Mint Virtual Reality

With only an official teaser trailer and a recent interview with director Stigg Asumessen to go off, here's everything we know about Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

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June's Game Pass lineup comes packing some especially popular games like For Honor and Assassin's Creed Origins.

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Video game designers often make objects in the environment glow or stand out to let players know what’s interactable. Could the same idea be applied to the physical world to show you interesting moments from the past?

New research from the Sensing, Interaction & Perception Lab at ETH Zürich in Switzerland conceptualizes a work day with “Causality-preserving Asynchronous Reality“.  The idea shows how environments laden with depth sensors could allow collaborators to annotate objects in the physical environment, essentially leaving messages for their colleagues to pick up in the future. The effect shifts time like the answering machines of the last century but places messages in context of the physical environment in which they were made, much like the holographic recordings shown throughout the Horizon Zero Dawn games.

Researchers Andreas Rene Fender and Christian Holz explored the idea in a paper presented as part of the CHI human-computer interaction conference a few weeks ago in New Orleans. Holz was able to join our virtual studio to walk us through the research which he summarizes at the start of the video embedded below.

“We’re co-located but at different points in time, so it’s the same here but a different now,” explained Holz, assistant professor in computer science at ETH Zurich. “We can make sense of events as they happen in the shared environment.”

 

The work raises interesting questions around acclimatization to new forms of interpersonal communication that might be more common in the years to come. Will people really walk into a room and leave a message for someone who is so focused on their virtual environment they can’t be bothered? Employers everywhere are still establishing policies in response to employees asking to work remotely, with some companies like Apple, Google, and Meta working on headsets and services to move beyond video chat grids and power new paradigms in communication. Put another way, the workplace is changing and while “Asynchronous Reality” might not represent the exact way offices extend between physical locations in the future, this research still might give us an idea of what’s in store.

“We can take a piece of the office home and be co-located,” explained Holz. “I think technical feasibility is going to be there probably much sooner than the point at time at which we figured out what’s actually desirable.”

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Green Hell VR is due to launch on PC VR headsets next week, and we’ve got an exclusive first look at how it’s shaping up.

Just a few months back Incuvo released its Quest version of this survival game, based on the flatscreen original from Creepy Jar. And it was a smart, streamlined port – large areas of dense jungle had been condensed to help the game run on standalone hardware, the types of buildings and items you could craft had been reined in but new mechanics and interactions helped the game feel native to VR. The result was a much more approachable game that anyone could jump into, though fans of the original may have been disappointed with the simpler, undeniably easier gameplay.

If you’re in the latter tribe, you’ll want to keep an eye on Green Hell VR for PC.

Green Hell VR PC: Exclusive Gameplay

As you can see in the video above, this is the full-fat experience. Green Hell VR on PC aims to bring the entire original game into headsets, which means you’re getting the full map, a larger array of structures and items to craft and features missing from Quest like the ability to inspect and apply bandages to injured legs. The result is a much more ambitious take on the game than what’s come before but, from what I’ve played so far, Incuvo has done a great job of fitting the game onto headsets.

As with the Quest version, this is still an intensely physical experience. Trees need to be chopped with a hearty swing of an ax, spears are chucked with heft to shoot them across the jungle and an endless number of sticks and stones need to be gathered and nestled away in your backpack. There’s also a greater array of plant life and wildlife in this version, which means more threats just as much as it does more opportunities. If you prefer the much more demanding experience of the original game, then this is probably the version you’ll want to play in VR.

There are a few changes where the Quest version actually fares better, though. Extensively reworking the game for standalone allowed Incuvo to add new actions, like physically tying ropes around joints or knocking logs into the ground when making structures, but these are curiously absent here. Granted both the PC and standalone versions are set to see post-launch updates, so we could see other features come in over time.

As for performance and visuals, Incuvo says this isn’t the final build of the game so there are still improvements and optimizations to come. The footage above is taken on low graphics settings just to avoid any performance hitches, but I did have the game running pretty decently on a 3070 Ti with medium graphics settings, where it looked really good. Hopefully we’ll get a fully stable version at launch next week.

Green Hell VR is set to launch on PC June 9, during the Upload VR Showcase. Tune in to the show for a brand new look at the game!

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Yup, you read that right: the Upload VR Showcase returns to your screen on June 9 at 8am PT/11am ET/4pm UK!

It wouldn’t be summer without our bi-annual show stopping by to fill you in on all the latest with VR gaming. We’ll be back with a whole host of new game reveals, trailers and gameplay for titles coming across the wide spectrum of VR headsets. We’ll be live both on our own YouTube channel and as a part of IGN’s Summer of Gaming line-up.

What to expect this year? Well, we won’t spoil much for now, but we will say we have possibly the most new game reveals we’ve ever featured at a showcase, including some from companies yet to release VR games. You can also expect plenty of the industry’s best and brightest returning to show off the latest looks at their games.

This summer features headline sponsorship from Fast Travel Games and additional sponsorship from Owlchemy Labs, World of Mechs, Vertigo Games, Incuvo and Kiwi Designs as well as support from Pixelity. Need more info? Then make sure to head over to our brand new showcase page to learn more about the event and our sponsors!

That’s all for now but make sure to mark your calendars; on June 9 2022, the Upload VR Showcase is back with its biggest and best show yet. We can’t wait to see you.

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A prominent supply chain analyst claims PSVR 2 mass production will begin in H2 2022.

Ming-Chi Kuo is a TF International Securities analyst mostly known for predicting Apple products & moves over a year in advance using his supply chain sources. In April he released a report detailing the apparent resolution and production target for Meta’s upcoming Project Cambria headset.

