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Best VR Games Of All-Time: 25 Titles To Play Now (Summer 2021)

July 23, 2021 From uploadvr.com

Looking for a list of the all-time best VR games? We’ve got you covered with our full list. For the past few years at Upload, we’ve kept separate, regularly updated lists of the best VR games on individual platforms, including Quest, Rift, SteamVR and PSVR. But, as the industry continues to grow, the content library feels strong enough to now compile each of those lists into a master list of the best VR games of all-time. If you are looking for the best VR games on individual platforms, though, see our lists below.

For each game on this list we’ve noted which platforms you can play on and linked to more coverage if you want to find out more. But enough talk, let’s run down our list of the best VR games! You’ll find these titles available to buy on the Oculus Store for Quest and Rift, Steam and the PlayStation Store.

The Best VR Games – Ranked

25. Walkabout Mini Golf (Quest, PC VR)

Unlike many sports, mini golf is actually something that could and should work quite well in VR. Walkabout Minigolf is all the proof you need; it’s an accurate representation of the game that goes beyond what’s possible in real life whilst also remaining authentic throughout. This ticks all the boxes – plenty of courses, extensive multiplayer support, different themes for each level and, above all, pinpoint physics that are almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Hard to fault!

24. Gorn (PC VR, PSVR, Quest coming soon) – Read Our Review

There’s definitely an argument to be made for keeping VR games from getting too violent but Gorn basically rips any such debate’s jaw off and then beats it to death with its own arms. Before we step into the murky ground of ‘realism’, Free Lives has jumped all the way over to the other side of the canyon and spilled a frankly hilarious amount of blood in the process. Gorn is all about being the last man standing in a gladiator arena, and the game has little in the way of rules to stop you from achieving that.

Want to pull a guy’s head off? Bash him in with a rock? Swing a mace into a face and knock some eyeballs out? Gorn lets you do all that and it feels wonderful. Not because we have psychotic tendencies but because it’s all so stupidly over the top that you can’t help but laugh. Plus the rubbery effect of the weapons gives them a rare sense of weight and realism in VR. Beyond the stupidity, though, there is actually a great structure in place here that will keep you coming back to unlock new content and make battles surprisingly tense affairs, too. It’s as stupid as it gets but Gorn’s a game you should take seriously.

23. The Room VR: A Dark Matter (PC VR, PSVR, Quest) – Read Our Review

Puzzle masters Fireproof Games knock it out of the park again with a typically excellent rendition of The Room series, this time for VR headsets. This short, sweet adventure is set in The British Institute of Archaeology, where you’ll solve challenging puzzles in search of a missing archaeologist.

What makes The Room VR work is its commitment to the platform it’s appearing on. This isn’t just a bunch of puzzles that would work on a traditional screen; each and every one has been thoughtfully designed with VR at their core. Not a single mechanic feels over-used and there’s constant invention happening right before your eyes. That makes it easily one of the best VR games, especially if you’re into puzzles.

22. Onward – Read Our Review

Multiplayer VR shooters are a dime a dozen these days. And there’s definitely something for everyone from the Counter-Strike-inspired madness of Pavlov to the Fornite-aping antics of Population: One. But, for our money, Onward’s focus on realism still holds it above all others. On Quest especially, the wire-free gameplay really comes into its own, opening up new tactics like easily going prone. Yes, the game’s suffered visually to get onto the headset, but when you’re aiming down your sights, scanning for targets, you won’t notice. Onward pays close attention to realism, making it a game that can be hard to get to grips with, but absolutely rewarding to master. For that reason, it’s one of the best VR games.

21. Until You Fall (PC VR, PSVR, Quest) – Read Our Review

A stylish and effortlessly cool VR rougelike that has you tackling runs of a randomized dungeon and starting fresh every time you die. A fast-moving progression system keeps the game rewarding and addictive, while the lively arcade action is easy to pick up and difficult to master. Combat might not be as realistic as other VR melee titles, but it’s rock-solid and incredibly fun. If you’re looking for a VR game you’ll revisit time and time again, look no further than Until You Fall. It’s one of the best VR games.

20. A Fisherman’s Tale (PC VR, PSVR, Quest) – Read Our Review

As great as VR is, its initial novelty is bound to wear off after your first few weeks or so. If you want to recapture the magic of putting on the headset for the first time, there’s one destination that’s bound to deliver: A Fisherman’s Tale. This is a mind-bending puzzle game unlike anything you’ll see elsewhere. That alone makes it one of the best VR games.

In A Fisherman’s Tale, you solve intricate, scale-based puzzles in which you work… with yourself. Its best puzzles utilize a miniature model of the lighthouse the game’s set in. Lift the roof of the model and you’ll see a mini-you, imitating your every move. Just try and keep your brain from breaking as you hand yourself giant objects, or reach down to poke your own head. It’s a trip to say the least. Throw in a poignant story about self-acceptance and you have a short, sharp VR game that will stay with you much longer than most multi-hour epics.

19. Blood & Truth (PSVR) – Read Our Review

The London Heist minigame in PlayStation VR Worlds remains one of the most polished and engaging pieces of story-driven VR content out there. Lucky for us, developer Sony London decided to take its short tale of crime capers and turn it into a full game. The result is Blood & Truth, one of the most polished and immersive shooters yet seen on any VR headset, let alone PSVR.

