Mint Virtual Reality

Looking to get your game on and save money? Here's a handful of the best Alienware deals on laptops, desktops, and more.

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To help you find the right machine and save you some money, we've smoked out the best gaming PC deals available online right now.

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You don't have to go broke to get a good gaming machine. We've got the best gaming laptop deals right here.

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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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Nreal Light is the first AR glasses product available in the USA, launching via Verizon.

Update November 30: Light is now available, and this article has been updated to reflect that.

Light was previously only available in Germany, Spain, Japan, and South Korea. It weighs around three times a heavy pair of sunglasses, or a third of a Magic Leap One headset. To achieve this form factor Light is powered by your smartphone over a USB cable, there is no battery or full-fledged chip onboard.

Light is priced at $599. While Nreal says you can mirror any Android or iOS device to a floating virtual screen in front of you, to use the actual augmented reality capabilities including positional tracking and AR apps you’ll need a compatible Verizon flagship device:

• Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
• Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
• Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G UW
• Samsung Galaxy S20 5G UW
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G
• OnePlus 8 5G UW

The cheapest of these is $799, so the total buy-in price for AR if you don’t already own one starts at $1398. We’ve reached out to ask if there will be bundle deals.

Nebula is Nreal’s system software, available on the above devices. Using the phone as a tethered rotational laser pointer, Nebula lets you position running apps as floating windows in your real room. You could lie back in bed & pin a YouTube video near a  wall or browse the web as a giant floating window from your couch. Though given the limited field of view, you’d want to have at least a few meters clear in front of you.

Nebula also supports 3D AR apps available from the Google Play Store including Figmin XR – though currently most apps are simple demos. Hand tracking is available in the Nreal SDK, but very few apps yet support it.

While Light and its Nebula system sound great in theory, it is important to note that AR is still in the very early stages. Glasses are a massive technological undertaking with enormous leaps in capability needed to achieve widespread consumer appeal. Nreal Light’s field of view, like all current AR products, is only 52° diagonal – around half of a typical virtual reality headset. This means that you only see digital objects and apps within a section of your view rather than all over the glass. A specific shortcoming of Nreal is it doesn’t support occlusion. If an AR system doesn’t support occlusion, it means digital objects that should be behind real world objects (eg. walls) display as if in front instead, breaking the illusion. Both HoloLens 2 and Magic Leap One support occlusion.

Sale of Nreal Light begins in-store from November 30, and online from December 2. Nreal will have a first mover advantage over Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft and Amazon  – though time will tell how much that really matters, especially given the limited device support.

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Looking for the best place to buy an Xbox Series X? Here's our guide to the best sites to buy the gaming console and what to know about stock notifications.

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A copy of an unreleased Mortal Kombat spinoff game is currently being sold on eBay by one of its original designers.

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Ever since Incuvo teased the first details of Green Hell VR almost a year ago one thing fans have been asking for is a proper showcase of the differences between the flatscreen version and the new virtual reality (VR) edition. Well, today the studio delivered, dropping a new video that details a few of the mechanics that’ll make the world of Green Hell VR come alive.

Some of these mechanics have been shown before, such as being able to heal a wound by wrapping a leaf around your arm or starting a fire with a few sparks by using a rock and a weapon. Even though the video clocks in at under a minute there’s still plenty to dig into. Like the flexibility you’ll have with weapons, shown here by flinging a machete up and catching it – without the worry of it slicing your arm off!

The environment will be interactive, of course, so you’ll be able to grab logs with both hands or fling a grappling hook onto a high branch to hoist yourself up. Even little things like the light off your walkie talkie have an effect in real-time and you can cycle through features on your virtual smartwatch with a tap of the finger.

Managing your inventory and making sure you’ve got plenty of resources for crafting is a big part of this survival adventure. Resources are split into three categories that can be accessed at a quick press, grabbing the necessary items to drop on the crafting table. Green Hell VR doesn’t seem to go as in-depth on the crafting side as Song in the Smoke, automatically combining the various components together.

And what would a jungle survival adventure be without having the ability to physically chop down trees, swim through rivers or just trash the place at will? Yep, that’s all there.

Green Hell VR is currently in development for Oculus Quest and PC VR headsets. Scheduled to simultaneously launch for both platforms in Q1 2022, it won’t be a single-player title as co-op support has been confirmed. Incuvo has also teased the possibility of a PlayStation VR version although that’s likely a long way off. As further details on Green Hell VR are released, VRFocus will keep you updated.

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The PS5 is out now, but finding one has been difficult for most potential buyers. These are the retailers to check, along with tips to make your search easier.

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Virtual reality (VR) has always managed to offer a new way for in-person entertainment locations like theme parks to engage with their guests, whether that’s a brand new experience or reenvisioning a preexisting attraction. This week the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper, Utah, has announced that next spring it’ll open a new VR edutainment attraction.

Being built by Red Raion (Aztec VR and Dystopia VR), a specialist in media-based attractions, the VR experience will be part of the Ecosystem Exploration Craft & Observatory (EECO), a huge 16-stories tall structure it was originally the stage for U2’s 360° tour and now serves as a permanent art installation at the aquarium.