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My latest supply chain check suggests that the assembler and several component providers of PS VR2 will start mass production with about 1.5M units shipments in 2H22. Sony may launch it in 1Q23, depending on the development schedule of PS VR2 game titles. pic.twitter.com/NIqFgg4Kjl

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 30, 2022

In a Tweet posted today Kuo claims “the assembler and several component providers” of PSVR 2 will start mass production in H2 2022 and ship 1.5 million units. Based on this, Kuo speculates Sony would be ready to launch in Q1 2023, assuming enough launch titles are available.

During a recent business briefing to investors Sony revealed PSVR 2 will launch with “20+ major first-party and third-party titles”. A “sneak peak” of at least some of these games will be shown in the State Of Play presentation next week.

Kuo isn’t the first analyst to suggest PSVR 2 won’t launch this year. Last month Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, Tweeted that both Apple and Sony’s VR products were delayed to 2023. Young told us Sony will only have a very limited supply by year’s end, so any serious launch would have to happen in 2023. In late February, YouTube channel PSVR Without Parole claimed to have sources for PSVR 2’s launch window being Q1 2023.

Sony hasn’t yet officially announced a release window for PSVR 2, but opened signups in February to be notified when preorders launch. As such, we can’t be sure whether there is truly a delay or if 2023 was Sony’s plan all along.

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With the global AR, VR and MR market worth $28bn in 2021 (and projected to top $250bn by 2028), it’s little wonder that companies are wanting to hop onto the XR bandwagon. In the retail industry, the augmented reality (AR) subsector is proving particularly enticing, with retail having been one of the boldest industries adopting AR technology, particularly over the past decade. That’s been aided by AR going mainstream thanks to the advent of smartphones packed with all the sensors and capabilities necessary for advanced experiences, resulting in 810 million active mobile AR users in 2021 (up from 440 million in 2019).

That rapid increase can also partly be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in a huge shift to online shopping and e-commerce – adding $219bn to US e-commerce sales in 2020-2021. Of course, even before COVID-19, the ratio of internet sales to total sales was trending steadily upwards, but as the pandemic itself has abated, digital shoppers have remained. And as customers have moved online, they have become increasingly ready to embrace digital technologies such as AR. 

AR and the Customer Experience

Seizing on that appetite, retail brands have created a wide range of AR experiences to entice customers. Sportswear brand Nike, for instance, has built-in AR functionality in its app in order to properly measure shoe size. The app makes use of a smartphone camera and simply requires the user to point their phone at their feet. The app also allows customers to share their saved shoe size with Nike stores via a QR code – helping to ensure a perfectly fitting shoe.

Part of the attraction for retailers is the way the technology can build excitement and deliver unusual and buzzy customer experiences. Retail stores themselves can build-in AR functionality, taking advantage of their physical space to offer more complex possibilities. Consider magic mirrors, for instance, screens which capture live views of shoppers, overlaying products onto their person. AR displays can also be placed on a storefront to draw viewers inside. Timberland took exactly this approach, utilising Microsoft Kinect technology to produce a virtual fitting room in the front of a store. Shoppers could stand in front of a screen and see a virtual representation of themselves wearing Timberland clothes – all before they’d even stepped foot inside.

For brands without the capabilities to build these AR experiences themselves, agencies have sprung up to help retailers make the most of the technology. Rather than create their own AR apps, brands can also benefit from tie-ins with some of the biggest AR-enabled apps, with the likes of TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat all offering extensive filter options. That removes much of the legwork from getting started with AR, which is why there are so many examples, whether it’s Porsche, Coca-Cola, or Starbucks.

The branded filter approach has been proven effective for marketing brands, as with over-the-counter cold and flu medicine Mucinex, which created a TikTok filter which resulted in a 42.7% increase in purchase intent.

Aside from including AR in their marketing endeavours, some retail companies have even delved into creating full-fledged AR products. Consumer product manufacturer Bic has released an app and accompanying drawing book known as DrawyBook which lets children bring their illustrations to life via an AR scan.

The Virtual Try-On

Perhaps the most popular use-case for retail AR, however, is the virtual try-on. Most of the industry’s biggest brands offer some form of the technology, which allows prospective buyers to see how a product would look on them without needing to physically try it on. Typically, such AR experiences make use of the ubiquitous phone camera to display the virtual elements in real-time. Prominent virtual try-on examples include make-up from Maybelline, clothing from ASOS and Zeekit, and shoes from Vyking.

Try-ons needn’t be limited to clothing. One good example is the IKEA Place app which allows users to place 3D models of the company’s furniture into their own rooms in order to preview how they would look, automatically scaling them based on the room’s dimensions to ensure they are true to life. In the US, Home Depot has taken a similar approach, aimed at improving the experience for mobile shoppers, who make up more than two–thirds of online traffic. Home Depot said in 2020 that customers who engaged with its app’s AR features were two to three times more likely to convert. 

Virtual try-ons have added benefits for retailers. It is estimated that returns cost retailers in the UK £60bn every year. If people can have a better idea of what they’re ordering before it is sent out, there’s every chance of bringing that number down – helping retailers and also the planet, as items don’t need to be sent back the other way after being delivered. Customers might be nudged into trying items virtually thanks to retailers increasingly moving away from free returns.

Room to Grow

Despite the plethora of AR options on offer, consumer interest for retail AR is still at a relatively low level. In October 2021, a survey found that only 13% of US adults had ever used AR or virtual reality (VR) to shop. Admittedly, that was up 5% on the year before, and 37% of those questioned did say they were at least somewhat interested in using AR or VR to shop. That means that 50% of US adults have either used or are interested in using AR while shopping.

According to the Impact of Augmented Reality on Retail report, of those making use of AR, 77% use the technology to visualise differences in products, such as alternative colours and styles. Meanwhile, 72% of shoppers who used AR in their shopping journey said it resulted in them buying.

