Mint Virtual Reality

Here's a handful of the best Alienware deals on laptops, desktops, and accessories for your battle station.

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Looking for cheap Razer deals? Here are all the latest bargains Razer laptops, gaming accessories, and more.

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No matter your budget or what sort of PC you're building, we've got the hottest cheap GPU deals right here.

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We've smoked out the best deals, featuring Mario, Super Smash Bros., and more

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With E3 right around the corner, here are eight games we expect to see at the show this year.

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The release of Population: One’s Team Deathmatch mode is imminent — BigBox VR revealed the game mode will be available from June 3 until June 14, alongside some other juicy details.

According to a post from developers BigBox VR on Reddit, the mode will see 2 teams of 6 players shoot it out — the first team to 30 kills will be the winner. There’s a 5 second respawn countdown, and rounds have a 15-minute maximum time limit in the event neither team reaches 30 kills.

In terms of the map, BigBox says that Team Deathmatch games “are confined to a small portion of the larger POP: ONE map, in areas like The Frontier or The Tower.” You’ll be able to gain Season Points by playing in Team Deathmatch, plus there will also be weekly and daily challenges for the mode as well.

From June 3, the new mode will be available from the ‘Play’ tab in game — just select the option to change modes, and Team Deathmatch should be listed. It will be available from June 3 but won’t be around indefinitely — the mode won’t be available in public lobbies after 12pm on June 14.

However, if you want to keep the deathmatch action going, you’ll be able to do so in custom rooms — the option to play Team Deathmatch will be available in custom room settings from June 14 onward. The Reddit post also says you will be able to ‘play Solos or other team sizes in Custom Rooms’ for Team Deathmatch.

Team Deathmatch will be available in public lobbies for Population: One from June 3 – 14. You can read our review of the VR battle royale here, and check out our summary of all the changes that arrived in season 2.

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Maloka, a new meditation app for Quest available on App Lab, offers calming, personalized environments and guided meditation sessions with stunning visuals.

There’s a number of experiences available for VR headsets that aim to offer a form of formal or informal meditation. Some of them offer guided audio sessions while others just place you in a zen environment where you can relax and let your thoughts take you where they want to. Maloka, a new App Lab experience on Quest, tries to find some middle-ground between the two and offer something unique for the VR medium.

As someone who practices mindfulness and occasionally dabbles in guided meditation, the thought of doing either with a VR headset strapped to me has never seemed overly appealing, nor relaxing. While I find the Quest 2 to be a comfortable headset across short sessions, I’ve never found a compelling reason to meditate inside VR when I could just do it normally instead. What does a VR meditation experience offer me that a regular guided meditation experience does not?

Maloka attempts to answer that question by bridging the two, and offering something a little different to how I would meditate in real life.

The app is available as both a VR app on App Lab and as a mobile app (currently only available for iOS, as far as I can tell) and you can go through guided meditations on either platform. You can also start your experience in VR or via mobile too — whichever you choose, everything will transfer over to the other with a linking code.

Maloka isn’t just a guided meditation app though — in VR, you open the app into your own personalized island, decorated with items you earn as rewards for completing meditation sessions. The island is also occupied by your spirit, a small anthropomorphic creature that you pick when signing up.

Normally, I wouldn’t be an advocate for gamifying meditation — if you need game-like motivation and rewards to do it, isn’t that kind of defeating the point? But in this case, I think it works. The rewards feel appropriate, not arbitrary, and it’s nice to be able to create your own personalized zen environment to start a meditation from. Over time, you’ll expand the decorations in your space with more items you’ve earned from regular meditation. It’s a nice system that plays into the themes of mindfulness and zen energy that meditation encourages, so it feels appropriate.

When using VR, the guided meditation sessions also offer something different to your standard audio guide. Instead of prompting you to close your eyes, you keep your eyes open and focus on a ever-changing vortex of circular psychedelic patterns that pulse in and out, slowly moving toward you, as pictured above. As you progress through the session, the guide encourages you to align your breathing with the contractions and expansions of the patterns. It’s soothing and a fantastic, entrancing alternative to closing your eyes.

The real boon here is that using the psychedelic patterns, and aligning your breathing to its movements, offers something more than your standard meditation experience outside of VR. Without it, there would be no real reasons to use Maloka over any other audio meditation service. Being able to then also effortlessly switch to the mobile app when you haven’t get your headset around you is also fantastic — if I don’t have time for a headset session, I can use the mobile app and still gain rewards to decorate my island with when I return to VR.

It’s a great free experience on App Lab — if you’re a long-time meditator looking for something different, or want an engaging experience to start you off, check out Maloka.

Maloka is available in beta on App Lab for Oculus Quest now.

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The PS4 has more indie games than Journey and Shovel Knight. Ranging from quirky to scary, here are the best.

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Every weekend VRFocus gathers together vacancies from across the virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) industry, in locations around the globe to help make finding that ideal job easier. Below is a selection of roles that are currently accepting applications across a number of disciplines, all within departments and companies that focus on immersive entertainment.