Red Raion’s VR experience will be housed in a 64-seat VR cinema that will rise in the round area underneath EECO. It’ll consist of two movies mixing VR and live-action, taking guests on a journey across different times, places, and dimensions to learn about diverse ecosystems.

“It is an immense honour for us to have been chosen by Loveland Living Planet to produce this amazing VR experience”, declared Valeria Rizzo, Business Development Director at Red Raion in a statement. “It’s a very ambitious project that will put together live-action and VR, an unprecedented combination that is going to make this experience as immersive, fun, and captivating as possible.”

“This will be an exciting way to teach people about our planet and how everything is interconnected. Using this kind of technology is exciting because we’ll never run out of places to explore,” adds Aquarium Founder and CEO Brent Andersen.

Not much more is known about the VR experience other than it’ll be available in Spring 2022. For all the latest on location-based entertainment (LBE) don’t forget to read VRFocus’ The Virtual Arena.

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An upcoming update to the Oculus Quest and Meta Quest 2 will add mixed reality capture via iPhone and calling via Messenger, Mark Zuckerberg confirmed.

Meta’s CEO revealed as much in a Facebook post today. Quest v35 is “landing soon” and will enable mixed reality capture via the Oculus app for those with an iPhone XS or above. No mention was made of possible Android compatibility.

Quest Gets Mixed Reality Recording (On iPhone)

Mixed reality capture refers to recording a VR player with an iPhone’s camera and having the capture present them within their given VR app. So you could film someone playing Beat Saber, for example, but rather than them swinging their arms in their living room, the end result would see them in the level of the game, holding their two sabers. You’ll need a green screen for this feature to work of course.

The feature isn’t to be confused with Live Overlay, which arrived in Quest v29 and let users cast their VR view to an iPhone that also overlays them playing in the real world on top of that feed.

Currently mixed reality support is limited to a handful of apps including Beat Saber, Pistol Whip, Synth Riders and Superhot.

Also arriving with v35 is Messenger calling, likely allowing you to use your Quest as a webcall device just as you would a smartphone or PC, and support for cloud backup. Finally, Zuckerberg also confirmed there would be new customization options for Horizon Workrooms “in the coming weeks”.

Quest updates often roll out slowly across the globe and Meta is rarely specific about their exact launch times and dates, so keep patient. Will you be using Quest’s new mixed reality feature when it arrives? Let us know in the comments below!

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The best wireless keyboards have long battery lives and are comfortable. We have you covered with our favorite wireless keyboards and their best features.

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While 343 is taking feedback and making changes to the system, there are still a few ways you can speed up your progress through Halo Infinite's battle pass.

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The Upload VR Showcase returns December 2 at 9am PT/12pm ET/5pm GMT. Here’s where to watch.

Yes, we’re back with our twice-yearly showcase, giving you a look at what’s to come for VR in the coming weeks, months and years. Our December showcase is brought to you in partnership with Polyarc, the developer of Moss, and also sponsored by Bean Stalker. We’ll have a focus on things to come in 2022, with some updates on titles that may be here a little sooner than that. Here’s a little overview of what to expect this time around:

• 20+ VR games featured
• 5 brand new game announcements
• Release date confirmations
• Titles for Quest, PSVR and PC VR headsets

As for where to find it? Well, right here is a start!

Head back here on December 2nd to find our video ready and waiting for you. Or you can head over to our YouTube channel right now to subscribe and get notifications about when the event kicks off.

Also make sure to check in with some of our friends and partners on YouTube and beyond, as many of them will be bringing you their reactions to the show or offering another way to watch live! We’ll also be partnering up with IGN once more, so you can find it on their channels too.

So, just to be sure you know, that’s December 2nd at 9am PT/12pm ET/5pm GMT. You can expect around 40+ minutes of VR goodness with brand new game reveals, surprise releases, new trailers and much more. We’ll see you then!

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Worried about stock shortages? Here's where you can still buy the Xbox Series S for delivery in time for Christmas.

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Some of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy's issues with rain have also been fixed, but visibility while it's raining has been left out.

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For a limited time you can still get a Cyber Monday discount of $100 on an HP Pavilion gaming PC, making the Cyber Monday sale price only $550.

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A new free version of Masterpiece Studio is available today, enabling anyone to use the tools for non-commercial purposes.

Masterpiece Studio Pro is a creative suite that give creators a way to easily make 3D character, props, animations and more. It can be used as a standalone service or integrated with other modeling apps in VR or on desktop.

The updated suite launched in early 2020, adding expanded support, features and programs. It now consists of two programs, Masterpiece Creator and Masterpiece Motion, allowing indie creators to conceptualize, create, rig, animate and export 3D models all in one workflow.

The free edition has all the same features as Masterpiece Studio Pro, with certain restrictions on exporting assets. Paid users, who are subscribed to one of the Masterpiece Studio Pro plans, can access private exporting options. The new free, non-commercial license will only cover exporting to Masterpiece’s public gallery online. The gallery can be browsed by Masterpiece users and allows them to download, modify and remix any available assets.