AR also has a burgeoning role when it comes to navigation and directing customers around retail stores more effectively. In the US, home improvement store Lowe’s has developed an app which overlays directions onto a smartphone’s view of the store, for instance, helping customers to more quickly find what they are looking for.

Summary

In the retail sector, AR finds a distinct niche, serving to enable new and innovative customer experiences in the never-ending battle to attract potential buyers. Retailers have already become very canny with making the most of AR opportunities using customers’ smartphones – the next frontier will see better use of physical stores themselves to deliver more complex and compelling AR experiences.

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Make sure you play Sniper Elite 5, Evil Dead: The Game, The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story, and more games from May 2022.

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Joy Way confirmed that multiplayer is coming to Stride for Quest and PC VR via Steam in June, with more details to come soon.

The developers announced the news via Reddit, accompanied by a new trailer showcasing the multiplayer mode in action.

As you can see in the trailer embedded above, you’ll be able to play with a number of different players, performing parkour moves across various maps. You’ll also seemingly be able to choose from a number of different outfits for your avatar and interact with other players in some non-parkour capacities.

In a comment on Reddit, Joy Way said it will share more details on the mode next week. There’s no details on multiplayer launch date for PSVR yet, with the launch next month seemingly targeting PC via Steam and Quest platforms only. It’s unclear whether the Oculus Store release for PC VR will also receive the multiplayer update in June as well.

Multiplayer has been a long time coming for Stride. Joy Way first began testing it in Alpha on PC almost a year ago, in June 2021, with plans to later bring the mode to all platforms. That test involved a mode called ‘Zombie Horde‘, which was essentially a version of tag where a group of players were cast as survivors and another group as zombies. The latter have to chase and tag the former — the last survivor standing was the winner of the round.

In November 2021, Joy Way took the test servers down and noted that improvements would be made based on player feedback. The studio also indicated that several other multiplayer modes were in development as well — hopefully we see those in the full launch next month.

Just earlier this month, Stride was restored to the Quest store after it was made unavailable for over a month, as part of a move from Meta to unlist apps with “financial entities” based in Russia. You can find more details on that story here.

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The way the English dubs in Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Judgment are handled reminded me of my experience going back home to China.

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The Lenovo Legion 5 gaming laptop, powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor, is available with a $220 discount for Memorial Day, lowering its price to $880.

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Painting VR added new in-game tutorials and an expo mode this week in its latest update.

After launch last month, this minor update adds some new features that help you display your artwork and get new users comfortable with all the mechanics.

The new in-game tutorials run through the basics, allowing you to properly understand the fundamentals like brush settings, mixing colors, using reference images and more.

As you can see in the video above, expo mode is the other big addition, which lets you go through your portfolio and select artworks to hang on the walls around you. You can position your art however you want, and even scale them to be bigger or smaller. Once you’re happy, lock it in place and admire the work hanging in your own personal gallery.

Painting VR first launched over a year ago, as an early access title for Quest on App Lab. Since then, the game has been able to move to a full launch on the Quest Store and on Steam for PC VR and ran a successful Kickstarter to add more features.

There’s more on the horizon too. Multiplayer support should still be on the way to paint in VR with friends, but hopefully you’ll also be able to give them a tour of your exhibit space and the artwork hanging in your virtual warehouse as well.

Painting VR is available now for $19.99 on Quest and Quest 2 via the Oculus Store and on PC VR via Steam.

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Welcome to another VR Job Hub where every weekend gmw3 gathers together vacancies from across the virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) and now Web3 industries, 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
Burbank, CA	MSG Sphere	Director Production Technology	Click Here to Apply
Burbank, CA	MSG Sphere	Compositor	Click Here to Apply
Burbank, CA	MSG Sphere	Associate Technical Project Manager	Click Here to Apply
Burbank, CA	MSG Sphere	Sr. Product Director Exosphere	Click Here to Apply
Burbank, CA	MSG Sphere	Customer Insights Manager	Click Here to Apply
Burbank, CA	MSG Sphere	Product Manager Sponsorships	Click Here to Apply
Burbank, CA	MSG Sphere	Manager Sponsorship Sales – Tech	Click Here to Apply
Burbank, CA	MSG Sphere	Brand Experience Design Manager	Click Here to Apply
Burbank, CA	MSG Sphere	SVP Sales & Partnerships	Click Here to Apply
Burbank, CA	MSG Sphere	Software Engineer, Unreal	Click Here to Apply
Austin, TX	Owlchemy Labs	Lead Systems Designer	Click Here to Apply
Austin, TX	Owlchemy Labs	Technical Artist	Click Here to Apply
Austin, TX (Hybrid)	Phaser Lock Interactive	Game Director	Click Here to Apply
Austin, TX (Hybrid)	Phaser Lock Interactive	Project Art Director	Click Here to Apply
Austin, TX (Hybrid)	Phaser Lock Interactive	AI/Gameplay Programmer	Click Here to Apply
Austin, TX/Remote	Phaser Lock Interactive	Senior Environment Artist	Click Here to Apply
Austin, TX/Remote	Phaser Lock Interactive	Software Engineer	Click Here to Apply

Don’t forget, if there wasn’t anything that took your fancy this week there are 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 (community@gmw3.com).

We’ll see you next week on gmw3 at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the world.

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The latest Warzone update, Season 3 Reloaded, features a boatload of improvements. Here, we go through our favorite additions.

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Nearly three years on from its first release, Maze Theory is doubling down on VR.

After a few years away from the medium, expanding the initially VR-only Doctor Who: The Edge of Time into other versions for different platforms, the London-based studio is prepping the release of its next major VR title, Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom. At the same time, Maze Theory has hired 14 new staff, including developers from studios with VR experience like nDreams, Rebellion and Codemasters.