Location	Company	Role	Link
Stockholm, Sweden	Fast Travel Games	Concept Artist	Click Here to Apply
Stockholm, Sweden	Fast Travel Games	Technical Artist	Click Here to Apply
Stockholm, Sweden	Fast Travel Games	Senior Producer	Click Here to Apply
Stockholm, Sweden	Fast Travel Games	Lead Programmer/Technical Director	Click Here to Apply
Stockholm, Sweden	Fast Travel Games	Senior C++ Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Montreal, Canada	Unity	Senior Graphics Engineer, XR	Click Here to Apply
Montreal, Canada	Unity	Senior Software Developer, Advanced XR Team	Click Here to Apply
Montreal, Canada	Unity	Senior Software Developer in Test, XR – Graphics Automation	Click Here to Apply
Bellevue, WA	Unity	Senior Software Engineer, Advanced XR Team	Click Here to Apply
Bellevue, WA	Unity	Senior Software Engineer, Open XR	Click Here to Apply
Bellevue, WA	Unity	Senior Software Engineer, XR	Click Here to Apply
Bellevue, WA	Unity	Senior Software Engineer, XR Features	Click Here to Apply
Bellevue, WA	Unity	Senior Technical Program Manager, XR	Click Here to Apply
Brighton, UK	Unity	Senior Technical Writer, XR	Click Here to Apply
San Diego, CA	PTC	Technical Support Engineer, Senior	Click Here to Apply
Twin Cities/Remote	PTC	Software Development Engineer, Principal	Click Here to Apply
Vienna, Austria	PTC	Technical Support Community Specialist – AR	Click Here to Apply
Vienna, Austria	PTC	Software Development Engineer, Senior	Click Here to Apply
Vienna, Austria	PTC	Senior Software Engineer – AR	Click Here to Apply
US, Nationwide	PTC	AR Account Executive	Click Here to Apply

Don’t forget, if there wasn’t anything that took your fancy this week there’s always last week’s listings on The VR Job Hub to check as well.

If you are an employer looking for someone to fill an immersive technology related role – regardless of the industry – don’t forget you can send us the lowdown on the position and we’ll be sure to feature it in that following week’s feature. Details should be sent to Peter Graham (pgraham@vrfocus.com).

We’ll see you next week on VRFocus at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the world.

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Monster Hunter Rise's story is finally over but what does that really mean for a live service game?

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Echo VR’s second season kicks off on June 8.

An Echo Pass launched in March offering seasonal reward tracks with in-game cosmetics for progress in one of VR’s most popular sports. The seasons are expected to last a few months before resetting, with rewards earned throughout the season offering customizations that do not offer an in-game advantage.

The first season, which ended on May 23, added new chassis, boosters, bracers, medals, emotes, emblems, banners, tints, patterns, tags, and titles. For season 2, Ready At Dawn revealed some of the boosters that’ll be unlockable, including a ladybug and bee that look like they’ll be pretty cool to blast around with in zero-g.

Given that there’s some time left until the start of the next season we’d expect Ready At Dawn to tease more of the rewards that’ll be unlockable soon.

Ready at Dawn is a Facebook-owned studio that’s also working on Lone Echo 2, the sequel to the incredible single player game from 2017 that helped pioneer the zero-g mechanics that are so satisfying in the team sport of multiplayer Echo VR. The sequel launches on the Rift store this summer.

Echo Pass Season 2 launches June 8. pic.twitter.com/7Z9JN55kyk

— Echo Games (@EchoGames) May 24, 2021

The first season for Echo Pass featured a reward track available to all players that could be converted to a Premium pass for additional rewards. The Premium Pass was sold for roughly $10 in U.S. currency, or 1000 in-game Echo Points.

Echo VR is one of the games that supports 120 Hz mode on Oculus Quest 2 and the title is free-to-play as well as one of the best games available in standalone VR, so if you haven’t checked it out already we recommend giving it a try.

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Vive has updated its Pro VR headset with a new generation that comes with more comfort features and better specs. Here's how it compare to the original model.

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When it comes to the development of virtual reality (VR) videogames Unity is one of the most popular engines, so if you want to get into the software side of the industry it’s a good program to know. To help in that endeavour it runs Unity Centre of Excellence Academy’s around the world, and there’s a new one opening in Salford, UK. Its training programme will be run by Simon Benson who should know a thing or two about VR, he was previously director of Sony’s Immersive Technology Group which created the PlayStation VR.

Benson is now director of immersive technology at HOST, the innovation hub located at MediaCityUK where the Unity Centre of Excellence programme will be based. HOST’s partnership with Unity will see the organisation launch a 12-week remote learning course in June, teaching students all they need in technical and soft skills to become a Unity Certified Professional Programmer.

The programme modules will feature real-life industry projects covering sectors including manufacturing, health, architectural engineering, and creative media. Students will also be supported via personal mentoring, employability workshops and more. Upon successful completion, the academy even guarantees a job interview.

“With Unity’s UK Centre of Excellence as an integral component of HOST’s capabilities, we are ideally placed to lead the immersive and interactive revolution that is already influencing many industries such as video gaming, architecture, healthcare and manufacturing,” said Benson in a statement. “Establishing Unity’s UK Centre of Excellence at HOST brings a fantastic blend of high demand skills generation, cutting edge innovation and unparalleled business support, ensuring that MediaCityUK is the only place to be if you’re in the real-time development space.”

“The Unity Centre of Excellence at HOST will define a new premium standard of skills generation in Unity,” Nicole Zingg, Global Head of Channel Partnerships, at Unity adds. “With the pace of innovation across industries, the academy is built to support the next generation of skills needed both for the roles of today and tomorrow.”

