<![CDATA[ UploadVR ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com https://www.uploadvr.com/favicon.png UploadVR https://www.uploadvr.com Mon, 18 Mar 2024 16:49:45 -0700 30 <![CDATA[ Flat2VR Studios Is Creating Licensed VR Ports Of Flatscreen Games ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/flat2vr-studios-announcement/ 65f8c9f3155075000116148e Mon, 18 Mar 2024 16:49:38 -0700 Flat2VR Studios is a new gaming studio developing officially licensed VR ports of flatscreen games.

Formed by VR publisher and marketing group Impact Reality, Flat2VR Studios aims to bridge the gap between traditional video games and VR experiences. Created from the Flat2VR community, it's partnering with established VR modders like Team Beef (Doom, Quake 3 Arena), Cabalistic (Half-Life 2 VR), Raicuparta (Outer Wilds, Firewatch) and more.

"The Flat2VR community has proven there is a tremendous appetite to experience cherished games in an entirely new way with virtual reality," said Elliott Tate, Impact Reality partner and Flat2VR community founder. "With Flat2VR Studios, we're thrilled to work directly with the best developers to create official, high-quality VR versions of hit titles, available directly on VR storefronts such as Meta Quest, PlayStation VR2, and Steam."

Flat2VR Studios says its first licensed VR game is "being kept under wraps for now." However, a release is planned for "late 2024 or early 2025" on major VR platforms.

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<![CDATA[ Sony Is Reportedly Pausing PlayStation VR2 Production Due To Slow Sales ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/sony-reportedly-pausing-playstation-vr2-production/ 65f86d8f1550750001161440 Mon, 18 Mar 2024 15:58:49 -0700 Sony is reportedly pausing PlayStation VR2 production.

Bloomberg's Takashi Mochizuki cites "people familiar with its plans" as saying Sony is temporarily stopping production to clear a backlog of unsold units.

Those people also reportedly revealed Sony has produced "well over" 2 million PSVR 2 headsets. But market research firm IDC estimates Sony shipped less than 1.7 million in 2023.

PlayStation Closes London Studio & Made Layoffs In Others
Sony is closing PlayStation London, the studio behind Blood & Truth, and laying off staff in the studios behind Horizon Call Of The Mountain.

It comes just three weeks after the first anniversary of the $550 product and just two weeks after Sony shut down the developer of Blood & Truth and laid off employees in the studios behind Horizon: Call Of The Mountain.

On the anniversary Sony didn't have any new first-party or AAA game announcements, but it did share it plans to let PSVR 2 owners "access PC" sometime later this year.

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<![CDATA[ Viveport Will Introduce 90% Developer Revenue Share ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/htc-viveport-developer-revenue-share/ 65f84c3661fb6b0001e0122e Mon, 18 Mar 2024 08:54:30 -0700 HTC is revamping its Viveport revenue share, giving PC VR and Vive XR Elite developers a 90% cut until the end of the year.

Announced today at the Game Developer Conference (GDC), HTC confirmed the new revenue share will go live on April 1, 2o24, for new titles and applies retroactively from March 1st for existing games. "Developers will keep 90% of revenue on games and apps sold as one-time purchases on VIVEPORT for PCVR or VIVE XR Elite," says the company, who confirmed this lasts until the end of 2024.

It's not the first time we've seen HTC offering a more competitive rate for PC VR developers. In 2017 and 2018, HTC temporarily offered developers 100 percent of revenue from October 1 until the end of the year, while February 2019 saw the rate increase from 70/30 to 80/20. A rep informed UploadVR that the current split before today's announcement was 70/30.

It's also a much higher revenue split for developers than we're accustomed to seeing, since most digital storefronts take a standard 30% cut. Quest and Steam are no exceptions, though Valve's popular store drops this to 25% after a Steam game hits $10 million in revenue and 20% at $50 million. As such, Viveport's split is comparable to the Epic Games Store (88/12) and Itch.io's (90/10) default rate.

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<![CDATA[ How Apple Vision Pro Gaming Differs From Meta Quest ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/apple-vision-pro-room-scale-gamepad/ 65ef354d9c4acb0001264a72 Mon, 18 Mar 2024 06:30:23 -0700 Gaming with Apple Vision Pro is like playing in a strange new alternate universe.

You can play Helldivers 2 on a giant floating screen via Steam Link while Solitaire or Stardew Valley floats nearby for a quick card game, or a bit of farming in between drops. For a change of pace, pull up a window into Myst island or Sayonara Wild Hearts and listen to the waves lap the dock or start to vibe with the music.

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Myst from Cyan designed for iPad and iPhone plays great on Apple Vision Pro with gamepad. It can also be played with direct touch or open air pinching.

You can set up Denis Villeneuve's Dune in the background in crisp bright 3D to watch from the moon as House Atreides falls from Caladan to Arrakis. Or you can go to thematic amplification for Managed Democracy and watch an asteroid fly toward Buenos Aires in Starship Troopers while blowing up bugs from orbit in Helldivers.

Would you like to know more?

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Apple Arcade & Multitasking

While much of Apple's iPhone and iPad gaming catalog is playable on Vision Pro, some games require an Apple Arcade subscription. A few big ones, like Minecraft, are missing in action entirely while other great iPad games, like FTL, don't control well on Vision Pro.

iPad and iPhone games as well as even a few with 3D elements added in, like Bloons TD 6+, can co-exist alongside other apps. Meta announced its Augments concept late last year, but Apple is shipping a wide range of apps right now that give developers a few more options in how exactly they deploy in space around you.

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In the example of Bloons, you can pull up Bloons alongside other apps, but where others are all flat and can be repositioned above or below you, Bloons needs to be level with the ground with some of its user interface represented in 3D.

A Spectrum Of Gaming: VR, AR, PC, Mac & iOS

You could drop multitasking as a concept on Apple Vision Pro and let a game take over as the only active app in your space. This is the default state of all the games bought from the Meta Quest Store. On Apple's App Store, though, it's just a few apps that have this control during Apple Vision Pro's launch window.

Eventually, Apple plans to offer titles like Job Simulator and Vacation Simulator from Google's Owlchemy. From launch, it's games like Void-X or Wylde Flowers taking over as the only running app.

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The same game for Apple Watch and iPhone also runs on Apple Vision Pro, Void-X.

Void-X does this as a remarkably small installation from the App Store that gives essentially the same version of a game this developer made for iPhone, iPad and even the Apple Watch. On Apple Vision Pro, Void-X is controlled with either slight movements of your fingers while pinched, or with gamepad. The VR version of Void-X adds immersive lighting to the skybox as your game from iPad floats on a large screen while large explosions on the side scrolling shooter blast off the toward you as occasional 3D particle effects.

Sometimes the word "simple" gets overused when it comes to video games and software development. Void-X, though, is certainly a very simple demonstration of basic spatial gaming input that's comfortable to use for more than a few minutes at a time.

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For an experience that will take you back to the very early days of VR’s resurgence a decade ago, you can also give Proton Pulse a try. What's great about Proton Pulse is that this spatial adaptation takes you back to the early days of videogaming itself too. Simply move your head to adjust the paddle’s position in the room for a very comfortable game that's just like Breakout or Pong.

Wylde Flowers takes the farming experience of Stardew Valley deeper, quite literally, by making use of depth within its widescreen window floating there in space. Void-X puts you in fully immersive VR while Wylde Flowers shows you your physical space with some floating effects. Is either title going to sell a gamer on Apple Vision Pro? No. But in taking over your environment in completely different ways, and locking out other developers from multitasking in the process, these two traditionally flat panel games offer simple ideas to other developers in how they might try to adapt to VR headsets without changing too much of their existing work.

At the same time, the gap couldn't be bigger between these windowed games on Apple's platforms and just how vast the library is for long-form fully immersive VR content on Meta Quest, Steam, and even Pico stores. We've put together our list of the best Vision Pro games so far, and you can contrast the depth of those titles with our top 25 best Meta Quest 3 games.

Gamepads Are The Best Input For Vision Pro Right Now

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While bringing ALVR to Vision Pro for Half-Life: Alyx streaming is really cool, Apple Vision Pro just isn’t made for that sort of thing. The concept of tracked gaming controllers is alien to this system through at least visionOS 1.1.

Meanwhile, for those looking to access their PC or Mac games, mouse input is not supported on Apple Vision Pro. A trackpad feels nice for navigating multiple windows on Apple's headset, but I'm not going to suggest it works for gaming in any way.

Apple Vision Pro Review: A Heavy Portable Cinema & Monitor
At $3500, Apple sets huge expectations with Vision Pro. But does it deliver? And what’s it really like to own and use? Read our in-depth Apple Vision Pro hardware & software review here:

If you're actually serious about trying to play games with Vision Pro, you'll want to have a supported bluetooth gamepad.

Officially, that's listed as bluetooth controllers for "Xbox, PlayStation, and any controller that works with iPadOS." Unofficially, you'll want something meeting that criteria with two analog sticks.

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Wylde Flowers, for example, uses one stick to let you pan around the camera to peer into nearby areas of the windowed environment while the other stick moves your character around.

Void-X, Stardew Valley, Myst, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Wreckfest, Wylde Flowers, Rec Room, and some others were all tested successfully with gamepad.

Missing Room-Scale And Tracked Controllers

Google-owned development studio Owlchemy confirmed to UploadVR both it and Vacation Simulator will be using the smallest version of their environments on Apple Vision Pro.

That’s a huge bummer.

From 2016, Job Simulator stood as a standout example of the child-like joy you can feel tossing around objects in a simulated room and having absolutely no repercussions whatsoever. You never really needed to, but if you set up this room in a big space it was real magic walking around a few steps while still remaining completely within Job Simulator's virtual environment.

There's of course still magic in Job Simulator’s interactions even without room-scale exploration, and many players play in the smallest room by default anyway. But going that extra step or two actually mattered, and we miss having that freedom to truly move around inside VR on Apple Vision Pro.

Moving out from room-scale, we get to the games which simply do not exist on Apple Vision Pro, like Beat Saber or Bonelab, or ones which have better versions available on the Meta Quest store. We’re looking at you, Synth Riders and Puzzling Places. These are the games in which Apple’s approach to VR, in a headset geared toward professionals, falls deeply short of Meta’s gaming experience at present because the developers have been forced to build around Apple’s lack of tracked controllers.

Apple’s approach here falls so short of Meta that a trend may be brewing among developers to name their apps for Apple so they include “Vision” in the title, thus differentiating them from well-loved precision-controlled VR games available on other platforms like Steam and Quest.

The Future Of Apple Vision Gaming?

Game Room from Resolution Games gives you turn-based games like chess to play with others, but it requires the use of both FaceTime and an Apple Arcade subscription.

Apple also launched without co-located avatars who share the same space – core functionality that could unlock yet another type of game on visionOS. Meanwhile, we're still waiting for standout titles like Demeo to make good on their plan to release for the system.

Right now, the best way to play games on Vision Pro is with a gamepad. While we can't recommend Vision Pro to gamers because it is missing so much great VR content that lives on Steam or the Quest store, there are still people who will want to play games on the device, and the idea Apple isn't interested in gaming falls flat when you're surrounded in VR by games from so many different places all under the command of a single gamepad in hand.

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<![CDATA[ Between Realities VR Podcast ft KenseiGamingVR ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/between-realities-vr-podcast-ft-kenseigamingvr/ 65f73e3461fb6b0001e011f3 Sun, 17 Mar 2024 12:04:16 -0700 In this week's episode of the Between Realities VR Podcast, Alex and Skeeva host up-and-coming content creator KenseiGamingVR.

Kensei explains how his newfound passion for VR has impacted his life. Other topics include making content for younger audiences, the effect social VR can have on real life interactions, and takeaways from SXSW 2024.

— Between Realities Links —
Merch Store: https://teespring.com/stores/between-…
Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/BetweenRealities
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/BetweenRealities
Twitter – https://twitter.com/BtweenRealities
Discord – https://discord.gg/EvNnj2w
Facebook – https://fb.me/BetweenRealities
Alex VR – https://www.youtube.com/Alex_VR
Alex VR’s Twitter – https://www.twitter.com/Alex__VR
Skeeva – https://www.youtube.com/Skeeva007
Skeeva’s Twitter – https://www.twitter.com/Skeeva

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<![CDATA[ Study Finds 120fps Is The "Important Threshold" To Avoid VR Sickness ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/study-120fps-important-to-avoid-sickness/ 65f4837061fb6b0001e0104b Sun, 17 Mar 2024 06:00:13 -0700 A recent study concluded that 120fps is the "important threshold" to avoid VR sickness for most people.

The paper comes from Xi'an Jiaotong–Liverpool University in China, where the authors have been studying the effects of VR refresh rates, resolution, haptics, stereoscopy, and more for years, including how these elements all relate to simulator sickness.

A Pimax 5K Super was used for the study because it supports up to 180Hz refresh rate, the highest of any headset on the market.

The study tested 60fps, 90fps, 120fps, and 180fps to compare the effect on sickness for the 32 participants, 16 male and 16 female, aged between 18 and 51.

It found that 120fps is an "important threshold" after which the participants reported significantly reduced nausea compared to 60fps and 90fps. At 180fps the reduction in nausea was minimal, suggesting 120fps is the threshold.

It's important to note however that this study was confined to one niche headset, so it's unknown whether its results generalize to other headsets. The Pimax 5K Super has a significantly wider field of view than typical VR headsets, for example, with geometric distortion throughout the periphery. Past research has indicated that field of view and geometric distortion can both affect sickness.

Headset Supported Refresh Rates (Hz)
Apple Vision Pro 90 / 96 / 100
Quest 2 60 / 72 / 80 / 90 / 120
Quest 3 60 / 72 / 80 / 90 / 120
Pico 4 72 / 90
PlayStation VR2 90 / 120
Valve Index 72 / 80 / 90 / 120 / 144
Pimax 5K Super 90 / 120 / 144 / 180
Pimax Crystal 72 / 90 / 120

Quest 3 and Quest 2 do support 120Hz refresh rate. But in standalone mode it's a developer-side option that very few use, because the requirement to render each frame in just 8 milliseconds severely limits graphical fidelity and simulation complexity on mobile chipsets.

Most titles run at the default 72Hz on Quest 2, while many titles have implemented an upgrade to 90Hz on the newer Quest 3. It will be a long time until 120Hz is the standard in standalone VR.

Every Game That Supports 120Hz On Oculus Quest 2
With the v28 software update, Oculus Quest 2 now has experimental support for a 120Hz refresh rate. Here’s every Oculus Store game that can run at 120Hz on Quest 2 (so far). The Quest 2 shipped last year with just a 72Hz refresh rate — the same as the original

On PC rendering at 120FPS is achievable with most graphics cards in simple titles such as Beat Saber, but requires extremely expensive high-end hardware for more complex experiences such as simulators. Valve Index even supports a 144Hz mode, and the Pimax 5K Plus used in the study supports 180Hz.

Significantly complicating the matter of frame rate though is reprojection and motion extrapolation, which double the true frame rate by generating synthetic intermediary frames. This is very common on PlayStation VR2, where many games render at 60fps to be reprojected to 120fps for display at 120Hz. On Quest this is a developer-side option too, but only used in a handful of titles such as Assassin's Creed Nexus, while on PC it's a compositor-side feature that kicks in when your graphics card is under too much load.

While it's unknown whether this study's results apply to all headsets, it's nonetheless an interesting result that suggests the industry shouldn't settle for even the 90fps standard established at the launch of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, nevermind the 72fps popularised by standalone headsets like Oculus Quest. Just as resolution is pushing forward so should frame rate, to ensure headsets make as few people sick as possible.

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<![CDATA[ ICYMI This Week: Retropolis, Steam Spring Sale, Omni One & More ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/icymi-vr-news-march-2024/ 65f4409e61fb6b0001e00e34 Sat, 16 Mar 2024 06:10:21 -0700 Missed this week's VR games and hardware news? Here's our latest roundup.

With VR hardware, Meta reached out to owners of the Quest 3 Elite Strap with Battery to offer replacements following a charging issue. A new trademark for Pico 4S was spotted, hinting at an upcoming revision for ByteDance's headset. Virtual Desktop was updated to support Quest 3's inside-out body tracking, while Meta is funding improved OpenXR and Quest support on Godot.

Across VR gaming, Quest 3 got its first exclusive with Starship Home. Tropico is being adapted for VR, Demeo revamped multiplayer saves, Little Cities: Bigger!, Tin Hearts and cyubeVR reached PSVR 2, Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality faces delisting, while Anarchitects, Big Shots, The Twilight Zone VR and Slender: The Arrival all confirmed release dates. We also covered updates for Just Hoops, Twistex and Synth Riders.

We covered many different stories but for everything else, here are the top five VR news stories we originally missed:


Retropolis 2: Never Say Goodbye Adds Hand Tracking On Quest

Following January's launch for Retropolis 2: Never Say Goodbye, developer Peanut Button added full hand tracking controls to this point-and-click adventure on Quest App Lab. We also learned that Perp Games will publish the sequel's PSVR 2 port on May 24.


Project Demigod Reveals Post-Launch Roadmap

Following last month's full release on Steam and Quest, Omnifarious Studios detailed its post-launch roadmap for VR superhero sim Project Demigod. Across the next twelve months, plans include multiplayer support, new mod upgrades, more hero events, and the previously confirmed 'Giant Enemies update.


