Out of Scale invites you on an educational journey, teaching you science next month on Quest.
Developed between Schell Games and Kurzgesagt, Out Of Scale - A Kurzgesagt Adventure is an educational game that adapts the German studio's 2D videos into a VR experience. Exploring worlds within worlds from a mobile scale lab, you will travel to five levels of scale - molecular, bacterial, insect, human, and mountain.
Joined by the lab's AI assistant, STEVE, Out of Scale aims to demonstrate the effects of biology, physics, and chemistry across each realm. "Players will utilize drones, scanner rays, and a multitude of other lab tools and gadgets to wind their way through several missions," confirms the YouTube trailer description.
Like many games seen during Connect 2023, Out of Scale - A Kurzgesagt Adventure also supports mixed reality through a Sandbox Mode. Detailed on the store page, you can bring objects and creatures unlocked throughout the game into your home.
Out of Scale - A Kurzgesagt Adventure reaches the Meta Quest platform on October 26.
Neko Atsume Purrfect returns the popular series to VR this Winter on Quest.
Developed by Hit-Point, Neko Atsume Purrfect marks the second VR adaptation for the popular mobile cat-collecting game, following 2018's 'Neko Atsume' on PSVR. Purrfect lets you collect over new 40 cats, caring and feeding them in VR. On Quest 3, the mixed reality mode lets you pick up, hold and pet the cats across your own home.
Beyond this, there's not much else currently known about Neko Atsume Purrfect. The official website doesn't reveal anything further and additional platforms like PSVR 2 are unconfirmed. An official post advises fans to "stay tuned" for updates but until then, here's a brief description from the publisher:
In Neko Atsume Purrfect, cat lovers can collect over 40 adorable cats, feed and care for them, all in VR. OG Neko Atsume fans can look forward to discovering new cats they've never met before. And thanks to MR on Quest 3, players can now pick up and hold and pet their cats in their own living space.
Neko Atsume Purrfect arrives on the Meta Quest platform this Winter.
There’s an almost overwhelming amount of information to grapple with when first sitting down with the opening moments of Soul Covenant, Thirdverse’s new sci-fi action VR title.
Showcased for the very first time at Tokyo Game Show earlier this month, Soul Covenant is a world of angelic, grotesque yet somehow beautiful machines known as Deus ex Machina, crafted in the Zero-Verse Layer by the AI Adam that seeks to destroy humanity and become God. By the time our adventure begins, these creatures have already devoured much of Earth’s population.
Hope resides in Eve, another AI looking to fight back against such tyranny for humans, and AVATARs a unit of enhanced humans fighting to protect Tokyo Arc as one of the last bastions for life on the planet. AVATARs have the ability to themselves connect to the Zero-Verse Layer and communicate with Gods, using it to summon formidable powers needed to fight back against these destructive forces.
It’s a lot to take in, but to cut a long story short: humanity isn’t doing so good and you’re playing a new model with the potential to turn the tide of the war. After all, if these machines make it into the core of Tokyo Arc, the Remastering will bring about the end of humanity and human history.
It’s a fascinating sci-fi action world that Soul Covenant immerses you in from the moment you put the headset on and reach the game’s title screen. Waking inside a labaratory cultivation pod, you’re encouraged to wave your arms as bubbles of the liquid float around your newly-incarnated body. Before long you’re introduced to Eve and get the rundown of the game’s controls and movement, before being sent to slaughter (and be slaughtered) by Adam’s angelic machines.
The combat has a lot of mechanics to get used to in order to masterfully dispatch the waves of enemies. While the game’s trailers promised additional weapon choices – including chainsaws and more – this demo introduced us to the main weapon, Scapegoat, created from the bodies of their fallen enhanced comrades. It’s a slightly morbid idea to think about, but the enhancements of the people used in these weapon’s creations gives them individual enhancements and abilities to take advantage of in battle.
At its most basic, you swing your right arm to attack with this blade, while holding your left trigger brings up a shield that can deflect attacks. It’s rather weak in this form against the sheer strength of the creatures you face, but luckily there’s more to it. Holding the grip button while near the base of the handle transforms your sword into a reaper. This gives it both greater range and attack strength, but at the cost of being defenseless against upcoming attacks.
Defeating enemies leaves behind blue crystals, which you can pick up by hovering your left hand over them. Earning enough crystals will allow you to unleash a Demonic Burst, which sends a charged beam towards your enemies. It’s this moment that really makes you feel like an enhanced being more than any other. Almost like Astro Boy, you flex your body into an attack position and truly feel like you’re inflicting real damage and doing all you can to keep this unstoppable force under control.
As an Avatar, are you human, machine, or something else entirely? The move, beyond being fun to use, leaves you questioning this idea most. It feels mechanical, all-powerful and necessary.
In a world where death is a mere step on an evolutionary process (since consciousness can be passed through generations), the end of the demo left me with the greatest existential fear. The machine boss that I fight – and assumed to have defeated – contorts itself and, in one joyous call thanking us for the meal, eats me whole.
So you’re left there, staring into darkness. What now?
Soul Covenant leaves a lot of mystery on the table – what direction will things take from here? It’s hard not to be excited for everything to come. This world promises a lot, but has the talent needed to deliver on it with director Teruhiro Shimogawa and composer Yasunori Mitsuda in charge of bringing it to life. Set for an early 2024 release on Steam, Playstation VR 2 and Quest, we won’t have to wait long to see if Soul Covenant can live up to its potential.
The Foglands reaches Quest & PS5 this Halloween with optional PSVR 2 support.