What makes Blood & Truth great is that it isn’t ‘just’ a shooter. Every level has new types of interactions and mechanics to explore, fleshing the virtual world out and bringing it closer to the real one. Its story might be on the cheesy side, but its character models are unmatched and the stunning setpiece moments are often Uncharted-worthy. Don’t let the Guy Ritchie accents fool you; Blood & Truth is one to take seriously and one of the best VR games.

18. Moss (PC VR, PSVR, Quest) – Read Our Review

Moss is one of a handful of 2018 games that proved that third-person VR experiences don’t just work but can make for some of the absolute best content out on the platform right now. You guide an adorable little mouse named Quill through diorama-sized levels, solving puzzles and taking on fearsome critters in sword-based combat.

While it’s mechanically refined, the game’s real claim to fame is the bond you build with Quill over the course of the adventure. Playing as a larger companion to the tiny protagonist, you really start to connect with her as you work together to overcome obstacles. It feels very much like a team effort, which is quite a remarkable feeling in itself that results in one of the best VR games today. Bring on Book 2.

17. Ghost Giant (PSVR, Quest) – Read Our Review

Upon first glance, Ghost Giant appears to be a charming little puzzler that makes the most of its diorama-sized worlds. And that’s very much the case; in this adorable papercraft world you help your young companion out with different chores and tasks. That includes tickling clams and making intentive art in wonderfully tranquil locations. It’s whimsy, delightful and amazing in VR. But that’s only half the story.

Ghost Giant also hides a thoughtful take on tough subjects, smartly communicated through this new medium. The game uses intimacy, scale and connection in engaging ways that bring you closer to the world and characters around you. It’s surprising and responsible, delivering some incredibly powerful moments. All told, it’s one of the most striking and unforgettable examples of VR storytelling yet seen and one of the best VR games.

16. Eleven: Table Tennis (PC VR, Quest)

If you want the most accurate, authentic representation of a sport in VR today, Eleven: Table Tennis is easily your best bet. This simulation-level game offers the most convincing take on a sport that makes perfect sense in VR. Whether you’re serving up hotshots or getting in desperate returns, Eleven’s physics behave exactly the way you’d expect in real life, and tapping the ball with your controller starts to feel as natural as if it were a paddle. More than just a great game, Eleven is one of the rare VR experiences that feels like a genuine replacement for our reality. Yes, it’s that good and one of the best VR games.

15. Beat Saber (PC VR, PSVR, Quest) – Read Our Review

Who would have guessed that, with everything developers could do, the closest VR has yet gotten to a ‘killer app’ is a rhythm action game with knock-off lightsabers? It seems ridiculous but just one go on Beat Saber and you’ll understand why it’s such a hit; it’s an utterly entrancing experience that makes you feel like a master. That’s all you need VR to be. You slash notes that arrive on time with a beat. It sounds simple but, in practice, there are few things more satisfying to do in VR. It won’t be long until you’re throwing your motion controllers around like a ninja. Plus you’ll be working up a sweat and instinctively dancing to the given track. Many people will tell you Beat Saber is one of the best VR games, and they’re absolutely right. Want more? Check out our custom mods guide.

14. No Man’s Sky VR (PC VR, PSVR) – Read Our Review

No Man’s Sky promised to bring its entire universe of billions of procedurally generated planets connected by unending oceans of space that can be explored with friends all into VR. It’s had a few technical hiccups, but you can’t deny it delivered on that hugely ambitious premise. You can lose endless hours here journeying to the top of mountains, scouting below the oceans and duking it out in spaceship battles.

Better yet, Hello Games put incredible effort into this VR update, making it feel native to the game instead of tacked on. Still, remember this is No Man’s Sky; there are plenty of beautiful sights and sounds, but also a fairly punishing survival loop and resource-gathering grind to fight back against. If that sounds up your street, No Man’s Sky will probably be one of your most beloved VR games. The console version is slightly toned down from the PC release, but it’s still one of the best VR games.

13. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (PSVR) – Read Our Review

Capcom’s 2017 soft-reboot of its beloved horror franchise hit hard in the scare department. Switching to first-person put the horror right in front of you, daring players to fight their way through the Baker mansion. But on PS4 it went a step further with full PSVR support. To this day it remains probably the scariest thing you can see in VR.

This is very likely still the most high-profile VR game out there. It’s a huge AAA production with some of the best visuals you’ll find inside a headset and a full campaign with heaps of variety. It’s well-paced and incredibly tense, harking back to the series’ roots with a focus on limited resources and genuine scares. Plus it proves that, even with gamepad controls, first-person VR can be truly compelling. If you’re looking for a top tier PS4 game with full PSVR support, Resident Evil 7 is as close as it gets, making it one of the best VR games.

12. Star Wars: Squadrons (PC VR, PSVR) – Read Our Review

Who says VR can’t make your dreams come true? Well, whoever they are, they haven’t sampled Star Wars: Squadrons’ stunning VR support, which puts players in the cockpit of X-Wings, TIE Fighters and other iconic ships and lets them duke it out in either multiplayer battles or a full single-player campaign.

