Virtual Reality Reviews

So you take an extisting room, render that for use in a video game. Or a city in a flightsim. The last MS Flight Simulator is mixed reality then?
Anything that mixes your view of the real world with virtual objects in a spatially coherent manner, be it an virtual extra piece of furniture that looks like it belongs right there in your real room, or a real piece of furniture highlighted, or a line and arrows on the street below you, showing you where to go.

They made up the MR term, in order to differentiate this from heads-up displays like Google Glass, because the existing term "augmented reality" includes them.
 
So this seems pretty big... a mod which unlocks most every Unreal game in VR...


Going by the spreadsheet of tested titles some of them can even support hacky / semi-functional 6dof motion controller support (!). (A bunch more have '3dof' motion control working...)

Source: https://youtu.be/lZgolPe0m-w?si=xqMDu5XL9cF11LE3

Source: https://youtu.be/1D8ttkDjYZg?si=0eeJhq2BADOrWdtd&t=52s

Source: https://youtu.be/xSnUoG9Dzb8?si=_4A071DwtfENjr5r

Sounds like controllers are still a bit wonky to use in practice, but I'd imagine once a bunch of fan presets & guides rollout this could open up a lotta games :)
 
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Tried it briefly with Psychonauts 2 yesterday -- save shadows being mismatched between the eyes, it seemed to work absolutely amazingly well, and looked fantastic.
 
Oh now I'm doubly intrigued 😁
It's a builder in 1st person. The world is handcrafted and fixed. So what I did was go exploring to find a place to build a factory. The mix is the salt of the game. You can also just build rail or do these zip-line like in video.
You know the builder thing where you need 5 of these and 8 of the others but your fabs produce just 3 and 6 respectively? Well, in Satisfactory UI you can tweak a fab so it goes slower (and uses less power) to match the correct quota and produce as much as can be consumed. The clou with the UI is that you can simply enter in the calculation you would do and Satisfactory gets the result and puts in the correct number for your tweak. This is one of the best factory builders I've played. You get sick building? You go and die from spooky spiders in a dark cave while spelunking. Or chop some trees. With chainsaw. Or fight critter with chain saw. Or plant explosives to fight them, then blow yourself off a cliff.
 
I've been having a lot of Newtonian fun with this little game recently - Space Docker VR - though I'm playing the stand-alone Quest version. Cargo recovery is nicely satisfying and there are also several race tracks to try.

The years of flying FAOff in Elite have definitely set me up in the space-stevedore business 😄

This is me doing a couple of easy crate grabs and mothership recovery:

Source: https://youtu.be/5nOmvLxgyLk

Oo nice.

Def try Lunar Flight too at some point if you haven't. It's in a similar newtonian delivery chill zone (just with a dash of gravity ;))

Lunar Flight: Anniversary Edition

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhDK-N64Nn0


The addition of hands has rounded this indie experience off nicely. It feels very fitting to poke cockpit buttons above your head and madly wrestle a virtual joystick about as you execute your sky courier routines.

It's hugely niche, but I'm loving the strange space serenity it inspires as you win your stately battle with physics and gravity. Counterpointed by moments of building tension and sheer terror as the delicate lunar lander starts sliding out of your control.

I have a suspicion that this is essentially Euro Truck simulator on the moon, as all you really do is manage to arrive somewhere without smashing yourself to pieces. But instead of dealing with traffic you get overtaken by your own bad decision from 2 minutes ago, as physics catches up with you...

There are gyros to be bought that can stabilise you more, and powerful jets to help you lug bigger cargos about. And a Mars setting where you fling yourself into ever more dangerous giant arcs. But essentially that's the game... Going places in low gravity without dying.

The background astro chatter may cycle almost immediately, but neither it or the astro soundtrack have outstayed their welcome yet.

3_5(+++)
 
I've been having a lot of Newtonian fun with this little game recently - Space Docker VR - though I'm playing the stand-alone Quest version. Cargo recovery is nicely satisfying and there are also several race tracks to try.

The years of flying FAOff in Elite have definitely set me up in the space-stevedore business 😄

This is me doing a couple of easy crate grabs and mothership recovery:

Source: https://youtu.be/5nOmvLxgyLk
This thing is on Steam too. Will try that out tomorrow soon.
 
This thing is on Steam too. Will try that out tomorrow soon.
The link I included in my post is the Steam version 👍

PC players get the added bonus of being able to use their HOTAS gear instead of the virtual sticks I’m using. It is also releasing on PSVR2 soon, and I believe PlayStation compatible HOTAS will work with the game.
 