Developed by Well Told Entertainment, The Foglands is described as an "anti-Western atmospheric roguelite." Playing as a runner called Jim, you're tasked with bringing home scavenged goods and fending off the twisted creatures within the Fog. With a behemoth threatens the survival of the Hold, it comes down to you to stop it, boosting your abilities and acquiring upgrades upon returning.
Navigating "an ever-shifting world" of fog, The Foglands involves exploration, collecting and fighting as you prepare to fight this worm-like creature. Combat's described as a mix of "barfight melee and shoot-em-up gunplay," using intention targeting and eye tracking to grab items you can use as weapons. Abilities can also be collected from The Stranger's Cards that boost each playstyle - Fists (melee), Guns, and Keys (exploration).
The Foglands reaches PSVR 2 and the Meta Quest platform on October 31, and Well Told Entertainment confirms the PC VR release will follow at a later date.
Schell Games reaffirmed its Among Us VR plans, advising the social deduction game is coming soon to PSVR 2.
Released on Quest and PC VR last November, Among Us VR has been a hit with more than 1 million copies sold, supported by numerous updates like the Polus Point map. Fans have been waiting to learn when it would reach Sony's new VR headset and though a specific release date remains unconfirmed, PlayStation Blog states that the VR adaptation is "coming soon" to PSVR 2.
There isn't much new information this otherwise provides and while Schell Games words this like a brand new announcement, Among Us VR was originally announced for PSVR 2 in April last year. At the time, Schell Games confirmed it would be available "when the headset is released" before eventually delaying the PSVR 2 version in February.
Among Us VR is "coming soon" to PSVR 2 for $9.99, and it's available now on the Meta Quest platform and SteamVR. When asked for a specific release window on PSVR 2 by UploadVR, Schell Games declined to comment.
Have the developers designed the perfect system for this sequel to thrive? Let's take a bird's-eye view and see what has been laid out for Cities: Skylines 2.
If you're looking for Meta Quest 3 deals, we've got the best offers here. You can get a free copy of Asgard's Wrath II, as well as a free trial of Meta Quest+.
From LEGO Bricktales to Stranger Things, Meta Connect 2023 showcased many promising VR and mixed reality games. Here's what you need to know.
It's no surprise that Meta is pushing mixed reality with Quest 3. Featuring enhanced color passthrough, a more powerful Snapdragon XR2 processor and increased resolution, CEO Mark Zuckerberg made little secret of his current focus. Launching on October 10, Connect showed how numerous Quest games are utilizing MR, either as additional gameplay modes or fully-fledged experiences.
Away from the main event, we discovered Quest 3 won't have exclusive games at launch. Meta is instead emphasizing the cross-generation release slate across Quest 2, Quest Pro and Quest 3. Just remember that on Quest 2, mixed reality passthrough support is limited to black and white output, whereas Pro and Quest 3 both use color at different resolutions.
If you're looking to find out more, here's every game announcement from Meta Connect 2023:
Assassin's Creed Nexus
Following the recent gameplay trailer and release date reveal, Assassin's Creed Nexus popped up (1:12:12) once more with a few new gameplay clips. Playing as Kassandra in Ancient Greece, Ezio in Renaissance Venice and Connor in the American Revolution, that arrives on November 16.
Asgard's Wrath 2
Meta confirmed that Asgard's Wrath 2 will include an MR mode "in which Loki’s minions appear from Anomalies that can emerge and open from the walls and ceiling of your room" on Quest Pro and Quest 3. Releasing on December 15, early Quest 3 adopters will receive this for free if you buy the new headset before January 27, 2024. Gameplay footage can be found at 1:11:57, 1:55:54 and 1:52:39.
A brand new MR experience, BAM! describes itself as a fast-paced multiplayer game. "Place your tabletop arena where it suits you, scale it, rotate it and puppeteer your character to victory online or local through spatial anchors," confirms a press release. BAM! is a Quest 3 launch game, arriving on October 10.
First Encounters
More of an MR tutorial than fully fledged game, First Encounters is a new user experience with FPS elements only available for Quest 3. Utilizing passthrough, scene understanding and scene anchors, you're tasked with breaking down walls in your real-world environment to find space critters, shooting them to fit them into a rescue ship. You can watch that from 1:49:08.
FitXR
FitXR is introducing Zumba classes to VR. A release date or further details weren't confirmed, though the developer says it's "coming soon". You can watch this briefly at 2:00:42.
Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord
We've been hearing a lot about Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord lately. Arriving next month on PSVR 2 and Quest, Meta's standalone platform is getting an exclusive MR mode. You can see this briefly in action at 2:04:48, and you can read our recent preview to learn more.
Meta’s Head of Developer Relations, Melissa Brown, confirmed (2:00:54) that wellness and mindfulness app Headspace is coming to Quest 3 "soon." However, not much else was disclosed.
LEGO Bricktales
Previously released on flatscreeen platforms and mobile, LEGO Bricktales VR is officially coming to Quest 3 as a launch window game. Releasing on December 7th, Bricktales sees you journeying across five LEGO-themed biomes, ranging from sun-drenched deserts to medieval castles. Featuring mixed reality support (1:07:42 and 2:04:51), that lets you place LEGO dioramas on your table.
Les Mills Bodycombat
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Les Mills Bodycombat has been around for sometime but nearly two years later, the Quest version is receiving MR support and obstacles come through your wall, which can be seen at 1:08:05, 1:52:56 and 1:59:49. The main game is available now, and you can check out our impressions from last year to learn more.
Previously released via App Lab with a Roblox open beta, the popular game creation platform is now available as a full release on the main Quest store.
