If you’ve ever wanted to ask Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve Corporation, a question — then tomorrow may be your lucky day. We first noted the news reported by PCGamer, that the date and time were revealed through screenshots of email communication both Reddit moderator Jedi Burrell from The_Gaben subreddit and Steam moderator R3TR1X had with Newell. The AMA is happening at The_Gaben subreddit tomorrow, Tuesday, January 17th, at 3PM PST. The confirmation thread is right here.
For those unaware, a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) is when someone hosts a thread on the site, along with confirmation they are who they say they are, allowing users to login and ask them any questions they want. When you’re Newell, an industry icon that’s commanded a massive fan following, a relatively large turnout is expected. In fact, when AMAs get very popular, it’s often difficult for the hosts to keep up with the constant barrage of questions. Newell will likely have to pick and choose which ones he answers.
Newell has long been a champion of the VR industry. Valve as a company co-created the Vive with HTC, using its Steam marketplace as the go-to source of content for the budding piece of consumer technology. In August of last year during the DOTA 2 International Championships, the co-founder and president stated that he had been spending ‘most of’ his time with the VR team. While we are still waiting on that big killer app (such as VR iterations for Half-Life, Left4Dead, Portal, or something original) from the PC gaming powerhouse, Valve’s (and as a result the Vive’s) contributions to VR as an industry have been wide and far-reaching thus far.
You can check into the Reddit AMA thread tomorrow, Tuesday, January 17th, at 3PM PST over on The_Gaben subreddit. Exact details such as which topics he’d like to discuss or how long it will last are unknown but as is the case with these sorts of things most of the time, it’ll likely be open season once the internet descends upon the thread.
Do you plan on tuning in tomorrow? Which types of questions do you want to be see answered? Let us know in the comments below!
The HTC Vive is finally getting integrated headphones later this year, and co-creator Valve’s latest acquisition could help you get the most out of them.
The SteamVR maker has picked up 3D audio company Impulsonic for an undisclosed sum, as confirmed on the company’s website. In a statement the team noted that it will use Valve’s “resources and expertise” to “push Phonon and VR audio” to a new level. Phonon is a physically-based sound propagation and 3D audio solution that Impulsonic has been developing for use with VR software. It’s available as a plug-in for development engines like Unity and Unreal.
It’s been a while since the company has demoed its tech, but you can see (or, more accurately, hear) the state it was in a year ago at CES 2016 below.
Over on Twitter, the company assured that it would continue work on Phonon, with the next release set to include “major updates”. The most recent version, 1.7 ‘Sylvester’, was released last August.
Impulsonic will be moving into Valve’s offices in Bellevue, Washington “over the coming weeks”. Further details of the acquisition, including just how much Valve paid for the team, have not been disclosed. We’ve reached out to Valve directly to ask about the company’s plans for its new team.
3D audio is a vital part of making VR experiences convincing and immersive. What you’re hearing inside a headset is just as important as what you’re seeing, as you’ll need voices and other effects to sound accurate based on both distance and the direction you’re facing in relation to their origin. Without good audio it can be hard to believe you’re truly in another place, and hopefully Valve will be working with Impulsonic to make quality 3D audio available to a wide range of VR developers.
Impulsonic had previously signed up to Razer’s open virtual reality ecosystem, OSVR. “We wish to thank all of the users and beta-testers who have helped us bring Phonon and VR Audio this far; we hope you will continue to support us as we begin the next stage of our journey,” the team’s statement concludes. “We’ll have more to announce soon.”
Happy New Year! The very first list of releases for the year doesn’t have a heavy roster, adding a handful of casual experiences and escape the room content. With the two highlights, though, we have games pushing into a newer format for VR and one potentially setting the bar for another. Visual novels have a solid niche corner in gaming, but devs are still feeling around on translating the narrative genre to VR. Archipelago is a living comic book that you explore as the stories take place and may or may not work out in this format. Manastorm: Champions of G’nar is tackling the card game genre, one of the first types of games people expected to explode in the VR ecosystem. With it’s mechanic of throwing the cards onto the battlefield along with a room scale area to create more spells and enchantments, it’s showing new tricks for future card or board games.
We also have a top list of the absolute best HTC Vive games — which is updated every few months with the latest and greatest options.
GoalkeepVR, from DigitalBadger
Price: $3.59 (Currently Discounted)
GoalkeepVR is a soccer goalie sim with 8 different modes to challenge your coordination and reflexes as you knock down a constant barrage of soccer balls with different rules.
