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HP Reverb G2 Is $200 Off At Walmart

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We don’t know how long it will last but the HP Reverb G2 is $200 off on Walmart.com right now.

You can find the discounted headset here with it priced at $399 at the time of this writing. The system typically sells for $599, so that’s a $200 discount for an “incredible display, razor-sharp audio and cozy design” as we wrote in our review late last year. The tracked controllers aren’t great, but the visuals (which include physical lens distance adjustment) combined with the super high quality off-ear Valve audio solution delivers a really solid experience that’s also far easier to set up than solutions like Valve Index. Reverb G2 runs on Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality platform which, in turn, connects to most SteamVR games just fine.

You’ll likely want a high-end GPU in your PC to drive the 2160 x 2160 display and, given its high resolution and easy setup, the Reverb G2 might be the perfect fit for simulation game enthusiasts out there. You can check out Jamie Feltham’s full thoughts on the headset in his video review embedded below:

We first noted the deal posted to the r/Vive subreddit.

Sam & Max: This Time It’s Virtual Releases July 8

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We now have a release date for one of the year’s most anticipated VR games – Sam & Max: This Time It’s Virtual releases July 8 for Oculus Quest.

The game will be available on Oculus Quest next month for $29.99, with a PC VR release on Steam and Viveport to follow at a yet-unannounced date later this year. A PSVR release will follow even later, in early 2022.

We first heard some teases of a new Max & Sam VR game in August last year, at the opening event of Gamescom. Since then, we’ve had a wealth of updates. Most recently, the game featured in our UploadVR Summer Showcase with footage of an early section of the game, where one the characters is voiced by the series’ creator, Steve Purcell. He voices Duncan B. Dills, creator of the Aquabears funtime park, who features in the gameplay from the showcase, embedded below.

We’ve also had a chance to try out the first hour of the game and gave some impressions on four things we love about it. For those who want a quick summary, its the humor, pacing, presence and variety that we enjoyed, but felt it could still use a bit of polish overall. Jamie listed as examples things like weightless objects and character models popping and clipping into places they shouldn’t. Fingers crossed some of those issues are resolved for the final release or in an update to the game.

Sam & Max: This Time It’s Virtual is available to wishlist on the Oculus Store now, set for release on July 8.

Resolution Games Pulls Blaston Out Of Facebook Ad Test

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Resolution Games won’t be moving forward with a Facebook advertising test in its paid VR game Blaston.

The studio may still consider testing ads in its free fishing game Bait!

Facebook announced the VR advertising test last week with Blaston the only game named as part of the roll-out, though there was mention of “a couple other developers” participating in the coming weeks as well. Blaston faced review bombing on both the Oculus Store and Steam as players critiqued the addition of advertising to a game that didn’t have it at the time of purchase.

Resolution Games CEO Tommy Palm released the following prepared statement regarding the ad test:

Our mission at Resolution Games has always been to work to help the industry as a whole move VR forward for the good of everyone involved. Sometimes that means being the first to test some things to see what works and what doesn’t.

We appreciate all of the feedback and thoughts on the Oculus ad test for Blaston and other games that was announced last week. Some good points have been made, and we realize that Blaston isn’t the best fit for this type of advertising test. Therefore, we no longer plan to implement the test in Blaston. As an alternative, we are looking to see if it is feasible to move this small, temporary test to our free game, Bait! sometime in the future.

We love this domain as much as the most avid players. If ads in VR become inevitable as it has on other platforms, we want to ensure that while we have this chance to start over and do it right, we do just that. We welcome any and all your feedback along the way so we can have a constructive conversation around this and create the best path forward.

Flight Sim’s Nordics World Update Tackles Iceland And The Lego House

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It’s time for another stunning update to Asobo’s brilliant Microsoft Flight Simulator, this time tackling Nordic regions.

Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden are all getting a makeover in this update to the VR compatible game. Check out the trailer below for several iconic locations brought beautifully into the game’s photorealistic depiction of the planet. As with the rest of the game, you’ll be able to see all of this in VR (if you have a computer up to the task, that is).

Flight Sim Nordics World Update Trailer

Highlights include Denmark’s Men at Sea, authentic creations of Copenhagen and Helsinki as well as, of course, The Lego House. Normally the World Update trailers for the game are pretty impressive but capturing the Nordic landscape in these clips brings it to another level entirely. The update will be free for anyone that owns the game.

This week we learned that Flight Sim is on its way to Xbox soon, and will also be getting a brand new controller from Turtle Beach. More relevant to PC VR players, though, is that an official Top Gun tie-in update is due to launch later in the year, though there’s still a lot to learn about it.

Will you be checking out Flight Simulator’s new update? Let us know in the comments below!

Oculus Quest v30 Rolling Out With Microphone Swapping And Multitasking

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Facebook is rolling out the v30 update for Oculus Quest owners bringing with it some major updates to how voice chat is handled and adding multitasking with 2D apps in Oculus Home.