Stranger Things
First announced last year, Stranger Things VR by Tender Claws is a psychological horror action game. Playing as the fourth series antagonist, Vecna, the upcoming game sees you fend off monsters and inhabit people's minds. Out on November 30 on Quest, Connect offered a first look (1:08:27 and 1:47:40) at the upcoming MR mode which also supports hand-tracking.
Supernatural
Meta confirmed that Supernatural will receive a significant price cut to its monthly subscription. Previously available for $18 per month, that's being reduced to $10 per month. New footage running off Quest 3 was also shown, which you can see from 2:00:04 onwards.
The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners Enhanced Edition
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Previously announced back in July, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is receiving an enhanced edition on Quest 3 this fall. Today, we got some direct comparison footage between Quest 2 and Quest 3.
Though it only received a brief appearance (2:01:39), Atlas V confirmed that Wallace and Gromit in the Grand Getaway will include a mixed reality game when it arrives later this year. You can check out our recent preview below, and we also interviewed Aardman, No Ghost and Atlas V to learn more.
Interested to learn about more upcoming MR and VR games? Check out our full list below, which covers upcoming releases for Quest 3 and other platforms:
The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses will have the newly announced Meta AI assistant onboard, though for US buyers only at first.
At Meta Connect today the company announced Ray-Ban Meta as the successor to Ray-Ban Stories, the first-person camera glasses launched in 2021 that let you capture hands-free first-person photos and videos, take phone calls, and listen to music.
The new Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have improved camera quality, more microphones, water resistance, and better weight distribution for improved comfort. They can also go live on Instagram. However, just like the original, they do not have a display of any sort, only an internal LED above the right eye.
But arguably their most interesting new feature relates to another thing Meta announced today: Meta AI. On mobile, Meta AI will be a text-based conversational assistant, available in Messenger and WhatsApp. But in the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses you'll be able to talk to the assistant by saying "Hey Meta", and you'll hear a verbal response, completely hands-free.
Meta AI should be much more advanced than the current Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant, because it's powered by Meta's Llama large language model, the same kind of technology that powers ChatGPT.
ChatGPT is fairly verbose by default though. Meta says it has optimized Meta AI for smart glasses for brevity, keeping responses short and to the point.
Meta AI will be available on Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses in the US at launch, and Meta says it will expand availability over time.
After a software update sometime next year, Meta says the assistant on the glasses will also be able to answer questions about what you're currently looking at, by feeding the camera input to a future multi-modal version of Llama.
Outta Hand is out now, offering Quest players a short, sweet and sublime campaign of charming VR platforming. Read on for our full Outta Hand review.
Outta Hand is the rare type of VR experience that understands its strengths and perfectly plays to them without overstaying its welcome. It presents players with a 3-4 hour campaign that is polished at every corner, evolving the mechanics of the first-person VR platforming genre and doing so in a package that tells an appropriate story wrapped in wit and packed with charming visual environments. It's hard to fault what Capricia Productions has pulled off here.
Outta Hand Review – The Facts
Platforms: Quest 2, Quest Pro (Review conducted on Quest Pro) Release Date: September 28 Developer: Capricia Productions Price: $17.99
Outta Hand's basic premise sees you inhabit the body of a 'hand person' – a small, round blue creature with gangly long arms, small white wings and uselessly-small feet. In the style first made popular by Gorilla Tag and then evolved in No More Rainbows, you'll move around solely by propelling yourself with arms and hands. This means you'll push along the ground (creating a kind of running, galloping-type action), shove yourself up walls and grab onto the environment with your controllers – no artificial movement in sight.
You begin the game trapped in a glass container deep in the facility of the evil mad-scientist-capitalist-overlord Dr Vendeldoom, moving along a conveyer belt of similarly-contained hand people. When a machine deems your cerebral functions to be "above allowed parameters," you're re-routed to be immediately incinerated.
Of course, you soon avoid incineration and escape your glass confines.What follows is a simple-but-classic 'escape the facility' style story, with increasingly large boss bottles standing between you and freedom.
Following the guidance of the voice-in-your-earpiece assistant Handgelina, you'll begin to make you way through the facility, encountering increasingly complicated platforming scenarios and competing in occasional combat and boss battles.
Outta Hand keeps the story simple and never once lets the narrative bring a halt to its frenetic, never-ending platforming action. The dialogue between Handgelina, Vendeldoom and the other characters – all of which feature fantastic voice acting performances – plays out in the background as you go about your journey.
You'll never once be stopped in your tracks to watch a cutscene or observe a narrative beat play out around you. This is a VR experience made by people who understand the immedicy of the medium, with absolutely no stopping and starting to be found.
A Mechanical Leap of Faith
The oft-cited benefit of the Gorilla Tag, motion gesture-based movement system is that the connection between your physical actions and in-game movement often results in less motion sickness in those who may be otherwise susceptible. The connection between physical action and in-game movement is sometimes enough to trick you brain into believing you're really moving.
For me, that was very much the case here. I was able to play for an hour or more without really ever noticing any nausea, which is great because Outta Hand really takes the movement system and lets it fly – quite literally.
This new evolution of the movement system keeps the core basics, but expands them out significantly and adds in a bunch of welcome new mechanics. The arm-based leaps in both Gorilla Tag and No More Rainbows felt intentionally 'tight' to use. They had measured, precise arcs of motion that allowed you to fine tune your performance and improve over time.
That's precision is still available Outta Hand, but the movement system is way more stretchy in its limits. You can shift yourself just a few steps across the ground or truly fling yourself across a cavernous gap, depending on the circumstances. There's still rigidity when needed, but it injects movement with a veritable spring that makes it feel unique. The intensity increases as you move through sections that build momentum, making it easy for you to leap too far and over-extend past where you wanted to land. The platforming increasingly becomes about showing restraint with your jumps.
