Elite Dangerous (2014), the interstellar space trading, fighting, and exploration sim, has received a major new update, 2.4, The Return, which brings frightening new enemies to the virtual galaxy, as well as a number of fixes to the game’s VR mode, and improvements to the avatar system.
Finally, a new indie VR game that isn’t a wave shooter! Created by indie developer Deeperbeige Games, Bending the Light is a puzzle game launching exclusively on Oculus Rift today.
The SteamVR Home Beta, the platform’s social VR hub system, recently received a significant upgrade, adding several improved customisation options, including ‘Trophies’ and the ability to decorate your space with screenshots or artwork. A new ‘Boxing Ring’ home environment is also available, with a number of interactive challenges.
Magic Leap today launched a refresh of their official website which includes a new teaser stating that the company wants to “[take] you with us on this journey to launch. More to come…”.
Valve’s ‘no press allowed’ dev conference, Steam Dev Days, is seeing the ax this year, and it seems next year doesn’t look any better.
Interactive theater is all about breaking the fourth wall, removing the barrier between the viewer and the play at hand. Traditionally this is done by getting the audience involved, usually in the guise of a dinner murder mystery party which oftentimes harks back to classics like the board game Clue (aka Cluedo) and literally anything by Agatha Christie. Tequila Works‘ upcoming VR experience, The Invisible Hours, doesn’t remove this barrier as such, but rather mobilizes it, letting you observe unnoticed as every aspect of the period piece unfolds before you.
Oculus announced its digital marketplace will now include automated refunds for games purchased on both Oculus Rift and Gear VR platforms—effective immediately and across the entire world.
Thanks to its comprehensive VR support on PC, Project CARS 2 is another great showcase for VR sim racing, offering better performance than Project CARS (2015) in a much more compelling package. Addressing many of its predecessor’s shortcomings, the sequel is a welcome addition to the sim racing scene—but rather like the original, it needs more time to bake.
Described as the ‘ultimate superhero experience’, Megaton Rainfall tasks the player with preventing a global alien invasion, with a full-scale Earth as the destructible backdrop. The game, which was supposed to launch today, is unfortunately delayed for 3 more weeks for PSVR and PS4, now slated to launch October 17th.
The biggest update ever to EVE: Valkyrie (2016) is launching today. Called ‘Warzone’, the expansion brings with it a number of big features including support for PC and PS4, new maps, and a whole reworking of ship classes and abilities that essentially makes it feel more like the popular team-based shooter Overwatch (but in space).
There wasn’t any mention of Samsung getting into the Windows ‘Mixed Reality’ program when it was announced last year, which saw OEMs like Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo tapped to create VR headsets around the same reference design. A recent leak however, showing a rendering of a Samsung-built VR headset emblazoned with a “Windows Mixed Reality” symbol, suggests otherwise.
ARQUA! was one of the ARKit launch applications that was designed by VR veteran Isaac “Cabibbo” Cohen, and it has the same indie charm and shader art aesthetic as his previous VR experiences of Blarp! (2016) and L U N E (2016). ARQUA’s gameplay involves you creating a rainbow aquarium by playing with kelp plants, schools of fish, and 3D rods that you place around your space by turning your body into the controller. Cabibbo is really interested in providing users of his AR experience with an experience of agency, creation, and beauty in a way that recontextualizes their relationship to their surrounding environment.
We knew that Google was working on adding VR capabilities to its mobile version of Chrome since last year. Now with the release of Chrome 61, Daydream VR users can browse websites and also continue to enjoy the quick and easy VR experiences delivered via WebVR.
Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV fishing game for PSVR just got a new English language teaser trailer. The Japanese version was teased on stage at the Tokyo Game Show (TGS) this past week.