HOST’s Unity Centre of Excellence programme starts on the 21st June 2021 and spaces are limited, the fee is £5,500 GBP (£458 per month interest-free). Over the three months, the course will require around seven hours of study each day. If you want to learn more the academy is hosting a free webinar on Monday 7th June featuring a panel of industry experts.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of the latest Unity news, reporting back with further updates.

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The FFAR 1 was nerfed at the start of Warzone season 3, but it's still a fantastic weapon. Here, we cover a variety of FFAR 1 builds for many playstyles.

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There's a lot to consider before buying a gaming computer, but a good place to start is with a great deal.

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The weekly vendor in Destiny 2: Beyond Light offers some of the toughest loot to find, including exotic weapons and armor. Here's how to track down Xur.

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Far Cry 6 is finally coming out this October after a yearlong delay. A new gameplay trailer was also released.

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Director Zack Snyder knows a thing or two about zombies considering his reboot of Romero’s classic Dawn of the Dead (2004) and then last week saw the highly anticipated launch of Army of the Dead over on Netflix. He’s got big plans for the franchise which, as it turns out, includes a virtual reality (VR) experience called Viva Las Vengence.

Starting in North America this summer Army Of The Dead – Viva Las Vengeance: A VR Experience is going to be a team-based VR shooter set within a mobile taco truck. Up to six players will be able to gear up with Valve Index headsets and StrikerVR guns to take on hordes of the living dead and help rescue survivors.

“It’s time to take matters into your own hands! Helpless civilians are trapped inside the walls confining zombie-infested Las Vegas, and the Las Vengeance crew needs your help rescuing them,” the description explains. “You’ll feel every bump and turn as you shoot your way through zombie-filled streets in an epic adventure. Should you make it out in one piece, you’ll be able to immortalize the mission’s success with exclusive merch and photo ops at the end of the experience.”

The entire experience will take place inside the trailer, so there’s no locomotion for players to worry about, just shooting zombies through the grills. You can even play seated by the look of it. Viva Las Vengence: A VR Experience will clock in at 30 minutes, with prices starting from $24 USD.

“The experience combines state of the art VR with fan-favourite elements of the movie, that will make for an unforgettable tour,” said Snyder in a statement. “Get ready to roll the dice with the undead as you battle your way through hordes of the zombies across a Vegas wasteland.”

The tactical taco truck will start its 10+ month US tour this July, kicking off in Los Angeles and New York City and travelling to: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. It’ll also head to European locations including London, Madrid, Berlin and Paris at a later date.

For further updates on Army Of The Dead – Viva Las Vengeance: A VR Experience, keep reading VRFocus.

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Looking for the best VR horror games on Oculus Quest and other VR headsets? Dare yourself to read our list below.

The Oculus Quest is a smashing success in the VR space for lots of reasons, but one of the main contributors is the stellar library of content. And as it turns out, some of the very best VR games out on Quest are also some of the very best VR horror games available. In this list, we’ll go over the best Oculus Quest horror games and also titles for PSVR and PC VR.

Note: This list was originally published in August 2020

Playing VR horror games is a totally different prospect than playing one outside of VR on a normal, flat monitor screen. The growing sense of dread, terror, and tension is palpable as you feel the chills run down your spine while twisting your head all around in search of what’s stalking you.

All of these horror games are excellent at making you terrified to even open your eyes. If you’re after a good fright on Oculus Quest, then look no further. This is our definitive list, as of May 2021, of the best VR horror games on Oculus Quest and other headsets. You can grab these games over on the Oculus Store, Steam or PlayStation Store.

Best VR Horror Games – Oculus Quest

Affected: The Manor (Also On PC VR And PSVR)

While Affected: The Manor has been around for years and years, first releasing way back on the Gear VR, it still earns a spot on this list due in no small part to its sheer adaptability. Despite showing its age a bit now visually, it still manages to kick up a solid scare and is an excellent introductory VR experience for fans of horror. You can complete the whole thing in well under an hour and it nails that sense of atmospheric exploration that so few VR horror games really do.

Additionally, it just got a new update recently that adds a “Gauntlet” mode as a sort of horror-themed speedrun through a series of haunted hallways. It’s fun to try and get through as quickly as possible and rank on the leaderboard as a fun diversion. If you’re the type of person that shows off VR to friends and family often, Affected should be a staple of your Quest library.

You Can Read Our Review Here

Face Your Fears II

Unlike its predecessor, which was a collection of bite-sized vignettes rather than full VR horror games, Face Your Fears II is a proper single-player narratively-driven campaign that’s laced with frights from top to bottom. You’ll explore a dark, haunting world full of classic horror tropes such as giant spiders, creepy old houses, and spooky graveyards.

If you’re the type of gamer that wants something meatier that will take at least a few hours to get through and can’t be beaten in a single go, then this is right up your alley — especially if you’re down for some jump scares. This is one of the scariest VR games out there and one of the best Oculus Quest horror games for sure.

Jurassic World: Aftermath

Jurassic World: Aftermath falls somewhere between two genres – it’s mostly a stealth game, but there’s certainly elements of horror that make it worthy of being on the list. Certain segments, mainly in the middle of the game, take a bigger turn towards horror, but even the stealthy segments can still be pretty frightening. 

Fans of the Jurassic Park/World franchise will be pleased and no doubt have fun hiding from the different types of dinosaurs. Overall, it’s a visually stunning game that falls a bit short of being excellent and isn’t complete just yet – the game currently only has part one included, with part two supposedly available sometime later this year as paid DLC.

You can read our review here.