This new, spring-y movement is combined with some intelligent original mechanics that breathe fresh air into the genre. The two little wings on your back, for example, can be used to boost yourself slightly higher when mid-air or used to course correct your direction when falling slightly short or further than intended. You activate them by flapping your motion controllers at your side, using your arms like wings, which will give you a little bounce in the opposite direction. You can't abuse the mechanic though – there's a small meter visible in your periphery that will limit you wing usage, refilling once you touch the ground.
Then there's your fists. When pressing the grip button on your controllers, your hands will enlarge into exaggerated closed fists, which can be used in combat or in platforming contexts to different effects. Punching certain platforms or enemies mid-air will launch you in a given direction, for example, or your first can throw out punches at the facilities hostile security and bosses when in close quarters.
Handfuls of Variety
With those mechanics introduced, Outta Hand essentially gifts you a toolbox to run through its ever-varied and intriguing campaign of platforming and combat challenges. When it comes to the former, you'll deal with moving platforms, breakable platforms, closing corridors, retractable spikes, curving pipes to slide down, wall jumping obstacle courses and many more.
Outta Hand is very good at introducing new obstacles that are easily understood but slowly ramp up in difficulty. As you get further into the campaign, the game starts to mix these obstacles together in new ways and requires your to use your jumps, fists and wings in different combinations to make it to the next checkpoint.
The energy of the game never really lets up and you'll probably find yourself struggling to take off the headset – I certainly did. It's also a fairly generous system in terms of creativity – there's several scenarios where a set of obstacles can clearly be approached and completed in different ways, whether intended or not. There were points where I completed a section wondering whether I had actually finished it in the way that the developers intended, or just found my own way through. It's rare you see this level of flexibility in a game without it also breaking key elements of its own systems – the fact that it works here is the mark of good mechanics and level design.
The combat is perhaps the weakest part of the game, but in some ways that doesn't matter. It never offers anything hugely challenging, but I suspect that's by design – by keeping things light and simple, it ensures you never get stuck on a section for too long. This lets you focus on maintaining the high-energy pacing, without getting bogged down in difficult combat scenarios. There is variety in the enemy types – some shoot from afar, others hit you in close quarters or explode on impact – and the boss fights are particularly memorable, each requiring unique strategies and never doing the same thing twice.
It helps that the game is paired with a fantastic soundtrack and beautiful visuals. There's a lot of Crash Bandicoot inspiration to be found in Outta Hand, and it manifests itself in the quirky humor and the environment design, both of which are a joy. There's a lot of creativity on display – from the character design to the obstacles and the different 'biomes' of the facility from which you're escaping. It's all simple, but very effective.
The campaign is the perfect length – long enough to offer challenge and variety, but short enough that you don't get sick of it by the time it's over. For those truly wanting more, there's currently an endless mode with leaderboard support that will allow you to play with limited lives for as long as you can survive or in 'zen' mode for as long as you like. That's all the non-campaign content for now, but from what Capricia Prouctions told me, there's plans for more to come.
In terms of performance, the game ran near flawless on Quest Pro, spare for some small and very occasional hitches that won't impact your playthrough in any significant manner. It all works just as you'd expect and there's an appropriate amount of comfort options (vignette, snap/smooth turning, etc.) for those who need them.
Outta Hand Review – Final Verdict
Outta Hand is an absolute joy from start to finish and one of the best new releases on Quest. The campaign is the perfect length, taking the best parts of some well-established VR platforming mechanics and adding some original twists of its own. There's the perfect amount of narrative to keep you playing, matched with witty dialogue and beautiful environments to leap through. We can't wait to see what post-launch content might be on the way as well.
Outta Hand is a thrill and an easy recommendation for Quest players this fall.
UploadVR focuses on a label system for reviews, rather than a numeric score. Our reviews fall into one of four categories: Essential, Recommended, Avoid and reviews that we leave unlabeled. You can read more about ourreview guidelines here.
Genotype, the upcoming sci-fi adventure VR title from Bolverk Games, arrives next month on Quest.
Following a recent open beta test, Bolverk confirms Genotype is now targeting an October 2023 release window. Revealed through a new trailer just before today's Meta Connect keynote, it provides a fresh look at combat against some strange creatures, exploration, puzzle solving, character interactions, and your available abilities. You can watch the new trailer below:
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Previously featured in the UploadVR Summer Showcase 2023, Genotype promises a chilling “escape-the-dungeon” FPS-style action adventure set in Antarctica. Exploring an abandoned scientific facility, you must investigate the mystery behind what happened to its former research team. Aiding you are high-tech gloves that can print organisms, using their abilities to take down enemies and solve puzzles.
Genotype arrives in October 2023 on the Meta Quest platform, and you can pre-order it now with a 14% discount.
Meta Connect 2023 starts today at 10am PT with Quest 3 reveals incoming. Here's how you can watch it.
Beginning with a keynote speech from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, this year's two-day conference takes place across September 27-28 with a focus on Quest 3, mixed reality, VR, and AI. Featuring an in-person component that's invite-only at Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California, you can watch the online stream for free via Facebook, IGN's livestream or inside Meta Horizon Worlds.
Beyond Zuckerberg's keynote, Connect 2023 includes several planned talks that go beyond the upcoming mixed reality headset. Today's lineup alone includes a post-keynote presentation with Reality Labs' Chief Scientist Michael Abrash and CTO Andrew 'Boz' Bozworth, alongside a Developer State of the Union address at 11.45am PT.
