It’s a Kind of Magic as Wands Appears on Oculus Quest

Indie virtual reality (VR) developer Cortopia Studios’ first immersive title was a magic spellcasting videogame called Wands, first appearing on Samsung Gear VR. The title has come a long way since then, appearing on multiple mobile and PC-based platforms. Today, it’s the turn of Oculus Quest.

Wands is a multiplayer experience which casts you in the role of a powerful mage who is able to wield a number of powerful and deadly spells. Just like all wizards like to do, practice makes perfect so you can dual opponents from around the world using a mixture of 24+ spells – which you have to unlock through playing – offering both offensive and defensive capabilities.

Offering 1 vs 1 dual in expansive arenas, before each match you must select four spells to attach to a magical staff. As you unlock more these can be mixed and matched to suit your play style. To ensure the matches are fast yet comfortable for most players, the arenas feature teleportation points dotted high and low. You cast spells by the selecting the desired one rather than gesture-based spell casting like you’d find in The Wizards.

To ensure you can usually find someone to fight Cortopia Studios has made Wands compatible with Oculus Rift, Oculus Go, HTC Vive, Valve Index, Samsung Gear VR headsets. Should that prove to be difficult in August the studio released its 1.6.0 patch which added a new feature, an AI opponent called Machina, allowing you to practice first.

Wands

While Cortopia Studios has continued to support Wands at the recent Gamescom 2019 event in Germany the developer showcased its latest project in the works, Down the Rabbit Hole, a puzzle title inspired by The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland. Take a look at VRFocus’ preview of the videogame on Oculus Quest or the gameplay footage.

As further Wands updates are released VRFocus will let you know.

September 19, 2019

Multiplayer Magic Battler Wands Lands On Quest Today

Cortopia Studios’ popular VR magic battler, Wands, finds a home on Oculus Quest today.

Wands was one of the earlier entries into the VR spellcasting genre. Unlike Carbon Studios’ The Wizards (which is also on Quest), though, the game is focused on multiplayer battles. Players kit out their own wands with an array of spells. It’s closer in style to Insomniac Games’ more modern take on spell-binding battles, The Unspoken.

https://youtu.be/12NQBimzwUw

Wands Quest Launch Trailer (Cortopia) – Quest, Rift, Vive, Go, Gear, Daydream (https://youtu.be/12NQBimzwUw)

The game also features a single-player survival mode in which you take down multiple enemies in different arenas. Check out the launch trailer for the Quest above. It looks like the game is still looking sharp on the platform.

Over the years Wands has received several updates adding new maps, workshops, characters and other tweaks to the game.

We first reviewed Wands all the way back in the Gear VR days. For the time it carried gorgeous visuals and fun combat. The game felt at odds with the three degrees of freedom (3DOF) tracking on mobile platforms, though. That issue was rectified when the game came to PC VR headsets later on. With Quest, though, you can play Wands on a mobile platform with full head and hand tracking for the first time.

Elsewhere, Cortopia is currently busy developing its next VR game, Down The Rabbit Hole. As the name suggests, it’s set in the world of Alice in Wonderland. We got to try the game at Gamescom last month and found something with a captivating mix of storytelling and gameplay styles. Suffice to say, we’re really looking forward to it.

The post Multiplayer Magic Battler Wands Lands On Quest Today appeared first on UploadVR.

November 28, 2018

The Best Apps and Games to Download for Oculus Go

All the Black Friday hijinks has finally ended for 2018, and with the mad sales dash now over it’s time to enjoy some of those nicely discounted items. One of the good deals this year was for standalone headset Oculus Go, which was the first time the device had been reduced since launch in May. If you happened to pick one up and need a helping hand in the right direction of decent content, or already owned one and just want to expand your library then read on.

What VRFocus is looking at is purely the best content, whether that’s apps for watching movies and TV, playing videogames or simply going online in VR. This is all about showcasing what Oculus Go can do and the reason for buying it in the first place.

Oculus Go Apps

YouTube VR

One of the best ways to see plenty content, the app gives Oculus Go access to the video platform’s massive library of immersive, 3D 360° and VR180° experience, allowing viewers to watch the videos as intended.

Price: Free

Netflix

Watch all of the streaming services TV shows, movies and original content anywhere you like, whenever you like. All on one massive screen, binge-watch to your heart’s content.

Price: Subscription based

Facebook 360

Similar to YouTube VR, the Facebook 360 app gives you access to social media sites 360 videos, 360 photos, Live 360 and Facebook Shows, all in one convenient location.

Price: Free

Gala 360 – See the World

With over 300 tours (most of which are free), Gala 360 is a great app to showcase the quality of the 6k resolution images. Drop viewers in exotic locations to see how awe-inspiring VR can be.