Recommendation: Fluid with enough challenges to make this a really solid buy. Grab it if you’re running out of new content.
Archipelago: Navigable VR Comic, from Walkie Entertainment
Price: $4.24 (Currently Discounted)
Archipelago: Navigable VR Comic attempts to bring the graphic novel format into a virtual world that can be explored. The stories unfold before you and you wander to catch the characters dialogue to put the story together.
Recommendation: Very cool that may be a bit overwhelming in the way it’s presented. Keep an eye on this one.
Recommendation: Inexpensive with tons of potential for fun. Give it a go.
AudioBeats, from Famiku
Price: $5.99 (Currently Discounted)
AudioBeats is entering into the meager VR rhythm genre and bringing a lot of flash to the scene. The VR form of input adds a layer of difficulty to this title that tries to stay true to its roots.
Recommendation: At its sale price, it may be worth grab but there’s not a ton of content to play at the current moment. Keep an eye on it.
Unknown Pharaoh, from 4 Fun Studio
Price: $5.99
Take control of an archaeologist and explore an ancient Egyptian pyramid using arm swing locomotion in adventure game Unknown Pharaoh. You’re in for about an hour of content as you decipher hieroglyphs and find artifacts.
Recommendation: Price pairs okay with length, but still not a lot to do. Pass on this one for now.
Recommendation: Good casual fun with solid archery mechanics. Worth the grab at the price if you’re not tired of casual shooters.
Perch, from Douglas Liang
Price: $4.79 (Currently Discounted)
In a war between a believer of the world being round and an assailant who declares the world if flat, stand upon your Perch and take down an army of naysayers.
Recommendation: Keep an eye on this game to see if the premise and gameplay expand in Early Access. Could be a solid buy.
Blortasia, from Shape Space VR
Price: $4.99
The man behind the VFX of films like Ghost Rider and Fifth Element gives us an opportunity to fly around a Blortasia; a twisted world of abstract, evolving sculptures.
The Cabin: VR Escape the Room, from Blue Entropy Studios
Price: $3.99 (Currently Discounted)
In The Cabin: VR Escape the Room, you’re able to explore full cabin up to the rafters as you unravel the mystery of the dwelling and find your way out. Oh…and you may or may not be alone.
Recommendation: Another inexpensive, solid escape experience to add to your collection.
VR: The Puzzle Room, from Bellcat
Price: $12.99
VR: The Puzzle Room is yet another escape the room affair with a bit more dense of an interactive experience when compared to similar games.
Recommendation: If you value well-crafted escape at a bit of a higher price, this could be for you. But it’s nothing revolutionary.
Mesh Maker VR, from CreateThis.com
Price: $14.99
Mesh Maker is a 3D modeling tool based on vertices. Intuitive VR control and interface lessen the learning curve, allowing you to create freely.
Recommendation: Keep an eye on this as it evolves in Early Access. May eventually stand up to similar tools.
Happy Drummer VR, from Lusionsoft
Price: $5.39 (Currently Discounted)
Another rhythm game for the week, Happy Drummer VR lets you become a master of percussion with your two VR controllers while a collection of fantasy creatures jam to your music.
Recommendation: A steal for the price with a great deal of potential. Will likely evolve throughout Early Access.
Fovos VR, from OnSkull Games
Price: Free To Play
Fovos VR is a wave shooter set within a tense post-apocalyptic horror. In this world, an omnipotent AI is taking over humans via genetic implants and leaving zombie like husks.
Recommendation: Grab it for free to see if it grows, but beware motion sickness.
Manastorm: Champions of G’nar, from DaGGsSoft
Price: $4.99
This game takes traditional card games and brings the creatures to life as you sit at a table and toss your cards onto a battlefield. You also have room scale lab to create new spells and enchantment to help in combat.
Recommendation: Must have. There’s a lot of potential here to further VR card and board game genre. Fans of the genre are missing options on the Vive right now.
Escape the Bunker, from Virtual Escapes, Inc.
Price: $4.99
Explore half a dozen connected rooms and traverse various puzzles as you attempt to Escape the Bunker. Depending on your deductive skills, the experience lasts about 40 minutes to over an hour.
Recommendation: Glitchy with poor physics. Pass.
Marimba VR, from Ruby Games
Price: $1.49 (Currently Discounted)
Tapping into the slim VR instrumental sim ecosystem, Marimba VR gives you a way to practice percussion on a virtually recreated version of the instrument without a huge investment.
Recommendation: If you want to learn the instrument, this is a cheap path to your goal.