We will also be streaming our reactions through a special VR Download episode at noon PT, hosted this week by Kyle Riesenbeck. Ian Hamilton and David Heaney will be on-site at Meta headquarters and reporting back into our live comments as they check out Quest 3.
Meta Connect 2023 begins at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST / 7pm CET, and you can find the full Meta Connect agenda here.
After playing a few hours of Alan Wake 2, creative director Sam Lake told us about the sequel's approach to mystery and Twin Peaks: The Return's influence.
Sony researchers built prototype VR controllers that can adapt to different use cases, and I got to try them.
The controllers explore two innovative ideas. First, they can dynamically adapt their center of mass in real time by shifting a weight internally. Second, you can use them separately or attach them together in various configurations to act as different kinds of objects.
Since the researchers are building a haptic system, not a tracking system, the controllers were tracked by strapped-on HTC Vive trackers, with base stations set up in each corner. For testing and demoing they used a HTC Vive Pro 2 headset tethered to a gaming PC - not a PlayStation VR headset or PlayStation console, as these researchers work separately from those product teams, and prototyping on a PC is far more convenient.
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By altering the configuration of the controllers, I was able to hold and use three highly convincing virtual objects: a sword, a shotgun, and an umbrella, showing the versatility of this approach.
The umbrella was actually the most compelling. With both controllers attached together longways, I could feel the precise haptic feedback from raindrops. When the umbrella was furled, I felt all the weight near my hand, and when unfurling it, I could truly feel the weight move to the end. This was the most remarkable of the three demos because of how noticeable and dramatic the weight shifting was.
Now, I know the question a lot of you will be asking right now: will any of this eventually come to a PlayStation VR3 or other future VR system from Sony?
While the specific controllers I tried are solely being billed as a research project, Sony has shown a strong interest in VR haptics with PlayStation 5 and PSVR 2. Sony included high-fidelity actuators in the controllers and introduced both resistive triggers and in-headset vibration, delivering a new kind of immersion not available in other VR systems. So I wouldn't be surprised to see Sony incorporate novel haptics in its future XR devices - but could that really include weight-shifting and modularity?
NFL Pro Era 2 continues the new annual sports series on Quest and PC VR headsets, though it's now been delayed until further notice.
Teased during June's Meta Quest Gaming Showcase, the NFL Pro Era sequel marks VR’s second official NFL game, featuring Lamar Jackson returning as the cover star. Previously planned for September 28, StatusPRO revealed that's now been pushed back through its Discord server and a new release date remains unconfirmed.
Announced earlier this month, NFL Pro Era 2's biggest change is a new head-to-head multiplayer mode, letting you battle online and "pitch your favorite teams against each other." Multiplayer Freeplay enhancements are also promised, allowing you to join other players to practice catching and passing tricks.
As for Career Mode, StatusPRO confirms NFL Pro Era 2 lets you take teams through multiple Super Bowls as your career progresses. Outlined gameplay improvements include "improved passing, improved player movement, improved AI for more accurate tackling and catches" and a redesigned locker room.
There's also a new 'Coach’s Confidence' rating for players, unlocking further plays and abilities when accuracy/efficiency improves. New post-play celebrations let you high-five and fist bump teammates, sideline interactions boost teammate abilities on the field. Finally, "wristband play calling" sees you call the necessary for winning.
A release date remains unknown, but NFL Pro Era 2 will launch on the Meta Quest platform, SteamVR and PSVR 2 for $30.
This article, originally published on September 13, was updated on Sept. 27, 2023 to reflect the release date delay.
Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs marks a new target, arriving this October on PSVR 2 with a discounted crossbuy upgrade.
Developed by Resolution Games, Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs initially launched in 2019 and received a consistent slate of post-launch updates. Now arriving on Sony's latest headset, Resolution confirms the PSVR 2 version promises enhanced visuals with "improvements to environments and select 3D models, new visual effects, and refreshed lighting." User-created levels can also be shared and downloaded online, which wasn't possible on PSVR.
We had positive impressions in our Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs review, calling it a great fit for younger players and believing that gameplay "has translated remarkably well to roomscale VR."
While I found both campaigns to be pretty easy, I think it’s important to keep the target audience in mind. Angry Birds has always been a franchise for the younger demographic and for them, this is a perfect VR game. It’s got a mix of interesting campaigns, a fun aesthetic, some challenging levels and huge creative potential with the level editor.
Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs reaches PSVR 2 on October 10 for $19.99, with a $9.99 upgrade option available if you own the original PSVR version. Elsewhere, it's out now on Quest, Rift, Steam, PSVR, Pico and Viveport.
There are way more Bethesda games than The Elder Scrolls that are just as good. That's why we've rounded up this list of the best Bethesda games of all time.
Bigscreen Beyond represents a bold statement from a small software company making hardware for the first time. Beyond makes major design trade-offs in pursuit of delivering the world’s lightest fully-featured VR system. Here’s our review-in-progress assessment of this super slim PC VR headset powered by SteamVR Tracking.
I decided I wanted popcorn and a drink about 20 minutes into watching a movie which stretched out on a gigantic screen and reflecting light onto the tops of the seats in front of me. A few minutes later, I dropped back into my comfy seat and started shoveling the popcorn in as the movie continued. I unscrewed the cap on a soda bottle, tilted it up and took big gulps as I watched some Avatar: The Way Of Water in 2D alone. Then I went into another room and watched some Eddie Murphy Raw with others in the seats in front of me.