Price: Free (premium content costs $3.99 USD)

AltspaceVR

One of several apps that showcase the social qualities of VR, AltspaceVR allows you to hang out with friends, make new ones, play videogames together and even attend live events with comedians, DJ’s and more.

Price: Free

Oculus Go Games

Virtual Virtual Reality

Virtual Virtual Reality a somewhat bizarre comedy adventure about VR and AI. Use virtual VR headsets to explore over 50 unique virtual virtual realities, uncovering the story as you go.

Price: £7.99 GBP

Catan VR

Experiment 7 has brought this classic board game to VR, offering four-player tournaments online as well as a single-player to learn the ropes. Players take the role of settlers who need to establish colonies on the islands of Catan, acquiring resources to build infrastructure and roads whilst engaging in trade with other players, all with aim of growing large enough to get the ten victory points needed to win.

Price: £7.99

Wands

A cross-platform multiplayer experience, Wands puts you in the shoes of an apprentice magician who must do battle in one-on-one matches against other wizards. With a small selection of spells to begin with, as you level up and become stronger you’ll gain access to better spells offering a wider choice of tactical opportunities.

Price: £7.99

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

An oldie but a goldie, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes by Steel Crate Games was one of the earliest examples of local social VR multiplayer, highlighting the fact that VR doesn’t have to be a solitary experience. The VR player has to diffuse a bomb, unfortunately, they have no idea how to as each bomb is made up of different modules that have to be solved individually. To do this all the non-VR players have a bomb manual and must guide the person in VR to the correct solution.

Price: £7.99

République VR

One of the bigger adventures on this list, République VR is another Oculus Go launch day title. It’s stealth-action videogame that explores the perils of government surveillance in the internet age. With over 10 hours of gameplay, République VR has players controlling the fortunes of Hope, a woman trapped inside a mysterious totalitarian state who must hack her way to freedom.

Price: £7.99

Rush

One for the adrenaline junkies out there. Proximity jump off mountains in a wingsuit and race AI competitors to the bottom, just watch out for cliffs, trees, the ground, basically, everything in this adrenaline-fuelled ride.

Price: £5.99

End Space

Designed as a pure space combat title, End Space puts players in the pilot seat of the Minos Starfighter that can track targets with their gaze and blast them with Pulse Lasers, or lock on and pound them into space dust with Meteor Missiles. Like any good shooter, players can unlock new weapons and upgrades as they progress through the ranks by taking on increasingly daring missions.

Price: £5.99

October 11, 2018

Wands Fires On To Xiaomi Mi VR

In early 2018, Chinese technology company Xiaomi announced that it was working with Oculus to produce a version of the Oculus Go standalone virtual reality (VR) headset for the Chinese market, called the Xiaomi Mi VR. Now Cortopia Studios have announced that it is bringing its popular magic duelling VR title Wands to the Xiaomi Mi VR.

Wands is a first-person VR experience that casts players as a powerful magic users who needs to battle against other magic users in arena battles. In order to be victorious, players need to get the measure of the arena and pick up items which can unlock powerful spells which can provide an edge in combat.

Wands was designed to be a multiplayer social-oriented PvP experience that lets players take part in magic duels, which other players can watch using the built-in spectator mode. As players progress, more powerful spells can be obtained, and users can also take advantage of the dynamic environments.

The title has been previously released on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, Lenovo Mirage Solo and Google Daydream as well as the Oculus Go.

Andreas Skoglund, CEO of Cortopia Studios: “With the success of Wands on the Oculus GO we always knew that the Mi VR was a platform we wanted to be on. And Xiaomi has demonstrated that they understand what is needed to push the VR technology forward and make it more available and enjoyable. We are very excited to keep bringing our games to the players together with Xiaomi.”

The Xiaomi Mi VR headset is almost identical in specification to the Oculus Go. The initial release of the Xiaomi headset proved to be extremely popular, with reports showing that 30,000 Mi VR headsets being sold on the first day, selling out in some retailers.

For future coverage on Wands, the Xiaomi Mi VR and other VR headsets, keep checking back with VRFocus.

July 19, 2018

Spell-slinging PvP Gets New Character with Latest Update

Cortopia Studios, the developers behind the popular virtual reality (VR) title Wands have been far from stingy with rolling out new updates. Only last month the studio gave its player base access to some new locations, and now a new character is about to join the fray.

Wands is a PvP-based title in which players challenge each other in battles for magical dominance. Players face each other in magical arenas where the terrain and various objects can be used to their advantage in order to unlock powerful spells and defeat their foe.

