Something For The Weekend: Mid-April PlayStation VR Savings

It is time once again to explore the PlayStation store to find some of the latest deals on virtual reality (VR) titles. To help you out VRFocus has put together some of the best deals to help you find your next favourite. As always be sure to check back every weekend for even more deals right here on VRFocus.

Accounting+

If you are a fan of Rick & Morty then you are sure to find enjoyment in Accounting+, a VR experience unlike anything you have seen before brought to you by Justin Roilan. Developed by Crows Crows Crows and Squach Games, Accounting+ is a weird title full of humor that invites players to interact with a number of colorful characters and complete numerous tasks and challenges. This includes playing with bombs, cutting characters open, playing the bone xylophone and many other bizarre activities.

Accounting+ is currently on sale for for £6.49 (GBP) down from £9.49 and recently added a new waterpark level.

No Heroes Allowed! VR

Real-time strategy (RTS) title No Heroes Allowed! VR puts players in the shoes of the God of Destruction who must work towards world domination with the help of your sidekicks Badman and Badmella. VRFocus’ Editor Kevin Joyce previewed the title saying “No Heroes Allowed! VR’s story, as may be assumed from the title, sees the player cast as the bad guy. However the aesthetic of the videogame is perfectly designed for family-friendly gameplay” later adding “No Heroes Allowed! VR provides a compelling RTS experience unique to VR.”

No Heroes Allowed! VR is currently on sale for for £19.99 (GBP) down from £24.99 with PlayStation Plus members saving an extra 20%.

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Batman: Arkham VR

Become the Batman in this immersive experience that puts you into the shoes of the Dark Knight himself. Experience Gotham City through the eyes of the World’s Greatest Detective in an all new Arkham mystery. Think like Batman and utilize all the gadgets available to you in order to unravel a plot that could threaten the lives of Batman‘s closest allies.

Batman: Arkham VR is currently the low price of £11.99 (GBP) down from £15.99 with PlayStation Plus members saving an extra 25%.

The Inpatient

“The Inpatient looks set to offer an experience completely different to its predecessor Until Dawn – they’re both set in the same universe – a far more tactile tale, where exploring the story is much more key. It might be because of the hospital theme but playing the demo instantly feels very reminiscent of Wilson’s Heart for Oculus Rift and that’s no bad thing. If Supermassive Games can create an engaging storyline and gameplay to go with the impressive visuals then PlayStation VR might have another hit on its hands.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham’s preview of The Inpatient here.

The Inpatient is currently on sale for £23.39 (GBP) down from £29.99 with PlayStation Plus members saving an extra 20%.

Sports Bar VR

“Bringing the virtual pub experience to your living room. Sports Bar VR is the ultimate social experience available on PlayStation VR, featuring an awesome set of bar games, an incredible pool simulation and an amazingly detailed sports bar overflowing with fun and silly physics props. Join up with 12 of your friends to hangout and play some air hockey, throw a few rounds of darts or build an insane dominoes setup using books, chairs, bottles and whatever else you can find. Play with friends or offline against the AI, earn experience points and unlock a wide array of collectable hats and fun objects to add a bit of swagger to your VR style.”

Sports Bar VR is now only £7.39 (GBP) down from £14.99.

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VRFC Virtual Reality Football Club

“VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club is a welcome foundation for sports simulations in VR, and with the FIFA franchise now surpassing 25 editions (not including the many spin-offs such as FIFA Street and FIFA World Cup), it’s a wonder to think exactly how much of VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club will remain in VR football 25 years from now.” – Read VRFocus’ Editor Kevin Joyce’s review of VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club here.

VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club is available for only £7.39 (GBP) which is down from £14.99.

Psychonauts In The Rhombus Of Ruin

In this VR title players get to expereince an all-new adventure that takes players back into the mysterious and paranormal world of the Psyhconauts. Take control of Raz and carry on from where the first game finished on a journey to rescure the Grand Head of the Psychonauts. When things go somewhat wrong it is up to the player to not only save the kidnapped prisoner but also the rescue party themselves.

Psychonauts In The Rhombus Of Ruin is on sale for £10.06 (GBP) down from £15.49 with PlayStation Plus members able to save an extra 35%.