Omni One's Launch Lineup Includes Ghostbusters & The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners

Omni One, the 360° VR treadmill that uses a customized Pico 4 Enterprise headset, announced a line-up of 35 launch games. Featuring The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners, Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord, Breachers, Hubris and more, the VR treadmill's consumer launch is expected in Q2 2024 and costs $2,595.


Runaways Is A Skill-Based Endless Runner Coming To Apple Vision Pro

Recently shown at South By Southwest, Runaways describes itself as a "skill-based endless runner featuring fast-paced, frenetic gameplay that adapts to and alters your space as you play." Developed specifically for Apple Vision Pro, your goal involves escaping from a tentacle-infested planet by finding the exit portal.


Steam Spring Sale Includes Numerous PC VR Discounts

Steam Spring Sale 2024: Official Trailer - YouTube

It's time once more for new PC VR discounts with the Steam Spring Sale 2024. Live until March 21, this includes big discounts for Half-Life: Alyx, Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition, Tabletop Simulator, Skyrim VR, Star Wars: Squadrons and 30% off for Arizona Sunshine 2. Several motor racing sims like Assetto Corsa Competizione, iRacing and DiRT Rally 2.0 are also included.


Other Updates

Looking for more VR news stories? Here's everything else we've seen recently.


If you've got an update for a VR game we should know about for this article or future updates, you can use our contact page or email tips@uploadvr.com with details.

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<![CDATA[ Starship Home Is The First Quest 3 Exclusive, Utilizing Its Full Mixed Reality Capabilities ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/starship-home-quest-3-exclusive/ 65f4545861fb6b0001e00e72 Fri, 15 Mar 2024 09:00:26 -0700 Starship Home, a plant-filled mixed reality adventure, is the first announced Quest 3 exclusive game.

Creature Unites Industry Veterans With New VR Game Studio
Creature is a new studio and label that’s uniting VR veterans. More info:

Developed by Creature, Starship Home marks the studio's debut game since its founding last year. It turns your living room into a starship using MR passthrough, and you'll embark on an interplanetary expedition that involves collecting, nurturing, and befriending alien plants who need care across the galaxy. Promising a narrative-driven story where you investigate the sinister blight affecting these plants, here's the announcement trailer:

Starship Home uses the 3D scene mesh generated by Quest 3 during mixed reality room setup to position virtual objects on your walls and furniture, and that's likely why it's not launching on older headsets. While Quest 2 and Quest Pro let you manually mark out your walls and furniture as rectangular cuboids, this is an arduous and imprecise process. Furthermore, Quest 2's passthrough is very low-resolution black and white.

"Building a rich, meaningful, and forward looking mixed reality experience requires features that are only available on Quest 3,” Creature founder Doug North Cook told UploadVR. “Starship Home is our attempt at making a mixed reality game that moves beyond just being a demo, a toy, or a prototype and lays the groundwork for what games in mixed reality can be - responsive to your environment, rich and engaging, and full of magic. Our hope is that we see more devices moving forward that enable this type of gameplay."

Before Connect 2023, Meta confirmed Quest 3 wouldn't have any exclusives until 2024, excluding the mixed reality tutorial First Encounters. Back in January, Townsmen VR became the first Quest 3 game unavailable on older Quest headsets. However, because it's also on PC VR and PlayStation VR2, Townsmen VR can't be considered the first true Quest 3 exclusive.

Starship Home launches exclusively on Quest 3 in Q3 2024.

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<![CDATA[ The Best Apple Vision Pro Games So Far - Our Top Picks For Spatial Gaming ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/best-apple-vision-pro-games/ 65f1fedd61fb6b0001e0067d Fri, 15 Mar 2024 07:59:51 -0700 Looking for the best spatial games available on Apple Vision Pro? Here are our current recommendations.

Offering a standalone headset more focused on productivity and media watching, Apple Vision Pro hasn't exactly set the world of gaming alight. It's a considerably different proposition than Quest due to the lack of tracked controllers, relying instead on hand tracking and pinch gestures. That significantly limits the games available, so don't expect major names like Gorilla Tag or Assassin's Creed Nexus, let alone Meta-owned titles like Beat Saber.

Some developers have adapted their existing titles for pinch gestures, while others have built new experiences from the ground up. We'll touch upon this with individual titles, but hand-tracking in faster-paced games often feels sluggish, an assessment David Heaney noted in our Apple Vision Pro review.

Apple Vision Pro Review: A Heavy Portable Cinema & Monitor
At $3500, Apple sets huge expectations with Vision Pro. But does it deliver? And what’s it really like to own and use? Read our in-depth Apple Vision Pro hardware & software review here:

Right now, the spatial gaming experience feels limited compared to Quest, and I certainly couldn't recommend buying this $3500 headset solely for gaming. Still, what we've found so far is an intriguing mix of genres and content types.

We're not including flatscreen Apple Arcade and iOS games in this list as they don't offer a true spatial experience, but they are major parts of Apple's effort since these are projected into your living space and can multitask alongside other apps. I enjoyed testing Sonic Team Dream and Fantasian through Apple Vision Pro with an Xbox Series gamepad and resizing the virtual display by dragging its corners works well. Importantly, this virtual window still registers pinch and direct touch inputs for titles that don't support gamepad.

With that in mind, these are our top 5 picks for the best Apple Vision Pro games so far:

Game Room

Game Room is a spatial board and card game collection from Resolution Games (Demeo, Racket Club). The only headset it's available on is Vision Pro, but it also has an iPhone and iPad version with crossplay. Offering six different games with online multiplayer and AI opponents, this includes Chess, Solitaire, Hearts, Yacht, Flip It and Sea Battle. Checkers is also coming soon.

While you can choose to place these tabletop games in your own environment, I much preferred the colorful, fully immersive setting. Each game has a strong presentation with nice interactive effects, and the slower pace makes it ideal for getting around Apple Vision Pro's hand-tracking issues.


LEGO Builder's Journey

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LEGO Builder's Journey offers a completely different experience from what we saw in LEGO Bricktales last year. Previously released on flatscreen platforms, Builder's Journey is a tabletop game where you place bricks across miniature LEGO dioramas to solve puzzles.

What follows is an atmospheric, minimalist narrative adventure that's a joy to experience. Picking up individual LEGO bricks with my fingers worked well and for anyone after more freedom, there's a limited but enjoyable Creative Mode that lets you build your own designs.


Proton Pulse Vision

A mix between Pong and Breakout, Proton Pulse was one of the earliest demos available for the Rift DK1 and DK2, so it's surprising to see it return on Apple Vision Pro. Menus and a slowdown ability use hand-tracking and you control the paddle using your head movements, hitting the ball toward blocks on the other side.

Featuring over 50 levels and boss battles across fully immersive environments, Proton Pulse Vision keeps gameplay varied by offering different powerups like additional balls, exploding blocks or laser fire from your paddle. More than a decade later, it remains an entertaining experience.


Soul Spire

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Soul Spire is an exclusive Apple Vision Pro game set inside an extra-dimensional hotel. You're tasked with freeing friendly ghosts through solving creative puzzles, which involves dragging all the matching color blocks onto the same line using hand-tracking.

It's a straightforward premise that slowly builds up the challenge and Soul Assembly has delivered an engaging spatial puzzler. Thanks to recent quality-of-life adjustments and Panic Mode, which ups the challenge as blocks continue cascading down, it's only improved since launch.


Synth Riders

Synth Riders rebuilt the hit rhythm game "from the ground up" on Apple Vision Pro. What you see here is not exactly the same as on other platforms, though Kluge Interactive delivers a close match that lets you swap between mixed reality passthrough or a fully immersive environment. Featuring 70 songs between nine music packs, there's a strong soundtrack here with a good rhythm.

It's a great porting effort for Apple Vision Pro, and out of all the spatial gaming experiences currently available, I'd consider Synth Riders the most replayable. However, the faster-paced gameplay means playing on hard difficulty struggles with Apple Vision Pro's low update-rate hand tracking skeleton. So, while it's still a fun time, it's hard to recommend playing this version over the others.


Honorable Mentions

During my testing of the Apple Vision Pro games library, there are a few titles I'd like to give honorable mentions to.

Just Hoops is an enjoyable arcade basketball experience, though picking up the ball and judging throws was often fiddly. Puzzling Places, a 3D jigsaw puzzler that's one of the best Quest 3 games, is free-to-play on Apple Vision Pro but currently has very little content. Mindway, a holistic wellbeing app that's also free-to-play, works well but has a similar content issue.

Super Fruit Ninja offers a surprising amount of variety with several modes, though the faster-paced gameplay often struggles to keep up with hand tracking. What The Golf? uses hand gestures to fling golf balls and other objects across a course, while Wylde Flowers offers a more relaxing life and farming sim.

We're still waiting for several major games to reach Apple Vision Pro, including Demeo, Rec Room, Job Simulator and Vacation Simulator. As more experiences arrive on Apple's headset, we'll revisit our recommendations.


If you're an Apple Vision Pro developer with a game you'd like us to consider, please email tips@uploadvr.com or use our Contact Us page to get in touch.

Looking for more Apple Vision Pro games? Check out our full round-up of all upcoming VR and spatial games we're currently aware of:

Upcoming VR Games 2024: New Releases On Quest, PC, PSVR 2 & More
Need a refresher on all upcoming VR games in 2024 and beyond? Here’s every major game coming to Quest, PSVR 2, PC VR & Pico.
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<![CDATA[ Anarchitects Is A VR/MR Sandbox Inspired By Roblox & Garry's Mod ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/anarchitects-announcement/ 65d47f9f7070a1000111f586 Fri, 15 Mar 2024 07:00:59 -0700 Inspired by Roblox and Garry's Mod, VR/MR sandbox game Anarchitects confirmed a release date on Quest App Lab.

Described as combining the "limitless creativity" of Roblox with a physics-based drag-and-drop system like Garry's Mod, Anarchitects takes place in a full real-time multiplayer environment. Squido Studio (No More Rainbows) states you can "build, play, and share their creations with no scripting or coding involved," adding that you can create puzzles, a zero gravity team shooter, board games and more.

"Building and playing occur simultaneously, thanks to the innovative interaction between players and entities known as Celestials, ensuring a seamless and boundaryless experience," confirms Squido in a press release. The developer also promises "massive" regular content updates across monthly seasons that contain new objects and activities.

During the initial announcement, Squido also provided news on No More Rainbows, which released the Molten Shores update last November. Announcing that the adventure platformer has been experienced by 500k players since its beta release, Squido confirmed that following its launch on Quest, Steam and Pico, a PSVR 2 release is planned for Q2 2024.

Anarchitects launches in early access via Quest App Lab on April 23.

Notice: This article, initially published on February 20, 2024, was updated on March 15, 2024, to reflect the release date confirmation.

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<![CDATA[ Meta Is Funding Godot Veterans To Improve The Engine's OpenXR & Quest Features Support ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-funding-godot-engine-openxr-quest-improvements/ 65f3734a61fb6b0001e00d78 Thu, 14 Mar 2024 17:17:26 -0700 Meta is funding a group of Godot veterans to improve the engine's support for OpenXR and Quest feature extensions, as well as to build high-quality samples and documentation.

That group is W4 Games, a startup founded in 2021 by Godot's co-creator Juan Linietsky, Godot's Project Manager Rémi Verschelde, Godot's Networking maintainer Fabio Alessandrelli, and serial entrepreneur Nicola Farronato.

If you're not familiar with it, Godot is a free and open-source alternative to Unity and Unreal. It's technically controlled by the non-profit Godot Foundation, but all development takes place in the open. W4 Games contributes to Godot and employs some of the main contributors, but claims it is fully independent and doesn't have any special privileges when it comes to the direction of the engine.

W4 Games says the new partnership with Meta is intended to bring these four benefits in Godot:

• Improving functionality, performance and usability of OpenXR features within Godot for the benefit of all VR developers

• Providing an integration of the Meta Quest SDKs via plugin and exposing more Meta Quest features to end-users

• Developing an optimized release template specifically for Quest users that leverages Meta Quest technology

• Creating high-quality samples and documentation to help Godot users develop for Meta Quest

Godot already supports OpenXR, but the support is rudimentary, poorly optimized, and lacks many of Quest's more advanced feature extensions. These upcoming improvements should make it much more practical for developing commercial Quest apps ready to ship on the store.

Leading VR Engine Unity Will Soon Charge Devs Per Install
Unity will introduce a new ‘Runtime Fee’ next year, charging developers based on user installs.

Meta's interest in improving Godot's Quest support may have been boosted after Unity's unexpected pricing model changes announced last year, which highlighted just how dependent Meta's XR ecosystem is on the engine. The vast majority of Quest Store apps today are made with Unity - could W4 Game's efforts change that over time?

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<![CDATA[ Tropico VR Lets You Become El Presidente This Month On Quest ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/tropico-vr-quest-release-date/ 65f32e7561fb6b0001e00ba4 Thu, 14 Mar 2024 16:38:50 -0700 Tropico VR adapts the city management and political sim this month on Quest.

Released in 2011, Tropico 4 sees you play as a customizable character known as "El Presidente." Becoming the ruler of a Caribbean banana republic, you're tasked with ensuring your citizens' needs are being met by managing agriculture, healthcare, leisure, the military, foreign relations, and more. Should the citizenry become unhappy, failing to secure re-election will result in losing the game.

Initially developed by Haemimont Games, this VR adaptation is being handled by Feral Interactive. On Quest, Tropico includes Tropico 4's original 20-mission campaign and its post-launch content, including the Modern Times expansion with 12 missions, new buildings, and additional edicts. Ten smaller DLC packs with further missions, island decorations, avatar cosmetics, and more are also included alongside a freeform Sandbox mode.

Tropico reaches the Meta Quest platform on March 28 for $29.99.

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<![CDATA[ Just Hoops Pops A Shot On Apple Vision Pro ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/just-hoops-apple-vision-pro/ 65f320ef61fb6b0001e00a8e Thu, 14 Mar 2024 15:05:28 -0700 Just Hoops brings a retro-inspired arcade basketball game to Apple Vision Pro.

Developed by Realcast, Just Hoops first appeared on Quest App Lab in 2021 and takes inspiration from the classic arcade game, Pop-A-Shot. Featuring over 50 levels across several fully immersive environments with animated hoops, multiplayer is not currently supported on Apple Vision Pro but that's coming soon. You can watch gameplay below:

We briefly went hands-on with Just Hoops on Apple Vision Pro recently. Though controllers on Quest use a tractor-beam approach that draws basketballs toward your palm when holding the trigger, Apple Vision Pro's hand tracking requires "grabbing" the ball. Since you aren't physically holding an object, this approach can feel rather fiddly, and judging how hard to throw is difficult. We also encountered similar problems with hand tracking on the Quest version. That said, we found an enjoyable basketball experience within after several tries.

It's not the first approach we've recently seen at VR basketball, either. Last month, Vinci Games confirmed that its own arcade basketball game, Blacktop Hoops, will receive a full release this Spring after two years in early access. That promises a full campaign, online multiplayer, training options and gameplay modifiers for solo modes.

Just Hoops is available now on Quest App Lab, Pico and Apple Vision Pro for $14.99.

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<![CDATA[ Big Shots Brings Co-Op Mech Roguelite Action To VR This April ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/big-shots-vr-release-date/ 65f312d461fb6b0001e00958 Thu, 14 Mar 2024 10:44:23 -0700 VR mech roguelite Big Shots brings cross-platform co-op to Steam, PSVR 2 and Quest next month.

Developed by Belgium-based studio Alter Eyes, Big Shots announced its release date alongside a new publishing deal with MyDearest (Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate). Arriving on April 18, you can play solo or in two-player co-op to fend off alien hordes, gradually earning permanent mech upgrades as you reclaim Earth. Here's the release date trailer:

Big Shots adds to an increasingly busy time for the VR mech genre. Following January's launch for gritty arena fighter UNDERDOGS, MyDearest is also publishing Mecha Force from Ming Studio, a separate VR roguelike inspired by classic Japanese robot anime. While it's described as a VR interactive anime film, Bandai Namco Filmworks and Atlas V are also developing Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom.

Our Big Shots preview at Gamescom 2023 left us with positive impressions. Going hands-on with the PSVR 2 version, we praised the immersion and considered it an "engaging mech game that takes all the right cues from the roguelite and wave shooter genres."

Big Shots reaches Quest, PC VR and PSVR 2 on April 18 for $24.99. As for the previously announced Pico version, MyDearest did not confirm a release date when asked by UploadVR.

Big Shots: Mech Roguelite Arrives Early 2024 With Co-op
Big Shots is a mech roguelite with co-op support, coming to all major headsets in Q1 2024. More details and our impressions here:

Notice: This article was updated on March 15, 2024, to add MyDearest's response about the Pico version.

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<![CDATA[ Virtual Desktop Can Now Use Quest 3's Inside-Out Body Tracking To Emulate Worn Vive Trackers ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/virtual-desktop-quest-3-inside-out-body-tracking-vive-tracker-emulation/ 65f22f3c61fb6b0001e006e9 Thu, 14 Mar 2024 09:01:26 -0700 Virtual Desktop's latest update lets you use Quest 3's Inside-Out Body Tracking and Generative Legs to emulate worn Vive Trackers for SteamVR body tracking.

