‘AirMech: Command’ Gets Major Oculus Touch Update, Launches on Steam VR

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VR motion control comes to AirMech: Command, and the game has been released on Steam with support for multiple VR headsets and controllers through OpenVR. The game originally appeared as a launch title for the Oculus Rift in March 2016.

Drawing direct inspiration from pioneering real-time strategy title Herzog Zwei, AirMech started life as a free-to-play game on PC in 2012, where it has remained an open beta. Optimised for gamepad control like the Mega Drive/Genesis game, AirMech naturally found its way to Xbox and PlayStation consoles in the form of AirMech Arena in 2015. As Oculus launched the Rift with a seated, gamepad-controlled focus, the game was again in an ideal position to transition to a new platform, and AirMech: Command became an exclusive launch title for the headset on March 28th 2016. The game was largely well-received, showcasing VR’s suitability for the RTS and MOBA genres.

Today, Carbon Games released a major update, adding support for Oculus Touch controllers (existing owners of the Rift version receive a free update). At the same time, the product has also launched on Steam with full OpenVR support. As shown in the teaser trailer, the motion controls allow for brand new ways of interacting with units and navigating around the battlefield, described by the creators as ‘a huge game changer for RTS games in VR’.

By using two virtual cursors, Carbon have devised a way of amplifying hand movements for faster control, and the zoom and rotate functions mean that you can play in a single spot like a board game (seated VR is still supported) or walk around a massive world in room-scale VR.

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Editor Update 03/10/2017: A previous version of this article suggested that AirMech Command had been under a timed exclusivity agreement with Oculus up to the time of writing. Carbon Games have informed us that this assertion was incorrect, and we’ve therefore amended the piece to remove that emphasis.

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The trial version of Microsoft’s Monster Truck Madness probably had something to do with it. And certainly the original Super Mario Kart and Gran Turismo. A car nut from an early age, Dominic was always drawn to racing games above all other genres. Now a seasoned driving simulation enthusiast, and former editor of Sim Racer magazine, Dominic has followed virtual reality developments with keen interest, as cockpit-based simulation is a perfect match for the technology. Conditions could hardly be more ideal, a scientist once said. Writing about simulators lead him to Road to VR, whose broad coverage of the industry revealed the bigger picture and limitless potential of the medium. Passionate about technology and a lifelong PC gamer, Dominic suffers from the ‘tweak for days’ PC gaming condition, where he plays the same section over and over at every possible combination of visual settings to find the right balance between fidelity and performance. Based within The Fens of Lincolnshire (it’s very flat), Dominic can sometimes be found marvelling at the real world’s ‘draw distance’, wishing virtual technologies would catch up.
  • Graham J ⭐️

    It’s cute how you avoid saying Vive.

    • iThinkMyCatIsAFlea

      Don’t support Oculus. Google Oculus Trump.

      • cdm283813

        I wonder how many of your friends supported Trump? We now have in the closet Trump supporters because while they won’t tell you, they still voted for the guy.

  • J.C.

    Herzog Zwei was a big favorite of mine back in the day. I still own two copies of it. I found airmech to be a bit overcomplicated comparatively, but an honestly good reinterpretation. I was super disappointed to see Airmech Command on Oculus only.

    And now here it is, in a place Thst supports my headset. Oculus COULD have had my money for this game, but they chose to go the exclusive-hardware route. Welp, Steam didn’t. This being the first exclusivity contract ended, it doesn’t seem like much. But it’s only the beginning. Oculus needs to move fast.

  • Wolfkolf

    Nice!

  • M0rdresh

    Hmm goes too show, I thought Airmech was another exclusive game on Oculus at the time, but it seems to be this was a conscience choice by the developer to focus on one platform. In any way, their game on SteamVR supports both the Vive and the Rift, that is the way to go.