As we move into 2017 and Steam’s lavish winter sale comes to a close, Valve has revealed the best selling games of the last year. Sadly, VR doesn’t really trouble the list.
That’s to be expected, of course, given that most Steam games require just a gaming PC and not an expensive headset on top to be played, but Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and OSVR-supported games do make a small appearance in the recently-published list of 100 games that grossed the most revenue over those 366 days.
Valve understandably didn’t provide specific information about how much these games have sold and their total revenue, but it did split the winners into Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze categories. The only game to support VR in the Platinum group is the company’s own DOTA 2, an iconic free-to-play MOBA that features a VR viewing mode with the HTC Vive, added in August 2016. It’s not possible to actually play the game in VR, sadly, so we doubt VR support did much to contribute to the money DOTA 2 made.
Up next in the Gold category is Studio Wildcard’s popular survival game, ARK: Survival Evolved, which has featured Rift support since the DK2 days but added retail Rift support in August. Despite integrating the consumer device, ARK isn’t actually available on Oculus Home right now (it’s still in Early Access), so it’s possible that headset owners have helped boost this one somewhat. A VR-only spin-off, ARK Park, is due to release this year.
The Silver category has two popular VR compatible games, too. One is Subnautica, from Unknown Worlds Entertainment, which offers diving across Rift, Vive and OSVR. The other is Gaijin Entertainment’s War Thunder, a long-running World War 2 era online action game. Again, VR support isn’t mandatory in either.
Finally we have the Bronze category with one last VR compatible title: Elite: Dangerous [Review: 8/10]. Frontier’s massive space sim is another long-time supporter of headsets. The game’s coming to PS4 this year, but no word on PlayStation VR support just yet.
We can only speculate as to how many players are actually using VR in these apps, but we’ve reached out to the respective developers to see if they’d be willing to provide any data.
In addition to the limited install bases, it’s important to remember that some apps like CCP Games’ EVE: Valkyrie [Review: 9/10] will have had their sales split between both Steam and Oculus Home as well as other digital storefronts this year, and Rift users have been encouraged by Oculus to buy things from its store and not Valve’s.
Despite the lack of VR-only games in the list, 2016 wasn’t without its success stories for Rift and Vive developers. Earlier in the year we reported that both Cloudhead Games and Survios had made over $1 million with their respective (then Vive-only) releases, The Gallery Episode 1 [Review: 8/10] and Raw Data. We’ve also seen games like Pool Nation VR (now Sports Bar VR) periodically find their way into Steam’s current top sellers list.
This next year needs to be all about getting more headsets onto more heads if VR developers are going to have a shot at getting onto the 2017 best sellers list.
Dante Buckley has had a whirlwind of a year. In August, the 20 year old released one of the Vive’s most beloved shooters, Onward. Next month, he’ll move into the offices of Valve itself.
Buckley isn’t straight up joining the SteamVR maker, but instead moving into its offices in Bellevue, Washington to continue work on his game during January. Writing in an update on Onward‘s Steam page, the developer revealed that Valve had invited him to come work in the offices for the month as he continued to improve the game looking ahead to 2017.
Buckley said that “this means that many more awesome developments are coming in Onward‘s future,” though he didn’t get into specifics today. He did, however, say that a new update for the game will be out soon, which should introduce some bug fixes.
It’s a massive announcement for Buckley, who has been a one-man development team behind Onward. The developer dropped out of college when he was just 18 to work on the game, which became a surprise hit. Onward is a multiplayer first-person shooter that’s more ARMA than Counter-Strike, with realistic gameplay. The game is currently in Early Access, though Buckley aims to release the full version at some point in 2017.
We spoke to Buckley earlier this year about his experience making Onward.
He isn’t the first developer to spend time working internally at Valve; Budget Cuts developer Neat Corporation also spent a month working there this year. These short stays will no doubt be of huge benefit to indie studios, giving them experience and resources from the company not only behind the HTC Vive but also legendary games like Half-Life and Portal too.
If you want to send some congratulations Buckley’s way then Onward is currently discounted in Steam’s Winter Sale as it nears its end. If you’ve already got it, then why not recommend it to a friend? We certainly would.
If you’re anything like me, you’re a little sick of waiting on Valve to actually make a big game for VR. The Lab is a great showcase for the Vive, but it’s just a mini-game collection. I want something I can actually sink my teeth into and lose hours in, recapturing the many late nights we’ve all spent playing Half-Life and Portal. I might well get my wish next year, but indie developer Zulubo Productions has something that might tide us over in the meantime.