Squadrons is fun to play on a flat-screen but, in VR, it quickly morphs into one of the most exciting and immersive experiences you can have today. Detailed cockpits and authentic Star Wars polish bring out the child in you as you zoom around arenas, blowing enemies out of the sky. There are a lot of Star Wars VR experiences out there but, for our money, Squadrons is easily one of the best VR games.

11. Wipeout: The Omega Collection (PSVR) – Read Our Review

Since the day PSVR was announced, Wipeout seemed like an obvious fit for the platform. This would be the chance to realize the dreams we’ve all been had since the sci-fi racing series began on the original PlayStation. But even then we didn’t quite expect Wipeout: The Omega Collection to be quite the tour de force for PSVR it ended up being. It’s easily one of the best VR games.

Sony expertly tweaked several of its older games to fit inside the headset here. The result is a package with heaps of content, all of which you’ll want to see because the game is a flat-out thrill to experience. Shooting around circuits, air-braking across corners and letting machine gun fire rattle out in front of you is unbelievably exhilarating. Pair the extensive career modes with online play and you have one of PSVR’s meatiest and most polished games.

10. Skyrim VR (PC VR, PSVR) – Read Our Review

It turns out that the Skyrim of VR is, well, Skyrim in VR. There are definitely some awkward quirks to Bethesda’s port of its ever-popular fantasy RPG, but we were more than willing to put them to the back of our minds as we explored Tamriel like never before. With hundreds of hours worth of content, full autonomy to make the kind of character you want and an enormous world to explore, Skyrim VR is the closest we’ve come to fulfilling every adventurer’s dreams (outside of taking an arrow to the knee). Plus, on top of the original game, mod support makes this an unending fountain of brilliant fan-made content that can turn you into entirely new characters or even let you experience whole other games that are every bit as good as the original. Skyrim VR is going to be hard to top for some time, and retains its crown as one of the best VR games.

9. Lone Echo/Echo VR (Rift, Quest (Echo VR Only)) – Read Our Review

As standalone packages, Lone Echo and Echo VR represent two of the most immersive, engaging experiences you can have in VR today. As a combined package (which they essentially are on Rift considering the latter is free), they make for one of the best VR games to date. This is a fully immersive, atmospheric thrill ride with the best production values you’ll find on the platform. Lone Echo uses amazing zero-gravity traversal and builds a relationship between the player, a robot named Jack, and his captain, Olivia, to deliver a tight campaign with thoughtful interactions and a compelling narrative. Echo VR takes the same control scheme and applies it to one of VR’s most immediately fun multiplayer experiences that’s unlike anything you’ll find it traditional gaming. Throw in the $10 Echo Combat expansion and there’s hours of entertainment to be had with this package. Quest only has Echo VR, but that’s still enough for a high-ranking spot.

8. Asgard’s Wrath (Rift) – Read Our Review

While Skyrim in VR is a wonderful experience, we can pretty much all agree that it would be better to have an RPG of similar ambition built from the ground up for VR. Asgard’s Wrath might not match the Bethesda classic in terms of size and scale, but it more than makes up for it thanks to its VR-first design. This polished adventure delivers on the dreams that many people hoped VR would offer when they first picked up a headset. Asgard’s Wrath is as AAA as native VR gaming gets. It’s got a meaty, 30+ hour campaign littered with secrets of uncover and eye candy to gawk at. It’s got a refined menu and combat system that really put you in this gorgeous world of Norse mythology. More importantly, though, it’s got incredible moments of heart-pounding action, intense connection and profound growth that could only be achieved in a VR game. That makes it one of the best VR games.

7. Boneworks (PC VR) – Read Our Review

If you want to see how far VR design has come since 2016, look no further than Boneworks. Stress Level Zero’s third VR game might not have the most masterfully designed of shooter campaigns, but its physics-based combat sandbox is a true marvel to behold. In this virtual reality shooter, every object, from broomsticks to bin lids, can be picked up and wielded as a weapon. Every item has a physical presence in the world, meaning you can hook crowbars to edges and then climb up them, or nudge doors open with the end of a gun. The result is a stunning showcase of things to come. Boneworks truly changes the game not just for VR combat but also world design, with fantastic puzzles that require player invention to be solved. Take a good hard look at Boneworks, because it’s laid the foundations for the future of VR gaming and is one of the best VR games around. Knuckles support, in particular, makes it one of the best Index games.

6. Pistol Whip (PC VR, PSVR, Quest) – Read Our Review

Pistol Whip may be the new kid on the block but, for our money, its sharpshooting, sharp sounding, beat-based gameplay proves to be even more hypnotic than Beat Saber. In this neon-lit shooter, you stream down corridors, blasting bad guys to grizzly tunes, avoiding incoming fire and trying to rack up the best scores to the beat.

Pistol Whip’s key is to take influence not just from the VR sales king but also Superhot and, most prominently, John Wick. Whereas Beat Saber wants to make you a dancing Jedi master, Pistol Whip aims to teach you gun-fu with style, elegantly fusing the rhythmic and cinematic together into a pulsating, vibrant monster of its own. Pistol Whip is definitely one of the best VR games.