The overall aim is for the free edition of Masterpiece Studio to encourage indie creators to get started and create without any initial costs while also building a large community of 3D creators and assets ahead of an expected increase in demand in the years to come.

The free version of Masterpiece Studio is available now via Steam and Viveport.

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Halo Infinite players will earn a whopping 300 XP for completing their first match of the day instead of just 50.

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Once-influential franchises like Pokemon and Call of Duty are reaching a creative plateau. We need to let go for them to grow.

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If you're looking for a gaming PC deal that will get you the product in time for Christmas, look no further than this offer for the HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop.

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A new FAQ page says that although it’s not optimized for it, VR on the Steam Deck is technically “possible”.

The question, listed in the Steamworks documentation FAQ page for Steam Deck, says “Will Steam Deck Support VR?” Here’s Valves answer:

Technically it’s possible. We’ve seen people jury rig it, but we didn’t design and optimize Steam Deck for VR.

This is probably the most well-rounded response we’ve seen so far from Valve, given it’s a question that has come up time and time again since Valve announced the device.

The Steam Deck, in case you’ve been living under a rock, is Valve’s upcoming handheld gaming system that is essentially its response to the mega-popular Nintendo Switch, but decently more powerful.

Unlike the closed Switch system (and many other handheld game consoles), Valve pitches Steam Deck as “an open PC” that can “connect with any hardware,” with a starting price of $399.

After its announcements,  Valve’s description of the device led many to ponder whether it would be possible to connect a headset and run VR content on the Steam Device, and whether it might even be officially supported.

Valve told IGN that it had “all the connectivity” for VR but that performance is not optimized for it. Gabe Newell then said that the device could be used with an Oculus Quest, in that you could give it your best shot — Valve just won’t guarantee good performance.

We then caught a glimpse of a headset running SteamVR Home when connected to a Steam Deck, as well as an attempt to run Pistol Whip that displayed on the Steam Deck screen but not outputting to the headset itself.

Last month, it was revealed that a new ‘Deck Verified’ system would let users instantly know if any game works on Steam Deck or not — VR games are all listened as ‘Unsupported’ which simply means they’re not designed to run on the device.

All of this seems to lead to the same conclusion — we’re still not sure whether any VR content will run on a headset through a connection with a Steam Deck. Valve has at least now acknowledged the somewhat successful attempts to get VR to running, but are still re-iterating that it isn’t part of the design intention and maybe not perform or behave as expected.

Are you getting a Steam Deck? Let us know in the comments below.

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Manus specialises in building enterprise-level data gloves with precision finger tracking and haptic feedback for a range of use cases including virtual reality (VR). The company is moving beyond pure hardware solutions today by releasing Manus Polygon, motion capture software that’s SteamVR compatible and free to download.

Designed as an entry point for developers looking for a simple motion capture solution without the expense, Polygon Free enables live streaming of body data into Unity or Unreal Engine. When it comes to tracker support, Polygon can be used with any SteamVR compatible device, from the Vive controllers for a basic setup to Manus’ own SteamVR Pro Trackers or the Vive Trackers. And, of course, the software is compatible with the company’s own Prime X series gloves.

For a basic motion tracking setup beyond merely using controllers, developers need enough trackers to cover six points, hands, feet, waist and head. With a VR headset on that means five extra trackers are required. Polygon can support more though, adding further trackers to the upper arms to finesse that digital avatar movement.

“At Manus, we believe in a future where content creation in the virtual world becomes as integrated as video is currently. Convincing full-body motion capture will play a large part in the adoption and creation of the metaverse,” says Bart Loosman, CEO at Manus in a statement. With this release, we invite developers and content creators to dive into full-body motion capture and explore the opportunities this offers for VR, animation, digital avatars, virtual production, and the coming metaverse.”

Manus Polygon Free provides all the software functionality developers might need to get started, with Polygon Pro and Polygon Elite offering further professional features. Polygon Pro features recording and editing tools within the Manus Core, as well as FBX exporting, timesync and genlock. Pro users will also get the Manus Strap Set to attach SteamVR compatible trackers. Taking that a step further is Polygon Elite which includes the Pro bundle, a perpetual license, and Manus SteamVR Pro Trackers and a charging station.

The Manus SteamVR Pro Trackers were announced earlier this year with pre-orders being taken for them individually. On the Manus website currently, they only seem to come in a 6-pack retailing for €1,999 EUR, available Q4 2021. By comparison, six Vive Trackers would set you back €834.

For continued updates from Manus, keep reading VRFocus.

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If you're a gamer and looking to upgrade your equipment, this Cyber Monday Gaming PC deal from Alienware is a can't miss.

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The Alienware Gaming Chair at just $330 is one of the lowest prices we’ve ever seen as part of Dell's Cyber Monday deals.

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Who has the kind of time to wait 30 minutes for a single life to replenish in King's flagship title? Here's our quick guide on how get free lives on Candy Crush within minutes without having to annoy your friends or spend any of that hard-earned cash of yours.