Vertigo feels like a VR tribute to Valve. It’s like a mix of the developer’s two celebrated series molded and beaten into shape to fit VR. All it needs is a sprinkling of Left4Dead and I’d be calling some lawyers.
That’s not to say Vertigo doesn’t have a lot of originality to it. The game starts as you head to Washington to investigate a series of strange lights, and you suddenly find yourself warped to a labyrinthine underground facility that houses a Quantum Reactor. You set about finding a means of escape, clearing different floors by solving environmental puzzles and defeating enemies using a stun baton in one hand and a laser pistol in the other.
You’ll also get a teleportation device that opens up portals you pull yourself through (one of the cooler locomotion techniques I’ve seen) and it also slows down time, which is handy for a number of puzzles.
Walking through the facility feels almost exactly like exploring Black Mesa in the original Half-Life. It’s a massive site with weaving corridors connecting enormous rooms littered with scientific equipment. You can even draw comparisons between the stun baton and Gordon Freeman’s iconic crowbar. All there’s there to differentiate it, ironically, is occasional and humorous intercom messages that invoke GLaDOS from Portal.
Vertigo wears its inspirations on its sleeves and that’s not a problem. Just attempting a Half-Life-like adventure makes it one of VR’s more ambitious indie games. The bigger environments are designed just as they would be in a 2D game, without the considerations of sluggish VR locomotion. Its’ refreshing to see that sort of scale in a first-person VR game, even if it is painfully slow to navigate, either through teleportation or using the grip buttons to walk forward.
It’s got the kind of variety in gameplay that you’d seek in one of those titles, too. In one room you’ll be fighting off swarms of robotic baddies with your back against the wall, while in the next you’ll have to navigate a flooded section to get to the other side.
Ultimately, though, the game’s just a little too rough around the edges to make it an absolute must play. Checkpoints, for example, are few and far between, and you’ll have to repeat a lot of gameplay to get back to where you died. That’s especially frustrating when death can come from simply being pushed off of the side of a ledge by accident, or being overwhelmed by the enemy with nowhere to hide and recover. An early boss fight is particularly annoying, making you swipe at incoming tentacles with demanding efficiency despite being given seconds to react.
There are also some confusing sections, like just before this boss. I survived a huge fall down a sheer drop and spent 10 minutes venturing down a cave, only to find it blocked. I must have spent a few hours exploring for the correct path before I finally realized I should have backtracked before the fall to trigger the next sequence. You get the sense the game needs a bit of a tidy up, one more look through to see what platforms and bad guys could be pulled from existence to ensure a smoother experience.
Final Score: 7/10 – Good
I’d be tempted to give Vertigo a higher score if the design was a bit tighter and I wasn’t sure that it will look a little dated very quickly. That’s not to say Zulubo Productions shouldn’t be very proud at what they’ve achieved here: a very decent stab at bringing a Half-Life-style adventure to VR. There aren’t many studios that can say they’re attempting that right now. For that reason alone, this is a game that deserves your support, but be prepared to put up with some rough spots.
You can purchase Vertigo from Steam at a price of $14.99 with official support for the HTC Vive with tracked motion controllers in either standing or room-scale configuration. Read our Game Review Guidelines for more information on how we arrived at this score.
The Oculus Rift, created by Facebook-owned Oculus VR, launched on March 28th, 2016, with the HTC and Valve-created Vive headset launching just a week later on April 5th, 2016. Now with yesterday’s launch of the Oculus Touch motion controllers, both platforms are capable of hand-tracked, roomscale, virtual reality experiences that can truly transport you to faraway and fictional worlds of excitement and wonder. Throw in the releases of the PlayStation VR, the PlayStation 4 Pro, the Google Daydream platform, and countless other advancements and it’s clear that 2016 was truly the year that VR began its mainstream adoption.
Now, almost exactly 8 months after the Vive’s release, out of over 25,000 total pieces of software on the platform, Steam is now officially home to over 1,000 games, experiences, and applications with official VR support of some kind. That includes VR-only titles, apps that got VR updates after releasing without VR, and any other types of experiences that allows you to use a VR headset — regardless of manufacturer. It’s a major milestone. Just a few months ago in July, we reported on the fact that there were over 400 titles, meaning that approximately 600 have been added in the 5 months since then.
In October, it was stated at Steam Dev Days that over 1,000 new VR users were entering the platform each and every day. The accuracy and details of that statement are still unclear, but it seems safe to say that the industry’s growth has been strong as of late. The studios behind Raw Data and The Gallery: Call of the Starseedhave each made over $1 million, for example.