Vive Trackers are mainly used by VRChat users to track body parts such as their torso, elbows, legs, and feet to drive their avatar in real-time. But this incurs a significant added cost. The traditional Vive Trackers cost $130 each and require SteamVR Tracking base stations ($150 each) while the inside-out Vive Ultimate Trackers cost $200 each - and both require $40-$50 straps too. Further, using traditional Vive Trackers with headsets that don't use SteamVR Tracking requires a manual calibration process, as does using Vive Ultimate Trackers with headsets other than HTC Vive standalone headsets.

Quest 3 Now Has Inside-Out Body Tracking & MR Occlusion
Quest 3 inside-out upper body tracking is now available, and mixed reality occlusion can now be shipped in apps.

Virtual Desktop's latest update on Meta Quest headsets, out now, can instead give you emulated Vive Trackers for your entire body.

To drive the positions of the upper body emulated trackers, on Quest 3 the update leverages the Inside-Out Body Tracking (IOBT) feature the headset got in December, which uses the downwards-facing side cameras to track your wrist, elbows, shoulder, and torso. On older Quest headsets it will simply use inverse kinematics (IK), a mathematical estimation based on your head and hand positions.

For the lower body emulated trackers Virtual Desktop uses Meta's Generative Legs feature, which Meta says uses a "cutting edge" AI model to estimate your legs positions. Generative Legs supports Quest 2, Quest Pro, and Quest 3.

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VR enthusiast Luna testing Virtual Desktop's Vive Tracker emulation on Quest 3.

You can configure which trackers are enabled and which aren't using a community-made tool. This lets you, for example, use Quest 3's IOBT for the upper body and real Vive Trackers for the lower body, giving you true 6DoF body tracking at the lowest possible cost.

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VR enthusiast Luna using Virtual Desktop emulated Vive Trackers for their upper body combined with real Vive Ultimate Trackers on their lower body.

And emulated Vive Trackers isn't the only new feature in this Virtual Desktop update. It also adds the ability to emulate Valve Index controllers using Quest's controller-free hand tracking, enabling finger tracking in SteamVR games which support it.

Finally, the update brings the following bug fixes and general improvements:

• Improved motion extrapolation quality of Synchronous Spacewarp (SSW) for all headsets
• Now sending headset battery level and charging state to SteamVR
• Reduced video compression artifacts with 10-bit codecs
• Improved desktop streaming latency on macOS
• Added Wide motion support with hand tracking on Quest
• Switched to recognizing index and finger curl for trigger / grip presses when using regular hand tracking
• Fixed issue with Unreal/Unity/WebXR where the VR session wasn't ending properly
• Fixed desktop being cutoff on some resolutions with AMD
• Fixed game compatibility with: Hard Bullet, Resonite, JKXR, Roblox

While Valve's Steam Link these days offers a free and frictionless gateway to SteamVR and Meta recently significantly improved Air Link's session battery life, Virtual Desktop's developer Guy Godin continues to push the bounds and add new features and improvements you won't find on either of the free alternatives, making his $20 app still the wireless PC VR tool of choice for many Quest owners.

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<![CDATA[ Breathedge: Cosmic Cluck Hands-On — Space Survival With A Clucking Chicken ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/breathedge-cosmic-cluck-hands-on/ 65eaa8f82021aa0001a91183 Thu, 14 Mar 2024 08:09:11 -0700 In Breathedge: Cosmic Cluck, HypeTrain Digital has you taking on the role of “The Man” who, while carrying his grandpa's ashes to a galactic funeral, suddenly finds himself in the middle of a universal conspiracy. To make matters even more bizarre, your only companion through all of this is a wise-cracking immortal chicken.

When it comes to the gameplay in Breathedge: Cosmic Cluck, that revolves around exploring space wreckage, gathering resources, and crafting. The survival mechanics in the game are well done, with a constant need to monitor your oxygen levels adding a sense of urgency to the tasks of resource gathering and exploration. Players will also have to use their wits and whatever resources they can scavenge from the wreckage and, yes, survive the ramblings of a crazy chicken.

The core idea here is to float in space and jetpack around a debris field, and for the most part the game gets this right. While this is painfully slow in the beginning, soon after you get out there amongst the wreckage, you get the ability to launch tether lines that can quickly pull you over distances. You can also lock onto enemy robots, and it's pretty satisfying figuring out how to swing behind enemies for an explosive hit.

The visual style in Breathedge: Cosmic Cluck looked good and floating in the wreckage while soaking in the game's cartoonish charm adds to the immersion, with bright colors that play nicely with the Quest 3 we used during our time with the game.

The sound design, on the other hand, is a mixed bag. The ambient sounds and music are well-done, creating a nice atmosphere but the voice acting and audio balance could use some improvement. That chicken companion's constant attempts at humor feel far too forced, though, and most of the jokes fall flat. I feel strongly less of this would be more effective here, even though this is really just a minor issue, and only slightly detracts from the overall experience. I looked in the settings and unfortunately the only option found was to turn off all voices in the game. That's not ideal, as all I wanted was for the chicken to shut the cluck up.

Overall, Breathedge: Cosmic Cluck is a fun and engaging VR game that offers a unique blend of survival, exploration, and humor. Despite some shortcomings, Breathedge: Cosmic Cluck is a game that's not afraid to take risks, and for the most part, it succeeds.

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<![CDATA[ Hands-On: Tin Hearts Remains An Enjoyable Take On VR Lemmings ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/tin-hearts-psvr-2-demo-impressions/ 652a7a97b6f64000017136da Thu, 14 Mar 2024 08:01:18 -0700 Tin Hearts returns to new VR headsets after five years, but how does the PSVR 2 edition hold up? Here are our full demo impressions from EGX 2023.

I never tried the delisted prologue on PC VR, making Tin Hearts a brand-new experience for me. Developed by Rogue Sun, it's described as a tale spanning "generations and dimensions," and the world's whimsical joy slowly became apparent during my 20-minute session. Detailing Victorian inventor Albert Butterworth's story, you wouldn't think guiding toy soldiers to an exit would have such power, but there's already strong potential in its worldbuilding and environmental storytelling. I felt nostalgic almost straight away.

What follows goes beyond a simple puzzle premise and levels are often mixed with past visions showing Butterworth's family. The full release includes 40+ levels, and the EGX demo showcased a handful. The introduction involves guiding three soldiers by placing shapes like right-angled triangles into contraptions and directing them elsewhere. It's straightforward and entertaining, yet these initial stages are almost deceptive as they build up to more complex puzzles.

Levels gradually open up to fully explorable 360° puzzles with teleportation movement that creatively use the broader environments. Watching the soldiers slide down a harp to get across builds on the game's whimsical nature well, as does giving each soldier a balloon for extended jumps by guiding them into a contraption. Naturally, toys break if not treated correctly and while smaller jumps are fine, falling too far destroys them. Not every soldier needs to reach the exit, though achieving this feels rewarding.

Answers are sometimes obscure, especially when there's a whole room to explore, but I appreciate that Tin Hearts doesn't rush you to the conclusion. Being able to pause time and see the soldiers' current trajectory is beneficial, as is fast-forwarding/rewinding time to speed up progress or rectify your mistakes.

My biggest concern right now is the visuals. The PSVR 2 demo showcased some great-level design and nicely detailed, colorful environments but much like Hellsweeper VR recently, the resolution could have been sharper. That's particularly evident in the main menu. This could always change before full release, though I'd hope for more on Sony's latest headset.

Otherwise, Tin Hearts looks set for a promising return to VR beyond these resolution issues. Some well-considered mechanics, enjoyable puzzles and an intriguing whimsical setting quickly captured my attention, and I found myself drawn in as you retrace Butterworth's steps.

Tin Hearts VR is out now on PSVR 2 and SteamVR, available as a free update for existing owners on PC and PS5.

Notice: This article was initially published on October 16, 2023. It was updated on March 14, 2024, to reflect the VR update's launch.

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<![CDATA[ Meta Reaching Out To Quest 3 Elite Strap With Battery Buyers To Offer Replacement Due To The Charging Issue ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-offers-quest-3-elite-strap-with-battery-buyers-replacement/ 65f20be461fb6b0001e00692 Wed, 13 Mar 2024 15:15:30 -0700 Meta is reaching out to Quest 3 Elite Strap with Battery buyers telling them to redeem their replacement due to the charging issue the company acknowledged in November.

Since Quest 3's launch in October some buyers of the $130 official Elite Strap with Battery accessory had reported it not being recognized by the headset or not charging correctly. In November Meta briefly paused sales of the Quest 3 Elite Strap with Battery. The company said this was due to a firmware fault with the strap itself, and since the firmware isn't user-updatable it had to replace its inventory with units with new firmware.

An email sent to UploadVR's Henry Stockdale.

At the time of the sales pause, Meta advised owners of the Elite Strap with Battery to reach out to support to have it replaced with a working unit. But this week Meta is also emailing anyone who bought a faulty unit to tell them to redeem their replacement.

Interestingly, the email says "even if your Elite strap with battery is functioning without any issues, we would still like to offer you a new and updated Elite strap with battery".

While the issue with the official accessory should now be fixed, we should note that there are multiple cheaper third-party alternative battery head straps for Quest 3. You can find a list in our comprehensive Quest 3 accessories guide.

Best Quest 3 Accessories: Cases, Head Straps, Lenses & More
Looking for the best Meta Quest 3 accessories? Here’s what you need to know.
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<![CDATA[ Enter The Twilight Zone Once More On PSVR 2 Next Week ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/twilight-zone-vr-psvr-2-release-date/ 65f1e2d561fb6b0001e0059d Wed, 13 Mar 2024 12:32:34 -0700 The Twilight Zone VR brings three surreal stories to PSVR 2 next week.

Developed by Pocket Money Games and published by Fun Train, The Twilight Zone VR adapted the classic sci-fi surrealist series into a narrative-focused experience on Quest in 2022. It features three short episodes with completely different premises, each handled by different writers.

On PSVR 2, The Twilight Zone VR promises enhanced graphics, haptic feedback and "gameplay upgrades." We've asked Fun Train for details and we'll update this article if we learn more. Here's the official summary of all three episodes:

Story 1: CHARACTER BUILDING - A video game director discovers that workplace cruelty is a dangerous game.

Story 2: TERROR FIRMA - After an environmental apocalypse, one survivor must fight mysterious phantoms as he searches the city ruins for a glimmer of Hope.

Story 3: DEADLINE EARTH - The clock is ticking for a science fiction writer who finds himself captive on an insidious alien vessel. What are their true intentions?

Twilight Zone VR reaches PSVR 2 on March 19, and it's available now on the Meta Quest platform.

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<![CDATA[ You Can Now Save Midway Through Demeo In Multiplayer ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/demeo-multiplayer-saves-update/ 65f1dd0961fb6b0001e00550 Wed, 13 Mar 2024 10:52:43 -0700 Demeo introduced a new save system, letting you pause multiplayer progress at any time.

Resolution Games released a new Demeo update that implements an upgraded save system, letting you save your multiplayer progress whenever needed. Previously, you could only save co-op campaign runs between floors, potentially causing problems if you suddenly need to leave the fantasy virtual tabletop game.

Demeo's latest change follows a similar update for the single-player Skirmish Mode last November, which coincided with its flatscreen launch on Mac and iPad. Elsewhere, we're still awaiting a release date for the previously announced Apple Vision Pro version. Back in September, Resolution Games confirmed its upcoming port can be played in either fully immersive VR or mixed reality.

Demeo is available now on Quest, PC VR, Pico, PSVR 2 and flatscreen platforms.

Demeo Review - A Social VR Masterclass In An Engaging Tabletop RPG
Is Resolution Games’ most ambitious VR title yet its best? Find out in our Demeo review! Demeo is one of those times it works. Y’know, it; the whole promise of leapfrogging the miles between friends and family and experiencing a genuine social connection in virtual space via the magic

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<![CDATA[ Slender: The Arrival VR Reaches Steam & PSVR 2 This September ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/slender-the-arrival-vr-announcement/ 65a5344c202dcd00013c24c3 Wed, 13 Mar 2024 08:22:34 -0700 Slender: The Arrival VR secures a release date on Steam & PSVR 2.

Initially released in 2013, Slender: The Arrival is the successor to Parsec Production's Slender: The Eight Pages, which finds the protagonist Lauren searching for her missing friend. Following October's big 10th anniversary update, which added a new chapter, publisher Perp Games previously dropped a brief teaser before announcing the release date.

However, nothing else has been revealed about Slender: The Arrival VR beyond these teasers. While gameplay can be briefly seen in the trailer above, this appears to be the flatscreen version. Right now, it's unclear if the VR adaptation will launch separately or as an update/add-on to the flatscreen versions, which Blue Isle Publishing publishes on PS5, Steam, and more. When asked for clarification previously, Perp Games provided no comment.

Slender: The Arrival VR reaches PSVR 2 and Steam on September 13, 2024. In a press release, Perp Games states, "Information on other VR formats will be announced shortly."

Notice: This article, initially published on January 15, 2024, was updated on March 12, 2024, with a release date and platform confirmation.

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<![CDATA[ Check Out These WebXR Mixed Reality Demos With Crossplay Between Quest 3 And Phones ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/niantic-meta-webxr-demos-quest-3-and-phones/ 65f0715c61fb6b0001e00388 Wed, 13 Mar 2024 06:33:44 -0700 Niantic and Meta partnered to fund three multiplayer mixed reality demo games that run in the browser and support both Quest 3 and mobile.

The demos were built over a ten week period using Niantic's 8th Wall web-based AR engine, which has a fully in-browser editor and offers cloud hosting for built projects. Niantic is the company behind smartphone AR games like Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom, and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.

The condition of the funding for the three teams was that their projects use 8th Wall's multiplayer module, which can enable cross-play between headsets and traditional mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

Niantic Buys 8th Wall WebAR Development Platform
Pokemon Go technology company Niantic continues to stock up on technologies to power AR development with the purchase of 8th Wall. 8th Wall has helped power a large number of Web-based AR experiences for a variety of major brands and Niantic sees the purchase as offering developers a more accessible

The three demos are Cardboard Crashers, Magical Forest, and BeeQuest.

Cardboard Crashers and Magical Forest support realtime multiplayer with crossplay between Quest 3 and mobile. BeeQuest on the other hand is asymmetric - you can switch between Quest 3 and mobile and your progress is stored to your Google account.

I found the performance of Cardboard Crashers and Magical Forest very poor on Quest 3, with visibly low frame rate, which was surprising given they're both relatively graphically simple and ran well on my phone.

Another note: while the multiplayer fully works in Cardboard Crashers and Magical Forest, they doesn't include colocation, because WebXR anchors currently don't support sharing/networking. That means you'll have to manually align both the position and size of the board between devices to believably play in the same space.

We also tried to load all three demos on Apple Vision Pro in Safari, but they seemed to think the Vision Pro was a phone and tried to access the camera, only to obtain a virtual Persona webcam feed. Given the games are designed to be used with tracked controllers, Vision Pro would probably require specific porting anyways.

Cardboard Crashers

Cardboard Crashers is a turn-based game where each player sets the direction and force of their car with the objective of knocking the other player's cars off the board.

The game uses 8th Wall's physics module for the collisions between cars.

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You can access Cardboard Crashers at this URL.

Magical Forest

Magical Forest is a realtime exploration game where players each control a character with the goal of uncovering all the insects in the scene.

You have a book with magical spells you can cast to help out.

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You can access Magical Forest at this URL.

BeeQuest

BeeQuest is a game where you work for a bee colony to collect pollen and harvest nectar, and can fend off invading wasps.

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Compared to the other demos, BeeQuest has divergent core gameplay between headsets and mobile:

"In the real world, players can use their phones to follow the map and uncover AR flowers, where they assign players to harvest pollen and nectar. With these resources in tow, they can either continue playing on mobile or switch to a headset to manage their resources and use the pollen and nectar to create more honey and bees. On Meta Quest 3, players can also enter a battle mode to protect their hive from pesky wasps wanting to steal their honey."

To pull off the real world map integration on mobile, BeeQuest uses Niatnic's Lightship Maps module, the same technology that powers its games like Pokémon GO.

You can access BeeQuest at this URL.


Update: we were sent a public URL for BeeQuest shortly after publication, and this article has been updated to reflect that.

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<![CDATA[ Twistex Introduces Fully Immersive Environments On Quest ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/twistex-huge-update-quest-steam/ 65f06cc861fb6b0001e00370 Tue, 12 Mar 2024 14:57:30 -0700 Cylindrical VR puzzler Twistex adds fully immersive environments on Quest App Lab.

Launched last year, Twistex is a rotating falling block puzzler reminiscent of Tetris. Titled the 'Huge Update', solo developer Middle Man Games says could be "the final version of the game" before moving on to its next project. Initially launched with mixed reality passthrough on App Lab, this latest patch adds the SteamVR port's non-passthrough environments to the Quest edition.

Detailed in a press release, Middle Man Games states that Twistex's Huge Update also introduces a shape guide highlighting where shapes will land. It's also received a new practice mode, the easy difficulty has become easier with starting speeds for each level being decreased, and the game's instructions have been edited for greater clarity.

Twistex is available on Quest App Lab and SteamVR for $9.99.

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<![CDATA[ Synth Riders Will Add A Local Party Mode On Apple Vision Pro ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/synth-riders-party-mode-apple-vision-pro/ 65f05f9a61fb6b0001e002c9 Tue, 12 Mar 2024 09:06:35 -0700 Synth Riders will receive a Party Mode next week on Apple Vision Pro.