5. Demeo (Quest, PC VR) – Read Our Review

Demeo isn’t a perfect tabletop game by any means. But it is a really good one and, more importantly, its first-rate four-player multiplayer VR experience makes it feel like a genuine social event in a way that no flatscreen game — and even few VR games — have ever really matched. You pick a class and tackle randomly generated dungeons, but the game’s punishing difficulty means sessions can last anywhere from a few minutes to multiple hours. Demeo is already cemented as one of the best VR games but, with more content on the way, including new dungeons and features, it’s only going to get better.

4. Superhot VR (PC VR, PSVR, Quest) – Read Our Review

Superhot is, without a doubt, the most instantly rewarding game to play in VR. The flatscreen original was great but, by bringing your whole body into this groundbreaking shooter, the developer completely flips the game on its head. In Superhot (stop me if you’ve heard this before), time moves only when you do. That means that when you’re still, the world around you is too. Every time you raise your arm or duck your head, the world crawls into life. You’re essentially a human video playback device.

Superhot gives you a stark realization of the physicality of VR and what that means for gaming. It’s an experience in which you are aware of every inch of your body. It also makes it effortlessly easy to feel cool in VR; every catch of a handgun or toss of a ninja star comes with an incredible strand of slick satisfaction you won’t find anywhere else. Superhot VR is currently the gold standard for VR shooters and, in our opinion, one of the very best VR games.

3. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners (PC VR, PSVR, Quest) – Read Our Review

We would have never pegged a game based upon The Walking Dead to carry some of the best design and user-interaction you’ll find in VR, but Saints & Sinners delivers all that and then some. This sets the bar for VR zombie games with Boneworks-style, physics-based combat that has you wrestling with hordes of undead, throwing every ounce of effort you can muster into every swing and stab.

But this isn’t just a silly sandbox or wave-based survival game (though it now has that too). Saints & Sinners packs its action into a full, meaty VR campaign that sees you trekking through the remains of New Orleans. Add in human enemies, side-missions and the ability to kill zombies with a spoon, and you have one of the deepest native VR games on the market. Saints & Sinners will be one of the best VR games for some time to come.

2. Astro Bot Rescue Mission (PSVR) – Read Our Review

Sony Japan’s Playroom VR compilation held a lot of delights when it launched on PSVR in 2016, but everyone agreed that the third-person platforming minigame, in which a small robot saved his friends with help from the player, deserved its own title. Astro Bot is the result of those requests, and it’s even better than many had imagined it would be. 26 levels of Mario-quality platforming await you here.

It sounds like hyperbole but it’s true; each one of Astro Bot’s levels packs new ideas that range from endearingly novel to properly groundbreaking. It’s an absolute joy to play from start to finish that never ceases to amaze you. Plus there’s power to the bond you’ll form with Astro on this adventure, breaking down the barrier between players and characters in ways not yet seen in gaming. For that reason, we’re crowning it as one of the all-time best VR games.

1. Half-Life: Alyx (PC VR) – Read Our Review

Well over a decade on, Valve’s legendary shooter series returns in fine form for VR headsets. Set between the events of Half-Life 1 and 2, Alyx casts you as its titular character. Alyx Vance sets out on an adventure that takes her across the iconic setting of City 17. What might seem an experimental spin-off quickly establishes itself as an essential chapter in the series’ canon. Half-Life: Alyx might not feature the sandbox physics of Boneworks or a crowbar to mash headcrabs with, but what it lacks in innovation it more than makes up for in unprecedented production value and design, the likes of which we’ve not seen in VR. Every shootout, every puzzle and every setpiece has been meticulously refined with immersion, comfort and interaction at the core. If you’re not ducking out of the way of zombies, you’re huddled behind car doors returning fire or disarming mines in tense games of Operation. These various elements combine together for a 10+ hour game that feels both true to its roots and VR. It makes for a worthy addition to the Half-Life series and, without a doubt, the best VR game available today.

What do you make of our list of best VR games? Let us know in the comments below!

This post was originally published January 15, 2021, and updated July 23, 2021.

Facebook Details Experimental Mixed Reality & Passthrough API

July 23, 2021 From uploadvr.com

Facebook shared some details about its experimental Passthrough API to enable new kinds of mixed reality apps for Oculus Quest 2.

The feature may also serve as the foundation for the company’s long-term efforts in augmented reality, effectively turning Quest 2 into a $299 AR developer kit. When asked if the feature is coming to the original Oculus Quest, a Facebook representative replied “today, this is only available for Quest 2.”

The new feature will be available to Unity developers in an upcoming software development kit release “with support for other development platforms coming in the future.”

Facebook says apps using the API “cannot access, view, or store images or videos of your physical environment from the Oculus Quest 2 sensors” and raw images form the four on-board cameras “are processed on-device.”

The following capabilities will be available with the passthrough API, according to Facebook:

Composition: You can composite Passthrough layers with other VR layers via existing blending techniques like hole punching and alpha blending.

Styling: You’ll be able to apply styles and tint to layers from a predefined list, including applying a color overlay to the feed, rendering edges, customizing opacity, and posterizing.

Custom Geometry: You can render Passthrough images to a custom mesh instead of relying on the default style mesh—for example, to project Passthrough on a planar surface.