The Exorcist: Legion VR (Also On PC VR And PSVR)

This is without a doubt one of the scariest VR games to date and the Quest port does a fine job of translating over the experience. Visually it’s a bit paired down, as expected, but you can hardly tell since the PC VR version wasn’t much of a looker anyway. In it you take on the role of an investigator that’s looking for answers following a series of strange happenings that first kickoff in a large chapel. The game spans multiple episodes and culminates in a final set piece moment worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster horror film.

You can finish the whole thing in a few hours, but it’s full of tense moments and chilling scenes. There’s one particular level that utilizes a possessed baby and mannequin dolls to great effect — two of my absolute most triggering things in horror media. Highly recommended, despite the relative brevity, and easily one of the best VR horror games.

You Can Read Our Review Here

Lies Beneath

This is the most robust Oculus Quest game on the list in terms of single-player story-driven content. The narrative is both rich with details and well-acted complete with a strong campaign full of twists and turns. Visually it features striking cel-shaded art style with comic book panels for narrative moments that really make you feel like you’re living out the pages of a graphic novel. Gameplay is split between using guns like shotguns and revolves and relying on melee weapons to fend off the hordes of monsters.

Lies Beneath may have very well ended up in the top spot on this list were it not for the purely concentrated doses of distilled tension the top spot offers, but make no mistake: Lies Beneath is a deeply immersive and incredibly unsettling adventure all horror fans owe to themselves to try out.

You Can Read Our Review Here

Cosmodread (Also on PC VR)

From the developer that made Dreadhalls, the cult-classic grandfather of horror VR games, Cosmodread is a worthy successor and another one of the best Oculus Quest horror games.

Visually, it leaves a bit to be desired and it employs a roguelike design that can sometimes feel a bit repetitive. However, it makes up for those faults completely with its use of VR horror. “Although it doesn’t do a whole lot to push the genre forward in many meaningful ways, it absolutely nails the suffocating terror, incredibly immersive atmosphere, and unnerving tension that makes VR horror so powerful,” we said in our review. 

You can read more here.

Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife

Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife is a new VR entry in the World of Darkness series (that otherwise consists of horror-themed tabletop RPGs) that takes a psychological approach to horror instead of relying on just jump scares. It builds tension through atmosphere and tells a compelling story about a photographer, Ed, who is called to Barclay Mansion where things quickly take a turn for the worse.

It’s a slower-paced horror game that might not be for everyone, but it uses horror in the way that plays to VR’s strengths very well, making it an essential part of the Quest’s horror collection.

You can read our review here.

Five Nights At Freddy’s VR: Help Wanted

Did you even have a doubt in your mind? Five Nights at Freddy’s VR is an excellent example of how to focus in on a core, specific idea and knock it out of the park. The premise here is that you are a caretaker for a chain of pizzerias similar to Chuck E. Cheese restaurants, however, after hours the animatronic characters come to life and hunt you. Staying alive is your goal and it’s much easier said than done.

Five Nights at Freddy’s VR is mostly a series of mini-games, but they’re each paced so well that it’s nearly impossible not to jump, scream, and/or rip the headset off over bouts of unbridled anxiety. If you think you’ve got nerves of steel, I dare you to take more than a few minutes of this one without suffering from the chills.

You Can Read Our Review Here

Best VR Horror Games – PC VR And PSVR

Alien: Isolation (Unofficial VR Mod) – PC VR

It might not be an official VR game, but Alien: Isolation’s VR mod is too good not to mention. Isolation is a horror classic and is easily the best game based on the iconic sci-fi horror film franchise to date. In this game you must evade Xenomorphs by any means necessary and the sheer sense of terror it produces as you’re hiding, looking around corners, and trying not to get mauled is a fantastic thrill.

The installation process is pretty easy too, so that’s always nice.

Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul – PSVR, PC VR

Paranormal Activity is known for cheap popcorn scares that leave your heart racing. The VR experience is no different; it’s an unashamedly jumpy bit of VR fluff and we wouldn’t have it any other way. If you like you VR horror to be a slow burn then this isn’t for you. But if you want your heart racing around every corner? This is an easy pick for the best VR horror games.

You Can Read Our Review Here

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard – PSVR

Sometimes we wish Resident Evil 7 wasn’t a horror game. Because, scares and screams aside, it’s genuinely one of the most polished, high-budget experiences you can have in VR.

Nearly three years on from launch, we’ve still got our fingers crossed that Capcom brings the VR support to other headsets.

You Can Read Our Review Here

Until Dawn: Rush of Blood – PSVR

How do you translate the narrative-driven terror of Until Dawn to VR? Why, you turn it into a scream-happy roller coaster ride, of course. Thus, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood was born.

This silly spin-off has remained one of PSVR’s most enduring experiences. It’s full of the usual cliches, but VR gives you a fresh pair of eyes to enjoy them with all over again.

You Can Read Our Review Here

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Those are our picks for the best VR horror games on Oculus Quest and other headsets, but what are yours? Let us know in the comments.

We’re always updating our lists and writing new ones for various VR platforms and game genres — keep an eye out for more in the near future. In the meantime, check out our list of the 5 best shooters on Quest and our list of the top 25 games and experiences on Quest.

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Army of the Dead, the new Zack Snyder movie streaming on Netflix, is getting a tie-in location-based VR arcade experience this summer.

Army of the Dead: Viva Las Vengeance will be rolling out to select cities this summer, with tickets going on sale next week. Check out a trailer introduced by Snyder himself below.