It’s also keen to push into the social VR space with its first multiplayer project, Engram (formerly The Vanishing Act). But why is now the right time to push further into uncharted waters? And what can we expect from the studio past the launch of Peaky Blinders VR? We spoke to Russell Harding, Chief Creative Officer, and Marcus Moresby, Creative Director, to find out more.

UploadVR: Why is now the right time for Maze Theory to expand its staff and VR operations?

Maze Theory: We’ve been really excited and encouraged to see the prolific expansion of the VR market. With platforms such as Pico Neo emerging and PSVR 2 on the way. Quest has been evolving new headsets and the VR experience is really having its moment, having lived through some hard times! 

The socially connected experience within VR is also coming to the fore and it’s set to play a pivotal role in the future of the metaverse. 

It’s the perfect time to invest in our team and broaden our portfolio of experiences.  We want to capitalize on these opportunities. At Maze Theory, we’ve coined the phrase ‘Storyliving’ to describe our approach to gaming in VR. Never has there been a better time to develop this and watch it take root within the VR community! 

UVR: We’ve seen the success of Quest lead to renewed interest in the VR market. As a developer, is your approach to be Quest-centric going forward or do you foresee new hardware that will be equally as important?

MT: Quest is very much the leading platform at the moment. So naturally we’ve been focused on finding the best way to make the most of that and ensure we can deliver the quality and experience the IP we work with – and develop – demands. 

Now that PSVR 2 is on the horizon, it’s of huge interest and something we are working towards. It makes sense to keep exploring new platforms. 

In addition to these two established formats, we are also very interested to see what impact Pico will have in the future.

UVR: Tell us more about Engram and the strive for original IP. Why is that important to you after close partnerships with the BBC and Banijay?

MT: It’s part of the studio’s intention to develop its own IP. We have amassed a huge amount of experience and learning from working with titles such as Peaky Blinders and Doctor Who. We want to use that experience to push the boundaries of VR. We have developed specialist knowledge and an incredible team, and an understanding of creating lore. It’s the natural next step to bring this to Engram and other projects that will be announced forthwith.

With Engram, we are also exploring the wealth of possibilities around multiplayer and social VR. The core premise of the game is exploring memories, and we’re working on ways to achieve a heightened range of emotional experiences. 

We are not announcing a launch date for Engram at this stage. But we feel very excited about it! For us, it’s a symbol of exploration and experimentation within VR, as well as the creativity and aspiration that feeds into all of our games. Some of this will also spin off into other products and IP. It’s the ultimate expression of what Maze Theory is about. 

UVR: Peaky Blinders and Doctor Who are single-player experiences. Why, with this experience, is it important for you to push into social VR in the future?

MT: Community-driven gaming and shared experiences are gaining traction and people are really enjoying this aspect. It means you can be in the story together and that makes it ultimately more powerful. That in itself changes the way we approach the development of the story. It’s an exciting proposition! 

UVR: After the release of Doctor Who you turned to some flatscreen adaptations, presumably because VR is a tough market. Are you anticipating continuing flatscreen development considering VR’s momentum going forward?

MT: Within the Doctor Who universe, it was part of our remit to think about different ways of telling the story. So the multi-platform approach was more about delivering different types of experiences for fans. The community has a deep involvement in the IP, so they are drawn to crave Doctor Who stories told in different ways, across different windows and platforms. 

Our dedicated focus on VR  – at this point – is because that market has changed and grown. We’re still aiming to deliver in a space where fans can have the best experiences. 

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Hitman 3 just received its long-awaited ray tracing update, but the new lighting tech can actually make the game look worse while destroying performance.

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How does Carbon Studios’ latest stack up on standalone hardware? Find out in our Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall graphics and gameplay comparison.

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall is an odd game. It initially released on PC last year and, in some ways, the pairing with The Wizards developer Carbon made for a perfect fit. Carbon brought its signature visual flair to the haunted world of undead combat, complete with elements of its gesture-based ranged combat system. But weak melee combat and imbalances really muddied the overall experience, resulting in a game that fell far short of its potential.

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall Graphics & Gameplay Comparison

The Quest version doesn’t offer a revolution over the PC edition in terms of gameplay. In fact, enemies have been stripped back in some areas to help maintain performance. That might sound disappointing at first and, sure, it’s a shame not to be getting total feature parity across the board. But cutbacks — from what we’ve seen — are mostly assigned to the skeleton soldier encounters, which were quickly dispatched already. The more demanding battles with the Nighthaunt are still here.

But, on the visuals front, Carbon manages to keep a lot of the core experience intact. On PC Tempestfall is a ghoulish game with lots of atmospheric effects to bring the Nighthaunt to life. Many of these have been inevitably chopped away on Quest; lighting effects for spells and enemies are drastically simplified and vegetation like shrubs on the floor have been stripped back too. Overall, though, we think you’ll agree it’s still a good-looking game for the platform.

What did you make of Warhammer’s Tempestfall Quest port compared to the PC VR version? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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Each week we will be taking a look at some of the upcoming videogames, demos and unique experiences available through Oculus App Lab for the Meta Quest headsets. Many of these videogames come in varying states of completion, so each title is subject to change.

This week we’re feeding vegetables and racing at speed!

Cookie Gardening Demo

I’m not entirely sure why anthropomorphic vegetables would want to eat chocolate chip cookies, but I feel like if I focus too hard on this the questions would continue spiralling out of control. Let’s just accept it. In Cookie Gardening you sit in a garden with lots of cute vegetables scurrying around; broccoli, potatoes, carrots and many more are darting around and it’s your job to catch them, put them in a basket and sell them.