Facebook sees the Passthrough API as enabling more robust examples of productivity apps — remote work solution Spatial was one of the first apps to access the API — alongside the ability to interact with people or pets in your physical room at the same time as VR content, and it could open up new kinds of games that could incorporate more of your physical environment.

Yuki Hands-On: A Beautiful VR Bullet Hell, Roguelike Mashup

July 23, 2021 From uploadvr.com

ARVORE’s latest VR game Yuki is available today for Quest and PC VR, but how does it hold up against other bullet hell arcade shooters? We’ve spent some time with the game and have our hands-on impressions.

From the team behind Emmy-winning immersive experience The Line and the popular retro VR Pixel Ripped series, Yuki sees you enter the imagination of a child and slowly fly through a series of stunning environments. It’s a bullet hell of creepy enemies and increasingly difficult environmental obstacles.

You would be forgiven for thinking this sounds vaguely familiar — at first glance, the gameplay is very similar to Shooty Skies Overdrive, another VR bullet hell game that released just over a year ago. In both games, your hand (or more accurately, your Touch Controller) turns into a controllable ship and gun combo that you can physically move around the environment to avoid bullets and aim at your enemies.

However, if Shooty Skies Overdrive laid the groundwork for this concept, Yuki takes it and develops it even further, bulking up the replayability and adding in some fun roguelike twists to the gameplay loops. In many ways, Yuki takes all the parts I loved from Shooty Skies and adds some new layers that give depth that was missing from the latter.

Yuki consists of six levels, or ‘chapters’. However, in true roguelike form, dying in Yuki sends you back to the beginning. You’ll have to make it through all six chapters in one run if you want to succeed, carrying over health and temporary power-ups through each chapter.

Luckily, in between runs, you can use resources you’ve collected throughout your previous run to permanently upgrade Yuki and her abilities, granting you more health, better firepower or better options for the in-run power-ups, distributed throughout each chapter.

When replaying chapters, the enemies are randomized and environmental obstacles seem to change as well. The difficulty, frequency and amount of enemies and environmental obstacles also increase with each progressive run, no doubt to keep pace with the upgrades you’re making as you go. In my time with the game, I’ve only managed to make it up to the third chapter, so I can’t weigh in on whether a full 6-chapter run will feel satisfying or grueling just yet, but so far the repetition has felt minimal and still engaging, thanks to new enemies and increased difficulty.

There’s also different types of “bladewings” for Yuki, which change your gun’s stats and bullet types, each with their own individual high score tracker. You’ll unlock new bladewings after reaching certain milestones, which should also help to break up the repetitiveness.

Another fun twist on the Shooty Skies framework is that each chapter in Yuki takes place on a slow moving, on-rails path that floats its way through the environment. Think something similar to Pistol Whip, but significantly slower. In terms of story, Yuki offers a simple, solid premise to fit around the proceeding gameplay. That’s not a negative and it’s certainly not badly done, but you’re not playing this game for the story, that’s for sure. A powerful sun and/or power source in the sky has been drained and aliens are invading to steal its power. You have to shoot the aliens and collect the Creative Drive (aka the power source that will also let you make upgrades between runs) that they drop behind.

The visuals and art styles are stunning, with great colors, enemy design and interesting environments. The game does a good job of giving each type of enemy distinct visual upgrades as you progress, indicating harder or beefier versions of the same enemy type. It’s not revolutionary design, but it is well-implemented and lets you strategize against predictable bullet patterns from different enemies.

Overall, Yuki is an engaging and interesting VR mix combining the bullet hell and roguelike genres. It’s a mélange of simple, well-designed elements that come together to form a solid package that, after a few hours at least, feels like an improved version of similar VR games from the past few years. To top it all off, performance on Quest 2 was absolutely flawless and load times minimal.

Yuki is available on Oculus Quest and SteamVR for PC.

Have you picked up Yuki? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Oculus Quest v31 Adds Experimental Passthrough API For Mixed Reality

July 21, 2021 From uploadvr.com

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is teasing that the upcoming v31 update for Oculus Quest “makes it easier to coordinate multiplayer games by sending friends pop-up invites, and gives developers access to Passthrough API Experimental to build and test mixed reality experiences.”

The update is coming “soon” with Zuckerberg posting to Facebook that more details are on the way. Recently, Zuckerberg himself has been the first to tease upcoming features for Oculus Quest as the company builds toward a so-called “Oculus Quest Pro” headset to release sometime after 2021. Though Facebook might bump the entry level $299 Quest 2 to 128 GB of storage, Facebook isn’t expected to release a new VR headset in the near future. Instead, the company is focusing on near-constant software updates to the system running Quest 2 to improve the overall experience. Last year, Facebook confirmed it would release an application programming interface (API) that would essentially allow for the development of AR apps on Oculus Quest and gave early access to Spatial, a remote work solution.

A blog post from Facebook details the multiplayer features alongside a new security settings panel that’s coming as well, but the post makes no mention of the passthrough API. Facebook rolls out new software updates for Quest over the course of weeks and even longer for some new or experimental features contained within those updates. An update last month for v30 added multitasking, for example, but we haven’t yet seen the feature on our Quest 2 headsets just yet.