Crisis On the Planet of the Apes

“Five years since its outbreak, the “Simian Flu” has wiped out half of humanity and left other primates…changed. You are an ape with advanced intelligence, captured and held prisoner in a heavily guarded scientific facility as mankind desperately searches for a cure. Your mission: Climb, jump and shoot through the chaos of an apocalyptical world to escape with your fellow apes and return home at the crossroads of two species’ destinies.”

Crisis On the Planet of the Apes is currently on sale for PlayStation Plus members for £8.39 (GBP) down from £11.99.

Time Carnage

“Time Carnage is well-made, and is a fine, competent example of its genre, with some excellent music and sound design, though it ultimately fails to stand out amidst many other similar titles that litter VR videogame libraries. Shooting dinosaurs is still lots of fun, though.” – Read VRFocus’ Staff Writer Rebecca Hills-Duty’s review of Time Carnage here.

Time Carnage is currently only £12.79 (GBP) for PlayStation Plus members down from £15.99.

Carnival Games VR

Finally this week is the title all about enjoying the carnival. In Carnival Games VR players are able to take part in 12 different mini-games and earn tickets to win fun virtual prizes or unlock additional activities to complete. Whether it’s scaling a castle in Climbing Wall, rolling for a high score in Alley Ball or shooting basketballs in Swish – there is something for everyone in this title.

Carnival Games VR is available for only £11.19 (GBP) right now on sale from £15.99 with an extra 30% saving for PlayStation Plus members.

That is all for this week but remember that VRFocus gathers all the best deals every week, so check back next weekend at the same time to discover more.

April 11, 2018

Cherry Pop Games add AI Bots, Roomscale and More in Major Update for VRFC

Last month British virtual reality (VR) developer Cherry Pop Games (Sports Bar VR) launched its next sport inspired experience VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club. Today sees the first major update for the experience, adding a wealth of features to expand the content for football fans.

VRFC Screenshot_024

The update introduces AI bots, 360-degree roomscale play and, head facing controls to make the experience much easier to pick up and play for PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, and Oculus Rift.

“The whistle has just blown for the first half of VRFC, and already the game is transformed, VRFC is a revolution in gaming – it will change VR games forever,” said Gemma Jessop, Business Development Director, Cherry Pop Games in a statement. “It may not be FIFA (yet) but it captures the team aspect of the game like no other can and the addition of AI is a huge step in the right direction. This is a major upgrade for owners of our beautiful game and is entirely free. The AI Bots can be used to fill unoccupied slots, or the player can play solo just against AI opponents.”

AI Bots have been unleashed so that everyone will always find a match, no matter which headset they own. For HTC Vive and Oculus Rift owners, the roomscale functionality allows free movement for player to really let loose. Additionally, both PlayStation and PC formats have seen control refinements to improve the system further.

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“VRFC is a world first, and as a small team we have attempted what many thought was impossible, and from the outset we have actively listened to the community and acted on the suggestions provided. What is important to know is, that this is not the end of the story for us, it is merely the beginning; these are just the first steps in making this the biggest VR game ever made. Expect more announcements over the coming weeks,” adds Jessop.

There’s an additional limited time bonus for PlayStation VR players as VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club is currently 50 percent off on PlayStation Store. Check out VRFocus review of VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club for an in depth look at the title. For any further updates from Cherry Pop Games, keep reading VRFocus.

March 13, 2018

VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club Kicks Off on Oculus Rift & HTC Vive

The creative minds behind virtual reality (VR) titles such as Sports Bar VR (formerly Pool Nation VR) have released their latest title, VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club.

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Now in Early Access, developer Cherry Pop Games have brought the beautiful game to VR with VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club. The title allows up to eight players to go online and face off in competitive online action making use a of Cherry Pop Games K4 physics system. Players are able to kick, dribble, tackle, pass, cross, head and shoot in VR all thanks to an Agile locomotion system that offers a unique VR experience.

Gemma Jessop of CherryPop Games commented on the release by saying: “We’ve been humbled by all the feedback we’ve had todate for VRFC, and we’re delighted to share our journey with fans on PC. VRFC is a team game, bringing competitive elements is essential, and natural addition to the game, but we’re not stopping there; those who want to hone their skills offline are in for a treat.”

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Included in the Early Access release will be the option to play offline along with competitive leagues, Team Captains and Team leaderboards. All of this, along with the eight player online mode, runs at a smooth 90 frames per second allowing for an immersive, energetic and engaging full body workout all while allowing for the enjoyment of football within virtual space.