Following last month's launch, Synth Riders on Apple Vision Pro will receive its first major update on March 22. Developer Kluge Interactive states Party Mode lets you compete on the same device using Vision Pro's Guest Mode, allowing you to save song scores locally without affecting your ranking on Game Center leaderboards. Game Center achievements are also being added.

“Party mode and Game Center are just the beginning," says Abraham Aguero, Creative Director at Kluge Interactive. "Stay tuned as we continue to roll out more ways for players to engage with Synth Riders."

One of the more high-profile Apple Vision Pro launch games last month, Synth Riders was rebuilt "from the ground up" for its latest port. Featuring hand-tracking support and a "brand-new audio-reactive spatial environment," it currently includes 70 songs across nine music packs, such as Electro Swing Essentials 2.

Synth Riders is available now on Apple Vision Pro with an Apple Arcade subscription for $6.99 monthly. It's also on SteamVR, Pico, PSVR 2, Viveport and the Meta Quest platform.

Synth Riders Rebuilt From The Ground Up On Apple Vision Pro
Synth Riders was rebuilt “from the ground up” for Apple Vision Pro, and it joins the increasing list of launch games.
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<![CDATA[ Little Cities: Bigger! Enhances The VR City Sim For PSVR 2 ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/little-cities-bigger-psvr2-release-date/ 65d60e3d7070a1000111fdee Tue, 12 Mar 2024 09:00:58 -0700 Little Cities: Bigger! brings an enhanced version of the VR city simulator to PSVR 2 today.

Developed by Purple Yonder, Little Cities: Bigger! features all the updates previously released on Quest - Sandbox, Snowy Islands DLC, Attractions and Little Citizens. With the PSVR 2 version, publisher nDreams confirms this port features an enhanced frame rate, 4K resolution, eye tracking and haptic feedback support. You can see the launch trailer below:

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Initially released in 2022, we recommended Purple Yonder's game in our Little Cities review on Quest. Later considering it to be one of the best Quest 2 games, we praised its "intelligent VR design" for the city simulator genre that works "optimally and intuitively."

Little Cities is an impressive effort from Purple Yonder and an accomplished city simulator. It effectively adapts the genre’s traditional mechanics into a distilled format that feels native and well considered for VR. The focus on immersive city design is the right approach, backed up by brilliant visuals and audio. The control scheme and UI fades into the background, as it should, leaving you to intuitively build your city without it ever getting in your way.

Little Cities: Bigger! is out now on PSVR 2, while the original version is available on the Meta Quest platform and Pico.

Little Cities Review: A Distilled City Simulator That Puts VR First
Little Cities presents a new take on the city simulator genre, built from the ground up for VR. While it takes a more relaxed approach than traditional titles, the result is a concise, native VR game with a solid foundation and plenty of room to expand. Read on for our

Notice: This article, initially published on February 22, 2024, was updated on March 12 to reflect the game's launch on PSVR 2.

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<![CDATA[ Minecraft Inspired cyubeVR Supports 8K Textures & Mods On PSVR 2 ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/cyube-vr-psvr-2-release-date/ 65f03c0761fb6b0001e0021b Tue, 12 Mar 2024 06:48:59 -0700 cyubeVR is a Minecraft-inspired voxel sandbox that promises 8K textures, mod support and realistic crafting this week on PSVR 2.

Developed by Stonebrick Studios, cyubeVR is an open-world procedurally generated sandbox that launched in 2018 on Steam Early Access. Featuring voxel visuals inspired by Minecraft, this fully destructible world features a dynamic weather system, day-and-night cycle and a 3D crafting system that promises "realistic" VR mechanics. You can watch gameplay below:

After the 57th update to the Steam version, Stonebrick says the PSVR 2 version uses 8K textures through Unreal Engine and eye-tracking support for foveated rendering. cyubeVR also includes official PS5 mod support, letting you "browse, download and install custom mod blocks created by the cyubeVR community" with hundreds of blocks available.

As for what's next, Stonebrick Games outlines its cyubeVR roadmap on a Trello board. Planned updates marked as 'highest priority' currently include switching to Unreal Engine 5, introducing optional evil creatures, sword fighting mechanics, and climbing mechanics. Tool durability, multiplayer support and crafting recipe display changes are also mentioned under 'high priority.'

cyubeVR reaches PSVR 2 on March 16, and it's available now on PC VR via Steam Early Access.

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<![CDATA[ Legendary Tales & ForeVR Bowl Share #1 Spot In February PSVR 2 Download Charts ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/legendary-tales-forevr-bowl-share-no-1-in-psvr-2-charts/ 65f02fe461fb6b0001e001a3 Tue, 12 Mar 2024 04:59:36 -0700 Legendary Tales and ForeVR Bowl took #1 across North America and Europe respectively in February's PSVR 2 charts.

In the latest PlayStation Store charts, Sony confirmed February 2024's top downloads on PS4, PS5, PSVR and PSVR 2. Following another strong showing for Beat Saber in January, Legendary Tales took the top spot in North America following last month's full release. As for Europe, ForeVR Bowl had a surprisingly strong month, reaching #1 despite launching in December.

With Beat Saber, Meta's rhythm hit was relegated to #2 across both regions, while Among Us VR took #3 in North America. Otherwise, there aren't many surprises this time. The top three were followed by Arizona Sunshine 2, Ultrawings 2, Pavlov - the most downloaded PSVR 2 game of 2023, and more. For more details, here's the full charts:

PSVR 2 - February 2024 Download Charts
PSVR 2 - February 2024 Download Charts

As for March, there are a few PSVR 2 games launching this month. Rainbow Reactor: Fusion received a remastered release, Akka Arrh is an arcade shooter, Stilt takes inspiration from classic platformers, Paint the Town Red VR offers first-person melee combat with voxel visuals, while MADiSON VR adapts the flatscreen survival horror game.

Check out our previous round-up for more details:

New VR Games March 2024: Quest, SteamVR, PSVR 2 & More
Searching for new VR games this March? Here are our monthly highlights coming to Quest, Steam and PSVR 2.
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<![CDATA[ Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality Faces Delisting By Warner Bros ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/rick-and-morty-virtual-rick-ality-delisting/ 65eed9bb2021aa0001a91453 Mon, 11 Mar 2024 09:00:46 -0700 Warner Bros. Discovery is delisting titles published by Adult Swim Games, leaving Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality at risk.

Released in 2017, Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality lets you play as a clone of Morty Smith and explore the Smith household. However, it could be permanently removed from digital stores as multiple developers confirm Warner Bros Discovery is delisting Adult Swim games in the next 60 days. UploadVR contacted Owlchemy Labs to confirm if Virtual Rick-Ality is affected, and we'll update this article if we learn more.

While titles released under the Adult Swim Games label can be republished, Rick and Morty's licensing will complicate matters for Virtual Rick-Ality, whereas most of the affected titles are original properties. Soundodger+ developer Studio Bean also states that Warner Bros. Discovery refuses to transfer ownership of each game's existing Steam pages directly, forcing them to start from fresh.

"They are allowing me to republish to Steam (with 0 reviews and 0 wishlists), as long as I remove any and all mention of Adult Swim in the game, including team members in the credits," confirms Studio Bean. "I'm all for games preservation, and this ain't it chief."

This comes at a time when Warner Bros. Discovery is already facing heavy criticism for its preservation practices. Beyond video games, it's come under fire for removing TV shows from its digital streaming library for tax purposes, such as Final Space, alongside high-profile cancellations for nearly completed films like Batgirl, Scoob! Holiday Haunt and Coyote vs. Acme.

Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality is currently available on the original PlayStation VR and PC VR via Steam and the Rift Store.

Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality Review - A Welcome Job Promotion
Let’s be honest, Job Simulator tricked us. With its combination of immersion and humor, Owlchemy Labs somehow made us believe that we enjoyed doing mundane tasks in an office environment. The development didn’t just end up with a solid addition to the VR ecosystem: Job Simulator has become
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<![CDATA[ Pico 4S Trademarked As New Controller Icons Found In Pico Software ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/pico-4s-trademarked-references-found/ 65ef08002021aa0001a915e0 Mon, 11 Mar 2024 07:57:17 -0700 ByteDance has trademarked Pico 4S, and icons depicting its controllers were found in the Pico software.

The 'Pico 4S' trademark, brought to our attention by VR enthusiast Luna, was filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration.

Separately, a user on a Chinese VR forum posted screenshots of a folder of the Pico Connect PC VR streaming software version 10.0 showing a new 'icons_4s' folder. This folder contains icons for a ringless controller design. It wasn't present in previous versions of the software, and has been removed in version 10.0.24.

Pico 5 Controllers Images Leak On Chinese Social Media
Images appearing to show new ringless Pico controllers were shared on Chinese social media.

Back in September images leaked on Chinese social media showing ringless Pico controllers, which appear to have the same design as these new icons found in the software.

The trademark and icons come after The Information reported in December that Pico 5 was canceled because Pico 4 sales "fell far short of ByteDance’s expectations". That same report said ByteDance does plan to release a refreshed version of Pico 4, seemingly referring to this Pico 4S, but didn't give any detail of what changes it will bring.

Pico 5 Has Reportedly Been Canceled
Pico 5 has reportedly been canceled as ByteDance shifts its focus to a further out high-end headset to compete with Apple Vision Pro.

As well as the new ringless controllers, it seems likely that Pico 4S will feature the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset used in Quest 3, instead of the original XR2 chip used in the current Pico 4 and Quest 2.

As for what other changes the new headset will have, it will depend on ByteDance's priorities. Given it was disappointed with Pico 4 sales, it may want to cut costs to compete with the rumored Quest 3 Lite. Alternatively, it may want to convince existing Pico 4 owners to upgrade. Regardless, the name 4S, rather than 5, suggests relatively minimal fundamental changes. It might even just be a chip and controllers upgrade, with no significant changes to the design.

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<![CDATA[ Agog Aims To Help Immersive Projects Focused On Social Good ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/agog-the-immersive-media-institute-announcement/ 65eeeccd2021aa0001a91501 Mon, 11 Mar 2024 06:31:24 -0700 Agog: The Immersive Media Institute wants to empower social activism using XR technology.

Announced by co-founders Chip Giller and Wendy Schmidt, Agog: The Immersive Media Institute is a new philanthropic organization that aims to promote social justice and equality using immersive media. The effort aims to open "new avenues for empathy, understanding, and activism" while promoting positive social transformation. Advisers to the effort include Jared Cheshier, Courtney Cogburn, Nonny de la Peña, Loren Hammonds, Amy Seidenwurm, and John Vechey. 

Detailing its key focus areas, the institute seeks to support creating XR content that "builds empathy and explores ways to address social and environmental challenges." Alongside partnering with researchers to explore how XR can foster empathy, the group also aims to set up workshops, training programs and educational outreach initiatives.

We asked about the amount of support creators can expect from the group and received the following prepared statement over email:

We intend to empower creators with resources that will help them take their work to the next level. Beyond financial support, and just as important, we see ourselves as connectors—we want to foster collaborations between creators and nonprofit leaders, offer technical support, and create opportunities for folks to come together and share learnings about the best ways to XR for social good.

Amy Seidenwurm was executive producer on the VR For Good program at Meta and, in a prepared email to UploadVR, commented on why the market fails to support projects like the ones Agog is trying to champion:

A lot of what we have seen is disconnection across the market. Those making impactful XR content may not be connected to those who are working on related issues everyday. There’s no centralized place where you can go to discover immersive media projects that are focused on social good, and the distribution systems are few and far between. At the same time, there is a burgeoning XR-for-good community that is dedicated to expanding this space, given the opportunity and the resources. We envision Agog as a hub for collaboration, cultivating partnerships among XR creators and nonprofit leaders, and providing resources to turn their ideas into reality. Really, we want to do our best to respond to what the various communities need. The good news is that the community is starting to form alliances around sharing resources and best practices. New collaborations are springing up every day, like the Immersive Experience Alliance, which brings together universities with immersive media programs. To take another example: The Royal Shakespeare Company is joining forces with a whole bunch of prestigious schools and performing arts organizations to imagine new forms of immersion.
There are so many wonderful humans that are dedicated to using XR tech to connect and inspire. I’m super inspired by them and can’t wait to see what happens when we work together to build a better world.

While today marks the Immersive Media Institute's first official announcement, this isn't the first time Agog has supported XR projects. Previously, it assisted with Impulse (Preview) - which is currently being exhibited at South By Southwest (SXSW), MIT Reality Hack, the Social Impact BuildFest, Forager, and more.

You can learn more on Agog's website.

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<![CDATA[ Wallace & Gromit Mini Golf Course Is Coming To Walkabout ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/mini-golf-wallace-gromit/ 65eb78e12021aa0001a91319 Fri, 08 Mar 2024 14:40:01 -0800 A Wallace & Gromit mini golf course full of silly contraptions is on the way from the developers of Walkabout Mini Golf.

The upcoming course from Mighty Coconut in partnership with Wallace & Gromit creator Aardman follows breakout team-ups in 2022 for courses based on Jim Henson's classic film Labyrinth and Cyan's landmark videogame Myst. In 2023, developer Mighty Coconut also partnered with art collective Meow Wolf to explore mechanics like portals, ball resizing, multi ball, and pocket universes.

With Wallace & Gromit, the developers of Walkabout have a new playground to explore against the backdrop of mini golf. Fans of Aardman's beloved Wallace & Gromit series can putt through the contraption-filled home at 62 West Wallaby Street.

Conceptual sketches by Don Carson of Mighty Coconut at Aardman Studios in Bristol.

Just this week. Mighty Coconut released Ice Lair with freeze beams and hot plates that dramatically change Walkabout's gameplay and physics. The developers have ironed out a pipeline that sees them push forward expansive new courses roughly every six weeks. Each new course seems to polish or stretch different aspects of the studio's place-making sensibilities, with recent examples we've chronicled through in-depth tour videos including the vast desert in Temple at Zerzura, the serene waters of Atlantis, and the bright forest of Alfheim.

The upcoming $3.99 Wallace & Gromit add-on course is coming to Walkabout across all devices, including Quest 2, 3, and Pro, PSVR 2, Steam, Pico headsets, as well as the upcoming Walkabout Mini Golf: Pocket Edition currently in testing on iOS devices.

The Wallace & Gromit course will be the game's 27th, with Ice Lair released this week being the 25th. Walkabout courses start in day mode with a lost ball to find as an easter egg at each of its 18 holes. A night mode completes the mini golfing experience by remaking the course with new surprises and a treasure hunt.

Mighty Coconut teased that it has a 5th licensed course from another new partner in the works as well.

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<![CDATA[ Flying The Dune Ornithopter On Arrakis In VR Via Microsoft Flight Simulator ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/dune-ornithopter-vr-microsoft-flight-simulator/ 65eb4a7f2021aa0001a9121b Fri, 08 Mar 2024 14:02:20 -0800 If there is one thing we love about VR, it's the ability to live out childhood dreams.

My colleague Ian Hamilton recently recapped how twin sisters relive their imaginative trips from childhood in VR by visiting the Eiffel Tower or Atlantis together. For my part, I've spent much of the last few days flying over the dunes of Frank Herbert's Arrakis in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

The new free add-on to Flight Simulator transforms the game into the barren spice-filled planet from the 1965 book. The update includes tailored flight dynamics for Dune's ornithopter and weather effects that add a whole new layer of complexity and unpredictability, making each new flight a challenge. Most of the new missions have you hopping from landing pad to landing pad or racing across the desert for a faster time. The last mission, though, goes much further - it's a high-stakes rescue that stands as one of VR’s most thrilling moments.

On your left is an immense sandstorm bearing down on the crash site while somewhere off to the right is safety. You have to desperately fly as fast as you can to get the survivor before the desert takes them. The first time I landed my ornithopter near them, listening to the sand and debris start to hit the glass of the cockpit, my heart started pounding in my chest with anxiety.

Overall, the Dune add-on for Flight Simulator is an incredible new destination for PC VR that offers both a unique and immersive experience as well as fan service to the beloved sci-fi classic. It includes Hans Zimmer's soundtrack from Denis Villeneuve's new adaptations and, most importantly, captures the thrilling feel of actually soaring over the vast desert imagined in Herbert's original book.

Whether you're a fan of the Dune series, or just looking for a new challenge in Microsoft Flight Simulator, the Dune add-on DLC offers a standout example of the thrilling power of PC VR gaming.

Check out the mission in our video:

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<![CDATA[ Meta Horizon Worlds Now Has A 'Survivor' Island ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-horizon-worlds-survivor-island/ 65e845f09dca1200010c1965 Fri, 08 Mar 2024 09:58:00 -0800 Survivor: Horizon Island brings the CBS series to Meta's Horizon Worlds.

Developed between Albyon, VR in Review and Well Played Studios, Survivor: Horizon Island sees Meta and CBS collaborating to celebrate the TV series' 46th season. Guided by Survivor's host and executive producer, Jeff Probst, you can tackle challenges alone or join up with others. While the event page isn't live yet, here's the trailer:

Once you've arrived, Survivor: Horizon Island tasks you with competing in "classic Survivor challenges," letting you fish for food, maintain a fire, collect idols and form alliances. Whoever reaches the end at the final Tribal Council will earn points toward the Sole Survivor leaderboard. If you play again, you'll also climb the “most Survivor world days completed” leaderboard.

Survivor: Horizon Island is only accessible to Quest and Rift users the United States and Canada.