With multitasking, a larger and smarter guardian system, major new game releases planned like Resident Evil 4, new avatars, and the beginnings of AR apps, Facebook is laying the groundwork for its Quest 2 headset to be a much more compelling platform heading into the holiday gift-buying season in 2021.

Key Google AR/VR Director Heads To Facebook Reality Labs

July 13, 2021 From uploadvr.com

Google continues to bleed experts in AR and VR technology as Facebook Reality Labs staffs up for a bigger push into hardware.

The latest move to Facebook is Joshua To, a key Google director who led “a large team of product designers, artists, writers and researchers focused on supporting our wearables and hardware efforts,” according to a Linkedin profile, which says he started at Facebook Reality Labs this month. A report by Input added that he worked on AR/VR projects like Lens and Daydream and confirmed he’ll be working on AR at Facebook.

To is the latest Googler to move on in recent years after the company shuttered efforts in VR right as it was on the cusp of delivering an all-in-one package similar to Facebook’s Oculus Quest. We’ll note that Paul Debevec left Google recently for Netflix. Debevec is one of the leading researchers in light field technology who joined Google in 2016 after pioneering work at USC working at the same institute Palmer Luckey spent time in before kickstarting the Oculus Rift. Debevec is now “Director of Research, Creative Algorithms and Technology” at Netflix where he’s doing “Research in computer graphics, computer vision, and machine learning to improve the creative filmmaking process.” A recent deal by Netflix with a prolific producer could lead to VR content from the company.

The pair join a long list of experts who have moved on from Google as the company shifts its ambitions in hardware and platforms. The company open sourced its art app Tilt Brush and shut down its 3D object hosting service Poly while adding new AR-centric features to its efforts in smartphones. Meanwhile, Facebook continues to hire at an incredible rate with more than 10,000 people working on VR and AR at the company.

Bullet Hell Roguelike Mashup Yuki Launches July 22 For Oculus Quest, PC VR

July 9, 2021 From uploadvr.com

The upcoming VR bullet hell and roguelike mashup Yuki is set to launch July 22 on Oculus Quest and PC VR via Steam.

Pre-orders are available now on the Quest platform, with a 10% discount attached along with 48 hours early access to the game before release as well. ARVORE is the team behind the game — the studio previously released Emmy-winning immersive movie The Line and the Pixel Ripped series.

The concept is not dissimilar to something like Shooty Skies Overdrive — your hand becomes one with a flying object that can also shoot bullets. Here’s a description from the Oculus blog:

In YUKI, you’ll enter a kid’s wild imagination and fly through multi-dimensional worlds by controlling an action figure using your hands. Move your body to dodge bullets and obstacles while fighting evil forces that want to control the universe in this challenging game where each defeat is just another step closer to victory.

So while it does sound similar to Shooty Skies, there’s also some roguelike elements mixed in for good measure. Every attempt and run will give you the opportunity to unlock more weapons and power-ups that you can take into future runs.

In an interview with the Oculus blog, Yuki’s creative direction Kako says that early 80s cartoons and toys were a big inspiration for the game. You can see the influence loud and clear in the latest trailer, embedded above, which obviously draws from those childhood memories and time period to create the game’s aesthetic.

Kako also hints towards future content, stating that they wanted to make a game that could be built on after launch. While there will be lots to do on release, Kako hints that there’s “a lot of new stuff in the making for the future as well.”

You can read the full interview with Kako over on the Oculus Blog. Yuki is available to pre-order on Oculus Quest now for $19.99, releasing July 22. It’s available to wishlist on Steam for a PC VR release on the same date, while a PSVR is expected to arrive later this year.

Totally Baseball Hits Oculus Quest This Week And Exits Steam Early Access

July 7, 2021 From uploadvr.com

Are you ready to round the bases in VR?

After roughly a year and a half in Early Access on Steam the baseball game with throwing, catching, and batting is exiting early access as well as hitting the Oculus Quest store on July 8th. Totally Baseball is a single-player game at launch but the Austin, Texas-based studio behind the game, Viewer Ready, is testing multiplayer and hopes to have it released by the end of the year.

“Releasing the game isn’t so much about making money but more so hoping to inspire game devs and studios in the future to develop more sports games,” Viewer Ready founder JJ Castillo wrote in a direct message. “The fact that 6DOF VR has been a consumer product since 2016 and not only are we just now getting a real version of baseball (not another home run derby sim) but we actually had to make it ourselves is pretty nuts. We’re excited for players to finally play it out of it’s EARLY ACCESS state (and it’s come a long way since we originally uploaded it for PC, with polished physics, custom options, and ai tweaks etc.) But more so we’re excited to inspire other devs to tackle other sports using our template, and hoping that it does well enough to motivate big companies to invest in sports titles and not just more wave shooters.”

We’re looking forward to giving Totally Baseball a try, the developers put together the following teaser showing how they adapted a full baseball game to VR.

SteamVR 1.18 Improves Oculus Headset Connectivity Issues, Including Quest Link Disconnections

July 7, 2021 From uploadvr.com

SteamVR version 1.18 brings some fixes for Oculus headset performance, particularly in the way of headset disconnections.