How do you catch them? Easy, you drop cookies nearby and wait until they dash in before you snag them and throw them in the basket. I’d love to tell you what the point is, but I have no clue, and I’m not sure it even matters. After a successful hunt in the garden, you can head over to a shop to spend your hard-earned gold on upgrades, more bait cookies and new variants of the vegetables.

One of the first upgrades you’ll buy is an office, where a fussy VEGETABLE gives you particular tasks to earn bonus rewards. For example, collecting three types of potato rewards some extra gold.

Due to the very loose reasons to be in the garden hunting vegetables, and the ease with which the game plays, this would be ideal for a first VR game for kids. You don’t have to move around in reality, the veggies are easy to catch, everything is colourful and cute and the repetitive nature of the gameplay would attract children over adults. It’s a solid demo and a must-try for families with a Quest headset.

Omega Pilot

Omega Pilot uses asynchronous multiplayer to pit you against players from around the world (though real-time multiplayer is on the way) and I’m glad that real people didn’t have to witness me pilot my hovercraft into the walls. And floor. Or barrel roll it upside-down and barely bring it back to its correct position. I’m a terrible Omega Pilot.

Taking its cues from the Wipeout franchise – high-speed, angular, hovering vehicles – I found myself a pilot desperately trying to grasp control of the ship. Oddly, Omega Pilot has chosen to only use motion controls to steer the craft and they’re very sensitive. Holding the grip button and rotating your hand will roll the vehicle, and tilting it up and down will change the nose height. This all happens while holding the trigger to accelerate. This is all on the right controller, with the left taking care of button presses for a turbo boost and a slow-motion ability. 

By the end of my first race, I felt like I’d taken an unfortunate tumble in a washing machine. My vehicle was spinning, bumbling and what I can only call, careening, in every direction except the one I wanted. At points my vehicle was trying to impale itself nose-first into the ground, other times I would head into a corner feeling as if I was at the perfect angle only to run straight into a wall.

By the end of my first session I felt nauseous and a bit frustrated. Motion controls are great when done well and for many, these are probably fine, but leaving out stick movement feels like a misstep. In a racing world where sometimes up can become down swiftly, the addition of balancing motion controls feels a little overwhelming. I can imagine that for many, Omega Pilot would feel ‘too much’ and a little alienating.

via Mint VR

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

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No Man’s Sky getting space whales and more maps for Alvo are just some of the new VR games and updates on our radar this week!

Every week we get a lot of updates on new VR games at Upload – so much so that we don’t have time to cover them all. This week we talked about news from Fast Travel Games, Outlier, Shores of Loci and more, but here are some other titles we didn’t get to take a look at.

Lockdown VR: Circus Of The Dead

This is a curious little VR escape room game. You find yourself locked in a dressing room at a circus and work with friends to solve a series of challenges and unlock the exit. You’re also bears. Because why not? Look our for a Steam launch on June 1.

Cave VR

A strange-looking VR puzzler. You’re trapped in a cave a need to find a way out, but mysterious ruins present different challenges along the way. Visually it looks pretty interesting, but who knows if the gameplay will hold up. It comes to Steam on June 3.

Garden of the Sea

Neat Corp’s adorable VR farming sim is back with another round of updates. A free patch this week added new merchants to the game, which means new trinkets to decorate your islands with.

No Man’s Sky

Another month, another significant new update for one of VR’s biggest games. The Leviathan update adds a new expedition that traps players in a time loop with roguelike mechanics. This comes with an enromous space whale you that can recruit into your fleet. Can this game get any better?

Real VR Fishing

New stages are coming to the VR fishing game and they’ll be free for anyone that owns the original US West DLC. Starting in June you’ll get bi-weekly updates with new environments, the first landing you in Utah. Stay tuned for an official release date soon.

Alvo

A whole host of new content is coming to multiplayer FPS, Alvo, in the near future. That includes a free new map called Retreat, which is arriving soon. You can also expect a launch on PC VR headsets and community maps, too.

Zombie Range

Practice your throwing arm in this sort of football game that has you chucking a ball at cardboard cutouts of the undead. Aim for high scores and reach the top Slayer level. Or, y’know, go outside and throw a real ball. It’s out now on App Lab.

 

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You should never run out of things to play on the Nintendo Switch. Expand your library with the best Nintendo Switch game deals that you can shop right now.

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PlayStation boss Jim Ryan says Sony is spending a “considerable amount of money” on third-party and indie developers with PSVR 2.

Ryan said as much in the same investor call in which he confirmed PSVR 2 will feature over 20 games when it launches. “Right now, there is a considerable amount of money being spent on partnerships with independent and other third-party developers to secure a considerable pipeline of attractive VR content at the launch of PlayStation VR2,” he said (as reported by VGC).

“That energy, that effort and that money will continue to grow as the installed base of PlayStation VR 2 headsets grows also.”

Currently only a handful of third-party PSVR 2 games have been announced, including Among Us VR and Firmament, though other developers have confirmed they’re making games for the new headset. They include Coatsink, Fast Travel Games and First Contact Entertainment. That said, the recently-acquired Firesprite studio is the only first-party, PlayStation Studios developer known to be making a PSVR 2 – Horizon Call of the Mountain. Other flatscreen titles like Gran Turismo 7 are rumored to be getting support, too. As we’ve just learned, Sony will host a showcase featuring new PSVR 2 games next week.