Wands Komuso

The new update introduces a character known as Komuso. Komuso started life as a samurai before losing his master and falling into depression and self-loathing, eventually ending up on the streets as a beggar.

Eventually, Komuso seeks a new life and discovers his talent for magic, eventually finding his calling in the mysterious land of the Beyond, and all the strange wonders it holds. Komuso spent a long time exploring the Beyond, and now combines his samurai teachings with the power of magic, hiding his true identity behind a straw basket.

As well as introducing the new character, the developers have also taken the opportunity to fix some bugs, such as the connection issues some players were experiencing, and performing some tweaks so that earned points are now properly reflected in the user’s score. An issue experienced by Google Daydream users regarding logins has also been corrected.

Wands works cross-platform and is available for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Oculus Go, Samsung Gear VR, Google Daydream and Mirage Solo with Daydream. Support for Lenovo Mirage Solo and Oculus Go was introduced earlier this year when the two standalone devices were released, increasing the available player base and letting Lenovo Mirage Solo users make full use of the WorldSense 6DoF tracking.

For future coverage of Wands and other new or updated VR experiences, keep checking back with VRFocus.

June 26, 2018

Sanctum of Sahir Update for Wands Out Now

Players of magical duel virtual reality (VR) title Wands will be able to install the new 1.4 update, which includes the new Sanctum of Sahir content, bringing some new locations to the PvP-based adventure.

The 1.4 update is beginning its rollout to all players from today, and brings with it a new arena map which will bring new challenges to players, such as sandstorms and poison as well as new environments to admire.

The update is also introduces a workshop overhaul, with the development team at Cortopia Studios having recreated the workshop from the ground up, and also adding in a tutorial to aid players who are new to the game experience.

Players can now expect to receive Spell Tokens for every level between 2 and 20, with another being rewarded as part of the introduction to the videogame, allowing every spell to be unlocked by level 20, which helps new players catch up with more experienced rivals.

Some new cosmetic rewards have been included in the update, with the mask and outfit cosmetic items that date from before the 1.4 update now being replaced with new character-based appearances.

The in-game currency, Dust, can be used to unlock the new items available in the workshop. Players will now gain 100 dust for the first match played each day, as well as the first match won every day and for every level beyond 20.

With the release of Update 1.4, players will find that all items in their inventory will be converted into the amount of dust that would previously have been needed to craft them. Players that were using previous customisation options that no longer with with the new appearance system will have those items converted into unique titles.

The full patch notes are available to read on the official Wands website. For future coverage of Wands and updates to other VR titles, keep checking back with VRFocus.

June 20, 2018

New Trailer Released For Wands Update 1.4

Earlier this month it was announced by developer Cortopia Studios that a new update for their virtual reality (VR) multiplayer experience would be releasing, bringing with it a new map for players to battle in. Titled the Sanctum of Sahir, the map is planned to be included in the 1.4 update and now the developers have released a trailer to showcase the map in its stunning beauty.

In Wands, players go up against each other as a powerful magic user who must use all sorts of spells to take down the other sorcerers and be victorious. Players have to make use of a number of items around each arena to unlock more powerful spells which can give them a serious edge in battle. This includes both offensive and defensive abilities.

The new update will bring with it the aforementioned Sanctum of Sahir arena, which takes players into the depths of the mysterious realm called the beyond. Made up off multiple sections, the magical duals will unfold as a sandstorm and deadly poison sweep across the map. Starting outside of the temple the battle will quickly move inside this burial chamber as the fight gets more intense and action packed. As you will be able to see in the below trailer the map looks to have some interesting areas in which players will be able to get the jump on their foes. Just make sure to know the map before you engage in a fight.

Just last month it was announced that Cortopia Studios had acquired Zenz VR, who is currently working on an unannounced fourth VR project. It was also last month that support for Wands had been announced to be coming to new platforms including the Lenovo Mirage Solo and Oculus Go. This means players using the Lenovo Mirage Solo can take advantage of the WorldSesne 6DoF tracking along with enjoying the title on the go.

The Sanctum of Sahir will be included in the Wands 1.4 update patch which will be going live on 26th June and be available for all supported platforms; Oculus Go, Gear VR, Oculus Rift, Google Daydream, HTC Vive and Pico. For all the latest on Wands in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

June 13, 2018

New Update Appears for Wands

The spell-slinging virtual reality (VR) title Wands from Cortopia Studios has been out for quite some time, first making its appearance on Samsung Gear VR before moving on to Google Daydream and then getting a high-end upgrade on Oculus Rift. The developers are now announcing a new update with The Sanctum of Sahir.

Wands is a multiplayer experience in which the player takes the role of a magic user who is seeking to defeat other sorcerers, who are, of course, other players.