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Augment the PC gaming rig in your household with the Razer Power Up Gaming Bundle V2 -- with keyboard, mouse, headset, and mousepad. It's a Cyber Monday steal.

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If you're tired of waiting for the Playstation 5 to restock you're tired of waiting for the PlayStation 5 to restock, check out this deal on the Dell G15.

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Kakashi is the latest NPC added to Fortnite and he comes with a new batch of quests. Here, we'll show you where he's located and how to complete the quests.

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Pokémon is one of the best franchises on the Switch. The Switch offers a variety of Pokémon games to try! Here's a list of every Pokémon game on the platform.

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Apple’s rumored upcoming headset will have MacBook level performance and dual 4K OLED microdisplays, according to a note from Ming-Chi Kuo MacRumors claims to have viewed.

Kuo is a TF International Securities analyst known for predicting Apple products & moves over a year in advance using his supply chain sources. Apple Track gives him a 76% accuracy rating.

The Information, Bloomberg and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo all claim Apple will release a headset as early as 2022 with high resolution color cameras for mixed reality. Kuo previously claimed it will be priced at least $1000. In February The Information claimed to have viewed images of a late-stage prototype “which show a sleek, curved visor attached to the face by a mesh material and swappable headbands”. The outlet drew an impression:

Kuo’s new note apparently claims the headset will have a new chip with “similar computing power as the M1 for Mac”. M1 is Apple’s first in-house PC processor, the first in a line intended to transition its Mac products from the x86 architecture that has dominated PCs for two decades to the ARM architecture used in smartphones & tablets.

We’re somewhat skeptical of this claim. M1 is a fairly large chip. While its power efficiency is incredibly impressive for a laptop or PC, it draws much more power than the smartphone-tier processors used in existing headsets like Quest 2. That’s why Apple uses its lower power A-series chips in even its most advanced iPhones.

On the other hand, M1 was launched in 2020 and is manufactured using TSMC’s 5 nm node process. TSMC usually moves to a smaller node every two years, bringing with it significant performance per watt improvements. If TSMC successfully mass produces 3 nm chips by the end of 2022, it’s possible Apple’s headset could indeed deliver M1 level performance at VR headset power consumption levels. But that’s a big if, as TSMC recently cautioned investors about potential delays to 3 nm.

The Kuo note also apparently claims the headset will have dual 4K micro OLED displays. OLED microdisplays are significantly smaller than regular displays, so when paired with the right lenses can enable an extremely compact design such as Panasonic’s concept, but aren’t yet used in shipping products.

If Kuo’s claims are true, Apple’s headset will offer significantly better performance and visual quality than current headsets in a much more compact design. But bleeding edge processors and microdisplays aren’t cheap, so it may end up competing with Project Cambria, Meta’s upcoming take on a high end headset, rather than Quest 2.

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Psytec Games brought its swinging franchise sequel Windlands 2 to PC VR headsets in 2018 and it was a great videogame. While intense, that ability to swing through highly stylised worlds and fight dangerous bosses was a welcome one, highlighting that advanced motion in VR could be achieved without making most players suffer. But that was three years ago and the world of virtual reality (VR) gaming has advanced, so can Windlands 2 still keep up, and more importantly can PlayStation VR?

Windlands 2 is all about freedom of movement, being able to navigate its environments mostly in the air with some ground-based accessibility so you’re not always having to look for the next hook point. You’ve got a grappling hook in each hand so there’s no need to worry about right or left-handed mechanics, and the same goes for its newest inclusion, the bow.

Gameplay is all about being light on your feet and very aware of your surroundings. When you get a feel for it and find that flow Windlands 2 has a beautiful energy to it, evoking a real buzz when you swing through chunks of the environment perfectly. Miss a grappling point and you’ll quickly realise how far away the ground can get – and that there isn’t loads of it.   

This isn’t a relaxing, non-violent experience like the original though, that bow is there for a reason. Titans are the main enemy in the game, mechanical beasts that effectively work as mini-bosses most of the time, with some segments dropping in the occasional weaker opponents to keep you busy. That also means there’s a storyline this time, where you’re trying to save a peaceful society from this evil menace.  

The problem with the PlayStation VR version of Windlands 2 isn’t about the quality of the port, as it looks just like the PC VR edition. No, the issue comes down to mechanics, or more accurately, the lack of fluidity during the fights. Soaring through the calm environments is easy – so long as you don’t miss a hook – making it one of the best parts of Windlands 2. Most of the main battles are in 360 areas where you can navigate around the boss shooting the red highlighted targets on its body. On PlayStation VR this becomes frustrating and a test of patience because you don’t have complete freedom to twist and turn.

Now, this is a limitation of the hardware rather than the videogame being broken, it’s worth pointing out. Trying to take down the first boss/machine is a good example of this, it’s not too hard but swinging around behind the enemy you want to instantly twist around to shoot, which you can’t because of the tracking. In fact, jumping onto the PC version to test this theory proved correct, dispatching the same opponent in under half the time purely thanks to that extra flexibility.