But the release date for PSVR 2 is still unknown, with many speculating that supply constraints will lead to an early 2023 launch for the kit. That could mean it’s still some time before we get a better sense of the full PSVR 2 line-up. Until then, we’re keeping track of every announced and rumored project right here. We also speculated on what the PSVR 2 launch line-up could look like in this week’s VR Gamescast podcast.

via Mint VR

Welcome to another weekly edition of The VR Drop, where gmw3 looks ahead to see what exciting virtual reality (VR) videogames are coming to a headset near you in the coming days. We’ve got a full roster to end the month of May and welcome in June, from brain teasers to energetic rhythm titles.

The Last Taxi – ZenFri Inc.

Take part in a narrative set in a far-flung future where you’re the very last human taxi driver. The usual dystopian nightmare where surveillance, automation and human modification run rife, The Last Taxi is all about picking up fares and being chatty to earn tips and upgrade your ride. However, conversations with your passengers soon reveal the darker side of the city, putting you in the middle of whether to inform the authorities and the repercussions of doing so.

• Supported platform(s): Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index
• Launch date: 31st May

The Last Clockwinder – Pontoco

Time for a clone making brain tickler in The Last Clockwinder. Inside an ancient tree, there are valuable plants and seeds to save, only achieved by getting the place in working order. To do so you’ll need to plant seeds to grow and harvest the fruit needed to power the place, and many hands make light work. But as there’s only one of you, you’ll need to carefully clone yourself over and over again, performing tasks that all need to link up like one giant Rube Goldberg machine.

• Supported platform(s): Meta Quest 2, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index
• Launch date: 2nd June

First Person Tennis – The Real Tennis Simulator – Mikori Games

Originally released back in 2019 for PC VR headsets, First Person Tennis – The Real Tennis Simulator then arrived for Meta Quest’s App Lab late last year. Next week, the tennis simulator will see an official Oculus Store release, making it easier for Quest owners to find the videogame. Offering both single-player and multiplayer modes, First Person Tennis has both Arcade and Simulation settings, clay, grass, indoor synthetic and more court surfaces as well as 13 tournaments (4 Slam and 9 Masters); everything a VR tennis fan needs.

• Supported platform(s): Meta Quest 1 & 2
• Launch date: 2nd June

Drums Rock – Garage51

It doesn’t feel like a proper VR Drop without at least one rhythm action title on the list, next week in the form of Drums Rock. This is another VR videogame making it to new headsets, coming to SteamVR having initially released as a Quest App Lab title. As the name suggests, Drums Rock sits you behind a classic drum setup, with a 4+ hour campaign to play through featuring Hard rock, heavy metal, Nu metal, and other genres. As this is an Early Access title, developer Garage51 plans on adding further content, already collaborating with Until You Fall from Schell Games.

• Supported platform(s): Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index and Windows Mixed Reality
• Launch date: 2nd June

CAVE – Sable Studio

Finally, there’s CAVE VR, an explorative puzzler set inside a cave system – hope you are not scared of tight spaces. Discover the hidden secrets of the cave, with ancient ruins littered with puzzles that block your way back to the surface.

• Supported platform(s): Oculus Rift
• Launch date: 3rd June

via Mint VR

The Pokémon-focused MOBA is introducing a new game mode allowing players to catch wild Pokémon. 'Catch 'em Battles' will be playable for all starting on May 30.

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FromSoftware's Lost Kingdoms, a peculiar card-battling RPG that turns 20 this week, feels like a blueprint for the Souls series.

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Sony will offer a “sneak peek” at upcoming PSVR 2 games in a State Of Play presentation next week.

A post on the PlayStation Blog confirms that the showcase will air at 3pm PT/6pm ET/11pm UK on June 2. The show will consist of about 30 minutes of “announcements and updates”, though isn’t entirely dedicated to PSVR 2. Instead, the show will offer “a sneak peek at several games in development for PlayStation VR2.”

PSVR 2 Games Sneak Peek Confirmed

The post doesn’t confirm if we’ll hear any new information on the actual hardware at the show but, typically, Sony does put out disclaimers saying what won’t be at an event, just to temper expectations. With that disclaimer missing here, it’s possible we do get at least some info on the headsets release date and price.

Currently PSVR 2 is rumored to be launching in early 2023 and we’ve seen a handful of games confirmed. These include one first-party title, Horizon Call of the Mountain, and several third-party efforts like Among Us VR and Firmament. Developers like nDreams and Fast Travel Games are also confirmed to be working on games for the headset. Rumored titles also include a VR version of Gran Turismo 7 and Resident Evil 8.

Earlier this week PlayStation boss Jim Ryan revealed that Sony is planning over 20 games for the headset’s launch. You can keep up with every announced and rumored game for the headset here and follow along with everything else we know about the device here.

What PSVR 2 games are you hoping to see revealed next week? Let us know in the comments below!

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Kao the Kangaroo nails the basics of gameplay, so it's an enjoyable retro revival despite a lackluster story.

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We saw Mario Strikers: Battle League's new modes and customization in action. Here's how the latest Mario sports outing is shaping up.

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Discord allows you to strikethrough your text when you're creating it. Here's how to cross out text this way whenever you want.

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Yesterday was supposed to be the launch of Studio 369’s first virtual reality (VR) title, the promising World of Mechs. But due to the US suffering from another school shooting, the World of Mechs team has decided to delay the launch out of respect.

In a statement, the team said: “We are shocked and saddened at the shooting tragedy that occurred on Tuesday in Uvalde, TX. Out of respect during this sensitive time, Studio 369 will delay this week’s release of World of Mechs with a new release date to be determined shortly.”

This statement has been followed up with another over on World of Mechs’ Discord server, revealing that the new release date will be next Thursday, 2nd June. And for those that have been part of the beta testing the studio adds: “This weekend we are opening servers for you to test starting tomorrow 5pm PST through Monday 12pm PST.”