VRFocus’ Editor Kevin Joyce reviewed VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club saying: “VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club remains one of the best sports experiences VR has to offer. More than that however, it’s also one of the best social VR experiences currently available, with the tension of competition and the misery of defeat likely to help make new friends (and potentially enemies) across the VR community. VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club is a welcome foundation for sports simulations in VR, and with the FIFA franchise now surpassing 25 editions (not including the many spin-offs such as FIFA Street and FIFA World Cup), it’s a wonder to think exactly how much of VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club will remain in VR football 25 years from now.”

For more on VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

March 10, 2018

This Week in VR Sport: Kicks, Hoops and Gunshots

As the second weekend of March is here it is time for VRFocus to bring you another edition of This Week in VR Sport. This week there’s football tackling virtual reality (VR), the NBA looking to augmented reality (AR) and VR eSports takes another step towards competitive showdowns.

Virtual Reality Football Club Launched

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Developer CherryPop Games released VR football title VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club this week on PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. The title allows players to live out their dreams of playing the beautiful game in VR with all the movement you would expect. Kick, dribble, tackle, pass, cross, head and shoot with freedom thanks to the K4 physics system and what the developers call ‘Agile locomotion’. All of this playable with up to eight players online, with cross-play compatible making VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club as close to the real thing as you would hope.

VRFocus’ editor Kevin Joyce reviewed VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club saying: “While the videogame has many issues deriving from the limitations of the hardware upon which it is built, VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club remains one of the best sports experiences VR has to offer. More than that however, it’s also one of the best social VR experiences currently available, with the tension of competition and the misery of defeat likely to help make new friends (and potentially enemies) across the VR community.”

You can read the full review here.

Boston Celtics Co-Owner Talks AR Use In Team App

BostonCeltics App

The Boston Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck has spoken about the use of AR technology in the future of the teams’ app. Speaking at the 2018 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference the co-owner said: “We are building it into our Celtics’ app, we are going to have it at our games to enhance, for the second-screen viewing, even when you’re in the seats, with stats and data. We’re working on that and we’re not rolling it out yet.”

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of the professional sports leagues that has been quick to pick up on new technologies, allowing for more engagement between the viewer and the sport. By bringing AR into the team app Boston Celtics will do just that, as Grousbeck described, creating a second screen experience. The NBA have made use of AR before in the form of the NBA AR mobile app that allows users to turn their smart phone or tablet into a hoop scoring videogame, thanks to Apple’s ARKit technology.

Grousbeck added: “I’m a believer in AR, I think it’s going to add a lot, but I still love sort of the old-school being in the seat, or sort of being right there and just soaking it all in. But augmenting that in an appropriate way can add something to it. I’m sure it will be a bigger part of our future.”

Seeing how the Boston Celtics make use of the technology within their team app will be interesting to see but with co-owner Wyc Grousbeck at the helm, it sounds promising.

VRcade PowerPlay Makes VR ESports Competitive

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Lastly this week is news that VRstudios have announced the latest in VR eSports technology in the form of VRcade PowerPlay. This new location-based entertainment (LBE) solution mixes free-roaming, arena scale VR wih athletic, team-based eSports is designed for two to eight players allowing for unrestricted movement in a 60’x40′ configurable VRcade PowerPlay Battlefield.

The VRcade PowerPlay is another step forward for the VR eSports scene as it continues to grow. Speaking about the announcement, Kevin Vitale, VRstudios’ CEO said: “Everyone recognises that eSports are increasingly popular and we believe that the release of VRcade PowerPlay is literally a ‘game-changer’. It’s the next generation of eSports that adds true athletic activity over a large format playing field, and it can be deployed by any LBE operator.” “While complementary to our other systems and attractions, VRcade PowerPlay creates a whole new category of location-based VR entertainment for both players and spectators. It also opens the door to a number of new business models and branding options going forward for LBE operators and sponsors.”

Another week, another set of exciting developments in the world of VR sports. For more on immersive sport news keep reading VRFocus and remember to check back next week for another This Week In VR Sport.