Once v30 is available to everyone (the roll out typically takes a few weeks) Facebook will enable a toggle that will allow players to swap voice chat between your party and the app you’re in at the time. That’s a very big deal because it’s been an absolute nightmare to manage audio chat on Oculus headsets for years now. Facebook says the toggle will be available in the universal menu with the feature working in any app.

In addition, the new update will “let you run multiple 2D apps side-by-side in Oculus Home, including Explore, Store, Browser, Events, Oculus TV, Oculus Move, Scoreboards, and more. Once you have the v30 update, look for the Multitasking toggle in the Experimental Features section of your Settings panel, flip it to on, and then restart your headset. From there, you can drag 2D apps from your Universal Menu bar or Apps library and drop them into one of three positions so you can manage multiple tasks seamlessly,” according to Facebook.

We’ve been able to get an Android app running on Oculus Quest and we’ve seen reports that Facebook may be testing more robust support for 2D-based Android apps within VR. So we’re extremely curious to see how Facebook builds on this feature as it could be absolutely key to giving people more reasons to use VR headsets for longer periods of time.

The update also includes some new accessibility features, with a new tab in the settings menu and tools to change things like the default text size and the ability to tweak colors. The update also enables players to “Raise View” to “experience VR from a ‘standing’ vantage point even while physically seated,” according to Facebook. The experimental feature raises “your viewing height by 16 inches (0.4 meters) in supported apps.”

The v30 update also enables the Oculus Air Link wireless PC VR connection for original Quest owners.

Republique Is Getting A PSVR Release Soon

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Mobile-turned-VR stealth game Republique is soon to drop on PSVR.

Developer Camouflaj recently announced Republique: Anniversary Edition, which will be dropping soon on Switch and PS4, with VR support for the latter platform. No other details have been confirmed just yet, save for the fact Limited Run Games will be doing a physical edition of the title too.

Republique was Camouflaj’s first game, and first released as an episodic series of stealth titles on mobile platforms. In 2018, Camouflaj brought the game to Oculus Go and Gear VR and then, a year later, it landed on Oculus Quest and PC VR too. This version of the game featured all the same content, retooled for VR.

Expect the PSVR edition to be a similar story, though it’s not confirmed if there will be any new content just yet. Camouflaj of course went to to develop Iron Man VR as a PSVR exclusive, and we’re hopeful to see more new games from the studio in the future, too.

Back when it launched in 2018, we said Republique VR offered fun, if simple VR sneaking. “Though VR doesn’t do too much to augment the experience, République remains the same engaging stealth adventure with the same highs and lows it’s always had,” we said. “This is simple, brain-teasing sneaking that encourages the player to experiment and take risks, though rarely takes its own advice on board to create something truly memorable.”

Will you be picking up Republique: Anniversary Edition? Let us know in the comments below.

Facebook Starts Advertising In Virtual Reality

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Facebook is beginning to test advertising in virtual reality.

The “small test of in-headset ads” is starting with Blaston from Resolution Games, and “a couple other developers that will be rolling out over the coming weeks.” Facebook says the purpose of the test is “to explore new ways for developers to generate revenue on the Oculus platform”.

ads facebook oculus quest

“Though we’re not quite ready to test them yet, we’re also exploring new ad formats that are unique to VR,” Facebook explained.

In its prepared explanation of the advertising test, Facebook said it “will get new information like whether you interacted with an ad and if so, how—for example, if you clicked on the ad for more information or if you hid the ad. Outside of that, this test doesn’t change how your Oculus data is processed or how it informs ads.” In 2019, Facebook announced it “will now use information about your Oculus activity, like which apps you use, to help provide…more relevant content, including ads”.

“We use first-party info from Facebook to target these ads, as well as some VR data. Specifically, that VR data includes whether you’ve viewed content, installed, activated, or subscribed to a Oculus app, added an app to your cart or wishlist, if you’ve initiated checkout or purchased an app on the Oculus platform, and lastly, whether you’ve viewed, hovered, saved or clicked on an ad within a third-party app,” a Facebook representative explained over email.

Facebook says that it does not use the following information to target ads:

  • “We do not use information processed and stored locally on your headset to target ads. Processing and storing information on the device means it doesn’t leave your headset or reach Facebook servers, so it can’t be used for advertising. Examples of data that are processed on device include raw images from the sensors on Quest and images of your hands (if you choose to enable hand tracking), which are both overwritten instantaneously. Examples of data that are stored locally on-device include any weight, height, or gender information that you choose to provide to Oculus Move.”
  • “We take extra precautions around the use of movement data like minimizing what we need to deliver a safe and immersive VR experience—for example, to keep you safe from bumping into real-world objects and making your avatar duck while playing a game—and we have no plans to use movement data to target ads.”
  • “Finally, we do not use the content of your conversations with people on apps like Messenger, Parties, and chats or your voice interactions to target ads. This includes any audio your microphone picks up when you use our voice commands feature, like “Hey Facebook, show me who’s online.”