And it’s such a core part of the whole Windlands 2 experience that you’ll almost dread the next encounter. No amount of fiddling with the snap turn or smooth turn settings solves what is essentially an instinctive reaction, being able to gracefully glide through the air to fire off a well-placed arrow into the heart of the beast.  

Actually, on the subject of “well-placed” arrows, PlayStation Move doesn’t make this a simple process. If you’ve owned the controllers long enough you know they can be a bit erratic at times and that’s certainly the case here. And it is all to do with speed. Grappling through the trees you tend to keep your hands steady, planning a route whilst carefully aiming at the next piece of green foliage. This was fine and never really presented a problem. As soon as it’s time to unleash a volley of arrows, that’s where the trouble starts and would quite often lead to death while fighting with the reticule.

Co-op mode confirmed this further as a colleague swore trying to shoot the very last target on a boss. This doesn’t mean Windlands 2 is unplayable but what was clear was the realisation that because of these issues, Windlands 2 is much more enjoyable played with friends.

On your own, the environments can be a bit devoid of life, lonely even, yet with at least one other player – it’ll support up to 4 players at once – there’s an added vibrancy to the experience. Fun little things like competing to get to the next marker or spotting an illuminated quest item for them to grab, the team dynamic helps make Windlands 2 shine. Also, those fights are so much more straightforward and strategic rather than a grind. Swinging in for different angles of attack and if one of you does encounter an aiming issue the others can back you up, much more satisfying. The only problem with multiplayer was the lack of identification, with no map or markers you don’t know where your mates are. Saying “over here” or “I’m by this rock” doesn’t help when the vegetation is dense or you’re nowhere near each other. Voice communication is spot on yet each player’s name appears off to the side with a speech symbol appearing when they talk, not exactly useful if you don’t know where they are.       

It’s great to finally see Windlands 2 on PlayStation VR and remember what made this VR experience so enjoyable in the first place. Alas, with a heavy sigh this just doesn’t match its PC brethren when comparing the entire package. What this release really does is demonstrate PlayStation VR’s ageing technology and how it was good for some but not all VR videogames. However, Psytec Games has confirmed it’ll patch PlayStation VR 2 support into Windlands 2 when available, which could really help to unshackle the gameplay. At the moment, Windlands 2 only really soars half the time.    

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Want more game storage for your PS5 or Xbox Series X/S? Check out this WD 2TB hard drive deal for Cyber Monday!

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Here's how to add Alexa voice controls to your Xbox One console for $20. You need to see this!

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Nintendo Switch owners shouldn't miss Walmart's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Cyber Monday deal if you still don't own the popular open-world game.

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With no more fighter adjustments coming, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will finally have a solid build for players to develop their characters around.

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An astonishing 1.5 million players have now monkeyed around in multiplayer VR hit, Gorilla Tag.

Developer Another Axiom confirmed as much on Twitter this week, also confirming that in-app purchases are now available in the Quest version of the game. Meta launched IAP support for App Lab titles on Quest earlier in the month. The game itself is free to download, and you can expect IAPs to relate to avatar cosmetics as opposed to new features and maps.

Gorilla Tag Hits 1.5 Million Players

What wasn’t confirmed was exactly how many of these players are on Quest and how many are on Steam. Normally we’d assume that Quest’s popularity would give it a significant majority but, given the game is hidden on the App Lab store and that the Steam version has more user reviews (10.5K to Quest’s 7.3K), we’re not quite sure. Some of those players will likely also come from the SideQuest version of the game, though.

Whatever the case, it’s clear to see just how popular the multiplayer title has become. In fact, last month’s Connect conference even saw John Carmack celebrate the game’s success, saying it had more players on Quest than some AAA productions.

Surely it’s a matter of time before we see an official release for Gorilla Tag on the Quest store. Currently, though, the game remains in early access on Steam, and Meta says it doesn’t allow EA titles onto the full Quest store. That hasn’t stopped games like Onward and Blade And Sorcery appearing, though, so we’ll have to wait and see.

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The best OLED laptops in the world offer truly gorgeous displays, These are our favorite models for many different purposes -- but all with stunning screens.

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If you own a Playstation 4 or PlayStation 5, you need a PS Plus membership. Snap one up today from Best Buy.

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Google has announced the Best of Play winners for 2021, highlighting key apps and games that it feels made positive contributions over the past year. 

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Final Fantasy XV fans reflect on the sense of family they've gotten from the RPG five years after its release.

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Well, that didn’t take long. Blade and Sorcery: Nomad, the Quest 2 version of the sword-swinging hit, now has the Star Wars lightsaber mod.

This force-fuelled mod was a huge draw for the PC VR version of the game when it launched a few years ago. It lets you take on the game’s hordes of doomed enemies with the iconic laser sword in-hand, cutting off heads and locking blades. Combine it with the game’s existing lightning magic ability, not to mention the force-like grip ability, and you’re basically an unkillable Emperor.

Blade And Sorcery: Nomad Star Wars Lightsaber Mod Gameplay

Modder Piepop101 has worked quickly to get sabers into this version of the game after mod support was finally launched last week. You can download the mod right here. It adds in sound effects and makes it easier to dismember opponents, and you get a choice of blue, green and red sabers. Take note that the retract and return feature currently doesn’t work.