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<![CDATA[ Tiny Archers Takes Aim Next Month On Quest, Pico & PC VR, With Smart Bow Accessory Support ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/tiny-archers-release-date/ 65e9a67e2021aa0001a90e84 Fri, 08 Mar 2024 06:39:36 -0800 Tiny Archers, an early access VR fantasy tower defense game, received a major update before its full release next month.

Available on Quest App Lab, Tiny Archers from 1DER Entertainment pits you against various goblins and orcs as you defend the Northern Kingdom across a 24-day onslaught. With the new 'Quests and Lore' update, it's expanding the campaign mode by introducing side missions and "over 150 dialogues". You can watch the previous trailer below:

"Players can embark on adventures that test their skill and intellect, face riddles and puzzles, and complete missions to earn rewards that may influence gameplay," states 1DER Entertainment in a press release.

As seen in the UploadVR Winter 2023 Showcase, Tiny Archers also supports the 52-inch Wonder Fitter Artemis smart bow peripheral. The official website states Artemis connects to Quest using a mobile companion app.

Artemis Smart Bow

Tiny Archers enters full release on April 18 for Quest, Pico 4 and PC VR. 1DER Entertainment confirms an Apple Vision Pro port will follow "slightly later" with support for Artemis.

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<![CDATA[ TCL Launches Crowdfunding Campaign For RayNeo X2, The First Standalone AR Glasses ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/tcl-rayneo-x2-standalone-microled-ar-glasses/ 65a56f54202dcd00013c264c Fri, 08 Mar 2024 06:06:00 -0800 TCL launched the crowdfunding campaign for RayNeo X2 standalone true AR glasses, priced at $700.

Unless an unannounced competitor ships first, RayNeo X2 will be both the first standalone AR glasses, meaning they don't require a separate compute device, and the first AR glasses with microLED displays.

RayNeo claims that X2 will be capable of the kind of out-of-home use cases people have been envisioning for AR glasses for years now, including outdoor navigation and realtime speech translation anchored to the person speaking.

The glasses are controlled by touch controls on the temples, voice commands, or a RayNeo Ring that acts as a 3DoF rotational laser pointer.

RayNeo X2 has Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 chipset onboard, the same used in Meta Quest 2 and Pico 4. The likely reason it isn't using the Gen 2 chipset is that its development started years ago, before the new generation chipset was available. TCL actually showed off RayNeo X2 as a concept at CES 2023, but is only now ready to launch a crowdfunding campaign for it.

The most surprising spec of RayNeo X2 is its microLED displays. MicroLED is a truly new display technology, not a marketing name for a variant of LCD such as "Mini LED" or "QLED". MicroLED is self-emissive like OLED, meaning pixels output light as well as color and don’t need a backlight, but is more power efficient and can reach much higher brightness. While most major electronics companies are actively researching microLED, this is the first time we've seen it announced as coming to a product other than a $150,000 TV.

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RayNeo X2 use cases. Note that in reality, the field of view is significantly narrower and makes this concept entirely unrealistic.

First-generation new display technology is often very limited, though, and that's the case here too. The microLED displays in RayNeo X2 were announced as having a resolution of just 640×480 each, compared to the 1920×1080 typical of OLED microdisplays in existing tethered AR glasses like Xreal Air 2 Ultra.

Their advantage in RayNeo X2 is significantly higher brightness, up to 1500 nits compared to the 500 nits you get from Xreal, and likely much greater power efficiency. These properties make RayNeo X2's displays far more suitable for outdoor use, and enable the glasses to be powered entirely by an onboard battery.

RayNeo is claiming up to 3 hours of continuous use, and claims there will be a low power "display off" mode for screenless use cases like capturing photos and videos, already becoming popular with the Meta Ray-Ban glasses. RayNeo X2 includes a color camera capable of taking 16 megapixel photos or 1080p 30FPS videos, and has 128GB of storage to store them as well as its apps.

Field of view comparison.

However, as with all current products leveraging transparent AR optics, the achilles heel of RayNeo X2 is its field of view, just 25 degrees diagonal. That's worse than even the Xreal glasses, which we already consider too narrow for most true AR use cases. That means you'll likely often only see partial segments of RayNeo X2's virtual interfaces, and lose track of which interfaces are even present.

RayNeo X2 is being funded by an Indiegogo campaign, but it's unclear why. RayNeo is a Chinese startup described as "incubated" by hardware giant TCL, and its products are TCL branded, but we couldn't determine the exact relationship between the companies.

The Indiegogo page claims the first units will ship in April for $700.

RayNeo X2

TCL also announced RayNeo X2 Light, standalone non-AR smart glasses using a similar design and the same microLED displays, but with the lower-end Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chipset and no positional tracking. RayNeo X2 Light will apparently launch in Q3 2024, with more details planned to be revealed over the next few months.

This article was first published in January when the crowdfunding campaign was announced, and has been updated to reflect the campaign launching.

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<![CDATA[ visionOS 1.1 Is Out Now, Improving Personas, Mac Virtual Display, And More ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/visionos-1-1/ 65ea3a992021aa0001a910ee Thu, 07 Mar 2024 14:57:03 -0800 visionOS 1.1 is now available.

visionOS is the operating system for Apple Vision Pro, and presumably future Vision headsets too. Today it's getting its first significant update since Vision Pro's launch on February 2.

The biggest improvement in visionOS 1.1 is to Personas, Apple's realistic virtual avatars. Apple says they have improved rendering, improved hair and makeup appearance, improved neck and mouth representation, and the ability to capture Personas hands-free

Beta versions of visionOS 1.1 have been available since February 6, and testers soon after shared before and after comparisons of their Persona.

Apple Vision Pro Update Improves Personas Quality
visionOS 1.1 Beta noticeably improves the quality and realism of Apple Vision Pro Personas. See the before & after shots in this article.

Your Persona also drives EyeSight, the rendered view of your upper face shown on the headset's lenticular front display, so this too should be improved with visionOS 1.1.

Personas are still limited to showing in a 2D virtual window however, as if a webcam view. When first unveiling Vision Pro at WWDC back in June Apple also teased Spatial Personas, which exist outside windows to enable virtual meetups with a shared coordinate space like existing VR avatar systems, but there's no timeline on this releasing.

As well as the Persona improvements, visionOS 1.1 also brings the following notable changes:

  • Improved discovery and connection reliability of Mac Virtual Display, the feature that lets you pull your Mac's display out to become a giant floating virtual screen.
  • Volumes, 3D apps and objects that exist in the Shared Space, can now be positioned much closer to you than before.
  • Most preinstalled Apple apps can now be uninstalled.
  • A notification number dot will now show on the Compatible Apps folder, which contains installed iPad and iPhone apps.
  • The cursor positioning for text input has been "improved".
  • Mobile Device Management (MDM) is now supported to enable device configuration, deployment, and management for enterprise.
  • Wi-Fi networks with captive portals, such as public networks that require signing up to use, are now officially supported. This includes hotels, cafes, and airports.
  • Dozens of bug fixes should increase polish and stability.

Most of these changes are improvements and enhancements, rather than new major features. Apple usually shares details of entirely new versions of its operating systems at its annual WWDC conference, so it's likely we'll hear about more major changes in store for visionOS 2 in June when WWDC 2024 takes place.

Apple Vision Pro Review: A Heavy Portable Cinema & Monitor
At $3500, Apple sets huge expectations with Vision Pro. But does it deliver? And what’s it really like to own and use? Read our in-depth Apple Vision Pro hardware & software review here:
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<![CDATA[ Arcade Legend Indie Update Brings Pico-8 Retro Cabinets Into VR ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/arcade-legend-pico-8-vr-games/ 65e70db89dca1200010c160d Thu, 07 Mar 2024 12:05:01 -0800 Arcade Legend adds Pico-8 retro games into VR with a free update.

Released today on Quest, the Arcade Legend 'Retro Indie Update' introduces a new venue that pays homage to a real-world location, 'Arcade Galactic.' Working alongside studios who've made Pico-8 Fantasy Console games, this adds 18 retro-themed games like 'Whiplash Taxi Co' and 'Birds with Guns' into VR arcade cabinets with local leaderboards. Here's an exclusive trailer:

Today's Arcade Legend patch follows on from August's axe throwing update, which saw developer LAI Games collaborate with the Backyard Axe Throwing League (BATL) for the first official axe throwing experience on Quest. Featuring five games, that included high-score competitions, a target mode with smaller scoring rings, head-to-head fights in online multiplayer, and more.

Arcade Legend is available now on the Meta Quest platform, while a SteamVR release is "coming soon."

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<![CDATA[ SideQuest Can Now Be Installed Onto Your Quest More Easily ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/sidequest-web-installer/ 65ea0c682021aa0001a91078 Thu, 07 Mar 2024 11:42:45 -0800 The in-VR SideQuest app can now be installed onto your Quest with fewer steps, directly from your PC or Android phone's web browser over USB.

For context, there are two different ways to use SideQuest:

  • The original SideQuest program for Windows/Mac/Linux, which launched just days after the original Oculus Quest in 2019 and lets you install apps to your connected Quest using your PC, as well as tweak advanced headset settings.
  • The in-headset SideQuest app launched in 2022 which, once itself installed on your Quest via PC, lets you install apps from inside the headset, without the need for a PC.

Until now, installing the in-headset SideQuest app required downloading an installer to your PC, which then downloaded and installed the in-headset SideQuest app onto your connected Quest. But from today this installer is no longer needed. Instead, SideQuest is able to directly install its in-VR app through the web browser using a relatively new browser API called WebUSB to connect to the headset using WebADB, a browser implementation of the ADB tool.

You'll still need to have your Quest in developer mode for this one-time installation step, but you can now do it directly in the web browser of almost any device, including a Chromebook or Android phone. What isn't supported is iPhone, as Safari on iOS doesn't support WebUSB.

The in-headset SideQuest app is also getting enhanced capabilities. It now lets you adjust all the advanced headset settings you could formerly only adjust on the PC app, such as toggling Guardian and the proximity sensor and adjusting rendering resolution, fixed foveated rendering, CPU and GPU levels, and video capture settings.

You can access the new SideQuest Web Installer here.

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<![CDATA[ Meta Says The Quest v62 Update Extended Air Link Session Battery Life By More Than 50% ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/quest-v62-air-link-battery-life-improvement/ 65e9f0082021aa0001a90f99 Thu, 07 Mar 2024 09:56:49 -0800 Meta claims the v62 Quest update improved Air Link energy efficiency so much it extends session lengths by over 50%.

In the Quest software v62 update that started rolling out in early February, Meta made a number of improvements to Quest Link (originally called Oculus Link). Link is the built-in feature that lets Quest headsets act as a PC VR headset, either over a USB cable or through your home Wi-Fi network, known as Air Link.

With v62, Link got support for 120Hz refresh rate on Quest 3 and official support for NVIDIA RTX 4000-series graphics cards - though these did work before. Additionally, a new 'USB Link Auto-Connect' was added making Link automatically reconnect when there's a crash or disconnection. And finally, Meta renamed the PC-side client for Link and Rift from 'Oculus' to 'Meta Quest Link'.

Quest v62 Adds Spatial Video Support & Much More
The Quest v62 update adds support for easily viewing iPhone spatial videos, improves Quest 3’s microphone quality, and much more.

At the time Meta also promised general stability, reliability, and energy efficiency improvements in Link resulting from bug fixes and improvements, but didn't go into any specifics. In a new blog post this week, however, Meta detailed exactly how significant the v62 Link energy efficiency improvements are.

Meta claims Link power consumption was reduced by 30%, resulting in Air Link sessions of around 2 hours 20 minutes with just the built-in headset battery, up from 1 hour 30 minutes beforehand. That's a more than 50% improvement.

This improvement should also mitigate the issue where some PC USB ports or external battery packs couldn't charge the headset as fast as it drains, at least when using Link PC VR.

You may be wondering: why is it even possible to improve wireless streaming battery life so much, given the PC is doing the work? The PC is doing the heavy lifting such as rendering the game, but the headset has to decode the heavily compressed yet still high-bandwidth video stream at a relatively high framerate, as well as reproject each frame to reduce perceived latency. Meta seems to have found a more efficient way to do one or both of these tasks, reducing energy draw.

Valve Launches Steam Link PC VR Streaming App For Quest
Valve just launched a free Steam Link app on the Quest Store that can stream SteamVR games from your PC.

This improvement came just over two months after Valve released its own alternative to Quest Link, the free Steam Link for Quest app. This may have inspired Meta to put more focus on its own streaming tech, resulting in this major improvement.

We'll be interested to see any battery life comparisons between Quest Link, Steam Link, and Virtual Desktop. If you've tested this yourself post-v62, let us know in the comments or our contact page below.

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<![CDATA[ Ice Lair Puffins Watch Your Walkabout Mini Golfing ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/ice-lair-tour-walkabout/ 65e939af9dca1200010c1bc4 Thu, 07 Mar 2024 09:02:35 -0800 Walkabout Mini Golf's newest Ice Lair course features curious puffins and some slippery surprises.

The new paid Ice Lair DLC course is out now from developer Mighty Coconut for their ever-expanding virtual reality mini golf game. Available across Quest, Steam, PSVR 2, and Pico headsets, Ice Lair is the second in a planned trilogy of villain lairs.

Studio head Lucas Martell and art director Don Carson offered UploadVR a tour through the course in advance of its opening. We've got the full 19-minute tour embedded below or you can check it out on YouTube with music by Chris Reyman in the background.

The biggest addition gameplay-wise for the new lair is the addition of ice in some areas for your ball to slide over. Later on, the course takes things even further.

"Your ball goes through an ice ray and becomes an ice cube," Martell explains in the video. "This is the first time we're massively changing the physics on the ball."

The feature took a lot of iteration, the developers explained, including a hot plate on some holes to melt the ball back to normal. The addition is intended to make short putts a little less frustrating.

"It's a little mean," Martell added. "We had a lot of fun being mean to players on this particular course."

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Mighty Coconut releases new courses Walkabout Mini Golf roughly every six weeks, with recent ones including Jules Verne-inspired Around The World In 80 Days and Journey to the Center Of The Earth, as well as the psychedelic world of Meow Wolf and elvish land of Alfheim.

For Ice Lair, the developers are toying with the new ball mechanics as well as populating the world with a number of curious puffins. While Mighty Coconut tends to keep some surprises in store for fans to find when they explore the game themselves, Carson teased:

"Is there another way for the puffins to express themselves in hard mode that made the entire experience of being here a little different?"

You can check out more of our tour videos above and we'll have the latest about Walkabout Mini Golf in the weeks ahead as the studio prepares its next updates as well as continues to add features to the upcoming Pocket Edition.

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<![CDATA[ The Pirate Queen Review: Intriguing Story But Lacking Execution ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/the-pirate-queen-vr-review/ 65e601ce9dca1200010c139a Thu, 07 Mar 2024 08:30:05 -0800 The Pirate Queen: A Forgotten Legend delivers an intriguing VR narrative adventure lacking in its execution. Read on for our full review:

VR's immersive nature gives it a unique advantage over flatscreen games, and across the last decade, we've seen developers deliver compelling narratives. Between revisiting familiar worlds like in Half-Life: Alyx, new adventures like Lone Echo, or more experimental experiences, I've always enjoyed a story-focused adventure. By looking at one of history's more infamous pirates, The Pirate Queen had me curious.

The Pirate Queen: A Forgotten Legend - The Facts

What is it?: A narrative adventure based on Cheng Shih, a famous 19th-century Chinese pirate.
Platforms: PC VR, Quest 2Quest ProQuest 3 (reviewed on Quest 3)
Release Date: Out now
Developer: Singer Studios
Price: $16.99
The Pirate Queen Review - Screenshot

Taking creative liberties with the accepted history, The Pirate Queen focuses on Cheng Shih (A.K.A Zheng Yi Sao), a 19th-century leader who commanded the Red Flag Fleet with 70,000 pirates across the South China Sea. Set in 1807, during one eventful evening, an entertaining premise surrounding female empowerment follows. After being recently widowed, an internal power struggle arises across the pirate alliance.

Without spoiling this 13-chapter story, I enjoyed the journey but expected the high stakes to lead to a more dramatic conclusion; the ending doesn't feel wholly earned. Still, this two-hour story never overstays its welcome. Most chapters contain three hidden collectibles, likely designed to increase replayability, though I didn't feel compelled to find them all.

Refreshingly, The Pirate Queen doesn't include combat and focuses on exploration. Cheng Shih's journey involves traveling between different ships, navigating traps like swinging cargo, and avoiding bells used to catch intruders. Combined with environments filled with interactable objects, decent physicality shows a VR-first approach, though restricting this to simple motions like turning a key makes it hard to get excited about that. Several moments get slightly trickier, such as sneaking past guards while rowing a canoe, but it's never a major challenge.

The Pirate Queen Review - Screenshot

I would say this straightforward approach makes The Pirate Queen a good starting adventure for any VR newcomers. However, it only features minimal comfort options. I've detailed those below, but vignettes aren't included, so anyone prone to motion sickness should use teleportation movement. I also wish you could adjust the smooth camera's slow turning speed.

Comfort

The Pirate Queen offers two types of movement - artificial stick-based locomotion and teleportation. Snap turning and smooth camera turning are both available, though you can't change the turning speed or snap angle. Seated play is also supported with adjustable height settings. While you can't swap your dominant hand, it's not an issue since button inputs are mirrored across both controllers. Haptic feedback can also be switched off.