Now, let’s break down those numbers a little bit. As of the time of this writing, of the 1,006 apps on Steam that support VR interfaces, 963 of them support the HTC Vive, 810 of them officially support the Oculus Rift, and 278 of them support OSVR. Of all of the 1,006 apps, 818 use tracked motion controllers and 709 support room-scale functionality. Of the 1,006 apps, I’d wager a healthy majority of them are demos or otherwise short, experimental experiences. But content is content and the growth is strong, regardless.
As we move into 2017 with more and more new VR titles releasing each and every week, it’s only a matter of time before we cross that 2,000 app mark.
Last week we let you know about 10 great SteamVR games that work well with the Rift and Touch by default. Now that the Touch controllers have officially released into the world, we decided to tackle the topic in a bit more detail. How well do the Oculus Touch controllers work with SteamVR apps that are only designed with Vive in mind? Is anything unplayable? What are the common hiccups and limitations? Is it even worth buying things that may or may not get official support?
First of all, calm down, because that’s a lot of questions. Second of all, I’ll be sure to answer them as best I can. It’s impossible to test each and every game on Steam using Touch simply because there are nearly 1,000 VR supported games and applications on Steam right now, over 800 of which feature some type of tracked motion controller support. Of those 800, all of them support the HTC Vive officially, whereas only 180 support the Oculus Rift. Of those, not all of them are optimized for Touch, but rather may be optimized for the Razer Hydra, or another third-party peripheral.
The short version is that Touch is very new and most VR motion controller games on Steam don’t support either the Rift or the Touch officially right now. But that doesn’t mean they won’t work anyway or get official support in the future, thus here we are. Here’s everything you need to know.
Set Up Process
Assuming you don’t own a Rift already, you’ll want to go through the entire setup process from start to finish — including your Touch controllers. If you do have a Rift already, then you can just worry about setting up your Touch controllers. Depending on the configuration you choose, you may use either two or three sensors. Two front-facing sensors is the standard arrangement for using Touch in a 180-degree setup and will enable you to play all of the Oculus Touch titles on Oculus Home. However, two sensors diagonally across the room enables experimental 360-degree tracking, which should support all standing playspace apps on Steam.
But if you spring for a third sensor, then you can access roomscale tracking, which allows you to more freely move around and across the entire room inside the headset using your controllers. That’s what we compared to the Vive in our detailed roomscale breakdown here. You’ll need roomscale capabilities to play many of the best SteamVR titles.
After completing the Oculus Home setup process, you’ll want to launch Steam VR and launch the “Run Room Setup” option. This will walk you through the process for either a standing or roomscale arrangement, depending on your configuration. Everything’s very self-explanatory and Steam should automatically detect your sensors, both Touch controllers, and your Rift itself.
As of the time of this writing, the beta branch of SteamVR has fully enabled haptic feedback for the Touch controllers, finally, and remapped many of the default button configurations. For example, a week ago, accessing the SteamVR overlay inside the Rift using Touch meant pressing the A button (or maybe it was the B button?) on your right hand, which felt awkward. Now it’s the menu button on your left hand, which feels much more natural. You can still get to Oculus Home by pressing the right-handed menu button, just like you would in any VR app through Home.
Essentially, you’re running the Oculus SDK in the background with SteamVR running over the top of it. Once you finish all of that, virtually every SteamVR app — whether it claims to support the Rift or not — should run. In the case of Google Earth VR, you may need to trick it into running, since Google decided to limit that program to Vive only for now. But for the most part, you should be able to get Vive games running with your Rift and Touch.
The Limitations
Now things start to get a bit tricky. While every VR app on Steam should open up and play inside your Rift without any questions, the Vive and Rift do have some minor differences. If it isn’t officially supported by the developer, it may have some performance issues or slight variations in how well things run.
In the case of the Touch controllers, things are even more varied. To understand why, you have to understand the differences between the controllers themselves. The Vive wands are vertical devices that you grasp your hand around with rings on top. On the face of the device you’ll find a large track pad which you can move your hand around as a touchpad, or also click in various spots to access different functions. Above that is a button that can access options or items and below that is a menu button that can also be used to turn on the controller, then on the sides, where your fingers wrap around, you’ll find the grip buttons, often used for picking up objects in games. Finally, beneath the ring at the back is a trigger that you pull for shooting and selecting things inside the game world.