Check out our gameplay video of the mod in action above. It works really well though the sabers are still sticky like the game’s usual weapons and don’t quite act like you’d expect based on the movies.

Mods are an important addition to Blade And Sorcery: Nomad, which we think is a fun port with room to grow. The game even recently made it onto our revised best Quest games list. Are you going to be downloading the Star Wars mod? Let us know in the comments below!

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As VRFocus reported last week, there have been a reasonable number of virtual reality (VR) deals over the course of the weekend for Black Friday, mostly on the software side. Nothing too unusual. Until today that is, with Teslasuit offering its first-ever sale on a limited number of developer kits, saving a few lucky customers almost $3,000 USD off the regular price.

Ok, so this particular Cyber Monday isn’t for your regular consumer product as the Teslasuit is generally only sold for commercial or enterprise applications, mostly because the product usually retails for $12,999. But for today only, if you are a developer or certified partner of Teslasuit then you can pick one up for the (almost) bargain price of $10,400. That deal does include the software and API license but excludes shipping and taxes – so you’ll need to budget a little bit more.

That 20% saving is for 24 Teslasuit Developer Kits only, so once they’re gone they’re gone, and you’ll need to apply directly to Teslasuit itself – you definitely won’t find this on Amazon. Plus, Teslasuit informs VRFocus that its: “team will assist in getting your suit ready to be shipped before Christmas,” making for a nice festive treat.

Parent company VR Electronics Ltd has been selling the Teslasuit for a couple of years now after the fully haptic suit made its debut during CES 2018. The suit is jammed packed full of sensors and haptics so that companies can utilise it for a range of use cases, whether that’s collecting data on performance training and next-generation rehabilitation to improving situational awareness or for motion capture purposes.

The Teslasuit features 10 internal motion capture sensors, 80 electrostimulation channels for tactile feedback, a rechargeable battery that can run between 8-10 hours. As you can see from the promotional images, the Teslasuit is a snug fit to ensure all that tech functions at an optimal level. Hence why the Teslasuit comes in XS, S, M, L, XL and XXL sizes as well as a custom made option if none of those suffices.

VR Electronics Ltd is also working on a haptic glove called the Teslasuit Glove. Unveiled last year, the company has been fairly quiet since then on its development and when it’ll go on sale. It’ll include force feedback so that users can feel digital objects, their shape and resistance to pressure.

With the current metaverse trend gaining steam, consumers may eventually want a device like the Teslasuit to fully immerse in these virtual universes. For continued updates keep reading VRFocus.

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This Oculus Quest 2 Cyber Monday deal may not offer a steep sale, but it includes a free carrying case for the headset and accessories -- worth $49.

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If you're ready to take a break from questing and go on a low-stakes activity in Skyrim: Anniversary Edition, here's everything you need to know about fishing.

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Cyber Monday is here and there’s a bunch of sales on the Oculus Store for Quest, running for one day only.

Similar to the Black Friday sales, there’s a mixture of single-game sales and bundle sales. However, unlike Black Friday sales, these Cyber Monday deals only last for one day, available now (from 12am PT November 29) until 11:59pm PT later this evening. If you want to pull the trigger on anything, you better get in quick.

There’s two Cyber Monday bundles available. The Cyber Simulation Pack includes Job Simulator, Vacation Simulator and Floor Plan 2 for $49.99, a discount of 33% from the regular combined price of $74.97.

The other bundle is the Quest Essentials Pack, which includes Eleven Table Tennis, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted, The Climb and In Death: Unchained for $69.99, down 35% from a regular combined price of $109.96.

In terms of single-game sales, there’s a variety of new and older releases with discounts as high as 40%. It’s a different selection than what was on offer last week for Black Friday — here are some of the highlights we found:

– Onward for $14.99 (down 40% from $24.99)

– Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister for $20.99 (down 30% from $29.99)

– Kingspray Graffiti for $8.99 (down 40% from $14.99)

– Phantom: Covert Ops for $20.99 (down 30% from $29.99)

– Arcsmith for $15.99 (down 36% from $24.99)

– Swords of Gargantua for $14.99 (down 40% from $24.99)

– Lies Beneath for $17.99 (down 40% from $29.99)

– Carve Snowboarding for $13.99 (down 30% from $19.99)

– Path of the Warrior for $11.99 (down 40% from $19.99)

– Chess Club for $10.49 (down 30% from $14.99)

– Tetris Effect: Connected for $17.99 (down 40% from $29.99)

– Cubism for $6.99 (down 30% from $9.99)

– Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife for $17.99 (down 40% from $29.99)

You can view the full list of discounted games over on the Cyber Monday section of the Oculus Store.

What will you be picking up this Cyber Monday? Let us know in the comments below.

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Modern VR shooter, Contractors, now lets you become a ninja.

Yes, really.

Contractors Ninja Warrior Update Goes Live

The game’s Ninja Warrior update is now live and adds a new loadout that lets you embrace your stealthy side. It features a katana to cut through foes with as well as a bow and arrow. Because not enough VR games have a bow and arrow.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen Contractors, which primarily features modern-era combat, branch out to other eras. The game got WW2-era combat a while back, for example.