While I can’t speak for the Steam version, The Pirate Queen gives a decent visual presentation on Quest 3. Cheng Shih is represented via floating hands, and while this overall is relatively subtle, I appreciated the dirty fingernails. Piracy isn't a clean living in any sense of the word, and that sense is boosted by Lucy Liu's enjoyable performance as the main character.

Several issues leave this project feeling unpolished. Environmental textures changed right before me on several occasions, alongside two noticeable instances of visual pop-in. The depth isn't quite correct with the scenery, too. Dropping some items onto floors or barrels sees them floating in the air, hampering immersion. Some technical glitches on Quest 3 also frustrated my progress. There's some undeniable jank between items clipping through environments and getting soft-locked twice because essential items disappeared, though a quick reset resolved the latter issue.

The Pirate Queen Review - Screenshot

The Pirate Queen Review - Final Thoughts

The Pirate Queen: A Forgotten Legend is an entertaining debut title from Singer Studios, delivering an intriguing premise that held my interest with a convincing performance from Lucy Liu. Unfortunately, that's frustrated by minimal comfort settings and jank, while the ending could be stronger. Still, if you're looking for a short VR narrative adventure, The Pirate Queen is a decent choice.


UploadVR uses a 5-Star rating system for our game reviews – you can read a breakdown of each star rating in our review guidelines.

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<![CDATA[ Beat Saber Gets Lucky With New Daft Punk Music Pack ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/beat-saber-daft-punk-music-pack-dlc/ 65e1fbd19dca1200010c0fee Thu, 07 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0800 The Daft Punk music pack for Beat Saber is now live on all platforms.

For the latest paid Beat Saber DLC, which was announced last week with a brief teaser, Beat Games is focusing on the acclaimed French electronic music duo. Live music will be added for the first time, and this pack includes a new environment inspired by Daft Punk's 'triangle' stage look. Advanced Haptics are also being introduced on Quest 3 and Quest Pro, alongside haptic improvements on Quest 2.

Featuring 10 songs, here's the full tracklist:

  • Around The World
  • Around The World / Harder Better Faster Stronger (Live 2007)
  • Da Funk / Daftendirekt (Live 2007)
  • Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers)
  • Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
  • Lose Yourself to Dance (feat. Pharrell Williams)
  • One More Time
  • Technologic
  • The Prime Time of Your Life/The Brainwasher/Rollin'/Alive (Live 2007)
  • Veridis Quo

Beat Saber's latest DLC follows on from December's free OST 6 update. Adding five free songs from Lindsey Stirling, Dragonforce, Camellia and more, that update also introduced an experimental performance toggle that lets you pick 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate on Quest 3.

This isn't the only Beat Saber news we've seen recently, either. Last week, Beat Games' two remaining co-founders, creative director Ján Ilavský and CEO Vladimír Hrinčár, both stepped down from the studio. While Ilavský confirmed he'd "like to return to my roots: working on innovative games," Hrinčár didn't specify his reasons, and it's currently unknown who will succeed them.

The Daft Punk Music Pack DLC is out now for Beat Saber on Quest, PC VR and PlayStation VR2.

Beat Saber Review 2022: Seminal VR Title Remains As Relevant As Ever
With regular updates, DLC releases and changes to the game since launch, Beat Saber remains VR’s poster child. Our full review:

Notice: This article was originally published on March 1, 2024. It was updated on March 7 to reflect the Daft Punk music pack's launch and tracklist.

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<![CDATA[ Thief Simulator VR Gets Free Introductory Chapter On Quest ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/thief-simulator-vr-prologue-quest/ 65e8a4dc9dca1200010c1b4e Wed, 06 Mar 2024 13:00:42 -0800 Thief Simulator VR received a free prologue chapter on Quest.

Released via App Lab, developer 3R Games describes the free Thief Simulator VR: Prologue release as "a gift" for its existing community and "an incentive" for new players. Offering an "escape from prison" story for the main protagonist, this chapter occurs before he begins thieving across the Greenview Street neighborhood, working for the Lombardi family on the outside.

Launched in 2019, Thief Simulator VR is a sandbox burglary game focused on non-violent stealth, offering multiple paths for breaking into buildings. Using skills like lockpicking or smashing doors and windows through various mini-games, your goal involves stealing items and making your escape, though it's game over if the police spot you. As you progress, new abilities and equipment gradually unlock via a skill tree.

Thief Simulator VR: Prologue is out now on Quest App Lab, while the main game is available on Quest and Steam.

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<![CDATA[ Meteora: The Race Against Space Time Cascades Toward PSVR 2 ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/meteora-the-race-against-space-time-psvr-2-announcement/ 65e895b39dca1200010c1acd Wed, 06 Mar 2024 09:55:09 -0800 Meteora: The Race Against Space Time lets you race across the stars on PSVR 2.

Developed by Big Boot Games, Meteora: The Race Against Space Time is an arcade combat racer inspired by sci-fi movies and scientific documentaries. One of five PS5 games recently announced as part of Sony's India Hero Project, you play a meteor cascading through the universe as you attempt to destroy rival meteors.

Here's the full description:

Shoot yourself into the nebula and join a race for survival. In this arcade combat racer, you’re not just a meteor but a force of nature. Cascade your way through a volatile universe of awe and wonder as you outmaneuver, pursue, and obliterate rival meteors in a dazzling display of strategy and skill. Harness the power of the cosmos, level up your abilities, and climb the leaderboard in an experience that’s as thrilling as it is unforgiving. 

Announced in 2017, this marks the first public update for Meteora since 2022. Big Boot Games previously confirmed they were taking it "back into development," and the official website hasn't been recently updated. While features like 60+ levels, "harder difficulties levels, and unlockable hidden boss challenges" were promised, it's unclear if those are still included.

A release window for Meteora: The Race Against Space Time remains unconfirmed. When asked if VR support is planned on Steam, Big Boot Games advised UploadVR that "Meteora will be coming out on PS5, PC and PSVR 2."

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<![CDATA[ Meta Explains Why Quest Headsets Stopped Working, Vows To Make Them "More Resilient" ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-explains-why-quest-headsets-stopped-working-vows-more-resilient/ 65e869ff9dca1200010c1a3c Wed, 06 Mar 2024 06:15:07 -0800 Meta's VP of VR explained why Quest headsets were unusable for an hour yesterday, and vowed to make them "more resilient" to issues like this in future.

If you missed it: every internet-connected Quest headset stopped working for around an hour yesterday morning, and Meta's other services like Facebook, Instagram, and Threads weren't working either. Quest headsets simply showed a 'Something went wrong' screen preventing the main system interface from appearing, meaning no apps could be launched.

Meta Servers Broken, All Quest Headsets Unusuable
Meta’s servers weren’t working correctly earlier today, and the issue rendered all Quest headsets temporarily unusable.

While some commentators incorrectly claimed that this was because Quest headsets require a constant connection to Meta's servers, we at UploadVR knew that wasn't the case, as we've used Quest headsets without an internet connection on multiple occasions, and even on networks that block Meta's servers. That's what made this incident so strange.

What Quest headsets do require, while online, is a logged in Meta account. We noticed that Meta's other services like Facebook logged all users out, and the 'Something went wrong' screen on Quest was actually the device's login interface. This suggested to us that either Meta's server issued a signout command to all apps and devices or a client-side security check thought the login token is no longer secure, as if you'd clicked "sign out" in the headset's settings.

In a post on X, Meta's CTO Andrew Bosworth responded to this analogy saying "yes, exactly like that. This was an unexpected outcome and we are working on it".

In a more detailed post also on X, Meta's VP of VR Mark Rabkin described our assessment as "quite accurate", and offered the following more specific explanation as well as a vow to prevent it happening in future:

So there you have it. Meta's servers sent erroneous login-session-related data to all headsets, which made the headset think the login was no longer valid. This kind of reaction would be useful in a situation where your headset was stolen and you changed your password, for example, but is very annoying when it happens because of a technical issue.

Rabkin vowed Meta will "work to make it more resilient to this super rare condition".

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<![CDATA[ MLB Home Run Derby VR Scores A Quest Store Release Date ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/mlb-home-run-derby-vr-release-date/ 65e719d49dca1200010c1698 Wed, 06 Mar 2024 06:00:13 -0800 MLB Home Run Derby VR brings baseball to the main Quest Store this month, nearly three years after reaching App Lab.

Released six years ago on PC VR and PSVR, MLB Home Run Derby VR recreates the titular home run-hitting competition across all 30 major league ballparks. In a press release, Major League Baseball (MLB) states this upcoming relaunch promises big updates such as a new 100-level progression system and "a cascade of customization rewards," unlocking cosmetic items like bat skins, ball trails and more by earning new achievements.

Other changes include a fully customizable online clubhouse and trophy room, letting you personalise this to match your favourite team's colors while also displaying your in-game awards. Finally, MLB confirms it's also expanding the existing online multiplayer, doubling capacity by introducing eight-player tournaments.

MLB: Home Run Derby VR reaches the main Meta Quest store on March 28. It's currently available on PlayStation VR2, Quest App Lab and Steam.

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<![CDATA[ Headspace XR Adapts The Mental Health App For Quest ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/headspace-xr-adapts-mindfulness-app-for-quest-this-march/ 65d734da7070a10001120025 Wed, 06 Mar 2024 03:00:14 -0800 Headspace XR adapts the wellness and mindfulness app for Quest today.

Previously announced during Connect 2023, Headspace XR describes itself as a "playground for your mind." Available with both hand-tracking and Touch controller support, this includes immersive guided meditations for reducing stress, mood-boosting exercises that aim to release tension and games designed to "build mindfulness skills you can take back to the real world."

Guided by two mindfulness teachers, Dora Kamau and Kessonga Giscombe, Headspace XR also aims to provide an online space for meeting friends. Not much else is currently known but for more details, here's the full Quest Store description:

Headspace XR is a virtual playground where you can move, play, meditate, or just explore with your friends — all in breathtaking immersive environments. It’s XR, but you’ll feel the real life benefits of mood-boosting games, one-on-one guided meditations with your favorite Headspace teachers, and strengthening your mind-body connection through movement. No matter how you’re feeling, just drop in, take a deep breath, and make time for your best, most mindful self.

Headspace XR exclusively reaches the Meta Quest platform today for $29.99 as a one-time purchase.

Notice: This article, initially published on February 23, 2024, was updated on March 6 to reflect its launch.

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<![CDATA[ Quest v63 Adds Lying Down Mode On Quest 2 & Quest Pro ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/quest-v63-lying-down/ 65e7a1509dca1200010c18d3 Tue, 05 Mar 2024 15:24:06 -0800 The Quest v63 update adds a lying down mode - but only on Quest 2 and Quest Pro, not Quest 3.

A new experimental setting called 'Use apps while lying down' has been added to Quest 2 and Quest Pro.

When it's enabled, recentering (holding the Oculus button on the right controller or your right index finger to your thumb) while looking up above you will also rotate the virtual coordinate space 90 degrees upwards, letting you comfortably use seated VR apps and games in bed.

Interestingly the screenshot provided by Meta also shows two experimental options not present in v62: 'External Microphone' and 'Airplane Travel Mode'.

The description of External Microphone says it allows using external USB microphones, while Meta confirmed in January that it was working to make Quest headsets work on airplanes. We'll be curious to see whether these features are actually included in v63 or just in the screenshot erroneously.

As always, keep in mind that Quest system software updates "roll out" gradually, so it may take a few days or even more than a week for your headset to get the Quest v63 update.

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<![CDATA[ PlutoSphere Is Shutting Down As Meta Maintains Cloud VR Streaming Ban On Quest Store & App Lab ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/plutosphere-shuts-down-meta-cloud-vr-streaming-ban/ 65e71af49dca1200010c16a1 Tue, 05 Mar 2024 12:00:07 -0800 PlutoSphere is shutting down.

PlutoSphere was a cloud VR streaming service letting Meta Quest owners play SteamVR content like Half-Life: Alyx and the PC version of VRChat without needing to own a gaming PC.

The service took an “arcade model” approach to pricing, selling play hours for "tokens". Each hour cost between $1 and $3 depending on how many tokens you purchased at once. PlutoSphere is no longer selling tokens, but plans to let existing tokens be usable for around 30 days.

I tried PlutoSphere back in 2021 just before it launched, and found that when using a nearby datacenter it felt essentially identical to Virtual Desktop with a PC on my local network. The technology worked.

Facebook Won’t Allow Cloud VR Streaming On Oculus Store Or App Lab
A new Oculus policy forbids cloud VR streaming on both the store and App Lab. Cloud VR streaming lets standalone headsets with mobile chips play PC VR content. A PC in a cloud datacenter runs the app and streams it to the headset, similar to Google’s Stadia. Facebook lists

But the technology didn't matter. PlutoSphere's biggest limitation as a product was that it couldn't be distributed on the Quest Store or App Lab. Meta's policies only allow VR streaming from "a device that the customer has physical access to", with VR streaming from "virtual devices or cloud sources" specifically banned.

Instead, PlutoSphere was distributed via SideQuest as a sideloadable app. That means the user had to have their headset in developer mode, connect it to their PC, and install the SideQuest software - significantly more friction than App Lab. It also meant PlutoSphere couldn't use the built-in Quest in-app payment system to easily bill the user via their Quest PIN, charging the card on file.

PlutoSphere co-founder and CEO Jared Cheshier told UploadVR that being off the official Quest platform "hampered our marketing strategies, restricted our growth and prevented us from fulfilling our usage obligations" with their Amazon Web Services (AWS) reseller, leading to an eight-figure bill for bandwidth on Amazon's servers that he doesn't need yet. That's a bill the company can't pay, he told UploadVR over phone call, because he doesn't have enough customers – a reality that directly follows because Meta's rules won't allow his app open distribution on its platform.

"Do not enter into these types of agreements," he told UploadVR over a phone call. "It's a hostile environment...the opportunity is still there.”

Here's a full statement from PlutoSphere regarding the shutdown:

"After a period of long and intense negotiation and unforeseen challenges with a partner, it is with profound regret that we announce the cessation of PlutoSphere operations.

While we strongly believe that streaming spatial computing use cases to standalone devices is a necessary and exciting use case with a lot of potential, it is not possible to continue.

We are shutting down the PlutoSphere service imminently.

Due to our inability to launch on the Meta app store and grow our user base, we’ve been unable to honor our commitments with our third-party reseller of AWS cloud services.

Our journey with PlutoSphere has been unexpectedly complex and full of headwinds. The lack of approval on the Meta appstore for our use case, effectively banning cloud streaming, significantly hampered our marketing strategies, restricted our growth and prevented us from fulfilling our usage obligations. Despite concerted efforts to renegotiate our agreement for committed AWS services over the past year, we reached an impasse.

We are now compelled to shut down PlutoSphere. This entails discontinuing our products and services, downsizing our team, and initiating the process of winding down operations.

This outcome is far from what we envisioned when we began our cloud partnerships. We are responsible for having signed a contract with commitments that didn’t get met, even if it’s surprising that we couldn’t find a way to renegotiate. We have exhausted all avenues to avert this situation and it is with a heavy heart that we share this news. We understand the impact this will have on our team, our users, and the broader XR community. We deeply apologize for the disappointment and inconvenience this may cause.

Your support and understanding during these challenging times mean the world to us. Working on PlutoSphere has been an incredible journey, and it is with sadness that we face its conclusion. We are grateful for the opportunity to have contributed to the XR landscape and will carry forward the lessons learned into future endeavors."
Is Meta Working On Cloud Streaming To Bring PC VR Games To Quest?
A firmware finding and an experimental setting apparently made available to a redditor suggest Meta is working on cloud VR streaming. Last month firmware sleuth Samulia found a string ‘AVALANCE_CLOUD_GAMING_INFRA_ENABLED’ in version 24 of the Quest firmware, according to YouTuber Brad Lynch (SadlyItsBradley). Version 24 would

Evidence found in the Quest firmware suggests Meta has been working on its own cloud VR streaming service for years now, codenamed Avalanche. Around two years ago one Quest owner even posted a screenshot to reddit showing Avalanche as an option in Experimental Settings, and claimed they were able to load into the original PC-only Asgard’s Wrath 1 game for a short session.

In 2020, Meta executive Jason Rubin described cloud VR gaming as more than five years out, and John Carmack said the company had “interminable arguments” about the minimum quality bar required to ship VR streaming.

If Meta does ship its own cloud VR streaming feature any time soon, it could face accusations of anti-competitive practices. It would be a similar situation to Virtual Desktop's PC VR Wi-Fi streaming, which Meta banned from the platform until just before it launched its own Air Link feature. In 2022 Bloomberg reported that the US FTC was investigating Meta's competitive practices, but there haven't been any further reports on the status of this investigation.

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<![CDATA[ All Online Quest Headsets Were Unusable For An Hour Due To A Meta Server Malfunction ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-servers-malfunctioning-quest-unusable/ 65e73e309dca1200010c1806 Tue, 05 Mar 2024 08:19:32 -0800 UPDATE: The issue was resolved around 8:40am PT. This article has been updated to reflect this.

Meta's servers weren't working correctly earlier today, and the issue temporarily rendered all internet-connected Quest headsets unusable.

Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and the Quest platform were inaccessible from roughly 7:30am PT. Trying to access them resulted in a login error.