The Touch controllers are a bit different. Instead of a trackpad, they feature a more traditional analog stick on each controller, each of which can also be clicked in. There is also a right and left Touch controller that feature both A and B as well as X and Y buttons, respectively, as well as menu buttons on each device. On the sides of each controller is a grip button and a trigger underneath, similar to the Vive. So the biggest differences are the lack of ambidexterity (each Touch controller is built for either the left or right hand while Vive controllers work in either hand) and the inclusion of a control stick over a trackpad.
Initially, this may not seem like a big deal, but it actually can be in some cases. For example, in Tilt Brush, you use the touchpad on your offhand to slide a scale to increase the brush’s width. With a touchpad, when your thumb reaches the edge and you’ve maxed it out, you simply lift your thumb off and the input stops. In the case of a Touch controller, releasing the stick resets it to the middle, canceling out part of your input. The same thing happens regardless of the direction you tilt the stick, making it difficult to use some options in certain VR apps. In Tilt Brush, I found a workaround by exiting out of a menu while sliding the width option preserved it without defaulting back when I released the control stick.
Another example is with Onward, a military simulation shooter. It works great once you get the hang of everything, but one of the trickiest parts involves reloading. Each gun operates differently, so it takes a bit of getting used to your weapon of choice, but in some cases on the Vive you’d click the bottom part of the touchpad down on your dominant hand to release the magazine, but on the Oculus Touch, I found that pressing the analog stick down, then clicking it, felt far less natural.
The same goes for teleportation in apps like The Lab, which ask you to click the touchpad and point to teleport. On the Oculus Touch, clicking a thumbstick repeatedly to move around gets old pretty fast. Arizona Sunshine, when played on the Touch via Oculus Home, lets you teleport by simply tilting the stick instead of clicking it — an example of specific optimization.
The natural orientation for holding a Vive wand is vertically, like you would a hammer, whereas your hands wraps around the Oculus Touch controllers and the app in question may interpret that orientation as you pointing the controller down. The result is that some games, such as The Brookhaven Experiment, may think you’re pointing the gun downward or in some other direction because it isn’t optimized entirely for the controller you’re using.
Finally, and these are the most minor issues, because of how much wider the ring is around the Touch controller vs. the ring at the top of the Vive controller (relative to its position in your hand) causes the Touch controllers to collide sometimes when doing two-handed actions in certain apps. Usually this can be resolved by just positioning your hands a bit differently, but bumping them together by accident can be immersion breaking. Also, you’ll probably have to look at virtual Vive controllers in most games unless developers decide to model in Oculus Touch Touch controllers in an update.
The Future
We explained all of this to make it clear how things stand currently. Yes, most SteamVR Vive games run on the Rift with Touch, but not all of them are optimized for it. You’ll find issues here and there until more developers add in official support — if they even decide to. With Valve working on its own new experimental prototype controllers that stylistically resemble the Oculus Touch controllers, we could be moving closer to a world of unity between platforms, but only time will tell.
The Nintendo Entertainment system launched in 1985 with less than 20 titles for consumers to choose from. This year the world’s first high-end consumer virtual reality headsets launched and there are already hundreds of different apps, games and experiences available for them. Finding content is not an issue for today’s VR customer. What is a problem is the quality of and access to said content. Today at least one of those problems is being addressed as a new Steam update brings OSVR support to the world’s largest VR content marketplace.
Steam is the massively successful PC software distribution platform created by Valve. It is also the home of Steam VR which allows the owners of both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets access to hundreds of VR games and applications. Today, the creators of OSVR — another popular online distribution platform for VR programs — revealed that a new update to Steam would merge the two services and ensure that, “universal VR content is now accessible through a single point of distribution.”
Universalism is a drum that the VR scene has been beating since before the hardware was even officially available. Oculus infamously opted to sidestep Steam all together and create it’s own online marketplace, dubbed Oculus Home, filled with titles that are accessible on the Oculus Rift. Valve, on the other hand, helped create the Vive alongside HTC and became associated with a more open platform by allowing Steam VR experiences to be accessed by both Rift and Vive.
It should be noted, however, that in the latter situation, Valve is earning millions off of VR sales. Without Oculus Home, Oculus would have no way to generate substantial revenue off of its own content, which is the entire business model behind VR headsets, video game consoles, and other consumer hardware.
And, of course, PlayStation VR is its own entirely separate entity as well with a full stable of Sony first, second, and third party content studios to support itself — as well as the PlayStation Network and PSN Store to serve as the gateways to that content.