I enjoyed movies and TV like this for hours in Bigscreen Beyond, and I also enjoyed playing Walkabout Mini Golf, Beat Saber, and Half-Life: Alyx with the headset enough that I can see Beyond becoming my go-to PC VR headset. While virtual movie theaters work on practically all VR headsets, and I’ve enjoyed traditional cinematic content in VR from time to time, Beyond’s weight loss helps make space for these kinds of experiences in a refreshing new way.
Yes, Beyond solves VR’s face-brick problem — but that doesn’t mean it offers the best visuals in VR right now or that it’s the right PC VR headset for you. Here’s a breakdown of what the new underdog of the VR market gets right, what it gets wrong, and who might want to think about adding Bigscreen Beyond to their home.
Why Is This A Review-In-Progress?
We’re posting this initial review as an in-progress assessment of Bigscreen Beyond before the company is shipping its add-on audio strap solution. While the headset includes stereo microphones, the upcoming accessory is expected to ship “late Q4” 2023 for $100. This accessory will pair built-in audio output with a more rigid strap. Initial testing was conducted using the soft strap and external stereo speakers to evaluate Beyond’s key trade-off — weight reduction — without any more grams on my head than necessary.
In addition, prescription correction matters a great deal and Beyond was tested without it. The lenses are sold for $79 and their absence in our testing makes it difficult to convey exactly how much physical relief one might expect with just Beyond’s approximately 127 grams grams on your head. This is still a fixed focus design, after all, and taking Beyond off and focusing on the real world again is a taxing transition for the eyes. A dull ache across my head will set in across my time in heavier headsets and that’s non-existent with Beyond. Instead, when Beyond’s cushion leaves my cheek there's relief at letting my skin breathe accompanied by a transitional period when my eyes take time to focus naturally again.
Given that Beyond is positioned as a premium product that’s custom-fitted for a single person and geared toward satisfying their most-demanding PC gaming needs, we think Beyond needs to be assessed further with additional accessories to provide more robust buying recommendations.
What Is Bigscreen Beyond?
Bigscreen Beyond's Box
Bigscreen Beyond is a high-end wired PC VR headset that sells for $1000 and requires a face scan from a phone for proper fitting.
Beyond’s optical system is driven by a pair of 1-inch 2560x2560 per eye microOLED displays which have 75Hz or 90Hz modes. The company lists the PC requirements as at least an NVIDIA RTX 2070 or AMD RX 5700 XT with DisplayPort 1.4 and DSC. The CPU should be at least a quad core Intel or AMD, and you’ll need two USB 3.0 ports.
Bigscreen Beyond
Inside Beyond’s box is the visor, the custom shaped soft face cushion which magnetically snaps into it, a soft adjustable strap that clips onto each side, and the 5 meter cord which splits from a small box at the far end into a DisplayPort connector and two USB-A plugs.
Bigscreen Beyond's custom-fitted face cushion.
At the other end, a single USB-C port carries VR through the visor’s left side. A second USB-C port on the right side of the headset can connect accessories like a USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone dongle for a simple wired audio solution.
Who Is Bigscreen Beyond For?
If what comes in Bigscreen Beyond’s tiny box is all you need to upgrade your PC VR gaming experience from a Valve Index or Vive Pro, then you might be in the market for this headset. If you don’t own SteamVR Tracking base stations, though, or don’t have a high-powered PC then it is hard to recommend Bigscreen Beyond as an entry point to the VR market right now.
That’s partially because if you’re buying into VR for the first time there are solid standalone headsets like a Pico or Quest that offer a much easier and less expensive path to your first VR game. Standalone headsets can also convert to PC VR headsets with built in streaming modes or apps like Virtual Desktop and, given that they’re not custom fitted, any friends or family that want to try out VR in your home alongside you will be able to give it a go with or without your PC engaged in the process.
That means if you get a standalone headset to drive your first PC VR experiences and decide to upgrade to Beyond later, this path also lets you easily spin up a multiplayer VR session via two headsets with one person playing in standalone and the other playing in Beyond on PC.
Even if you think sharing Beyond with others is unlikely, having a VR headset in your home is like a magnet for conversation and demonstration. Plus, Beyond looks way more inviting sitting out on a display stand than any other headset I’ve had. It's just that Beyond is not a headset you can put on another person unless their eyes are so similar to yours you could essentially exchange prescription glasses. Bigscreen says it comes in 18 sizes fitting interpupillary distances ranging from 58 mm to 72 mm, and moving the headset’s position on your face even the slightest amount can knock off the alignment with the displays such that VR becomes unplayable. The takeaway is that a poorly fitted Bigscreen Beyond can leave you with actual sore eyes or a headache after just a few seconds.
No, Beyond is not for sharing, and as of this writing it’s not ideal for first timers given the expense and setup involved in acquiring SteamVR Tracking base stations and compatible controllers like the Valve Index controllers or original Vive wands. Instead, it’s a lot easier to get into VR with another headset first and then think of Beyond as a treat-yourself deep-dive upgrade that demotes your old headset to the Mad Catz controller you pawn off on an unfortunate player two.
If you’re looking for a headset that feels great to wear for longer periods than pretty much every other headset on the market, it is certainly a straightforward path to go from a standalone headset to Beyond. There really is nothing else like Beyond on the market in 2023, so I can understand anyone with a bit of disposable income and a taste for the bleeding edge sitting reading this in one window with their finger hovering over the pre-order button on Bigscreenvr.com in another window.
Trade-Offs And Beyond’s Big Weakness
Yes, Beyond does indeed deliver multi-hour gameplay more comfortably than other headsets in one key dimension — weight. The biggest reason why I would still steer discerning buyers away from this as a first-time headset, however, is due to some distracting features of Beyond’s lenses.