Though the outage is now over, all affected users will have to log into their headset again.

Here's all I saw when trying to use my Quest 3. No other interfaces were accessible.

All of our Quest 3 and Quest 2 headsets, which were connected to Wi-Fi and on standby, showed a 'Something went wrong' screen preventing the main system interface from appearing, meaning no apps could be launched. UploadVR heard from dozens of other people who experienced the same issue.

Quest headsets don't require an always-online connection, and still continue to offer basic functionality such as playing singleplayer games, even on a network where Meta's servers are inaccessible. So what on earth happened here?

Given the fact that Facebook, Instagram, and Threads logged everyone out, it seems that either Meta's server issued a signout command to all apps and devices or a client-side security check thought the login token is no longer secure. Regardless of the cause, Quest headsets signed their users out. Ironically, headsets that weren't connected to the internet at the time were unaffected.

This isn't the first time VR users woke up to find their headset unusable due to a software issue. Back in 2018 every Oculus Rift stopped working due to an expired certificate. That problem took Meta (then Facebook) more than 12 hours to fix, while this issue was resolved in just over one hour.

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<![CDATA[ D&D-Based Dungeon Full Dive Tool Will Soon Be Free For Players, $50 For Game Masters ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/dungeon-full-dive-player-edition-free/ 65e706cb9dca1200010c15ae Tue, 05 Mar 2024 05:30:22 -0800 Dungeon Full Dive, a VR tabletop RPG toolkit based on Dungeons & Dragons 5e, will soon switch its pricing model to free for players and $50 for game masters.

Released with optional PC VR support last October, Dungeon Full Dive is splitting into two separate versions following recent layoffs at developer TxK Gaming Studios.

The 'Player Edition' allows you to join online multiplayer sessions for free with limited access to creating miniatures, DnD 5e characters, and maps.

With the 'Game Master Edition,' this lets you host sessions for other players and grants full access to the toolkit. You can create an unlimited number of characters, maps and miniatures, while all owners will receive an exclusive GM Edition dice set. Anyone who already owns Dungeon Full Dive on Steam will be automatically upgraded to the GM edition "at no additional cost."

0:00
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As part of this change, TxK Gaming Studios confirms Dungeon Full Dive - Game Master Edition will receive a significant price increase from $29.99 to $49.99 when the Player Edition releases. The studio states this new strategy will make Dungeon Full Dive "more accessible for groups to dive into" by reducing the overall entry cost.

A release date for Dungeon Full Dive - Player Edition remains unconfirmed, but the original version is available on Steam Early Access and is already named Game Master Edition. On the official website, TxK confirms a Quest version will follow "after the full release."

Dungeon Full Dive Interview - How TxK Gaming Studios Is Recreating DnD 5e For VR
Dungeon Full Dive recreates Dungeons & Dragons 5e within VR through a virtual tabletop, and we interviewed TxK Gaming Studios to learn more:
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<![CDATA[ Bigscreen Beyond & Varjo Aero Now Show On The Steam Hardware Survey ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/bigscreen-beyond-varjo-aero-steam-hardware-survey/ 65e5d3109dca1200010c130b Mon, 04 Mar 2024 07:57:50 -0800 Bigscreen Beyond and Varjo Aero now show on the Steam Hardware Survey, giving an indication of their ownership and usage.

Both headsets actually started showing up in an update to the January data Valve made a few days after publishing it. February is the first month they appear from the start.

The Steam Hardware & Software Survey is offered to a random sample of Steam’s user base each month. If you accept, it uploads a list of your PC specs and peripherals to Valve, as well as any headset used on SteamVR in the past month.

The data for February shows no significant swings in the relative headset usage share. Meta Quest 3 had been rapidly surging since it launched in October, but this growth has now significantly slowed down, with the headset remaining at the #3 spot, just below the Valve Index. 14.5% of SteamVR users in February used Quest 3, while 15.8% used Valve Index.

Quest 2 still holds the top spot, as it has since shortly after it launched more than three years ago, with 39.18%, more usage than Quest 3 and Index combined.

Bigscreen Beyond was used by just 0.15% and Varjo Aero by 0.14%. These headsets remain incredibly niche compared to more the popular headsets from Valve and Meta. Both headsets offer significantly higher resolution than Index, but cost significantly more and still require SteamVR Tracking base stations.

In January Varjo confirmed that Aero is no longer being produced after more than two years on the market, and new stock is now unavailable. Meanwhile, Bigscreen's CEO recently declared the company has reached positive cash flow with Beyond.

The percentage of Steam users using any VR headset at all decreased slightly, from 2.24% in January to 1.97% in February. Adjusting for China, where most VR headsets aren't sold and most VR games aren't available, the fall was much smaller. January saw the highest usage in almost two years, which likely reflected many users trying out praydog's UEVR mod, a free tool released at the start of January that injects VR support into almost any modern PC game made with Unreal Engine. Clearly this level of support isn't enough to keep everyone coming back though, and PC VR's long-term growth remains slow.

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<![CDATA[ The Oniri Forest Tech Demo Showcases "Hyper-Realistic" Graphics On Quest Standalone ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/the-oniri-forest-photorealistic-quest-tech-demo/ 65e5a8699dca1200010c11bd Mon, 04 Mar 2024 06:37:34 -0800 The Oniri Forest aims to deliver a "hyper-realistic" VR environment that runs directly on Quest.

Developed by Oneiros, Forest is a free tech demo designed to showcase Oniri, a platform that can convert a highly detailed 3D environment into a Unity scene that can run in real time on standalone VR, with "no limits of poly-count, materials and lights". The Forest Quest demo features an outdoor environment infused with cyberpunk elements.

Using a Quest 3, we went hands-on with Forest but there's not much you can really do. Exploration is limited to teleporting between a few pre-set positions indicated by markers. We were impressed by the environmental graphics quality as we moved past these trees and bushes, but distortions became apparent after moving from the designated areas, and the render resolution is relatively low which results in visible aliasing.

For such a short tech demo, it's worth noting that Forest requires 1.56GB of storage, so this 3D conversion method evidently requires considerable storage space.

You can download the Forest tech demo now on Quest App Lab for free. We'll be interested to see if this technology gets used in future VR projects and whether it can support interactive elements.

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<![CDATA[ Oculus Accounts That Haven't Been Migrated To Meta Accounts Will Be Deleted On March 29 ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/oculus-accounts-deletion-march-2024/ 65e5c93b9dca1200010c1278 Mon, 04 Mar 2024 05:55:14 -0800 Anyone still using a legacy Oculus account will need to migrate it to a Meta account by the end of the month.

If they don’t, they'll lose all their purchased apps, games, and DLCs as well as friends, achievements, and other account data on March 29.

Facebook Account Required For New Oculus VR Headsets
From October 2020, Facebook will require anyone using an Oculus device for the first time to log in via a Facebook account. It will no longer be possible to sign-up with a separate Oculus ID. In addition, starting in 2023 the social media giant will end support for existing Oculus

Meta (then Facebook) first announced the end of Oculus accounts almost four years ago in July 2020, a month before launching Quest 2. Instead, new headsets would need to be set up with an active Facebook social media account and existing Oculus account users would have until 2023 to merge a Facebook account, the company said.

Quest 2 Will No Longer Require A Facebook Account From Next Month
Meta headsets will no longer require a Facebook account from next month. In August Meta will “begin rolling out” Meta accounts, which can be used to set up Meta headsets. You’ll still be able to link your Facebook account to your Meta account to message and call Facebook friends

Tying the use of a hardware device to the standing of a social media profile was a widely unpopular decision, and left some users with a paperweight. Responding to this, Meta dropped the Facebook account requirement two years later in August 2022 when the company introduced Meta accounts. Meta accounts are much like traditional Oculus accounts in that they just require an email and password, not a social media profile.

If you still have a legacy Oculus account and haven't yet migrated it to a Meta account, you can do so with a few clicks on this webpage.

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<![CDATA[ Between Realities VR Podcast ft Bryan Paul of PSVR2 Without Parole ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/between-realities-vr-podcast-ft-bryan-paul-of-psvr2-without-parole/ 65e50c8a9dca1200010c11a0 Sun, 03 Mar 2024 15:50:53 -0800 In this week's episode of the Between Realities VR Podcast, Alex and Skeeva host Bryan Paul from PSVR2 Without Parole.

Bryan weighs in on the current state of Sony's headset. Other topics include the fundamentals of VR game design and the quality of the VR community.

— Between Realities Links —
Merch Store: https://teespring.com/stores/between-…
Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/BetweenRealities
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/BetweenRealities
Twitter – https://twitter.com/BtweenRealities
Discord – https://discord.gg/EvNnj2w
Facebook – https://fb.me/BetweenRealities
Alex VR – https://www.youtube.com/Alex_VR
Alex VR’s Twitter – https://www.twitter.com/Alex__VR
Skeeva – https://www.youtube.com/Skeeva007
Skeeva’s Twitter – https://www.twitter.com/Skeeva

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<![CDATA[ ICYMI This Week: SXSW, Gorilla Tag, Gran Turismo 7, Avenged Sevenfold & More ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/icymi-vr-news-march-2-2024/ 65e1b7109dca1200010c0cc1 Sat, 02 Mar 2024 06:09:33 -0800 Following a busy week for VR games and hardware news, here's our latest roundup.

We've seen some big developments across VR hardware. Meta & LG officially confirmed its partnership involves 'next-gen XR device development,' which is rumored to be Quest Pro 2. The Quest 2 256GB unit is no longer available, Vi is looking to develop a fitness-focused VR Glove, while an Apple Vision Pro successor will reportedly enter mass production in roughly two years.

With VR gaming, Sony shut down Blood & Truth studio PlayStation London as layoffs hit Horizon Call of the Mountain's two studios. Supermassive Games also plans layoffs, Zenith: Nexus relaunched, F1 24 was announced, Contractors Showdown began open beta tests, and Meta launched the Quest+ Games Catalog. We also had updates on Beat the Beats, Arcade Paradise VR, Guardians Frontline, Espire 1, Ghosts of Tabor and more.

You can find our full list of articles here. For everything else, here are the top five VR news stories we didn't previously cover:


Avenged Sevenfold Launch 'Looking Inside' Concert With AmazeVR

Following on from its Zara Larsson and Megan Thee Stallion VR concerts, AmazeVR released ‘Avenged Sevenfold VR Concert: Looking Inside’ on Quest and Apple Vision Pro. Running for 26 minutes, this new concert features songs like Hail to the King and Nightmare, alongside new songs from the band's 2023 album, 'Life is But a Dream…'.


Gorilla Tag Is Being Delisted On Quest 1 But Existing Owners Can Continue Playing

Free-to-play VR multiplayer hit Gorilla Tag will be delisted for Quest 1 after the next major update. However, Another Axiom confirmed that it's not "turning off" the game for existing Quest 1 players, so you can "play as usual" for now and specific details will be announced when things change. Elsewhere, Gorilla Tag also became the first Quest Store game to reach 100k user reviews.


Breachers Gets Second Team Deathmatch Map

Breachers, the 5v5 multiplayer team-based shooter, has a major new update following December's Arctic map and PSVR 2 launch. Called Outpost, this marks the second Team Deathmatch map and takes place within a training facility designed to simulate outdoor environments. That's out now as a free update.


Gran Turismo 7 Update 1.43 Adds New Cars, Events & Café Menu

The latest Gran Turismo 7 update has arrived and Patch 1.43 introduces three new cars - Audi TTS Coupé ’09, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR GSR ’06 and the Renault R4 GTL ’85. A new Extra Menu for Lamborghini is available in the Café, three new events are now live across the World Circuits, while the Pyrenees is now a featured choice in Scapes.


SXSW Hosts An XR Experience Exhibition Next Week

The South by Southwest festival kicks off next week and, between March 10-12, it features an XR Experience Exhibition. You can find the full exhibit list here, which includes projects we previously went hands-on with like Emperor, but here are seven projects that we're interested in:


Other Updates

Looking for further VR news stories? Here's everything else we've seen this across last week:


If you've got an update for a VR game we should know about for this article or future updates, you can use our contact page or email tips@uploadvr.com with details.

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<![CDATA[ Google Tried To Convince Meta To Switch To Its Upcoming Android XR Platform ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-rejected-google-android-xr-partnership-request/ 65e231dc9dca1200010c1090 Fri, 01 Mar 2024 23:49:00 -0800 Google reportedly asked Meta to partner and "contribute to" its upcoming XR platform, but Meta said no.

The claim comes from a report from The Information today, citing "a person involved in the talks."

In posts on Threads, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth said "You can tell they got this story from Google", and made the following statements:

"After years of not focusing on VR or doing anything to support our work in the space, Google has been pitching AndroidXR to partners and suggesting, incredibly, that WE are the ones threatening to fragment the ecosystem when they are the ones who plan to do exactly that.

We would love to partner with them. They could bring their apps to Quest today! They could bring the Play store (with its current economics for 2d apps) and add value to all their developers immediately, which is exactly the kind of open app ecosystem we want to see. We would be thrilled to have them. It would be a win for their developers and all consumers and we’ll keep pushing for it.

Instead, they want us to agree to restrictive terms that require us to give up our freedom to innovate and build better experiences for people and developers—we’ve seen this play out before and we think we can do better this time around."

The Meta Quest operating system is a fork of the open-source core of Android (known as AOSP), a similar strategy to Amazon's Fire OS for its Fire tablets. Meta has been working on it for at least seven years, as it first arrived in 2018's Oculus Go.

That same year, Lenovo launched a standalone headset running Daydream, Google's own VR OS that included its Google Play Services, Play Store, Google apps, and VR core technology on top of AOSP. But less than two years later in late 2019 Google abandoned the Daydream platform, and no other standalone headset ever used it.

Google + Lenovo’s Standalone Daydream VR Headset, Mirage Solo, Is On Sale Now For $399
Oculus Go isn’t the only major standalone VR headset launching this week: Lenovo’s Mirage Solo just went on sale too. Available for $399, the Solo is the first standalone VR device to run on Google’s mobile VR ecosystem, Daydream. It runs all the games and experiences that

Flash forward to early 2023, and Samsung announced that it was working on XR hardware, with Google handling the software. In June Business Insider reported the operating system would be called Android XR, a new variant of Google's Android (AOSP + Google's closed-source additions) in the same way Android TV is.

While Samsung will be the first hardware maker to use Android XR, The Information reports that Google has also been pitching it to other hardware makers - though it doesn't list any specifics, and there have been no reports of other companies accepting.

Samsung’s Google-Powered Headset Set To Launch Late 2024
Samsung’s Google-powered XR headset is set to launch, in very limited quantities, in late 2024. Details here:
Meta & LG Confirm “Next-Gen XR Device” Partnership
BREAKING: Meta and LG just officially confirmed their partnership, including “next-gen XR device development”. This comes after multiple reports LG will make future Quest Pro headsets.

Meanwhile, Meta and LG confirmed on Wednesday that they had formed an XR "strategic collaboration" that included "next-gen XR device development". It comes following multiple reports from South Korean news outlets that LG will make future Quest Pro headsets, running the Meta Quest platform, with the first device arriving in 2025 for around $2000.

Google and Meta's XR strategies could end up remarkably similar, with the two companies vying to entice hardware companies to adopt their platform.

Apple
Vision
Meta
Quest
Google
Android XR
First-Party
Hardware
✖️
Third-Party
Hardware
✖️ LG Samsung
Existing
Ecosystem
Integration

Meta's strengths lie in its large existing library of fully immersive content, its acquisition of eight experienced VR game studios, and selling its first-party hardware at cost or even a loss. But its weakness is that it lacks an existing flatscreen computing platform, so can't pull off cross-device integration or easily bring in a library of 2D apps.

Google on the other hand can bring its Play Store to Android XR, bringing over millions of 2D apps, and deeply integrate your existing Android phone, Chrome passwords and bookmarks, and data from your Google apps like Photos.

Meta's CTO Andrew Bosworth previously said that he asked Google to bring the Play Store to Meta Quest, but Google said no. In a post on X today Bosworth said Google could even keep its full store cut revenue for 2D apps.

Meta CTO: We Asked Google To Bring Play Store To Quest
Meta’s CTO says Google declined a request to bring its Play Store to Quest.

On the one hand, Google and Meta partnering to build an XR platform could be a leviathan force against Apple's Vision headsets, bringing together Quest's immersive content library with Google's Android phone and app ecosystem integration.

But on the other hand, it's unclear how the business details of such a partnership would work in practice, and how the companies would make decisions on core design and engineering choices they strongly disagree on. The Information's report says Google's offer included Meta "contributing to" Android XR's development, suggesting Google would have the final say on core OS matters.

It's understandable why Meta may not want to be dependent on Google, both for business reasons and given Google's track record in XR and platforms in general. Daydream on headsets was abandoned after less than two years, and the Stadia gaming platform after three years. They joined a long list of platforms and services in Google's graveyard.

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<![CDATA[ VR Battle Royale Contractors Showdown Open Beta Now Live ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/contractors-showdown-open-beta/ 65df4fef9dca1200010c07f8 Fri, 01 Mar 2024 07:49:35 -0800 VR battle royale shooter Contractors Showdown's open beta is now live on Quest & Steam.

A follow up to 2018's Contractors, Caveman Studio confirmed the Contractors Showdown open beta is now available for SteamVR and Quest 2, Quest Pro & Quest 3 users. Accessed via the official Contractors Discord server, open beta tests are taking place across three consecutive weekends - March 1-3, March 8-10, and March 15-17.

