launched and provides a host of new options for VRChat users.

 

One part of the system is PhysBone, shown above. It is a more optimized replacement for DynamicBones that allows users to create physics-based bone and skeleton structures on avatars. There are several different interaction types that can be set up for an avatar. It also works on Quest, meaning that Quest users will be able to see moving hair, ears, clothes and more with real-time physics for the first time.

Avatar Dynamics also allows users to create unique interactions with avatars through user-defined colliders and tags, as seen below. Users can set colliders on certain parts of their avatar to result in different things — a costume change, a sound effect, or a state change, for example.

With this new system also comes a host of new settings that allow users to define and quickly change who can interact with their avatar. There are ways to disable interactions immediately, and players can also set rules and change settings to limit interactions in different ways — they can be turned off entirely, or set to just your friends, or changed on a per-user basis. The status of a user’s interactions settings — enabled or disabled — will also display above their nametag for others to see.

The Avatar Dynamics system is available in VRChat now. You can read more about the features and the associated privacy and safety settings over on the VRChat blog.

Among Us VR Confirmed For PSVR 2 ‘When The Headset Is Released’

Schell Games confirmed a PSVR 2 release for Among Us VR this week, stating that the game will be available “when the headset releases.”

A new gameplay trailer debuted this week for Among Us VR, which is set to release during the 2022 holiday season for Quest and SteamVR. It showed some of the first in-depth gameplay for the title, revealing how the 2D classic will translate into headsets.

However, Schell Games put out a tweet after the show confirming that a PSVR 2 version will also be available, but only once the headset itself actually launches.

This is careful wording that avoids mentioning if PSVR may launch in the 2022 holiday period or not. There’s been speculation that the headset might not make a release this year, with recent reports indicating PSVR 2 and Apple’s mixed reality headset have both been delayed to 2023. That’s paired with a report from PSVR Without Parole earlier in the year that also said the headset would launch in Q3 2023.

Among Us had also already been confirmed for the original PSVR headset though this tweet doesn’t mention that version. We reached out to Schell Games to confirm this version is still in the works and will update this article if and when we hear back.

The gameplay trailer for Among Us VR was just one of the many that debuted yesterday at the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase. We also saw the announcement of Ghostbusters VR, Bonelab, Red Matter 2 and Espire 2. You can see everything else that was announced here.

Ultrawings 2 Available Now For PC VR On Steam, Rift With Cross-Buy

Ultrawings 2 is now available for PC VR platforms, after launching first on Quest 2 in early February.

The game became available around a week ago on Steam for PC VR headsets, and launched yesterday on the Oculus Store for Rift. The latter version of the game also supports cross-buy with Quest, so owners on one platform will also get access to the other automatically.

Despite launching first on Quest, the team at Bit Planet Games ensured us that the PC VR version is not a scaled up version of the Quest 2 release. In fact, it’s the other way around. You can check out the PC VR launch trailer embedded above.

The developers say that the game should shine with the higher specifications on PC compared to standalone hardware, too.

The only caveats for now are that HOTAS support isn’t included for PC VR at launch (but it is coming soon) and multiplayer isn’t quite ready yet. Testing for the latter feature is ongoing, but you can access an early build that’s likely to have stability issues. If you want to access multiplayer on PC regardless, you can find the access code on the Ultrawings Discord server. Until multiplayer and HOTAS support are finished, the game will remain in early access on Steam.

In our review of the Quest 2 release, we called Ultrawings 2 “a super sequel you won’t want to miss”, awarding the game a rare Essential label. You can read the full review here.

The Last Taxi Is A VR Uber Simulator Coming Next Month

The Last Taxi is a game all about making conversation with an increasingly eccentric cast of characters.

Developed by ZenFri, the indie project hits PC VR headsets on May 31 via Steam. In the game, you step into the role of the last human taxi driver that patrols the skylines and underbelly of a dystopian mega city. As you carry passengers around you’ll be tasked with making conversation and keeping fares engaged as the meter rises. Check it out in the launch trailer below.

The Last Taxi Trailer

The futuristic world is split right down the middle, with many of the city’s residents obscenely rich whereas others are steeped in poverty. Over 80 characters await, each one presenting a new challenge to try and keep happy. Plus there are smaller interactions to explore from the driver’s seat. It’s certainly a unique looking VR game with a distinct art style, and we’ll be looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

Will you be trying out The Last Taxi when it launches next month? Let us know in the comments below!

Bonelab Screenshots Show Graphics Comparison Between PC & Quest 2

The Oculus Store listing for Stress Level Zero’s Bonelab gives us our first look at the Quest 2 graphics compared to the PC VR footage shown in the trailer.

Bonelab was unveiled yesterday at the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase. It’s the next game from Stress Level Zero, and a follow-up to the studio’s 2019 PC VR title, Boneworks. While Boneworks never released on the Quest platform, Bonelab will launch later this year for both PC VR and Quest 2.

However, the footage shown in the trailer above was captured on PC VR, with Stress Level Zero developer Brandon J Laatsch writing on Twitter “the Quest 2 version will feature identical gameplay when @90hz”. That leaves us wondering how the Quest visuals might differ.

With store page listings for Bonelab on Quest and Steam going live, we’re able to compare the screenshots from both listings and get a glimpse at the Quest 2 visuals.

It’s obvious that the screenshots aren’t 1:1 recreations — poses and positions slightly differ, but it’s clear that objects and areas are the same in each.

