At present, modern VR headsets are for the most part unsupported on Apple computers, largely because many of the company’s computers do not meet the recommended hardware specifications. Apple may rarely hint at it, but the company is thinking about VR… and so are its customers. Recently Apple has admitted that the current Mac Pro isn’t standing up to the needs of some of its customers, and VR is one reason why.
Procedural mesh destruction and construction underpins Decoder VR’s first title, Forestry, which just launched on Steam. Built for Vive, Rift and PSVR, the game’s fully destructible world presents a vast forest for the player to cut to pieces, which can then be used to create new objects.
With the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive shipping one year ago this month, Valve is getting in on the ‘VR Anniversary’ action with deep discounts on more than 200 VR titles and free-play access to Raw Data (2016) and Tilt Brush (2016).
VR gamers have longed heavily for deeper titles that go beyond the surface-level experiences that make up a large portion of today’s VR content. They’ve longed for games with depth and complexity; developer HELM Systems plan to offer exactly that with The SoulKeeper VR, a forthcoming action adventure VR RPG for Vive and Rift with spell casting. The developers have shared new details with Road to VR leading up to the game’s release in Early Access on SteamVR this Spring.
COMPOUND is a VR hobby project from developer ‘NotDead’ which aims to immerse you in a world of lovingly crafted pixel art, retro-styled first person shooter.
One of the slickest titles on the Rift right now, Epic Games’ arcade shooter Robo Recall has received an update which addresses one of the bigger criticisms the title received at launch, 360 degree tracking for the Oculus Touch.
Fanfest is upon us again, CCP’s yearly festival in Reykjavik for all things EVE Online, but to go along with the round table discussions and announcements surrounding the massive multiplayer universe is a new update to the studio’s sci-fi VR arcade dogfighter EVE: Valkyrie (2016). Coming April 11th to Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PSVR is an expansion called Groundrush that promises to deliver even more of that Star Wars-esque spaceship experience with planet-based maps (and one that looks awfully like the planet Hoth) among a host of other updates.
EVE: Valkyrie (2016), the arcade dogfighter from EVE Online studio CCP Games, is about to get a big update that promises to take the game in what lead game dev Andrew Willans says via an official Sony blogpost “new and exciting directions.” Called Groundrush, the new update—launching April 11th—will include tweaks to existing systems and a brand new map, Solitude, that brings the dogfight to the surface of a snowy planet.
While the Vive is often criticized for its front-heavy weight, the headset has actually managed to slim down over time thanks to manufacturing improvements. HTC has managed to shave 15% off of the original 550 grams (1.21 pounds), bringing the headset’s weight in line with the Oculus Rift.
Arcade Saga, a futuristic sports action game from HTC’s internal Vive Studios development and publishing group, could be coming to PSVR. Launched for the Vive headset in December 2016, the game quickly received Oculus Rift support, and recently saw further optimisations for Oculus Touch. Now wanting to bring the game to PSVR, HTC is going a step above to demonstrate their commitment to platform agnostic VR content.
What do you do when you want to push VR racing simulation to the limit of immersion? This.
In Early Access since the launch of the Vive last year, Vanishing Realms (2016) development continues, as stated in the updated roadmap on the game’s Steam news page. The acclaimed VR action RPG is due to receive a large update that launches the original game out of Early Access, with brand new content and new hardware support also in the works.
The 360-degree version of Gorillaz’ music video for new track Saturnz Barz received over 3 million views in the first 48 hours, making it the single biggest 48 hour debut for a 360 music video in the (young) history of 360 videos on YouTube. The track is from the band’s highly-anticipated fifth album, Humanz, due for release on April 28th.
Arcade Saga’s latest updates feature multiplayer modes in all three of its futuristic sports and add Oculus Touch optimisations. Developed by 2Bears Studios, the game originally launched in December 2016 as the first title from Vive Studios, HTC’s internal development and publishing group.
APEX is the latest real-time VR music video experience directed by Arjan van Meerten, the creator of the acclaimed Surge (2015). The experience is set to debut at the Tribeca Film Festival this month.