OSVR describes itself as:
“The world’s largest open source VR software platform designed to set an open standard for virtual reality input devices, games, and output to enable the development of a cohesive VR ecosystem which provides enhanced compatibility and hardware choices to anyone looking to enjoy VR.”
The OSVR update to Steam is available immediately. OSVR enabled titles will be signified by a special new icon and will be searchable as well within the interface.
Now that the HTC Vive has been out for a while, we’ve seen a tremendous amount of content flow onto Valve’s flagship VR headset. Hundreds of games live on Steam with HTC Vive support, although it’s worth clarifying that the majority of them offer very little in the way of engaging content beyond a simple gameplay mechanic that’s fun for 30 minutes.
As a result, we feel the need to provide a definitive source with an up-to-date list regarding the very best Vive games that you can play right now. We’ll keep an eye on the VR gaming landscape and update this list over time, as appropriate, to better represent what’s available.
Obviously, it goes without saying that the first three Vive games you should play are the original three that came bundled with the Vive’s very first preorders: Tilt Brush, Job Simulator, and Fantastic Contraption. While Job Simulator and Fantastic Contraption may not be bundled any longer, they’re still awesome demonstrations of what VR can accomplish by focusing on very specific concepts. Additionally, The Gallery, and Zombie Training Simulator, are included with all current Vive bundles, and also deserve recognition as being excellent games in their own right. And Google Earth VR is one of the best apps period, but it’s not really a game technically.
But this list is focused on games you don’t have access to out of the box. If you just got a Vive or are cruising for something to play, you already tried the bundle games. You want something more. And that’s where this list comes in.
None of these games come bundled with the device, prices will likely change depending on which week or month you’re reading this list, and chances are they’ll all receive updates and patches making them even better than they are today. But the fact remains that at the time of writing, these are the 9 must-play Vive games available right now, in no particular order.
The Lab
Not only is The Lab free to download and specifically created by Valve for the HTC Vive, but it’s also one of the best demonstrations of not just VR, but room scale as well. Instead of masquerading as a glorified tech demo pretending to be a real game, it’s just a collection of short demo experiences. Each of them focus on something specific and really show you how much potential exists for developers in the future.
Longbow, for example, puts you atop a castle wall as an archer that’s tasked with shooting invaders. It sounds simple but it’s incredibly addicting. Then there’s Xortex, which is a clever twist on the classic shoot ‘em up genre that puts you in control of a ship in 3D space as you move and zip around by dodging and shooting lasers from every direction. It’s free and it’s super high-quality, you’d be crazy not to download this one immediately.
Raw Data
Raw Data is what happens when a group of game developers get together and posit a virtual world where all of the protagonists get to be super-powered, cyborg-killing, badass heroes. It can be easy to brush this one off as “just another wave shooter,” but that would be a gross oversimplification of the game. You don’t just face off against robots and call it a day, but instead move around the environment and set up defenses, dodge attacks, and more.
What makes Raw Data so great though is that you’re not just fighting these robots by yourself, but you can do so in cooperative multiplayer with friends or random people over the internet. The multitude of different classes — such as a pistol-wielder and sword-wielder — lend a lot of variety to the experience. With more classes coming, as well as more missions, powers, and enemies, this is easily one of the most polished and robust Early Access VR titles on the market.
Vanishing Realms
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play D&D with a hint of Zelda in VR? Then look no further because Vanishing Realms could very well scratch that pesky itch. On the surface, it’s a relatively bare bones dungeon crawler with some light exploration and puzzle elements, but where the game really shines is when you’re thrust into combat.
Using the Vive’s motion controllers and room scale technology, you maneuver around the environment to dodge enemies and attacks and can even swing your sword and block with your shield all using real-life 1:1 motion tracking. Hear a bow string twang from behind? Spin around and block the arrow with your shield. Duck behind cover and cast spells at enemies. You can do it all in Vanishing Realms.
Onward
This is the hardcore VR shooter for hardcore VR gamers. If you grew up playing games like Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, SOCOM, and other similar tactical military shooters, then you’ll feel right at home in Onward. It has much more in common with the grueling teamwork of those games than the run-and-gun hip firing found in modern shooters like Call of Duty, and it was all created by one guy.
From holding your rifle with both hands and using your walkie talkie on your shoulder, to pulling out your knife to sneak up on an opponent, Onward is the visceral, realistic VR game many people have been waiting for. It uses full roomscale tracking with motion controllers and artificial locomotion attached to the trackpad — no teleporting here. The community is healthy and fun, making this one of the clear standout titles for the HTC Vive so far.