The footage shows players hopping into the back of a truck, putting on Valve Index headsets and then using the Striker VR rifle-shaped controllers to gun down hordes of zombies from within the vehicle.

This is one of the first new VR arcade experiences to be rolling out since the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic set in. VR arcades have been closed for much of the past year and companies like The Void haven’t shown any signs of returning. With vaccines rolling out across the globe, many will be hoping to get visitors back into headsets, but it remains to be seen if audiences are ready to return to arcades. Zero Latency is preparing a Far Cry VR experience to relaunch its business, too.

New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Washington DC will be the first cities to get the experience but it’s also coming to Boston, Chicago, London, Paris and many more.

How do you feel about returning to VR arcades? Let us know in the comments below!

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In Monster Hunter Rise, the higher your HR rank, the bigger monsters you can fight. Here's how to raise your HR and defeat the three new Elder Dragons.

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A new table is available for Star Wars Pinball VR, themed around Han Solo in the classic Star Wars trilogy.

Even better, the Han Solo table isn’t paid DLC — it’s available as a free update to the game. Set inside the Millennium Falcon, you can check out the new table in the trailer below.

Here’s a description from the Oculus blog:

Dedicated to Han and Chewbacca’s adventures in the Classic Trilogy, the table’s playfield takes you inside the famed Millennium Falcon. Smuggle the ball into secret compartments, fix the hyperdrive, and help destroy the Death Star as you shoot for the high score. Star Wars Pinball VR puts Han and Chewie right in the room with you, reacting to your every move, so don’t get cocky, kid. 

The trailer shows a sequence where a miniature Chewie, located at the bottom of the table, opens up a compartment and lobs three balls on the table in random directions. It’s charming and a great element of what looks to be a well-themed table. Another sequence shows three balls falling out of a Han Solo carbonite mold from The Empire Strikes Back.

There’s also mini-games enhanced for VR, one of which involves piloting the Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field, which you can see briefly in the trailer.

The new Han Solo table is available for free now in Star Wars VR Pinball. For those who don’t already own the game, it’s available on Quest, PSVR and SteamVR and includes nine different tables based around the classic Star Wars trilogy, Rhe Mandalorian, Star Wars Rebels and more. You can read our review here.

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Pokemon Go Fest 2021 will run on July 17 and 18, offering various special events and rewards to celebrate the game’s fifth, and Pokemon’s 25th, anniversary.

Tickets are available in-app now for $4.99 — much less than last year’s price of $14.99 — and will grant you access to both days of the event.

The main part of the event is themed around a music festival, where you will be the show leader. “Help Professor Willow and the team leaders put on an incredible concert celebration by choosing between certain Pokémon to join the festivities. Complete this Special Research for special rewards, including an encounter with a Mythical Pokémon, a shirt avatar item, and an exclusive avatar pose!” This Special Research event will be available on the Saturday from 10am to 6pm (local time).

In addition to the main Special Research event, there’s other stuff to take part in over both days. Hourly habitats are returning from last year, available on the Saturday from 10am to 6pm (local time) and will include four habitats (Jungle, Desert Mountain, Ocean, Cave) over one hour rotations, with certain Pokemon appearing more frequently in select habitats.

Raids on Saturday will feature Pokemon such Hitmontop, Cranidos, and Deino, meanwhile Shiny Whismur, Chimecho, Audino, and Tympole will all make their Pokemon Go debut during the event. The Global Challenge Arena also returns this year, available on Saturday.

On the Sunday, the focus is on raids, with the opportunity to catch any Pokemon you may have missed the day before. There’s also extra XP and rewards attached to certain activities on the Sunday — you can read about those here.

The event also features new music tracks produced by Junichi Masuda, a legendary Pokemon music producer.

All of the above is just the tip of the iceberg — for Pokemon Go fans, there’s a plethora of content spread across the two-day event. To see the full schedule and all the details, check out the Pokemon Go blog.

Pokemon Go Fest 2021 begins on July 17.

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Just in time for payday weekend, Steam rolls out a limited time sale dedicated to exploration and open-world adventures, with some rather nice discounts on virtual reality (VR) compatible titles. So if you fancy spending the weekend shunning the outside world for one that’s digital, here might be a good place to start.

Steam’s Open World sale is fairly limited in time in comparison to its more seasonal events, with discounts available until 31st May at 10am PT (6pm BST). Discounts seem to range from a modest 20% off to the far more eye-catching 80%+ on a few select titles.

While some skirt the line between open-world and more linear, narrative-based adventures here are some which caught VRFocus’ eye. Hello Games’ sci-fi epic No Man’s Sky is one of the prominent of the bunch with a 50% discount dropping it down to £19.99. Staying with the sci-fi theme you’ve always got Elite Dangerous which only costs £4.99 thanks to a 75% discount – great for those who love HOTAS controls. Or there’s always Star Wars: Squadrons for a more arcade-action experience, currently retailing for £13.99 off a 60% discount.

Not into sci-fi? How about something a little more horrifying? Endnight Games’ The Forest is in the sale, pitting you against cannibalistic mutants for the rock bottom price of £6.97, a nice 55% saving. On the post-apocalyptic front, there’s Into the Radius VR where you can try and survive the Pechorsk Radius zone for £16.65, only a 30% saving on that one. But who doesn’t love a good zombie survival videogame? Arizona Sunshine always seems to be discounted, currently at £11.89, whilst the rather excellent The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners‘ 20% offer drops it to £24.79.