World of Mechs is one giant competitive squad-based brawler, where 10-ton machines fight one another over various terrains. With a rolling selection of multiplayer modes, from Team Deathmatch to Domination, the game supports up to 8-players at once (4v4). There’s a selection of 32 mechs to unlock, all offering their own load-outs and strategies. You’ve got hulking great Juggernauts that can take a beating or more nimble, lightly armoured mechs which can skit across the battlefield and outmanoeuvre bigger opponents.

They can all be upgraded using cash and XP collected during battle, so players can upgrade their health, improve weapon reloading or increase their damage output. Plus there’s a single-player campaign mode to enjoy in between online matches.

Previewing World of Mechs earlier this month, gmw3 said of the title: “Worlds of Mechs has all the ingredients for what could be the essential mech game on Meta Quest 2, it is loud, brash and unashamedly entertaining.”

World of Mechs is a Meta Quest 2 exclusive, so you’ll have to wait another week to find out if it was worth the wait. For continued updates from Studio 369, keep reading gmw3.

via Mint VR

The upcoming PC VR edition of Green Hell VR is set for release on June 9, during the upcoming UploadVR Showcase.

Green Hell VR, a port of the original survival game for PC and consoles, launched in April for Quest 2. The decision was made to release the Quest 2 version before PC VR, in order to implement feedback on the latter after users experienced performance issues in a demo earlier this year.

However, the Quest 2 and PC VR version also differ from each other. While both stem from the original flatscreen version, the Quest 2 release is a slightly abridged, streamlined version of the game, designed to work better on the standalone system.

This upcoming PC VR version, however, is a complete port of the original game. According to Incuvo, this includes “a wider terrain to explore, higher graphic fidelity, and different UI and mechanics yielding an even more immersive survival experience”

You can watch a new story trailer for the PC VR release embedded above.

“After two years of work we are thrilled to launch our game on Steam. The decision to split the PCVR and Quest launches was right, over these few extra weeks, we managed to polish important elements in the game to make it worth the wait,” said Incuvo CEO Andrzej Wychowaniec in a prepared statement.

While you wait for the PC VR version to drop in a few weeks, you can check out our review of the Quest release from last month or read our impressions of the PC VR demo from February.

via Mint VR

We do love a good hardware announcement here at gmw3 and Oppo hasn’t disappointed as it prepares for the Augmented World Expo (AWE) in California next week. The company has announced that for the first time North American visitors will be able to demo its augmented reality (AR) hardware.

Oppo will be demoing three of its products at AWE 2022, the Oppo Air Glass, AR Glass 2021 and its ColorOS Ray Tracing 3D Wallpaper. All of these have previously been revealed, the earliest of which was the Oppo AR Glass 2021, the company’s second AR glasses concept, introduced at OPPO INNO Day 2020. Air Glass appeared at INNO Day 2021 whilst the 3D Wallpaper was introduced during this year’s Game Developer Conference (GDC).

The Oppo Air Glass is very reminiscent of more enterprise-focused AR devices like Google Glass, providing users with time or situational information. With a sleek design, the Air Glass has a magnetic component so it can attach to users’ glasses whilst housing Oppo’s own Spark Micro Projector, a Micro LED and a bespoke diffraction optical waveguide display.

It’ll have all the input methods you’d expect from an XR device such as this, using touch, voice, head movement and hand motions to scroll through and select information. While Oppo has been developing AR technology since 2014 the Oppo Air Glass will be the company’s first commercially available XR product. An actual release date has yet to be confirmed.

“With the explosion of digital information, the ways in which we interact and exchange information between the physical and digital worlds are constantly evolving,” said Yi Xu, Director of XR Technology at OPPO in a statement. “Our belief that AR can be used to create a new digital world entirely based on the real world has been the driving force behind our investment and R&D in AR technologies, including the development of fundamental technology, applications, user interfaces and ecosystems.”

Or for something slightly different there’s always the ColorOS Ray Tracing 3D Wallpaper. Nope, this isn’t some hi-tech home wallpaper, this is a ray tracing application for smartphones. It allows Oppo phone users to interact with their wallpapers using hand gestures, so they can rotate, tap and wave whilst enjoying more vivid and life-like wallpapers.

For further coverage from AWE 2022, keep reading gmw3.

via Mint VR

After Fast Travel Games teased working on multiple PlayStation VR2 videogames earlier this week, now Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has divulged something even more exciting. Details have emerged that PlayStation VR2 will have over 20 titles available at launch – whenever that might be.

The details come from a recent Sony investor presentation, with page 23 of the deck (seen above) clearly stating “20+ major first-party and third-party titles confirmed for PS VR2 launch.” So not even the launch window – which is usually the first 2-3 months after release – but on day one by the sound of it.

No further information was released regarding which videogames these might be although it was paired with an image of the previously announced spinoff Horizon Call of the Mountain from Firesprite and Guerilla Games. That’s not the only title that’s been teased for the upcoming headset.  Medieval Dynasty, Pavlov Shack, Engram, Runner, as well as unnamed projects from Coatsink and Fast Travel Games.

“Right now, there is a considerable amount of money being spent on partnerships with independent and other third-party developers to secure a considerable pipeline of attractive VR content at the launch of PlayStation VR2,” said SIE president Jim Ryan, VGC reports. “That energy, that effort and that money will continue to grow as the installed base of PlayStation VR 2 headsets grows also.”

While it is certainly good that SIE is planning a strong lineup of games for PlayStation VR2’s launch, when that’ll take place is still unknown. PlayStation 5 is still suffering from supply chain issues making the console extremely difficult to get hold of. This is detailed on page 12 of the deck with PlayStation 4 outselling the PS5 in year 2 and that’s not expected to change until the PS5’s fourth year.

This likely means PlayStation VR2 won’t arrive until 2023 as several rumours have suggested.