Ninjas aren’t the only focus of the latest update. There are new pistol and bolt-action only loadouts, an improvement to the game’s online and social features, as well as an overhaul to the Domination game mode that implements a ticket system. You can keep up with the full changelog right here. More map revamps are due in the future, too.

We’re quite fond of Contractors, giving the game a ‘Great’ label last time we tried it. “It’s got the gameplay polish of something like Medal of Honor VR, with the content, game modes, and speed of combat that you’d expect of a non-VR shooter like Call of Duty,” we said in our review, “all while wrapping it up in a neat, cheap package that’s approachable without being too simple.” The game also made our recently updated list of the best Quest shooters.

Are you going to be checking out Contractors’ Ninja Warrior update? Let us know in the comments below!

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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
Los Angeles, CA	Meta (Reality Labs)	Product Manager	Click Here to Apply
Redmond, WA	Meta (Reality Labs)	Software Engineer – Security Engineering	Click Here to Apply
Seattle, WA	Meta (Reality Labs)	Technical Art Manager	Click Here to Apply
Redmond, WA	Meta (Reality Labs)	Data Engineering Manager, Analytics	Click Here to Apply
Tokyo, Japan	Meta (Reality Labs)	Communications Manager	Click Here to Apply
Seattle, WA	Meta (Reality Labs)	Industrial Designer	Click Here to Apply
Seattle, WA	Meta (Reality Labs)	Animation Art Manager	Click Here to Apply
Remote, US	Meta (Reality Labs)	Surfacing Designer, Industrial Design	Click Here to Apply
US, Remote	Matterport	API/SDK Customer Support Engineer	Click Here to Apply
US	Matterport	Staff Motion Designer	Click Here to Apply
London, UK	Matterport	Business Development Manager – EMEA	Click Here to Apply
US, Remote	Matterport	Regional Marketplace Manager	Click Here to Apply
US	Matterport	Enterprise Sale Development Rep	Click Here to Apply
Tokyo, Japan	Matterport	Solutions Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Lyon, France	Albyon	Network Administrator (French)	Click Here to Apply
Lyon, France	Albyon	Associate Producer (French)	Click Here to Apply
Lyon, France	Albyon	Admin/Office Manager(French)	Click Here to Apply
Lyon, France	Albyon	Operations Director (French)	Click Here to Apply
Lyon, France	Albyon	Middle/Senior 3D Technical Artist (French)	Click Here to Apply
Lyon, France	Albyon	Real Time Developer (French)	Click Here to Apply
Lyon, France	Albyon	3D Texture Modeller(French)	Click Here to Apply
Lyon, France	Albyon	Middle/Senior Lighting Artist – Unreal (French)	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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HTC’s Vive Flow is by far the lightest VR headset on the market, but should anyone actually buy it?

Flow was announced in October just a week before Facebook Connect 2021 after a month of teases, speculation, and leaks. It started shipping at the start of this month.

While many hoped for a direct Quest 2 competitor, HTC describes Flow as mostly passive “immersive glasses” for media viewing, casual games, and “on the go wellness”. But is it worth the $499 price? And who exactly is it for? Read on to find out.

Compatibility

To start, you can only use Flow with a very specific list of Android phones. HTC told us it’s “looking into” iPhone and Laptop support, but there’s no concrete timeline for either.

Flow is a wired device with a female USB Type-C connector, but the cable is used for power rather than data (other than to sideload content). HTC says you can use almost any USB port to power it, including laptops, phones, and those offered by trains, planes, and hotel rooms. I found any port I tried worked.

The limited phone compatibility comes from using Miracast to wirelessly stream your phone to a virtual screen in VR. To support other phones, HTC would need to use a cable which, without a new adapter, would force you to use your phone as the power source.

Comfort, Visuals, Audio, Tracking

At just 189 grams, Flow is the lightest headset you can buy in the west. You can still feel weight against your nasal bridge but it’s significantly reduced compared to headsets like Quest 2.

What’s less comfortable than other headsets is the rigid arms. While they remove the need for a top strap, they put uncomfortable pressure on the side of larger heads. I did find this got better with each passing day though, presumably as the arms stretched over time.

The fabric gasket which blocks the peripheral light from your real room attaches magnetically. It can be detached and replaced with a nose insert. This actually feels more comfortable, and is even preferable for situations where immersion doesn’t matter. Bright lights in the room can reflect in the lenses though.

Flow doesn’t accommodate glasses, because it has per-lens diopter adjustment instead. You simply twist the ridge of each lens. I don’t wear glasses, but had family who do try this and they said it worked, providing a clear image.

While the 1600×1600 LCD displays are technically lower resolution than Quest 2, the slightly narrower field of view means the visual quality is actually very similar. What isn’t similar though is the stability. Like with Varjo Aero, I noticed geometric distortion when rotating my head that makes the virtual world not feel solid.