It’s also worth taking a look at:

• Trover Saves the Universe – £8.32
• Thief Simulator VR – £10.37
• Ultrawings – £5.69
• Ultimate Fishing Simulator VR – £8.08
• Universe Sandbox – £15.93
• City Car Driving Home Edition – £4.30

Of course, there are plenty more VR titles in the sale so it’s worth taking a look. VRFocus will continue its coverage of the latest VR deals, reporting back with further updates.

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Whether you already game or are looking to get into gaming, we have some gaming deals to help with boredom.

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The latest Steam sale includes a bunch of PC VR titles available with decent discounts, including Star Wars: Squadrons, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, No Man’s Sky and more.

The sale is called the Open World Sale and features a bunch of VR and non-VR games that, you guessed it, feature open worlds. It’s live now and runs until 10am Pacific time on May 31.

There’s not a huge amount of prominent VR games in the sale but there’s still a few solid deals to be found.

Here’s some of the best VR deals we caught while browsing the store:

– The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners: $31.99 (20% off)

– Vacation Simulator: $22.49 (25% off)

– No Man’s Sky: $29.99 (50% off)

– Star Wars: Squadrons: $15.99 (60% off)

– Arizona Sunshine: $14.99 (50% off)

– Trover Saves The Universe: $10.49 (65% off)

– Into the Radius VR: $20.99 (30% off)

– Thief Simulator VR: $13.39 (33% off)

– Elite Dangerous: $7.49 (75% off)

– Operencia: The Stolen Sun: $11.99 (60% off)

– The Forest: $8.99 (50% off)

– Nature Treks VR: $5.99 (40% off)

All the prices above are listed in USD, but the sale prices will adjust accordingly for your location and local currency. You can see a full list of the VR games currently on sale on Steam here.

In other sales, Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife is still available at 10% off, coming to $26.99, until June 2 as part of its launch sale. Meanwhile over on the PlayStation Store, Star Wars: Squadrons will be one of June’s PlayStation Plus titles, allowing anyone with a PS+ subscription to redeem a copy of the game and keep it as long as you’re subscribed.

The Steam Open World Sale is on now until Monday — you can view the sale home page, with VR and non-VR titles, here.

via Mint VR

Rather than going to the arcade, industry specialist Kevin Williams, in his latest Virtual Arena column charts the rise in popularity of VR amusement games on consumer platforms, and how an actual amusement manufacturing company looks to launch their own virtual recreation of the amusement experience, which you can manage yourself.

The arcade experience is a popular zeitgeist, especially for an audience that has restricted mobility to local venues. Home arcade game ownership has been supported by a profusion of miniature arcade cabs. For those that do not have the space or deep pockets to build their own arcade, there is the ability to achieve this experience in VR.

We saw a mainstream attempt at feeding the continuing hunger for amusement gaming back in 2015 on the then Samsung GearVR, powered by Oculus. The platform would see the launch of ‘Oculus Arcade’, which would be ported onto other Oculus hardware like the Go – players able to assemble a collection of 22 recreations of classic video-arcade games. Virtual cabs they could play on such as Pac-Man and Defender, supported by licensed products from manufacturers SEGA, Namco and Midway. Though in the end the game would be abandoned due to unclear contractual reasons.

We have also seen perfusion of VR creations of amusement games like shooting the hoops, and arcade builders and management games, such as the releases New Retro Arcade: Neon, and VR Toolbox DLC ‘80’s Arcade’. At the same time, we see other attempts at arcade management games. Social VR offerings like Rec Room have included their own interpretations of the arcade hall-style experience, able to shoot some hoops with friends in VR. But many, if not all, of these interpretations of amusement fun, have been shallow experiences.

It was time for real amusement developers to apply their skills in this medium.

For the first time, an amusement manufacturer has ventured into the world of virtual amusement entertainment. LAI Games is a well-known video amusement, prize, and redemption machine manufacturer. Prior to becoming a subsidiary under Helix Leisure Pty Ltd, LAI Games was part of the Timezone Group and sister company to the popular ‘Timezone’ amusement facility chain.  So, the company knows a thing or two about amusement and its operation.

LAI has grown an extensive R&D resource that has been responsible for much of the innovation being applied to the new generation of amusement pieces that break the mould and aim to offer a new level of engagement for the modern amusement audience. Highly themed, with strong illumination and an even stronger gaming ethos. Titles like the company’s new release HYPERshoot – a re-imaging of the basketball hoops game, with immersive lighting, and audio cues, along with much more competitive gameplay. The need for modern amusement to be both compelling and enthralling is evident in these releases. The unique style of eye-catching presentation and compelling gameplay has fathered a sequel title in the same vein with HYPERpitch, a baseball-style pitching game.

The company is no stranger to the explosion in VR, having developed in partnership with Ubisoft, and D-BOX on Virtual Rabbid’s: The Big Ride – one of the leading sellers in the VR amusement machine genre, with well over 700 units sold across the world. But in the time of the Global Health Crisis, and LAI had an extensive R&D resource in Singapore looking to broaden their coverage under lockdown. It was in these conditions that the R&D operation decided that if the player cannot come to the arcade, then they will ship the arcade to the player. And so was born the new consumer VR game app called Arcade Legend.