A Chair in a Room: Greenwater
What does it take to scare you? I don’t mean to make you jump in surprise from something that pops up as you round a corner in the darkness, or a loud noise that catches you off guard. I mean what does it take to really, really frighten you? The kind of scare that leaves you thinking about it after you take off the headset and stop playing the game. That answer is likely very different for everyone, but for me, the answer is A Chair in a Room: Greenwater.
Everything from the pacing, to the foreboding sounds and atmosphere, all the way to the twisted story of mental illness and terrifying captivity, A Chair in a Room: Greenwater is one of the scariest games I’ve played on the HTC Vive. Instead of relying on cheap jump scares, it builds a suspenseful narrative that concludes in a breathtaking ending. It’s far from perfect, but it’s a great example of what’s possible with the horror genre in VR.
The Brookhaven Experiment
You’ve probably heard about it or seen it before, as The Brookhaven Experiment has become synonymous with, “Hey! Watch this person’s ridiculous reaction to fake stuff in VR!” But the great thing about The Brookhaven Experiment is that if you look beyond the silly reaction videos and dig into the meat of the game, what you’ll find is one of the most satisfying (albeit terrifying) VR experiences currently on the market.
You can plow through the game’s Survival mode, completing waves as they get progressively harder and more intense, as well as the Campaign mode, which features a pseudo-plot and voice acting to push the story along. Between waves you’ll upgrade your weapons and prepare for the onslaught of more zombies, crawlers, and other creepy beasts. It sounds simple, but the slowly building dread you’ll face as you spin around searching for that last zombie — just as your flashlight dies — is truly unnerving.
Rec Room
You’ve got no excuse for not playing Rec Room. This whimsical gym simulation, complete with dorm rooms, a communal area, and tons of activities, is not only free to download and play for all Vive users, it’s also one of the most engaging experiences you can try in VR to date. When you first log into the world, you’ll start in your dorm room, alone, to get your bearings. Pick out your clothes, choose your appearance, and establish a bit of your virtual identity before meeting your peers.
From the main lobby, you can walk around and chat with other players, complete with high-fives, fist bumps, and incredibly emotive faces. Activities range from an exciting game of Paintball, Table Tennis, Dodgeball, and more. The premise is simple, but the execution is so loveable and on-point that it’s impossible to not play Rec Room with a smile on your face. It reminds us of the reasons we enjoy(ed) going to school: hanging out with friends.
Island: 359
It’s really a damn shame. But it seems like, in the year 2016, people have mostly forgotten how terrifying dinosaurs can be. They’ve been replaced mostly with zombies as the go-to monstrosity of choice, but little else can match the ferocity and terror from the roar of a towering T-Rex. That’s something that Island: 359 not only captures, but revels in from start to finish. It may currently only be a fraction of its planned vision, but it’s already delivering on much of its core promise.
In Island: 359, you’re a mercenary dropped into a dangerous tropical jungle on the hunt for big, bad dinos. You’ll be tasked with venturing into the depths of the sprawling tree-laden wilderness — a massive area — complete with free quick-sprint teleportation movement. With a litany of guns, items, and other upgrades to find, you’ll spend your time upgrading as you advance through the jungle. But be careful: your bounty won’t count if you can’t make it back to the chopper for evacuation.
Redout
This is WipeOut for the modern age. It’s a shameless imitation that does everything right and excels at its copy of Sony’s first-party racing title, updating it for 2016, and adding VR support to boot. It may not be a VR-only title like most of the others we tend to cover at UploadVR, but it’s still one of the best games you can play right now on the HTC Vive.
The speed is indescribably intense and the sheer breadth of content is refreshing for an industry that seems riddled with tech demos and brief experiences. Redout came out of nowhere to offer the speed, thrills, and intensity that the market was craving. Definitely grab this one if you haven’t already.
8/30/16 Update:The Gallery was moved into the ‘bundle’ paragraph at the start of the article, while Unseen Diplomacy, Space Pirate Trainer, and #SelfieTennis have been retired. The list has also been expanded from 7 games to 9, opening up 2 new spots. In the 5 total vacant slots, we’ve added Raw Data, A Chair in a Room: Greenwater, Island: 359, Battle Dome, and Rec Room.
This article was originally published on 4/13/16.
Editor’s Note: Another version of this list, specifically focused on multiplayer games, has been retired and will no longer be updated. This list is our definitive collection of the overall best Vive games we’ve identified as of the last time the list was updated.