A ring on the outside edge of the lenses features distracting distortions and blurring. I’d estimate, very roughly, the ring comprises maybe 10 percent the total field of view of the optics. Meanwhile, the lenses Meta introduced on Quest Pro remain the market leader in edge to edge clarity. I’d prefer Meta’s clearer lenses for general purpose VR usage with content that’s ideally experienced in, say, 30 minute to hour-long chunks. Going into VR for an hour or two though? Then I’d think about going in Beyond first, but not without battling with myself.
That’s because Beyond’s lenses also catch internal reflections in high contrast scenes. In the scene I described at the outset of this writeup, for instance, there were reflections flickering believably along the seats in the bottom-third of my vision, but mixed in next to them were unnatural reflections as well where bright areas of the theater screen were caught by the lenses in ghostly ways that scream “this isn’t a real theater”. Altogether, this means the sweet spot of maximum clarity at the center of Beyond’s optics are wide enough to center a large-format cinema screen in the sweet spot — exactly the use case Bigscreen is ideal for. So you can watch a movie or TV show stretching out in front of you with minimal distortion across the entire width of the landscape frame. Anytime your eyes wander away from the frame, however, you’ll be reminded by the lenses’ distracting imperfections that you’re not actually in a real theater.
We also experienced a loud buzzing noise from time-to-time caused by Beyond’s fans. Bigscreen is aware of the issue and recommends resetting the magnetic face cushion to make it go away.
Conclusion
Since 2014, Bigcreen has been the underdog of the VR market as it independently chips away at the software experience of watching traditional movie and TV content with others in VR. It’s a core use case for headsets that tech giants like Meta and Apple are throwing untold resources at building out and dominating. Bigscreen, meanwhile, has been operating with a fraction of the tech giants funding and is now shipping hardware that makes bold choices toward comfort-driven personalization rather than mass market share.
Supporting the underdog is hardly a compelling reason to spend $1000 on an imperfect first hardware offering from a startup. Still, it’s worth recognizing the role Bigscreen is playing in pushing back at Apple’s luxury-first approach or Meta’s effort to expand the market for its products by lowering the minimum age for use.
Bigscreen Beyond is made by VR enthusiasts for VR enthusiasts and, even imperfect, its existence provides a tantalizing tease of the future. Bigscreen has shown it can continue to iterate and improve its product over time, and its trade-offs should at the very least have your interest even if you’re not ready to give the company your dollars just yet.
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Next Move presents a unique platformer with joystick-free movement, and it's coming this fall on Quest and PC VR.
Focused on platforming based around your physical movements, Next Move takes place across "dreamlike worlds" filled with fantasy architecture set against various challenges. "Climb to the top of a rotating tower, chase a fleeing gondola across a misty lake, and jump over crumbling stone pillars," says Prague-based developer Typico Game in a press release. Here's the announcement trailer:
You can briefly glimpse gameplay above and Typico Games further outlined how this works. Running involves moving your hands like you do while running or walking. Jumping requires swinging both hands upwards. Climbing requires grabbing ladders with your hands. Finally, air control requires swinging your hands in the air.
Here's an official description from Typico Games:
Next Move is a VR platformer where all movement corresponds to the player's movement. Your ability to run, jump and climb will be put to the test on a journey into dreamy worlds filled with fantastic architecture. But to succeed, you must also fight off enemies and eventually even manipulate time.
Next Move arrives on November 30 on the Meta Quest platform and PC VR. If you're interested in trying it out sooner, a demo with three levels is currently available on Steam, App Lab and SideQuest.
With Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro on the horizon, developers that have invested the better part of a decade honing their expertise were left to promote themselves at Europe's largest gaming event last month.
Heading into Gamescom 2023, I suspected that this year might be about on par with 2022 in terms of VR content on offer. That turned out to be mostly true – between my colleague Henry and I, we tried a large number of virtual reality experiences.
However, the differences in VR presence between this year and last wasn't what was on offer, but where it was on offer. Gamescom is split into two areas – the consumer-facing halls that are open to the public and the closed off business-to-business halls to which entry is restricted to trade staff, exhibitors, media and the like.
In 2022, Gamescom had a sizable VR presence in the public-facing halls, with a giant Pico booth offering demos of games like After the Fall and a decent-sized public booth nearby from Resolution Games, offering demoes of their then-new free-to-play multiplayer title Ultimechs on Pico and Quest headsets.
This year, there was relatively little public-facing VR or AR-focused experiences and booths. Neither Meta nor Pico had any presence in the public halls this year. Resolution didn't return to the show floor for 2023, but at the very least they did have a large banner advertising Demeo Battles and Racket Club outside the West entrance to the Koelnmesse, pictured below. A nice touch – but a shame there wasn't the opportunity to demo either game on the show floor. Demos of 1v1 Battles matches would have been an especially great shout ahead of the game's November launch.
This absence of big industry biggest players meant that many VR studios and developers were left to fend for themselves this year at Gamescom. A mixture of solo developers, mid-sized indie developers and established VR studios showcased plenty of in-development or soon-to-be-released experiences for PSVR 2, Quest and Pico headsets. It was, overall, an encouraging sign of the continuing passion of developers and creative direction of the industry, with a mix original concept games, remastered ports for next-gen headset and franchise-expanding titles that build on previous successful VR games or intellectual property. They showed up with bucketloads of passion and experiences that give VR gamers a lot to be excited about.
