One Hamsa, developers of VR sports game Racket: Nx, announced that the Early Access version will arrive on Steam in late January 2017. This first version will also include “competitive” multiplayer and a new single player mode.

The Racket Nx demo, introduced to Steam on August 17th, remains one of the most enjoyable sports experiences for the HTC Vive. Described by developers One Hamsa as an ‘arcade space sport’, it takes the simple concept of squash and amplifies the intensity level with a clean, futuristic visual style, and gameplay elements inspired by classic arcade block-breaking games like Breakout and Arkanoid.

In a recent announcement posted on the title’s news page on Steam, it was confirmed that the target for the initial Early Access release is late January 2017. The title was due to launch by the end of this year, but One Hamsa states the addition of a new development partner as the reason for the slight delay.

Encouraging very hard swings of a controller and energetic, roomscale movement, Racket Nx is already a great workout. The addition of a multiplayer mode is an exciting announcement, as the game has the potential to be a competitive esport where physical fitness will be an advantage. Exactly how the multiplayer mode is structured remains to be seen, but we’re promised that it will be “competitive”, and come with the initial Early Access release. In addition, a new single-player mode will be introduced, along with new gameplay features and a ‘bunch of other stuff’, some of which is the result of community feedback from the demo.

Throughout 2017, the developers say that Racket Nx will receive several updates, with plans for more multiplayer modes, a league system, a level editor (as hinted in the demo), and esport features such as an observer mode and custom match settings. ‘Sick music’ is also promised, which should add to the already-outstanding positional audio; the ‘Nx’ in the title is named after the Nx plugin for pro-audio software Waves that simulates 3D audio (the game was originally developed as a partnership with Waves to showcase their audio technology).

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Our first impressions were very positive, and it’s great to hear ambitious plans from the developers for the year ahead. If you’ve not already checked out the demo, it is still available here, and well worth a look.

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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.
  • burzum

    The demo works just fine with the Rift as well.

    • Get Schwifty!

      I know – this constant “for HTC Vive” false qualifier is getting old. Methinks someone doesn’t like the Rift exclusives and this might be a way to lessen that point. We keep being told that Steam is just a delivery system for content and there is no connection between HTC and Valve, and yet anything which appears there and not on Oculus Home as well is instantly branded “For HTC Vive” never mind they work just the same with Rift…

      • gamer1st

        But the “For Rift” titles are OK by you.
        Right?

        • hyperskyper

          The “For Vive” games that still work with the Rift are far worse than the “For Rift” games that don’t work with the Vive. How dare you doubt Oculus’s superiority!

      • benz145

        Unlike other titles on Steam, Racket: Nx doesn’t specifically list Oculus Rift support. This is likely because it requires a roomscale space and 360 tracking by design (which yes, Rift can do with a 3-sensor Touch setup). We’re not going to tell people the game supports the Rift if the developers themselves have not indicated that they have made the game for it.

      • Dave

        Hey dudes.
        I’m Dave, I’m one of RNX’s developers.
        We were actually super surprised to read that our game works on the rift. We’ve only been playtesting it on the Vive, and not out of principle. Simply because we want to focus all our attention on gameplay first, and dealing with multiplatform support later. That’s why we’re officially only supporting Vive at this point.
        But man, this is awesome to hear, we gotta try it out! :D

    • James Friedman

      Good to know. This game seems right up my alley

  • namel

    The preview was just plain awesome. I actually hope they keep it simple.

  • SandmaN

    Discs of TRON/TRON DiscWars anyone?

  • Adrian

    Looks pretty nice, but too many people will be stepping on the cord. Something’s gonna break.