March 5, 2018

Review: VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club

CherryPop Games has been making waves in the realm of social virtual reality (VR) videogames, with the studio’s first title, Sports Bar VR (formerly Pool Nation VR) having attracted a significant global audience across Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR. Now offering a second title, VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club hopes to take that mantle and run with it. Quite literally.

Virtual Reality Football Club is intended to bring the world of football (or rather, soccer, for VRFocus’ North American readers) to VR not for the first time, but in the most complete way. We’ve already had Headmaster VR and its many copycat titles present a stationary target practice style experience, but Virtual Reality Football Club is different; this isn’t just one aspect of football, it’s the entirety of ‘the beautiful game’ adapted and contorted to fit with modern VR hardware.

And ‘contorted’ is probably the most accurate way of defining the experience. Just as the original FIFA International Soccer felt like an awkward interpretation back in 1993, so too has VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club laid the foundations for VR football videogames to follow. It’s not perfect – not by a longshot – but VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club is a hugely enjoyable representation of football designed to fit within the limitations of current-generation input devices.

The tutorial sets the pace for what turns out to be a fairly steep learning curve. Deftly providing movement instructions one at a time until you know everything from sprinting around the pitch to shooting on goal, VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club’s basics are pretty well refined. The player moves by alternating thrusts of the left and right motion-controllers (be it PlayStation Move on PlayStation VR, or either of the proprietary motion-controllers for the PC-based HTC Vive and Oculus Rift) in a not too dissimilar fashion to Survios’ Sprint Vector, while positioning on the ball can be conducted manually (which takes a lot of practice) or in a guided fashion with a press of a button.

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While this all may sound fairly simple, taking the ball onto the pitch alters things dramatically. VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club, much like Sports Bar VR before it, is designed entirely around the idea of being social in VR. It’s a videogame made for online play – in fact, there is currently no single-player gameplay, though CherryPop Games suggest that will be added later – and the addition of human teammates and opponents confuses things extensively. There’s a whole pitch before you and coming up against players who have evolved tactics when in a team that’s disorganised is a sure case for a crushing defeat.

And therein lays the most commendable aspect of VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club. Within just a few matches the player can begin to understand that it’s not simply a case of thrusting a controller inline with the developer’s input recognition, ala Wii Sports’ tennis, VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club has some significant depth in not only an individual’s skill but also team work. No single player can win a match by themselves, and by the same stroke no one player is to blame for a defeat.

VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club is technically a welcome accomplishment. Designed for eight players – with cross-play between PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive included as the standard option – the detailed backdrop and elegant player animation is commendable. So too are the huge variety of comfort options, with three standard settings and an entirely customisable palette for those more familiar with VR.

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While the videogame has many issues deriving from the limitations of the hardware upon which it is built, VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club remains one of the best sports experiences VR has to offer. More than that however, it’s also one of the best social VR experiences currently available, with the tension of competition and the misery of defeat likely to help make new friends (and potentially enemies) across the VR community. VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club is a welcome foundation for sports simulations in VR, and with the FIFA franchise now surpassing 25 editions (not including the many spin-offs such as FIFA Street and FIFA World Cup), it’s a wonder to think exactly how much of VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club will remain in VR football 25 years from now.

80%

Awesome

Verdict

March 5, 2018

CherryPop Games Release new Trailer and Screenshots for VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club

After a short delay CherryPop Games will be launching its virtual reality (VR) football title VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club simultaneously on PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive tomorrow. In the run up to release the studio has unveiled several more screenshots and a trailer showcasing what’s instore.

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Announced only last month, VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club was initially due on 27th February, with that date being pushed back until 6th March to aid the multiple platform release.

Having created the ever-popular Sports Bar VR, CherryPop Games turned its attention to a much more difficult premise, VR football. Using Unreal Engine, a technique the studio calls ‘Agile locomotion’, and its K4 physics system, VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club will allow players to kick, dribble, tackle, pass, cross, head and shoot in VR like never before. The videogame will allow up-to eight players online, offering competitive online and cross-play compatible VR gameplay where all the action and movement takes place in a first-person viewpoint.

As this is a sport expect to work up a sweat as CherryPop Games has mentioned: “it offers an energetic and engaging upper body workout that will keep you on your toes until the final whistle.”