Here's what we saw at Gamescom and learned about the developers who are still building toward VR's biggest days:
Polyarc & Fast Travel Games
Established veteran VR studios like Fast Travel Games and Polyarc are positioning themselves well to be at the forefront of the next generation by applying their experience in VR-first design to in development projects.
Both studios showcased a respect and understanding for valuable VR experiences at Gamescom with upcoming projects that leverage existing game genres with all the necessary changes required to justify bringing them to VR.
Glassbreakers is Polyarc's response to the success of Demeo, albeit in a very different genre. It takes the tabletop premise of Resolution's hit, wraps it in stunningly-gorgeous world of Moss and covers it all in a competitive MOBA-like sheen with a well-considered free-to-play battle pass model. It's polished off with intelligent interactions and gestures that make it feel right at home in VR, ensuring you'll never be stuck looking at a flat menu or pressing ray-casted buttons. It's available to try on App Lab, with a new Champion coming this week.
Fast Travel Games, meanwhile, showcased two ambitious experiences that see them shooting for new heights. Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice takes the best parts of Dishonored stealth-action and gives them a needed VR-first vampire bite, while Mannequin takes the concept of Prop Hunt and revolutionizes it with a physical motion controls-based system that will have you striking a pose in online 5-player multiplayer next year.
There were two demos from established VR developer nDreams – one for Power Wash Simulator VR on Quest, and another in partnership with Sony Pictures Virtual Reality for Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord on Quest and PSVR 2.
Charlie Wacholz had already gone hands-on with Power Wash Sim and wrote up some thoughts prior to Gamescom for us. After trying the experience myself, I can see the calming, near-meditative value in VR power-washing either solo or with friends, but I have concerns about the somewhat shaky performance and jaggy-edged visuals.
When it came to Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord, I left the demo feeling that I'd got pretty much exactly what I expected. That's not necessarily a bad thing – SPVR's partnership with nDreams was a savvy move, and the positive impact of bringing in a team of such established developers was evident in the demo. There's a solid foundation of co-op multiplayer here. My doubts are more long-term – is there enough here to make this a game that people will want to come back to? And does the Ghostbusters franchise really have the enough pull with modern audiences to help and not hinder? We'll dive in more soon.
After demoing Drop Dead: The Cabin at Gamescom 2022, Soul Assembly were back at Gamescom offering press and trade members demos of the game's upcoming mixed reality game mode, The Cabin: Home Invasion. It's one of the few experiences we tried that is very clearly being made for Quest 3, offering enticing mixed reality functionality for the headset's launch and perhaps offering the wider game a second chance after a rocky launch.
Speaking of second chances, Skydance Interactive are hoping that Arashi: Castles of Sin – Final Cut might help the formerly-PSVR exclusive title find a new audience with its upcoming release on Quest, PC VR and PSVR 2. It remains a compelling stealth-action experience and there have been some significant upgrades from the original – especially in terms of visuals – but there are a few last-gen hangovers that unfortunately left the demo feeling slightly stuck in the past at times.
Australia-based studio Toast Interactive are finally branching out from planks to platformers with Max Mustard, a Moss or Astro Bot-like experience melding third and first person gameplay together with a hefty squeeze of charm on top. It will be the studio's second VR release after its seminal first title, Richie's Plank Experience.
Owlchemy Labs & Niantic
The public halls weren't completely devoid of VR/AR – there were still some indie developers sprinkled about the less popular halls offering demos, as well as a small-but-decent booth from established and Google-owned VR studio Owlchemy Labs. Tucked away in a corner – far away and in a different hall from the biggest players like Microsoft and Nintendo – Owlchemy's booth offered those passing by a chance to try their prototype hand tracking proof-of-concept experience, which is more like an internal design manifesto made out of Job Simulator assets than any indicator on what their still-undetailed upcoming hand tracking multiplayer VR game will look like.
While nice to see the studio's presence on the show floor – and good for Henry and I to try the experience after our colleague Ian did earlier this year – it doesn't offer much to VR enthusiasts beyond a neat tech demo.
In terms of public-facing AR, I paid a visit to Niantic's booth, located outside one of the main public halls, next to food trucks and park benches. I hoped to try whatever AR functionality was available in Monster Hunter Now, the latest in the studio's never-ending string of titles that operate like near-clones of Pokemon Go with different IP-themed skins. Unfortunately, Niantic informed me that there was no AR functionality at all in the Gamescom demo on offer. The company did confirm that some level of AR would be in the game at launch, but would not comment any further. It was a strange position to find the company in, given its stated commitment to an "emerging class of MR devices and future AR glasses" in the wake of laying off 230 employees, studio closures and game cancellations.
And Everything Else
Brazen Blaze, a new 3v3 melee-focused multiplayer from MyDearest, was also available to try – keen an eye out for impressions soon. We also stopped by developers NoxNoctis to try Ovrdark, a promising Resident Evil-like horror game coming to PSVR 2 and PC VR, while Pixelity gave us a look at upcoming character-driven experience Teahouse of Souls.
After developing the Return to Rapture mods for Half-Life: Alyx, Patient 8 Games is producing its own original experience in Memoreum. We discussed with the team how this horror experience is taking shape and what we can expect when it arrives next year.
We haven't traditionally named a 'Best VR Game' of Gamescom 2023, but after trying Outta Hand this year, it felt appropriate. Indie studio Capricia Games presented us with a hallway demo of Outta Hand, a fantastic first-person platformer that takes the Gorilla Tag movement system and evolves it once again with some added fresh mechanics.
There's a lot to love about Outta Hand – you can read more about what made it so engaging in our hands-on above. The game releases next on September 28 – keep an eye out for our full review soon.