The unique element of Arcade Legend is it is much more than loving recreations of real amusement gaming pieces but is also a management game – with the story gifting the ownership of a dilapidated and rundown amusement hall that they get to renovate and populate with machines, laying out the space, and attempting to attract players. The success of this represented by the number of NPC’s playing the machines. The game also allows multi-player allowing players to invite their friends to their creation.

VR offers the recreation of LAI’s games into this space. The company creating enhanced versions of their titles Let’s Bounce, Stacker, Speed of Light and the eye-catching HYPERshoot. The immersive representation adding a new level to the gameplay, allowing an audience to get to grips with these highly addictive amusements. The player able to manipulate the colour configurations and the price to play for all their machines.

But the game itself is much more than virtual simulations of the popular amusement hardware, the player must manage their arcade, building up a varied selection of games, attractions, and facilities to draw an audience, and price accordingly. LAI’s team is first looking at a list of their own videogames for the player to select from.

But it’s also in the early stages of discussions to have the inclusion of other real-world amusement hardware from other manufacturers offering depth to the game experience. Details teased suggest it has already secured a deal with another manufacturer, to include “…one of the most popular games in the history of our industry”, with Arcade Legend. Along with additional titles to follow.

The company has started the process of an early roll-out of the videogame. First releasing a teaser experience outlining the features of the experience and collecting player feedback towards a full release later in the year. Players can try the experience for themselves at the upcoming Steam Next Fest from June 16-22.

via Mint VR

Potentially set to launch this year, these are the games we think could see the Switch 2 out of the gate.

via Mint VR

If you're looking for video game deals for the PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, here are some of the best cheap video games across various retailers.

via Mint VR

via Mint VR

ForeVR Bowl does everything right on paper, but its winning design feels a step ahead of current VR possibilities. More in our ForeVR Bowl review!

Taken on its own merits, ForeVR Bowl is excellent. It’s incredibly polished, uniquely personable and gives you plenty of reasons to keep playing. In fact, in a lot of crucial areas, developer Forevr bowls a perfect game. But there’s a key problem, one that’s intrinsically tied to VR itself.

At their best, VR sports offer near-seamless facsimiles of the real-life game inside a headset. Eleven Table Tennis‘ pitch-perfect physics and feather-light touch make it almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Thrill of the Fight gives you the satisfaction of throwing a haymaker without the risk of getting a black eye yourself. To ensure your brain doesn’t have enough time to separate the virtual from reality, these games are often based on quick reactions and lightweight interactions.

Bowling isn’t either of those things.

And it’s got real character, too. The starting bowling alley environment looks great but you can rise through ranks to unlock new levels like a lunar lane. Each carries tons of details that flesh out the environments. Even the licensed soundtrack surprises with appearances from certified alley anthems like Eye Of The Tiger and The Final Countdown. The game’s star feature, though, is easily the ball designs, which take full advantage of VR.

There are 100 designs to unlock in ForeVR Bowl, first by reaching the right level and then by buying them with cash. Each has different stats but they’re all pretty inventive creations, too. Some have skulls embedded in them, others entire galaxies. Some leak liquid as they roll down the lane and others explode on impact. These are all purely cosmetic differences but they’ve clearly had a lot of thought put into them and the possibility of unlocking more options makes each new round that bit more tempting. That said, it does take a lot to both level up and earn cash, making it more of a grind than was probably necessary.

ForeVR Bowl Review – Final Impressions

ForeVR Bowl is ahead of its time and that’s kind of a problem. It’s a genuinely fantastic effort from the team at ForeVR, with plenty of personality and a feature-rich foundation. But VR itself simply doesn’t feel ready for the authentic bowling experience it aspires to be. The lack of weight in your hand and momentum in your swing makes it hard to nail down consistent technique and the game’s stat-driven approach doesn’t feel intuitive enough to really replace it.

If you want a more instantly accessible experience then Premium Bowling offers just that. But accept ForeVR’s limitations, approach it as more of a casual experience and there’s still a lot of fun to be had with friends here. I just suspect ForeVR Bowl won’t find its real worth until VR technology catches up to it.

For more on how we arrived at this score, read our review guidelines. What did you make of our ForeVR Bowl review? Let us know in the comments below!

via Mint VR

Zen Studios’ Star Wars Pinball VR launched last month for multiple virtual reality (VR) headsets, offering sci-fi fans an entirely customisable cave as well as a pinball machine with some awesome tables on it. If those eight tables we’re enough the studio has just released a new one dedicated to the galaxy’s favourite smugglers, Han Solo and Chewbacca.

Coming from Pinball FX3’s – Star Wars Pinball: Heroes Within pack, this free table offers new gameplay opportunities and unlockables for the fan cave. Set during the Classic Trilogy era, the Han Solo table doesn’t feature any lightsabers or magical trickery, just blasters and proper physics.

The iconic Millennium Falcon sits at the top of the table and plays a part in the challenges, tasking you with placing the ball in secret compartments or fixing the hyperdrive. There’s even a chance to destroy the Death Star. Like the other tables there a VR-enhanced mini-games to find, allowing you to pilot the ship through an asteroid belt, avoiding incoming fire from Tie Fighters.

Getting that far means some big scores which in turn allows you to update you cave with lifesize statues of Han and Chewie – who doesn’t want that next to their AT-AT and Jabba the Hut models?