That could very well change as the year goes on. For further updates keep reading gmw3.

via Mint VR

Fortnite's Collision event is coming up. Here's how to get in on the epic end of another season.

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A Fable reboot was announced at the 2020 Xbox Games Showcase. Here's what we know about the next installment in the Fable series, helmed by Playground Games.

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Upgrade to this 38-inch Alienware curved gaming monitor with Dell's early Memorial Day offer, which slashes $750 off its sticker price to lower it to $1,200.

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The Quarry is billed as a successor to 2015's excellent Until Dawn, and after playing an hour of the game, it might just live up to that lofty expectation.

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Web gaming platform Kongregate has been gradually moving towards a more Web3 centred approach, planning to release 8-bit inspired metaverse The Bitverse as well as blockchain game Blood Vessels. Delving further into the Web3 space, Kongregate has announced a new $40 million blockchain gaming fund in collaboration with crypto solution provider ImmutableX.

The fund looks to inspire developers to build blockchain games for Kongregate.com, consisting of an IMX token pool that will be awarded as grants to creators. While Kongregate.com has always been about web-based gaming, the site will relaunch later this year focused on the Web3 space, therefore it’s looking to invest in a library of content to support that vision.

“With the relaunch of Kongregate.com for web3, we’re once again creating a destination unlike any other for developers and gamers to come together to discover, chat about and play games,” said Max Murphy, Kongregate’s Chief Technology Officer in a statement. “As gamers ourselves who have long been dedicated to what made the original site so fun and special for millions of community members worldwide, we’re excited to reopen doors with new, sustainable technology that enables players to uniquely experience and be a part of the games they dedicate their time to.”

Kongregate is continuing its partnership with ImmutableX which began with development of upcoming title Blood Vessels. Currently being built by Kongregate’s new blockchain-focused development team, Electric Visions, Blood Vessels is set during the 19th Century at the Chicago World’s Fair, with players NFT vampire characters.

“As an early innovator in web-based gaming, we’ve been proud of our partnership with Kongregate to help power the next generation of blockchain games,” said Robbie Ferguson, Co-Founder and President, ImmutableX. “With today’s launch of our blockchain developer fund, we’re excited to deepen our relationship with Kongregate as we work together to attract the best and brightest developers to build new titles on Kongregate’s relaunched Web3 platform.”

Kongregate will be initially sharing how to access the fund to current developers on its platform, new teams interested in being part of it will have to reach out to Kongregate directly. As further details regarding the platforms’ Web3 plans unfold, gmw3 will keep you updated.

via Mint VR

Just under four years on from launch, PSVR-exclusive Firewall Zero Hour has launched its final season.

The tenth season is fittingly named Operation: X and developer First Contact Entertainment says it isn’t planning any additional seasons past this one. The game will, of course, remain in operation past the end of this season.

Included in Operation: X is the return of legendary weapons alongside 24 missions that allow you to unlock new cosmetics. You’ll need an Ops Pass to access the new content.

This isn’t a massive season by most accounts, then. But First Contact is currently busy working on a brand new game for PSVR 2. No word on what exactly that will be just yet but we’d certainly welcome an official sequel to Firewall. You can keep track of every announced and rumored PSVR 2 game right here.

Firewall first launched in 2018 and quickly grew in popularity on PSVR thanks to its tactical battles that were best experienced with the rifle-shaped Aim controller. It essentially ended up feeling like VR’s answer to Rainbow Six. We gave the game 9/10 back when we did review scores, saying it offered the definitive multiplayer shooter experience on PSVR.

Are you going to be jumping into Firewall’s final season? Let us know in the comments below.

via Mint VR

There are a multitude of different metaverse platforms out there and one of the most prominent is The Sandbox claiming over 40 million global installs on mobile. Today, the decentralized social world has announced a new partnership with WebHelp, a specialist in customer experience and business solutions to help improve The Sandbox’s community engagement.

Lime any metaverse platform The Sandbox is driven by its community of players and creators, ensuring everyone can have a safe, fun time. And should anything arise then there are the tools to help safeguard them and report malicious behaviour. WebHelp will aid in this process by providing The Sandbox community with in-game support services.

These will range from moderating in-game chat and new player support to conducting moderation, and social media activities. The partnership between the two companies initially began a couple of months back, over the coming months they’ll expand the number of Webhelp ambassadors to 150 in line with each Alpha Season release.

“With many complex interactions happening simultaneously in The Sandbox, it’s really important that our community see and feel the presence of our teams and ambassadors on the platform,” said Sebastien Borget, COO and Co-Founder of The Sandbox said. “Providing support to our players and creators is key to our offering, and we’re pleased Webhelp shares our vision for the metaverse as a safe space for users to connect with entertainment, gaming, and user-generated content. We are looking forward to working with Webhelp to scale up our dedicated support team, which is rapidly developing its skillset and becoming an extension of our team, as part of a long-lasting partnership.”

“We’re excited to partner with one of the fastest-growing and most disruptive gaming platforms of a generation,” commented Olivier Duha, CEO and Co-founder of Webhelp. “Running on an open irrefutable blockchain network, The Sandbox puts community at its core, matching Webhelp’s business values. We will be using our extensive experience and expertise in content and community moderation to help The Sandbox grow and remain a safe and engaging platform for players, creators, and commercial partners.”

Ensuring a safe, comfortable environment is crucial for any upcoming metaverse but especially one that courts brands partnerships like The Sandbox does. Currently, the platform has over 200 partnerships with brands such as Gucci, HSBC, Warner Music Group, Snoop Dogg, Adidas, Care Bears, and Atari, all of which have invested in land. That looks like to increase as metaverse popularity soars, so keep up to date by reading gmw3.

via Mint VR