The difference between Quest 2 and PC VR is pretty apparent — most notably, the lighting doesn’t seem as stunning on the former and looks a bit flatter in general. That being said, the Quest visuals still look pretty strong overall.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that placing these screenshots in a side-by-side comparison doesn’t do the Quest version any favors. When you’re actually playing Bonelab on Quest 2, the differences will probably be less apparent than they are here.

Are you looking forward to Bonelab? Let us know in the comments below.

Bonelab Announced: Boneworks Follow-Up Coming To Quest 2, PC VR In 2022

Bonelab is the new game from Boneworks developer, Stress Level Zero.

The game was revealed today at the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase and looks to be a direct follow-up to 2019’s Boneworks. It will release for Quest 2 and PC VR headsets later this year.

Bonelab is an action-adventure physics game with a brand new story and “two years of innovation and interaction engine progress”, building on the foundation that started with Boneworks.

As confirmed by Stress Level Zero earlier this week, the game won’t have any downgraded physics on Quest 2 — while the GPU of Quest 2 isn’t on par with PC, the CPU is, in the developer’s words, actually “pretty strong”.

The trailer embedded above does feature PC VR footage however, so we’ll have to wait to see what the visuals look like on Quest 2. That being said, the game seems like a logical evolution of the world and mechanics from 2019’s Boneworks. There’s also a tease of a locked box labeled ‘Boneworks’ at the end of the trailer. Could this be a hint that the original game might be playable in Bonelab in some form?

bonelab stress level zero

Here’s a summary of what else to expect, taken from the Oculus Blog:

Escaping execution, you’ll find yourself in a mysterious underground lab. Uncover the truth about your reality. Fight, run, and climb as you explore an exquisitely detailed combat simulation where every object reacts exactly the way you’d expect—and as a result, where creativity is just as important as skill. There will also be mod support, so you’ll be able to enhance your experience with new maps, new weapons, and new avatars.

While mods traditionally are only supported on PC VR headsets for cross-platform titles, there’s no indication of that here. Based off the description, it seems likely that Quest 2 users will also be able to install game mods for Bonelabs when it releases later this year. While not the first Quest 2 title to support mods — Blade And Sorcery: Nomad integrated them last year — it would be one of the biggest releases to do so.

Stress Level Zero also recently said there was a “high possibility” that the studio’s future titles would release on PSVR 2. While there was no Bonelab PSVR 2 confirmation today, let’s hope for more news in that regard soon.

Beat Saber Electronic Mixtape Announced: Deadmau5, Marshmello, Zedd & More

Meta just announced Beat Saber’s next set of DLC tracks at today’s Meta Quest Gaming Showcase. The Beat Saber Electronic Mixtape will feature 10 hits from artists like Deadmau5, Zedd, Marshmello and more.

Most DLC packs for Beat Saber focus solely on one artist, but this pack will be the second DLC ‘mixtape’ release which features an array of different artists from one period.

Here’s the full tracklist of the Electronic Mixtape:

  • Waiting All Night (feat. Ella Eyre) by Rudimental
  • Witchcraft by Pendulum
  • Icarus by Madeon
  • Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff (feat. Rob Swire) by Deadmau5
  • Alone by Marshmello
  • Stay the Night (feat. Hayley Williams) by Zedd
  • Sandstorm by Darude
  • The Rockafeller Skank by Fatboy Slim
  • Freestyler by Bomfunk MC
  • Animals by Martin Garrix

As you can see, there are some big names and hits in the pack, but perhaps the most prominent is Sandstorm by Darude. IT’s one of the most iconic electronic songs of all time and a huge internet hit/meme track. In other words, it could be a perfect addition to the Beat Saber catalog.

The Electronic Mixtape release date follows on from the Fall Out Boy DLC, released last month, and has no confirmed release date as of yet. That being said, the time between announcement and release for Beat Saber DLCs tends to be pretty short, so expect to see it sooner rather than later.

As usual, the pack will be available across all platforms — Quest, Rift, PSVR and Steam — for a bundled price of $12.99 or an individual track price of $1.99 each.

This was just one announcement from today’s Meta Quest Gaming Showcase — keep an eye out for news on more releases and updates to come.

New Cities VR Trailer Focuses On Building & Managing Your City

A new trailer for Cities VR focuses on options for managing and building your city, ahead of the game’s release next week.

While we’ve received a plethora of trailers for Cities VR in the lead up to release, this one gives us the clearest and most comprehensive look at the management and design systems in the game. You can check it out in the video embedded below.

As you would expect, a lot of these look directly ripped from the original game, just adapted for VR. There will be different modes of zoning, custom scenery and decoration options, utility management with power lines and water pipes, budget and income adjustments, and much more.

Cities VR is one of two city-building games releasing for Quest headsets in the next few weeks. Cities VR is set to launch on Quest 2 on April 28 for $29.99. The other, Little Cities, was scheduled originally for release this week, on April 21. However, the developers announced yesterday that the game is being pushed to a ‘quieter week’ in May, so that it can get the attention it deserves and won’t be overshadowed by all of the big announcements from today’s Quest Gaming Showcase. Little Cities will now release on May 12, for both the original Quest and Quest 2.

We tried Little Cities earlier this month and found it to be a pleasant experience, but wondered if later levels will offer the challenge players want from a city-building simulator. While we haven’t had the chance to try Cities VR yet, the game looks much more focused on bringing the detailed simulation and management aspects of the original game, Cities Skylines, to its VR counterpart.

Cities VR releases April 28 for Quest 2 headsets for $29.99 and is available to pre-order with a 10% discount now.