The update is mainly focused on improving the experience of Oculus users when connected to SteamVR, including specific improvements for Link users:

Oculus users will no longer be required to restart SteamVR every time the Oculus runtime needs to reconnect to the HMD. You may still see a slight disruption during reconnection, for example, the Oculus software may prompt you to re-enable Oculus link if appropriate.

The more specific patch notes outline “increased robustness” for Quest 2 error handling and disconnections for both regular wired Link and Air Link.

This is a key fix that will cut downtime significantly for users who disconnect their headset mid-session — instead of having to restart the Oculus software and then close and restart SteamVR, Oculus users should now just be able to pick up where they left off at the point of disconnection. Valve says that “connection loss to the [Quest] is now survivable in many cases.”

These fixes will impact the majority of SteamVR users, given that 60% of SteamVR users are using Facebook headsets as of April this year.

There’s also improvements for OpenXR support, as well as some minor changes for Valve Index support and SteamVR Home. In particular, Valve is encouraging Index users not to play with their controllers plugged in, as it may cause damage to the USB-C connector.

In other recent updates, SteamVR 1.17 allowed users to natively pin windows to controllers, as well as adjust the field of view and world scale with sliders.

You can view the full patch notes for SteamVR 1.18 here.

Best VR Sports Games On Oculus Quest 2

July 6, 2021 From uploadvr.com

Playing a sport like football, boxing, mini golf or ping pong is easy on the Quest platform. Here’s our list of the best sports games available on Oculus Quest 2.

The list is presented in no particular order and is not ranked, as we didn’t want to pit a variety of different sports against each other. However, for sports that have multiple VR games available on Quest, we’ve stuck with just including the one best experience available on Quest for each.

We’ve also included a few sports games that aren’t direct one-to-one translations of a real sport, but something altered to work in VR.

Eleven Table Tennis

Eleven Table Tennis is really as simple as it sounds — it’s table tennis in VR. However, to leave it at that would be to do it an injustice — it’s not just table tennis in VR, it’s really good table tennis in VR. It also works so well because it feels like the real thing — there’s relatively little physical resistance when hitting a ball in table tennis in real life, so a VR translation feels scarily accurate. Slight vibrations when you hit the ball are all that’s needed to make Eleven Table Tennis feel properly authentic. Plus, the game supports LAN matches for a lag-free experience, and you can even use a 3D printed paddle with your Touch controller for the full authentic experience. It’s table tennis in VR, recreated in impressive detail.

There’s also something special about being able to take your Quest anywhere and — provided you have an internet connection — play against a friend (or a random) online with a 1:1 recreation of a table tennis table.

Cross-platform play: Yes, between Quest, Rift and SteamVR users.

Eleven Table Tennis On Quest To Surpass Rift Sales As Devs Plan New Features

Carve Snowboarding

The most challenging part of Carve Snowboarding is the first few hours — learning the ropes and adjusting a foot-driven sport to be controller by your hands take a bit of getting used to. It’s tough and quite tiring at first, but it’s well worth the effort. The game is less focused on impossible stunts and more concerned with using VR to simulate the rush of racing downhill, ducking under tree branches and daring yourself to hop into the air and try for an Indie or a Japan Air.

It doesn’t have the precision of classic snowboarding games and it’ll tie your mind in knots at times but, once you’ve experienced the rush of Carve’s downhill stunts, you wouldn’t want it any other way.

Echo VR

This game is perhaps the most abstract translation of a real life sport into VR, but it basically takes Ultimate Frisbee and creates a stunningly-deep and engaging VR version of the game with two teams of three fighting over a Frisbee in zero gravity. If you’re familiar with the book Ender’s Game, imagine a cross between that and Ultimate Frisbee and you’ve got Echo VR.

If you haven’t tried Echo VR, it’s probably as close to a native VR-first sport available on the platform. It’s a properly amazing new take on Frisbee that could only work in VR. Even better, it’s completely free to play on Oculus Quest.

Echo VR Season 2 Starts June 8

Walkabout Mini Golf

Mini golf is one of those sports that lends itself particularly well to VR, and Walkabout Mini Golf is probably the best realization of the sport in VR. The only real difference to playing in real life is the lack of a proper club with the appropriate weight. However, you’ll quickly get the hang of it and can add an accessory to get that proper club feeling. Arguably, the game might even be better than physical mini golf with no pressure to get to the next hole, no hitches in the carpeting and the ability to move your putter right through obstacles instead of needing to move the ball away from it.

Walkabout Mini Golf launched on Oculus Quest but is also available on Steam from July 15 of 2021, with a phone version planned for later in the year. Cross-play is supported across all platforms too, so you’ll soon be able to play mini golf with Quest, PC VR and mobile users as well. There’s seven different courses in the game, set across some fun environments, with unlockable hard modes for the courses as well. There’s plans for one more course for the base game as well as some additional DLC courses as well.

The Climb 2

This one’s for the rock climbing and bouldering fans — while Crytek’s The Climb 2 can’t quite capture the full body physicality of the real sport, it comes pretty close. Despite not being available for PC VR, we called it one of most visually impressive Quest games on the platform in our review, featuring some stunning vistas and climbing courses. It’s not just a visual spectacle either — there’s also quite a bit of nuance to the climbing mechanics, allowing you to half-grip, jump, use zip lines, avoid breakable rocks and much more.

