It's been a busy week for VR and our latest news roundup is live, featuring several more stories you may have missed.
Connect dominated this week's news. Meta announced that Meta Quest 3S will launch on October 15, starting from $300 with a free copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow - and Quest 3S is exactly what we expected. Meta's 'Orion' prototype AR glasses have a 70 FOV and use a wireless computing puck, while Ray-Ban Meta Glasses will get live translations and other features. Alongside Quest 2 and Quest Pro, the Quest 3 128GB model has also been discontinued.
Those are arguably the biggest stories to come out of Connect, and we've got a separate roundup for everything else you can find here.
David Heaney
Elsewhere, Samsung reportedly delayed its Android XR headset even further. Immersed showed the Visor passthrough and hand tracking, and we went hands-on for a second time. Bigscreen Beyond headsets are now shipping within one week of ordering them. The Godot engine can now be used on Quest. Finally, the Logitech MX Ink Tracked Stylus is available to buy.
With VR gaming, Batman: Arkham Shadow launches on October 22. Owlchemy released Dimensional Double Shift for free. State of Play featured PSVR 2 announcements for Metro Awakening, Hitman, and The Midnight Walk, while X8 is getting a Contra crossover. We've also covered DISC, Harpagun, Moss, One True Path, Mixed Realms, Triangle Strategy, Behemoth, Ghosts of Tabor, Prison Boss: Prohibition, and Home Sports.
Henry Stockdale
That's not to say we've let up on our impressions, though. You can find our full thoughts for Dimensional Double Shift, Metro Awakening, Subside, and Pencil. We also reviewed Metal: Hellsinger VR, Escaping Wonderland, and Starship Home.
With general entertainment, Meta Connect revealed that a world based on The Office is coming to Meta Horizon Worlds. YouTube Cowatching on Quest will arrive next week in beta after being announced two years ago, and the Amazon Prime Video app on Quest now supports downloads for offline viewing. With fitness, Alo Moves XR confirmed a release date, and Supernatural Together added group-based workouts.
We've covered a lot; you can find our full coverage here. For everything else, here are five VR news stories we initially missed:
Mannequin Excavation Update Adds New Map & Gameplay Mode
Fast Travel Games released the first free content update for its hide-and-seek multiplayer game, Mannequin. The 'Excavation Update' introduces a new level, new 'King of the Crown' mode where you fight to seize the crown in the lobby area, a new Agent shield you can use once per round, and finger gestures for mannequins.
DigiGods Creative Update Adds Social Hub, Daily Quests & Revamped Combat
DigiGods, a free-to-play VR/MR creative sandbox from the No More Rainbows studio, released its Creative Update earlier this week. Version 1.3 now features a new collection system for items, daily quests, revamped combat, a 'Chill Zone' that provides a social hub, new building block types, and more.
XR Indies & Friends Showcase Highlighted Nearly 20 VR & MR Games
Following last month's VR Games Showcase, this week's XR Indies & Friends Showcase highlighted nearly 20 VR and MR games - Harpagun, All On Board, Dimensional Double Shift, Mythic Realms, Vestiges, Grokit, Bootstrap Island, VR Giants, Airspace Defender, Hyperskate, By Grit Alone, Living Room, DIG VR, Wall Town Wonders, The House of Da Vinci VR, Badminton Time, and One True Path.
Stilt Color Adds Colorful Multiplayer Mode In Latest Update
Stilt, the VR platforming adventure that topped July's PSVR 2 download charts, launched update 1.6.0 this week. Reminiscent of Splatoon, the new 'Color Splash' multiplayer mode tasks you with painting everything in sight before time runs out. Other changes include level adjustments, new progress counters above doors, and improved comfort settings.
PC VR Space Exploration Game 'Inter Solar 83' Adds Onboard System Scanning In New Alpha Update
Inter Solar 83, an upcoming PC VR space exploration game, released the Alpha 4.03 update this week. That adds a new onboard system scanner, overhauled orbital physics, star map and dynamic temperature system overhauls, revamped spacecraft interiors, and player death mechanics. The alpha build remains accessible via Patreon, and there's also a Steam demo.
Other Updates
Looking for further VR news stories? Here's everything else we've spotted this week.
- Toy Trains is getting a mixed reality mode on Quest via a free update. This marks the second major update following the inclusion of new levels and a Sandbox mode in April, and MR is already supported on Pico and Viveport.
- After announcing that VR fantasy RPG Sword Reverie is coming to Quest, Isekai Entertainment released a new early access update on Steam.
- Rampage Agents received a new hero and more.
- Wanderer: The Fragments Of Fate released a visual comparison video highlighting the differences between its Quest 2 and PSVR 2 editions.
- Into The Radius 2 added difficulty settings, a hunger system and more in its latest update.
- My Monsters, a hand-painted action-adventure VR game, will receive a free Quest demo on October 2.
- Arcade Paradise VR, VR Giants and Containment Initiative 2 are now available on Viveport.
- Astro Hunters VR released a new patch on Quest and Steam to address "some of the most critical issues."
- Bootstrap Island’s next major update, Jungle Overlord, launches in October.
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