The quality of the built-in audio is surprisingly good given the small size of the speakers, but the sound of the cooling fan is often distracting. Thankfully Bluetooth audio is fully supported for private listening and I didn’t experience connection issues with it.

Unlike Oculus Go (Facebook’s 2018 take on the VR media viewer concept) Flow has positional tracking, enabled by two greyscale cameras. But whereas the inside-out tracking on Quest 2 and Windows headsets like HP Reverb G2 feel solid and consistent, Flow’s tracking feels swimmy and sometimes even seems to bounce. Worse, looking directly up at the ceiling often causes a “positional tracking lost” error.

Double tapping the button on the headset toggles camera passthrough, but as with Quest 2 the view is black & white with low resolution. Flow comfortably rests on the top of your head though, a much better way to quickly see reality.

Phone As Controller

There’s no other way to say it, Flow’s input scheme is clunky.

When wearing the headset your phone, if unlocked, acts as a rotational laser pointer via Bluetooth. The touchscreen is split into four sections, System Menu, Select, “Trigger”, and App Menu. You can also perform swipe gestures.

I get why HTC chose the phone approach. Flow is meant to suit a travelling-light lifestyle and a controller would be one more thing to carry and keep charged. But since you can’t actually see either your phone or fingers inside VR, and the phone isn’t positionally tracked, and you can’t feel out virtual buttons, I sometimes found myself pressing the wrong thing.

Worse, some apps (including some of HTC’s own!) place panels and controls at steep angles, requiring you to either awkwardly bend your wrist or recenter the controller. Ugh.

HTC says controller-free hand tracking will arrive at some point in the future. Some people dislike current hand tracking tech as it doesn’t provide haptic feedback and lacks thumbsticks, but given Flow’s mostly-passive content focus I think it would be ideal. In fact, given how clunky the phone controller experience is, I’m puzzled why HTC didn’t wait for hand tracking before launching this product.

Software, Content, Performance

Flow runs a modified version of Android. The spartan system menu has four sections: Store, Library, Phone (streaming), and Settings.

Streaming your phone screen via Miracast is Flow’s headline feature. It connects quickly without issue and both the quality and latency feel great for apps like Netflix and YouTube. This is Flow at its best. It’s your phone, but on a much much larger (virtual) screen.

Using native VR apps from the store, however, is a far less impressive experience. Most of these apps feel like what we saw in the Google Cardboard or Samsung Gear VR era, with only a handful of true gems.

Flow uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR1 chip, which is significantly less powerful than the XR2 found in Quest 2 and Vive Focus 3. I mentioned in my hands-on preview that none of the apps I tried seemed to maintain 75 frames per second. Unfortunately that’s still the case in almost all the apps on the Viveport Flow store.

The combination of low framerate, swimmy tracking, and lens distortion means Flow just isn’t great for immersive experiences. The exception here is 360 videos – if you’re a fan of this content format Flow is a comfortable way to view.

What’s sorely missing is a Virtual Desktop like app to view your PC screen in VR. Better yet, HTC could support laptops in place of your phone, automatically booting into a virtual desktop when plugged in for both data and power. Right now there is no PC integration at all.

Who Is Flow For?

So I’ve described the experience of using Flow, but the question remains: who exactly is this product for?

There are a few small niches I can see it appealing to: people who live in shared accommodation with no space for their own TV, and people who frequently travel by plane or train to stay in hotel rooms. For these people, Flow would be a portable personal cinema. At $499 few could truly justify Flow, but if future similar products can reach much lower prices this could become a real sub-market of VR.

For everyone else, Flow feels like a concept without a purpose. If you have regular access to a TV and don’t travel often I really can’t find a reason you’d want one. At least not yet.

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Zookeeper: Blast Quest takes an early 2000s puzzle franchise and reimagines it for VR, releasing on Quest next month.

Zoo Keeper is a tile-matching puzzle game that was first released in arcades and then later ported to the GameBoy Advance, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS and, years later, iOS and Android.

Ten years on from the last release of the original game, it’s being reimagined for VR and released on the Quest platform next month in a new package titled Zookeeper: Blast Quest.

Blast Quest isn’t a direct ‘flatscreen-to-VR’ conversion of the original (à la Resident Evil 4). It essentially looks to be a revival of the franchise using the same premise and characters, fleshed out with all new content, ideas and story.

According to the description on the Oculus Store, you’ll be collecting stars by completing puzzles, which will let you “rebuild a large zoo which was abandoned a long time ago”. Anyone else feel like there’s a metaphor in this somewhere?

There’s 7 areas featuring “story-rich content”, which are listed in the description as monkey area, giraffe area, entrance square, petting area, elephant area, lion area and crocodile/hippo area.

You’ll “take on more and more puzzle stages filled with exciting new puzzle gimmicks” as well as being able to “feed animals, search for lost children, fish for food” and more. Similar to games like Angry Birds, each puzzle will grant you a rating out of 3 stars when you finish — unlocking more stars will get you closer to unlocking the game’s secret animals as well.

Zookeeper: Blast Quest releases for Meta Quest sometime in December 2021 and can be wishlisted on the Oculus Store now.

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