It’s a thrilling experience that lets you climb in some situations that you might never want to risk in real life. On the harder levels, it can even be a good accidental workout as well.

Freestyle Expansion Pack Coming To The Climb 2 Tomorrow In Free Update

Thrill of the Fight

When it comes to VR boxing, there’s a surprising number of options. However, when push comes to shove, Thrill of the Fight throws the best punches.

This boxing simulator puts you in a virtual ring to fight off against AI opponents in a manner similar to a real boxing match — you’re encouraged to move around the ring and the game will automatically adjust the difficulty depending on how hard (or soft) you hit. It’s definitely more of a simulator than a game, so don’t come in expecting a big campaign or lots of game-y structure. Developer Ian Fitz’s main focus was to mimic real life as much as possible, with different outcomes depending on where each of your hits land.

The Thrill Of The Fight VR Boxing Sim Hits Oculus Quest As Dev Teases Sequel

Racket NX

Racket NX takes a fundamentally different approach to some of the other games on this list — instead of taking a sport and trying to emulate it as closely as possible in VR, Racket NX gives you a racket and a ball and introduces a new form of gameplay made for VR.

You play inside a giant dome, using your Touch controller-turned racket to hit balls at targets that light up across the curved walls. There’s a single player campaign and endless mode, while multiplayer options offer versus and co-op modes with support for cross-platform play.

2MD: VR Football Unleashed

When this game released, we called it a simple but fun arcade-style VR adaptation of American football. However, since our initial review there’s been a wealth of new updates that have added more content and overhauled big parts of the game. The recently-launched “Challengers Edition” update is the culmination of this, adding multiple leagues, new play modes, a new soundtrack and some graphical upgrades to the fairly lackluster launch visuals.

It’s still a fairly simple arcade-y version of American football, but if you’re looking for some quarterback action in VR, this is the game for you.

ForeVR Bowl

On the surface, ForeVR Bowl does everything right — it’s incredibly polished, has real character and gives plenty of reasons to keep playing. However, unlike other games on the list, the sport it’s simulating presents one big problem — bowling relies heavily on feeling the weight of the ball as you throw it. In VR, this simply isn’t possible. ForeVR Bowl tries to offer some smart solutions — it gives balls stats for weight and speed, offering options for different techniques — but ultimately it still comes off as an iteration of Wii Sports-style bowling as opposed to something more realistic.

The reason it’s on the list over other bowling games, such as Premium Bowling, is because it offers a more realistic experience overall, even if it does have those control issues associated with the lack of weight. It also offers multiplayer and once you accept the game’s limitations, it’s still a lot of casual fun. The developers have also already made improvements to the throwing mechanics since launch and are continuing work on additional changes.

ForeVR Bowl Review: A Great Take On A Sport That Isn’t Ready For VR

Real VR Fishing

Real VR Fishing is the game for you if you’re looking for something that captures the calming joy of just sitting out on the shore or boat with your line in the water and chatting with friends to your right and left. You can collect catches for your aquarium and visit a range of beautiful settings, plus there’s a pretty large range of difficulty options. When you’re just starting out, the game helps you see where the fish are, but you can turn that off for an even more realistic and challenging experience. The developers are planning a US West DLC pack for new areas to fish in as well as a revamp of the game’s mechanics.

What are you favorite sports games on Oculus Quest? Let us know in the comments below.

Population: One Adds Super Advanced War Mode XXL

July 2, 2021 From uploadvr.com

Another limited time mode is available now in Population: One — Super Advanced War Mode XXL.

🎉SURPRISE!!!🎉

SUPER ADVANCED WAR MODE XXL is LIVE NOW!

💥12 v 12
💥The BIGGEST War Mode yet in POPULATION: ONE! pic.twitter.com/vZ2GdvuEDB

— POPULATION: ONE (@populationonevr) July 1, 2021

The limited time mode is based off the previous War Mode, Advanced War Mode and Super Advanced War Mode, all of which were similar to Team Deathmatch but with a Battle Royale ruleset. Two teams of nine would start on the map and play a last-man-standing scenario with no respawns available.

Super Advanced War Mode XXL builds on the same idea but, as the name suggests, is now bigger than ever. As opposed to just nine players, the new XXL lobbies support up to 24 players (two teams of 12). There’s no word on how long the limited time mode will be available for, so you better get in quick if you want to try it out.

About a week ago, the developers also gave an update on the Population: One subreddit to talk about what they had been working on. Bug fixes were high on the agenda, along with many quality of life fixes and streamlining loading times. The team has put out so much new content and features over the last few months that they “want to spend time improving performance and fixing bugs again.” Matchmaking improvements were also being worked on as well.

Last month, Facebook announced that it had acquired Population: One developers BigBox VR — the latest in a string of studio acquisitions in the last few years that began with Beat Games (the team behind Beat Saber) in late 2019 and continued with Sanzaru Games (Asgard’s Wrath), Ready at Dawn (Lone Echo, Echo VR) and Downpour Interactive (Onward) in 2020 and 2021.