I can never resist the 30% off codes from Meta so I've just got LEGO Bricktales for the Quest and it's immediately impressive in Mixed Reality - the dioramas are the same size as actual LEGO (even has the logo on the pieces!) and constructed items have a physics tester as befits the devs of Bridge Constructor. There are even dinky clouds floating above the scene just the way bricks don't 😄

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Source: https://youtu.be/FKzL_zMVN6o

(video capture is only 30fps so the game appears smoother in reality)
 
Space Docker VR has just released on PSVR2 and the game has updated with extra stuff on other platforms:
We're happy to announce that SDVR is finally on PSVR2!

This includes the 1.30.0 update, which also will arrive on Steam and Quest sometime this weekend!
I'm currently working on a new trailer that showcases some of the new content and features of the patch, but in the meantime, here's a look at the current list of changes in 1.30.0:

```
  • Added 'Week 2' missions
  • Added new racing tracks
  • Added an ultra-hard unpaid-overtime mission
  • Added new air-freshener unlockables
  • Added docker license unlockable
  • Added mining torpedo unlockable
  • Added racing cockpit unlockable
  • Added 'Remove Thrust Assist' unlock
  • Added 'Time Attack Helper' unlockable
  • Added new music tracks
  • Added optional in-cockpit frame-rate readout
  • Added docking port light to help judge distance and alignment
  • Added mothership camera to track inbound crates
  • Added optional comfort vignette
  • Added many more proc-gen prefabs

Adjustments and Fixes:
  • Various visual improvements
  • Unlock detector now gives a 'less-than-X' readout
  • Spacebrake can now bring ship to complete stop
  • Unlock feedback now plays in cockpit when conditional unlockables unlock
  • Forward and velocity indicators also show on radar
  • Fixed asymmetrical thrust bug caused by previous 'Thrust Assist' implementation
  • Made warships much bigger
  • Gave third-person pilot legally-safe goggles
  • Fixed many other bugs
  • Adjusted many other things

PC Only:
  • Added bindable HOTAS 'cursor' which can navigate and press the in-game buttons
  • Added new HOTAS control binds related to limpets/torpedos/launcher etc.
  • Added graphics scaling options for resolution, AA, bloom

PSVR Only:
  • Native 120hz support
  • Added ability for secondary button to rapid fire limpets

Quest Only:
- Added graphics scaling options for resolution, AA, and refresh rate
 
Was expecting this :/


If even the most burgeoning VR sector can't sustain AAA-end investment then the dry spell for high end games is only going to extend.

Bum.
AAA doesn't produce quality games - it produces decent looking trash at high production quality for the masses. I.e. the packaging is good and contents are flashy. AAA players probably aren't the clientele to buy VR hardware.
 
Was expecting this :/


If even the most burgeoning VR sector can't sustain AAA-end investment then the dry spell for high end games is only going to extend.

Bum.
At least the game "did okay...but we thought it would sell more" so perhaps it’s not totally put them off VR for the future. It’s a pity because AC Nexus is a really fun entry for the franchise and I would’ve liked to have seen what Splinter Cell VR was like.

Still got fingers crossed that GTA San Andrea makes it out the door!
 
VR’s best stealth game - Espire 1 VR Operative - has had a surprise update with enhancements for Quest 2/3/Pro. The PCVR version will be getting version parity in a few weeks, and some challenge mission DLC is also due for all platforms.

It’s well worth a purchase - sort of a cross between Goldeneye and Metal Gear Solid - and the sequel is a little cracker too 👍
 
VR’s best stealth game - Espire 1 VR Operative - has had a surprise update with enhancements for Quest 2/3/Pro. The PCVR version will be getting version parity in a few weeks, and some challenge mission DLC is also due for all platforms.

It’s well worth a purchase - sort of a cross between Goldeneye and Metal Gear Solid - and the sequel is a little cracker too 👍

Nice one, I always stayed away after the initial duff reviews, and a bit due to the seeming emphasis on stuff I didn't need (motion sickness reduction grid etc).

Definitely on the list, and looks like it'd be more fun on the Quest than wired.

On shopping lists, this seems like it's getting some decent reviews at the mo...

Source: https://youtu.be/s1F2WbJHuxE?si=UOrc5E4dJbD-fJn0

I'd never considered the 'Mech arms making impact-absence intuitive' trick for melee, but could see how that could work.
 
The DLC mentioned in the last Espire 1 update is now available for the princely sum of four quid - I’ve played through 4 missions of the 10 available in the 2 new environments and I think they’re a fine addition to the game.
 
The DLC mentioned in the last Espire 1 update is now available for the princely sum of four quid - I’ve played through 4 missions of the 10 available in the 2 new environments and I think they’re a fine addition to the game.

Nice one. Always good to see a VR game get past a wonky launch and carve out a shelf life :)
 
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