In late 2017, CCP Games shuttered their VR-producing studios, shifting their focus to PC and mobile games after selling off the Newcastle branch behind EVE: Valkryie (2016) and closing down the Atlanta-based branch behind SPARC (2017). Although CCP made a commitment to keep servers from going dark, it comes as great surprise that the studio has actually pushed out a significant update to the futuristic VR sports game.
Anshar Studios, the team behind VR game Detached (2017), today announced that their latest project, Telefrag VR, is headed to PSVR and SteamVR-compatible VR headsets next week.
Channeling Journey (2012) and Viva Piñata (2006), albeit at a smaller scale, Fujii is a game about exploration and gardening with a dash of discovery. That’s not to say that you’ll be exploring epic landscapes or saving the world by discovering long-lost knowledge in ancient ruins… no, Fujii’s sense of discovery is more personal.
Following months of steep discounts, most of the Windows VR headsets have vanished from Microsoft’s online store and are showing limited or no stock at other retailers. Microsoft has yet to offer an explanation, but signs are pointing toward discontinuation of some headsets.
Oculus seems to be on a bit of a hiring spree as of late; Facebook is advertising over 400 positions dealing with AR/VR via its job portal at the moment. One posting in particular at Facebook’s Reality Lab—Electrical Engineer – Eye Tracking in AR/VR—lends a healthy dose of credence to the belief that the company is indeed pushing to include eye-tracking in their next generation products.
Singapore-based studio Mixed Realms today released their high-flying ninja combat game Sairento VR (2018) in Europe on PSVR; the North American release is slated to arrive next week.
Waltz of the Wizard (2016) is a exceptionally well-built VR experience from Iceland-based studio Aldin Dynamics. As one of the pioneering demos to heavily feature object interaction back at the birth of consumer VR, it always felt like the curiously magical prologue to something much larger. And although Aldin hasn’t promised as much today, the studio is continuing on with development of Waltz of the Wizard in a new ‘Extended Edition’, heading to PC VR headsets next week.
Walmart is no stranger to VR, from its nation-wide VR training program, to its recent traveling VR installation to promote How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019). Now, the company is putting the technology ever closer to the heart of its business by using it to determine if prospective middle managers have the right stuff to make it up the corporate ladder.
Kazunori Yamauchi, CEO of Polyphony Digital and developer behind the Gran Turismo franchise, recently sat down with GT Planet to reveal a bit about the studio’s next Gran Turismo title. Yamauchi says that not only is the next GT game already in works, but it will embrace the “past, present and future.” Furthermore, Yamauchi says he believes in the future of VR, and confirms it’s “very suited for a driving game.”
OrbusVR: Reborn, the MMORPG built for VR, now has a free-to-play demo that will let you dive into the open world game and play all the way up to level 10.
Valve launched Index, the high-quality PC VR headset, just a few days ago. As an enthusiast-level device, we likened it to a DSLR camera in out full review, setting itself apart from the easier to use, but more consumer-oriented Rift S (the point and shoot in our camera analogy). Now, Valve has released CAD files of the entire Index system so hardware tinkerers and pros can start creating parts for Index.
Steam’s Summer sale has been in full swing for a few days, but now it’s Oculus’ turn to offer up big savings on VR titles for both the Rift Platform and Oculus Go. Sorry folks, no Quest Summer Sale yet!
As the studio behind the excellent PlayStation VR Worlds, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s London Studio has been at the forefront of VR game design since before PSVR even shipped back in 2016. With their latest title, Blood & Truth, the studio sought to deliver its first full-length VR title, and the result is an impressive action-filled journey that delivers the most convincing virtual characters we’ve seen in a VR game to date. To learn from the studio’s approach to VR game design—and to get a glimpse at the artwork that drove and resulted from the game’s development—we spoke with Stuart Whyte, Director of VR Product Development, and Anthony Filice, Art Director, both from Sony’s London Studio.
VR Ping Pong Pro is the upcoming sequel to the 2016 ping pong simulator VR Ping Pong. However now the studio is bringing their 1v1 ping pong game to PSVR as well in addition to HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