Set across a 16 square kilometer map, Contractors Showdown lets you dive in with doubles, trios or solo, supporting up to 45 people per match. Everyone can activate three types of perks per match for strategic advantages, which Caveman Studio didn't detail. As for progression, you can earn resource points, fulfill contracts, unlock blueprints, obtain cosmetics and more.

For more details, here's an official gameplay description:

Navigate the high-stakes arena using an array of tactical props, including airstrikes and UAVs. These game-changing elements elevate the intensity, offering players the opportunity to unleash powerful tools and outsmart their opponents. Plan your moves, coordinate with your squad, and deploy these strategic assets to dominate the battlefield.

Contractors Showdown targets a Q2 2024 launch on the Meta Quest platform and Steam.

Notice: This article was originally published on February 28, 2024. It was updated on March 1 to reflect the open beta launch.

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<![CDATA[ Asgard's Wrath 2 Fights Vampiric Hordes In 'Bloodsuckers' Cosmic Event ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/asgards-wrath-2-bloodsuckers-cosmic-event/ 65e1d0929dca1200010c0dc1 Fri, 01 Mar 2024 06:57:38 -0800 Asgard's Wrath 2 fends off vampiric hordes in a new Cosmic Event.

Released last December, the latest Asgard's Wrath 2 update follows February's 'Into The Multiverse' Cosmic Event, a limited-time event that offered unique challenges called Cosmic Objectives. With 'Bloodsuckers', a new vampiric plague now threatens Egypt as these parasites evolve into an all-consuming horde, infecting everything from the Duat to Muspelheim.

Between cleansing an infested Egyptian monster den, destroying ghost parasites, stopping a Deathstalker Host and more, you're tasked with exterminating these foes. Success rewards you with Irish pantheon-inspired gear, including the Adh Mor Sword, Axe and Shield set, Helm of the Leprechaun King, and a Yggdrasil armor set. New Loki anomalies are also live, adding a new 'Scorpion Tamer' mixed reality challenge on Quest 3.

Asgard's Wrath 2 is exclusively available on the Meta Quest platform for $59.99, and it's included with new Quest 3 purchases until March 31, 2024.

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<![CDATA[ Beat Saber Creative Director & CEO, The Remaining Co-Founders, Leave Beat Games ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/beat-saber-remaining-co-founders-step-down/ 65e1d6e39dca1200010c0e40 Fri, 01 Mar 2024 06:50:55 -0800 Beat Saber's creative director and CEO, the two remaining co-founders, are stepping down from Beat Games.

Ján Ilavský confirmed his departure as creative director at Beat Games in a post on X. Revealing he would "like to return to my roots: working on innovative games," Ilavský's thread reminisces on his time at Beat Games, admitting he was initially "not accustomed to trusting more people and was a huge control freak." Saying he now trusts the Beat Games team completely, Ilavský believes that Beat Saber "is just getting started."

Not long after, Ilavský's announcement was followed by news that the studio's CEO and fellow co-founder, Vladimír Hrinčár, is also leaving Beat Games. However, unlike Ilavský, no official reasons for leaving were provided in his statement.

"I’m graduating from Beat Saber and from my position as Head of Studio and will be leaving Beat Games. Big thanks to everyone on the team for all amazing things you do for the game, you guys rock and you got this! I wish Beat Saber all the best!"

Ilavský and Hrinčár's departures follow last year's news that the other Beat Games co-founder, Jaroslav Beck, was leaving the company. After stepping down as CEO in 2019 to become Beat Games' music director, Beck left last May to pursue new opportunities, later co-founding a new soft drinks company in the Czech Republic called CANS.

Presently, it's unknown who will succeed Ilavský and Hrinčár as the studio's Creative Director and CEO. UploadVR has contacted Beat Games for an official statement, and we'll update this article if we learn more.

Beat Saber Review 2022: Seminal VR Title Remains As Relevant As Ever
With regular updates, DLC releases and changes to the game since launch, Beat Saber remains VR’s poster child. Read on for our updated Beat Saber review for Quest 2, PSVR and PC VR. Years of Dominance It’s hard to understate Beat Saber’s influence on the VR industry.
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<![CDATA[ The Vive Focus 3 On The International Space Station Is Now Being Used For Exercise Too ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/international-space-station-vr-exercise/ 65e0eff39dca1200010c0c9f Thu, 29 Feb 2024 23:54:00 -0800 The VR headset on the International Space Station is now being used for exercise, in addition to its previous role for mental health.

In November HTC sent a Vive Focus 3 to the ISS on a SpaceX Cargo Dragon autonomous spacecraft launched to bring supplies and experiments to the station as part of NASA's Commercial Resupply Services program.

Vive Focus 3 is HTC's $1300 business-focused standalone headset, which it released in 2021. It uses the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 chipset as Quest 2 but with significantly higher resolution 2.5K displays, higher resolution than even today's Quest 3 or Pico 4. While HTC released the newer Vive XR Elite headset last year, Focus 3 remains its primary pitch for businesses.

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The headset is being used by European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, who has been on the ISS since August and will soon return to Earth.

Part 1 of the experiment was to test how VR can help with astronaut mental health via 360-degree videos of scenes on Earth like sunsets, swimming with dolphins, and scenic views.

Recently HTC enabled Part 2 of the experiment, using VR for physical fitness. The reduced gravity environment of space causes muscle atrophy and bone density loss, and regular exercise helps mitigate these effects. This is why astronauts typically exercise for at least two hours per day. But the environment of the ISS can be "sterile and cold", Mogensen says, and this is where VR comes in.

The Vive Focus 3 is synced up to the smart exercise bike on the ISS via Bluetooth. Mogensen sees a 270-degree first-person video of a cyclist on a scenic route from his home country Denmark, which plays back at the speed he's cycling. A metadata track on the video changes the resistance setting of the exercise bike to match the surface and gradient of the track, so Mogensen feels like he's cycling it.

Here's some of what Mogensen had to say about using VR on the ISS:

"We astronauts onboard the space station are living in a very confined artificial laboratory-like environment. It's very sterile, it's very cold, and we don't have access to nature. And that affects our psychological wellbeing."
"I have to be honest, I didn't actually expect it would make much of a difference, but I found that I love wearing this headset. It takes me into nature. It makes me feel like I'm out in nature. That I'm outside of the space station, away from this artificial environment. And it really de-stresses me. It makes me relax. It takes away a lot of the daily stress, and just allows me to re energize. To catch my breath, to feel like I'm back on the earth. It's a really great way to get away from this artificial environment."
"One of my favorite things to do on board the space station is to cycle while wearing the virtual reality headset."

Tracking System Adaptation

Getting tracking to work on a space station was a major undertaking though. On Earth headsets use the accelerometer in their IMU (inertial measurement unit) to measure the gravity vector to determine to the orientation of the ground, but trying to use this in space would cause constant drifting. To solve this HTC has modified the tracking system to track one of the controllers fixed onto a wall as an anchor point, so the headset has a fixed point to align its movement to.

And this isn't the first time a headset has been sent to the ISS, nor that the tracking needed to be adapted.

All the way back in 2015, Microsoft sent an original Hololens AR headset to the ISS with a Remote Expert Mode so ground crews could help astronauts with repairs and a Procedure Mode that overlayed equipment tutorials for novel systems. Like HTC, Microsoft had to modify the device's tracking system to work in microgravity.

In 2017 Oculus sent a Rift VR headset to the International Space Station and ESA astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Alexander Gerst used it for microgravity neuroscience experiments. Oculus swapped out the Rift's built-in tracking system for a third party solution better suited to be customized for microgravity.

VR Could Be Essential For Deep Space Missions

With NASA's Artemis program aiming to establish a permanent base on the moon in the 2030s and eventually send humans to Mars, VR could become a vital tool to help astronauts escape and relax or exercise on these long-duration missions in deep space. As well as immersive environments that simulate being back on Earth, astronauts could use headsets as personal theatres to enjoy traditional media on a much larger virtual screen than the tiny screens they could take with them.

While HTC's experiment is only 360 videos for now, it could set a precedent for continued astronaut use of VR for both mental and physical health.

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<![CDATA[ Espire 1 Targets New Recruits With Quest 3 Upgrades ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/espire-1-quest-3-upgrade-new-recruit-update/ 65e09bd69dca1200010c0b53 Thu, 29 Feb 2024 15:00:49 -0800 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.

Espire 1: VR Operative Review - Surprisingly Deep Stealth Action
After years of development and months of delays Espire 1: VR Operative is finally releasing. Read our full review to find out if this VR stealth game lives up to the hype. I’ve played Espire 1 a lot over the last couple of years. Between all of the various
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<![CDATA[ Ghosts Of Tabor Gets New Underground Map & Boss In Major Update ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/ghosts-of-tabor-collectors-awakening-update/ 65e0b4559dca1200010c0c14 Thu, 29 Feb 2024 13:00:26 -0800 Ghosts of Tabor introduced a new map, boss and more in today's major update.

Following its recent relaunch, the latest Ghosts of Tabor patch takes us beneath the streets of Matka Miest. Dubbed 'The Collector's Awakening,' this update adds underground map sees you exploring sewers, subways, and subterranean environments as you navigate tight tunnels. Within the museum's depths lies a new boss, The Collector, who has a habit of storing his victims' bodies, and defeating him awards exclusive loot.

Today's new Ghosts of Tabor update also introduces two new weapons. The XM250 Light Machine Gun has a collapsible bipod and built-in canted iron sight, while flashbang grenades are now available for distorting your opponent's sight and sound. Elsewhere, Silencers were adjusted for greater realism, now requiring you to twist and click them on.

Finally, Combat Waffle Studios also introduced a new 'Streamer Camera' that's presently that's only available on PC VR. This adds stabilized FOV alongside a helmet cam, barrel cam, and reticle cam, also letting you dynamically switch perspectives when aiming down sights.

Ghosts of Tabor is available on SteamVR, Rift and Quest for $24.99. Pico and PSVR 2 releases are also planned, though release dates remain unconfirmed.

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<![CDATA[ New VR Games & Releases March 2024: Quest, SteamVR, PSVR 2 & More ]]> https://www.uploadvr.com/new-vr-games-releases-march-2024-quest-steamvr-psvr-2/ 65df6f5c9dca1200010c0974 Thu, 29 Feb 2024 11:00:39 -0800 Looking for new VR games in March 2024? Here are our latest monthly highlights.

Spring is almost here and already, 2024's seen plenty of VR games. Following a handful of Apple Vision Pro games and a hefty January lineup, we reviewed numerous titles across February like Border Bots VR, Under Cover, Legendary Tales, Stranger Things VR, and Beat the Beats. They were joined by Project Demigod, Rogue Stargun, Ghosts of Tabor, Bootstrap Island and more.

While March is looking slightly quieter right now, there's still a good selection of new VR games on the way. You can find our more comprehensive upcoming VR games list here and, as always, be sure to bookmark this page. We'll update this list as more VR games get confirmed release dates across each major platform, also removing entries if they get delayed.

Right now, here are the biggest new VR games coming to Quest, PC VR and PSVR 2 this March.


Rainbow Reactor: Fusion - Remastered - March 1 (PSVR 2)

Initially released in 2019, Rainbow Reactor: Fusion is a color-matching puzzle game that's seen gradual iterations across the years. Following on from Steam and Quest launches, it's now being remastered for PSVR 2, featuring an upgraded resolution and 90fps performance without reprojection.


Swarm 2 - March 7 (Quest)

Previously released on Pico, Swarm 2 is a roguelike shooter to 2021's Swarm. Armed with a grappling hook and pistol, you're tasked with fending off the Swarm to save Earth across new environments, and it also features online leaderboards. That's now reaching Quest.


The Pirate Queen - March 7 (PC VR, Quest)

Winner of the Immersive Storyscapes Award during last year's Tribeca Festival, The Pirate Queen: A Forgotten Legend is a narrative adventure game by Singer Studios, focused on puzzle solving and exploration. Starring Lucy Liu as Cheng Shih, who sailed the South China Sea with the Red Flag Fleet, that's coming to Quest and Steam.


Walkabout Mini Golf: Ice Lair DLC - March 7 (PC VR, Pico, PSVR 2, Quest)

Mighty Coconut confirmed Walkabout Mini Golf will launch the second course in its Evil Lair series, Ice Lair. That's coming on March 7 on Quest, Pico, Steam and PSVR 2. While we normally don't include big DLC updates in these monthly roundups, we're looking to change that in future articles.


Akka Arrh - March 8 (PSVR 2)

Akka Arrh Takes A Psychedelic Trip This March On PSVR 2

Released last year for most flatscreen platforms, Akka Arrh is an arcade shooter with tower defense elements, taking inspiration from Tempest 2000. Developed by industry veteran Jeff Minter through Llamasoft and published by Atari, your aim involves destroying enemies through a command center, triggering chain reactions with bombs.


Stilt - March 8 (PC VR, PSVR 2, Quest)

Developed by Rekt Games, Stilt brings a colorful adventure inspired by classic platformers to QuestSteam and PSVR 2. Requiring "quick reflexes and problem-solving skills to progress through the levels," you're tasked with collecting missing gift packages and stamps as you progress, navigating through chasms, avoiding traps and fending off enemies. Online multiplayer is also supported.


System Critical 2 - March 8 (PSVR 2)

Developed by Old Formulas, System Critical 2 is a "retro style run and gun platformer shooter." A direct sequel to last year's System Critical: The Race Against Time, that reaches PSVR 2 this month, following prior launches on SteamVR and Quest App Lab.


Little Cities: Bigger! - March 12 (PSVR 2)

Developed by Purple Yonder, Little Cities: Bigger! features all the updates previously released on Quest - SandboxSnowy Islands DLCAttractions and Little Citizens. With the PSVR 2 version, publisher nDreams confirms this port features an enhanced frame rate, 4K resolution, eye tracking and haptic feedback support.


Humanity - March 14 (Quest)

Released last year with optional VR support on PS5 and PCHumanity now makes its way to Quest. The latest game from Tetris Effect and Rez Infinite publisher Enhance, this third-person puzzle-action game takes inspiration from Lemmings. Playing as a Shiba Inu, you must guide the mindless masses to reach the exit.


Monkey Doo VR - March 14 (Quest)

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Monkey Doo VR is a free-to-play VR game that sees you swinging through jungles as you race others to collect bananas. Previously released via App Lab and Steam, that's now coming to the official Meta Store, and the PC VR version will be updated on the same day.


Paint the Town Red VR - March 14 (PC VR, PSVR 2, Quest)

Previously released on flatscreen platforms, Paint the Town Red VR calls itself a "chaotic" first-person melee combat game with voxel visuals. Set across different time periods and locations, enemies "can be punched, bashed, kicked, stabbed and sliced completely dynamically using almost anything that isn't nailed down." That's coming to Quest, Steam and PSVR 2.


Rock and Roots - March 14 (Quest)

Created by XOCUS (Z-RacePresentiment of Death), Rock and Roots is a new fantasy VR adventure. "Summon your enigmatic guardians of the woods with a magical hand to face the challenges. Conjure spells, dive into the magic world and reclaim your rightful place on the throne," states the official description. Previously launched on Steam last month, that's now coming to Quest.


Lawn Mowing Simulator VR - March 21 (Quest)

Developed by Skyhook Games, Lawn Mowing Simulator first appeared for flatscreen platforms in 2021. Announced by publisher Curve Games, it's now receiving an official VR adaptation, tasking you with garden management across different locations on Quest.


Max Mustard - March 21 (Quest)

Max Mustard is a VR platformer from Richie's Plank Experience developer Toast Interactive. Much like Moss, you embody a character that looks down on the game's environments, manipulating elements to assist Maxthrough this world. Featuring 40 levels and four bosses, it's reaching Quest first, while PC VR and PSVR 2 versions are planned for mid-2024.


DYSCHRONIA: Chronos Alternate - Dual Edition - March 27 (PC VR)

Following on from Quest and PSVR 2, Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate brings MyDearest's episodic trilogy to Steam with flatscreen support. Set in the artificial marine city of Astrum Close, you play as supervisor Hal Scion as you investigate a murder. You can check out our previous thoughts on Episode 1Episode 2 and Episode 3.


Medieval Dynasty: New Settlement - March 28 (Quest)

Medieval Dynasty New Settlement is a survival, resource-gathering VR game that tasks you with creating a lasting dynasty, one that involves building construction, cooking, crafting, hunting and more across an open-world environment. It's coming to Quest this month.


MADiSON VR - March 29 (PC VR, PSVR 2)

Released for PC and consoles in 2022, MADiSON VR adapts the flatscreen first-person survival horror game for PSVR 2 and SteamVR. As Luca, who wakes up in a dark room with his hands covered in blood. Going up against the eponymous demonic ghost, there's no weaponry and players must depend on an instant camera to solve puzzles.


If you've got an update for a VR game we should know about for this article or future updates, you can use our contact page or email tips@uploadvr.com with details.

Interested to learn about more upcoming VR games? Check out our complete list below, which covers upcoming Quest 2, PC VR, Pico and PSVR 2 releases across 2024 and beyond:

Upcoming VR Games 2024: New Releases On Quest, PC, PSVR 2 & More
Need a refresher on all upcoming VR games in 2024 and beyond? Here’s every major game coming to Quest, PSVR 2, PC VR & Pico.
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