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The new screenshots and trailer tease further gameplay footage, showcasing plenty of fast paced football action as players score goals. VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club certainly looks like its going to be the ideal place for football fans to test their skills against one another. What’s not yet been revealed is how the actual game mechanics work. When you consider the myriad of options available in standard titles like Fifa, how has CherryPop Games managed to transfer football’s nuances to VR?

If you’re looking forward to seeing VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club arrive then there’s only 24 hours to go. You can be sure that VRFocus will have a review ready for the launch, detailing everything you need to know about the title. For any further updates from CherryPop Games, keep reading VRFocus.

February 22, 2018

VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club Launch Delayed to Co-ordinate Multiplatform Release

Last week VRFocus reported on CherryPop Games announcing its next virtual reality (VR), an ambitious looking football experience called VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club. At the time CherryPop Games gave a release date for 27th February, 2018. Today, that date has been moved, with the studio now stating the videogame will launch on 6th March, 2018.

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The reason CherryPop Games cites for the delay is that it wants to co-ordinate the launch between formats, so there’s a combined roll out for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Gemma Jessop, CherryPop Games said in a statement: “VRFC is a ground-breaking game in VR, and March 6th allows a simultaneous launch on all three VR platforms.”

While virtual reality (VR) headsets have seen various forms of football, most of them have either involved heading the ball – Frame Interactive’s Headmaster – or catching it – Final Goalie: Football Simulator. First-person title VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club aims to do thing differently, actually putting players into a match where they can kick, dribble, tackle, pass, cross, head and shoot in VR like never before using CherryPop Games’ K4 physics system and a technique called ‘Agile locomotion’. This was developed by CherryPop Games’ in-house R&D arm Cherry Labs, with VRFC being the first in a line of products to come from its research

VRFC features will include online play for up to eight players, cross-play compatibility (hence the simultaneous launch) and a 90fps frame rate. Plus, there will be a companion app released after launch for iOS and Android devices.

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Alongside open online competitive modes as well as being able to hold private matches between friends, VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club will include global leaderboards and offline training programmes to practice your skills offline, whether that’s learning to pass, sprinting and more.

VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club is now available to pre-order in Europe for Playstation VR with a 20% discount for PlayStation Plus members dropping the cost from £14.99 GBP down to £11.99. For any further updates from CherryPop Games, keep reading VRFocus.

February 22, 2018

VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club Launch Delayed to Co-ordinate Multiplatform Release

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February 17, 2018

VRFC Heads From The Locker Room To The Pitch In These Screenshots

Football, they say, is one of the things that brings the world together. A sport so significant that you can find it played in nearly every country and on every continent. Yes, even Antarctica has seen the odd football kicked around. The first proper match actually taking place some twelve years ago, almost to the day, and saw two teams of explorers defend their country’s honours on the makeshift pitch. One team was from Spain, the other from the not quite so famous footballing nation of Bulgaria.

VRFC Virtual Reality Football Club Incidentally, the match took place at Livingston Island in minus seven degrees Celsius and was, appropriately enough, a draw. The match ending 3-3 after the Bulgarians took an initial 3-0 lead in the first half.

Fortunately, most people can pull together some friends for the odd kickabout here and there, but in today’s connected world, where thanks to the Internet people can have many friends in places far beyond their home it’s pretty difficult to get them around for a quick game of footie.

Thankfully, Cherry Pop Games – the team behind the popular virtual reality (VR) videogame Sport Bar VR – are looking to provide a solution. Or at least a virtual one. Thanks to their newly announced videogame VRFC, or Virtual Reality Football Club. Launching worldwide later this month for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and also PlayStation VR it looks to bring a more realistic interpretation of playing football in a VR environment than that which has been released previously.

Already we’ve seen a ‘teaser’ trailer released at the initial announcement, but a number of screenshots of the environments in the title have also been publicised, and you can see them now below.

“With up-to eight players online, VRFC is a competitive online and cross-play compatible VR title like no other, where all the action and movement shines in a 1st person viewpoint.” Explains Cherry Pop Games in a statement. “With a smooth 90fps frame rate, VRFC offer more than just fun; it offers an energetic and engaging upper body workout that will keep you on your toes until the final whistle. As with the sport itself, VRFC is easy to play but harder to master, and with a range of training activities you can develop your skills to become a true legend of the game.”

VRFocus will be bringing you more details about the title in the weeks to come.

VRFC Virtual Reality Football Club - Screenshot