Players can find various ancient relics in order to unlock various powerful spells in order to use them again other players. Spells range from the range offensive fireball, the melee-focussed electric fist attack to defensive shields.

The new update, titled The Sanctum of Sahir will unlock a new arena map, which has been discovered in the depths of the mysterious nether realm called the Beyond.

The map will feature three separate sections through which the magical duels will progress through as a sandstorm and deadly poison sweep across the map. The battle will start outside a huge ancient temple and ends within the burial chamber of a forgotten king.

The developers have been keen on frequently bringing in new updates, and since launch several new environments have been added, such as Aspis Prison, Temple of Ophidian, Celestial Halls, Dead Master’s Vale and Ortus Station and several new arenas and new spells.

Wands has also expanded its support to incorporate support for the newly launched standalone headsets the Lenovo Mirage Solo and Oculus Go. On the Lenovo Mirage Solo, players will be able to take advantage of the WorldSense 6DoF tracking as well as enjoying the ability to take the title with them wherever they go.

Sanctum of Sahir will form part of the Wands 1.4 update patch which is due to be launched later this month. For further news and coverage of VR projects, keep checking back with VRFocus.

June 4, 2018

Cortopia Group Successfully Raises $1.4 million to Help Accelerate VR/AR Development

Having announced the acquisition of Zens VR and the creation of a new umbrella organisation, Cortopia Group, virtual reality (VR) developer Cortopia Studios has just revealed the closure of a new funding round for the group.

Wands Giant Skeleton

The Cortopia Group has managed to raise an additional 12 million SEK ($1.4 million USD) in a funding round that closed on 30th April, 2018. This new funding round will help accelerate the Group’s R&D of new VR, augmented reality (AR), and esports initiatives alongside support of Zenz VR which joined the Cortopia Group on 27th April.

“Mobile AR is accelerating quicker than we first anticipated and in order to remain competitive, we need to embrace the advances in technology and the ways in which users show us they want to play games,” says Cortopia Group CEO, Andreas Skoglund in a statement. “With the release of ARCore by Google and Apple’s ARKit, building compelling AR experiences is more appealing than ever before and this additional funding round will allow us to pursue additional paths for our group.”

HordeZ Screenshot

Cortopia Studios’ VR development will continue with its successful PvP combat title Wands, which supports most VR headsets and cross-platform gameplay. Originally launched for Gear VR before expanding to other mobile and PC-based headsets – most recently Oculus Go and Lenovo Mirage Solo – Wands pits wizard against wizard in strategic duels where players not only have to look out for enemies but also the dangerous world around them.

Zenz VR’s three titles HordeZ, X-Fire VR, and Xion are now under the Cortopia Group banner, plus Zenz VR has confirmed work on a fourth VR project although no details have been released just yet.

An update for Wands (version 1.4) is expected soon, with the team having previously revealed it a few months back. When those details arrive VRFocus will let you know.

May 29, 2018

Wands Developer Cortopia Studios Acquires Zenz VR

Cortopia Studios, the developer behind popular multi-platform, PVP title Wands has announced the creation of Cortopia Group. And with its creation Zenz VR has now been acquired and brought under the group’s umbrella.

HordeZ Screenshot

The acquisition brings Zenz VR’s three titles HordeZ, X-Fire VR, and Xion to the Cortopia Group as well as a fourth unnamed title currently in development. HordeZ came to HTC Vive in 2016, the first of Zenz VR’s VR projects. Currently available through Steam, followup titles X-Fire VR, and Xion are currently in Steam Early Access.

Wands has gone from strength to strength since its initial launch on Samsung Gear VR. The magical combat experience which pits players against one another across interactive battle arenas is available on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Google Daydream, Oculus Go and Lenovo Mirage Solo.

“Building on the success of our cross-platform VR title Wands, Cortopia Group is keeping a pulse on the top studios that fit our ambition for excellence in VR,” says Cortopia Group CEO, Andreas Skoglund in a statement. “Cortopia is an effective team of talented VR creators and have shown that we can develop incredible experiences that capture the hearts and minds of VR enthusiasts. We are thrilled to lend our support to Zenz VR to help them do what they do best, and to expand our studios influence in the industry.”

Xion

“Zenz VR is delighted to be joining Cortopia Group,” adds Niklas Persson, games industry veteran, founder and CEO of Zenz VR. “The Cortopia team has been very pleasant to work with and I am excited to continue as CEO of Zenz VR in this next exciting chapter for our company.”

While Zenz VR is working on a new VR project, Cortopia Studios continues to develop Wands, with patch 1.4 revealed in March. This will see character customisation options introduced as well as a whole new arena, new spells and a tutorial mode. As further details are released, VRFocus will keep you posted.