When reviewing the Oculus Quest version, VRFocus said: Star Wars Pinball VR is an excellent addition to the franchise, another superb showcase of pinball in VR. There’s so much content to discover you’ll be playing for hour after hour trying to finesse those shots to unlock new secrets. Sure, it really helps if you’re a Star Wars fan as all the cave customization options will be lost on anyone else.

Zen Studios’ Star Wars Pinball VR supports Oculus Quest, PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index. VRFocus will continue its coverage of the videogame, reporting back with further updates.

via Mint VR

When Facebook held the very first Oculus Gaming Showcase in April 2021 there was lots of excitement regarding what new videogames might appear. In fact, most of the news was focused on updates for existing titles. Only one was actually brand new, Chuhai Labs’ Carve Snowboarding, gaining plenty of interest considering the studios’ CEO Giles Goddard worked on 1080° Snowboarding for the N64 back in the ‘90s. Bringing that knowledge into VR, Carve Snowboarding offers up a tantalising slice of downhill goodness.

The Oculus Quest library isn’t short of sports titles but what it is completely devoid of is anything related to snowboarding. That’s probably because trying to create mechanics which naturally involve your feet isn’t particularly easy. While stick controls work perfectly fine for normal, flatscreen snowboarding videogames that method of input just won’t cut it in VR. So the biggest worry was always going to be how Carve Snowboarding makes you feel like you’re zipping down a mountain like a pro snowboarder whilst retaining that immersive quality everyone loves about VR.

And to Chuhai Labs’ credit the system it’s created is wonderfully simple yet natural enough that even on the first course, gliding past obstacles and jumping into the air felt seamless. Whether you ride regular or goofy the basics remain the same, your front hand controls the front of the board and backhand the back. Lift both up at the same time to jump. This means the main snowboarding controls are buttonless, gently moving those hands to change direction. To begin with, the front steering control was all that was needed, cutting through the soft snow to the bottom of the mountain. It’s only when you start tricking that the complexity kicks in. 

These are a combination of spins and board grabs (obviously), with six points on the boards to grab and perform various manoeuvres. Even though Carve Snowboarding isn’t in any way casual, thankfully Chuhai Labs didn’t go down the route of fully performing 360’s. All you do is hold the trigger down and the board spins beneath you. That might not sound immersive but the system works perfectly well, and the alternative of virtually spinning around and around like a spinning top would be incredibly uncomfortable for most players.

Once acquainted with the controls Carve Snowboarding is truly an exhilarating experience, whether you’re on the ground or in the air, it is a lot of fun. The wind whistles past your ear increasing as your speed picks up and there’s a suitable rumble when you go off course and into the deeper snow.

Away from the mountains it embraces the ethos that VR videogames need more than just a bunch of menu’s, they need a nice hub area you can settle into, Carve Snowboarding drops you into a nice wooden cabin full of the usual luxuries. You’ve got a big screen TV acting as your mode control, a rack of snowboards is on the wall for you to muse through; giving a retro vibe is the cassette boombox, plus there’s a roaring log fire to warm those hands-on. It’s a cosy, well thought out location, providing a suitable reprieve to the snow-based exploits to come. 

Carve Snowboarding is about two things, speed and creativity. Levels are split between a Time Attack mode and a Freestyle Mode – no guesses for how those work – so you’re either bombing down the mountain as fast as possible trying not to face-plant a boulder or looking for the best trick opportunities to score big within two minutes. That is your lot though, there’s no narrative to speak of or character to embody, just you and those challenges to beat.

Which is fine, there’s nothing wrong with pure snowboarding but it does feel a bit lifeless, even with a pet pooch curdled up on your cabin’s bed to fuss. Even some of the most basic VR titles have a little bit of a backstory to ground you in the experience. Elements like the music system with its customisable playlist do help to alleviate some of that void but not enough. A multiplayer might have helped yet Carve Snowboarding offers a lonely mountain just for you. Time Attack features Global and Friend leaderboards so there’s a bit of competition, strangely nothing for Freestyle.

There’s plenty to explore and Carve Snowboarding actively encourages it with a bunch of hidden collectables. Each of the six courses offers multiple routes to find as you try to shave vital seconds off a time, however, it’s worth keeping an eye out for the spinning icons which will award you new boards, gloves and tunes to listen to. Boards are the most highly prized as they have different stats, some better in deep snow whilst others are good to trick with. This means if you’re struggling with a certain medal then locating a new board might just help.

And there will be moments of struggle. Unlocking new locations means getting five medals from the previous one, with each mode providing four with a total of eight per area. Chuhai Labs has set the challenge level high so repetition is a given, meaning you’ll need to sink a good few hours into the experience. It did seem amiss though that there wasn’t a free play option to explore the locations without a timer.

As for comfort Carve Snowboarding is most definitely on the intense side of the scale. Literally, as you start the software the very first box issues an intensity warning with the option to add a vignette – an apt snow vignette. In actuality, after several hours of playing there wasn’t the faintest whisper of discomfort, even after ploughing into several trees in a row. There is the option to play seated should you need it, although Carve Snowboarding definitely isn’t a sofa game.

Saying Carve Snowboarding is the best experience of its type is a bit mute considering the lack of competitors on Oculus Quest. That said, any that do come along will have a tough time competing against Chuhai Labs’ winter offering. What it lacks in personality and charm Carve Snowboarding makes up for with (mostly) on point mechanics and adrenaline-charged gameplay which will make most players smile – or barf! Even after hours going down the same 6 mountains there always seemed to be a new gap to venture through and most importantly, it never got boring.  

via Mint VR