Espire 1: VR Operative gives the VR stealth game a Quest 3 upgrade, while Quest 1 support has been officially dropped.
Dubbed the V1.11 "New Recruits" update, this latest patch adds new Espire 1 visual improvements. On Quest 3, there's a higher pixel resolution and improved textures for environments, key characters, and interactable assets. Other changes, some also supported on Quest 2 and Quest Pro, include increased texture RAM cache and fixed dynamic foveated rendering. Here are the patch notes.
As for Quest 1, Digital Lode states New Recruits and future updates won't be compatible with the older headset after Meta retired support last year. However, version 1.9 of Espire 1 will remain accessible on Quest 1 "for the foreseeable future" and the team "do not anticipate" any functionality will be removed. Otherwise, you can still play Espire 1 on PC VR via Link with Quest 1.
The New Recruits update also aligns with Espire 1 being included in the new Meta Quest+ Games Catalog. Available from March 1 for no extra charge, this gives existing Quest+ subscribers access to 13 VR titles that Meta plans to "rotate in and out" regularly. At launch, Espire 1 joins Demeo, Walkabout Mini Golf, Onward, Red Matter and more.
Espire 1 - New Recruits is out now on the Meta Quest platform, while the PC VR update will ship "in the coming weeks" on Rift and Steam.
David Jagneaux