This isn’t the first platform-level VR ads service – HTC launched Vive Ads for Viveport back in 2017, though given Viveport’s limited reach we don’t know which, if any, apps actually used it.

Facebook Subsidizing Hardware Cost

Ads in VR and the money paid by advertisers to put them in front of players may enable Facebook to further subsidize the up front price of Oculus VR headsets.

“This is a key part of ensuring we’re creating a self-sustaining platform that can support a variety of business models that unlock new types of content and audiences,” a prepared statement from Facebook reads. “It also helps us continue to make innovative AR/VR hardware more accessible to more people.”

Oculus Quest 2 already sells at an unmatched all-in price of $299. In the box is a standalone VR headset and controllers that deliver some of the best-selling and best-reviewed VR software without requiring external hardware like a PC or console. You do, however, need a Facebook account in good standing to use the headset.

Facebook doesn’t say how many headsets it sells but non-advertising revenue at the company soared in the last three months of 2020 with the release of Quest 2, revenue remained strong in that category in the first three months of 2021 as well, and some VR developers five years into consumer VR sales on PC VR and PSVR headsets report their strongest sales ever from Quest 2. In addition, Facebook executives claim Quest 2 is on track to be the first “mainstream” VR hardware.

Still, Apple and Sony are reportedly preparing new VR gear for release sometime after 2021 with an array of other companies like Microsoft and Snap also releasing hardware toward the longer-term play of wear-outside augmented reality glasses. This year, though, the only companies with similar products to Facebook’s are HTC and Pico and both are priced toward businesses in western countries while pursuing consumers in Asia. Facebook doesn’t operate inside China.

Taken altogether, during this time when Facebook has no direct competition in standalone VR the company is essentially working to maximize revenue which could enable it to subsidize hardware further ahead of new entrants getting into the game.

“I’m pretty inclined to take whatever gains we could get, from things like an app store, and just use that to make the price lower,” Zuckerberg said in an interview with The Information earlier this year. “I think our inclination is probably going to be to try to offer these products at as low of a cost as possible in order to be able to get them out to everyone.”

Anybody remember “Pure O2” from the Ready Player One movie? Video embedded below for reference.

So, what do you think of this news? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Note: Article updated immediately after publication with an added sentence about HTC’s ads effort.

Livestream Interview And Q&A: Cubism Developer Thomas Van Bouwel

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Cubism is one of the best puzzle games available on Quest, with excellent native VR design and an excellent showcase of hand tracking capabilities on Oculus Quest. We’re sitting down with Cubism’s developer, Thomas Van Bouwel, to talk about developing the game, plans for DLC and more.

The interview is set to take place later today, Wednesday the 16th of June at 2:00pm PST, on our YouTube channel. It will be broadcast live from our virtual studio in VR, where we also host our podcast, The VR Download.

If you manage to join us for the interview livestream, please leave your questions in the chat and we’ll try to get to as many as possible. If you miss it live, you can still check out the recorded broadcast at the same link below.

Cubism launched just under a year ago, but has consistently rolled out a series of impressive updates and new features for Quest since then. Its implementation of hand tracking is absolutely sublime and one of the best showcases of the technology on the system. You can also pair hand tracking with the recently added 120Hz support as well, which rounds Cubism out as one of the best titles to showcase most of the Quest’s cutting edge features all at once.

Last month, Van Bouwel announced that a series of DLC levels were in the works for Cubism and signs-ups were open for those who wanted to help playtest new levels. I was able to join the playtesting group and gave some of the new puzzles a try over the past six weeks. I’ll be discussing the approach taken in designing these DLC levels and the original campaign with Van Bouwel in our interview today, going over the process from start to finish and how the upcoming levels might differ to the existing campaign.

Let us know if you’re looking forward to Cubism DLC and be sure to leave your questions in the chat during the live broadcast.

Hands-On: Against Is A Brutal And Bloody Good Take On Beat Saber

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As a sideline appreciator if not regular player of Beat Saber and Pistol Whip, Against gave me a glimpse of what I was missing out on.

Turns out all I needed was a pair of brass knuckles, buckets of blood, and the ability to chop enemies in two. Who knew?

Against is another instantly arresting idea from Stride developer Joy Way, a studio that seems to have a penchant for building fast-fire, wholly engaging prototypes. It’s Beat Saber by way of Sin City – a gritty neo-noir art style sees you relieving enemies of their limbs and painting the town the wrong sort of red.

While the ultra-violence might be what catches your eye, it’s Against’s curious mix of gameplay styles — mixed with a pretty killer demo track — that gives it legs. When stationary, bad guys either charge towards their inevitable slaughter or attack from afar with dodgeable throwing axes and bullets that need to be sliced. But, just when you think you’ve got it figured out, the game sets its sights on Pistol Whip, launching the player forward and alternating between melee attacks with knuckles and timed shots with pistols. Again, an obvious imitation, but Joy Way then borrows from itself with Stride’s wall-running and jumping thrown into the mix.

Not especially innovative, no, but the Steam Next Fest demo is still a lethally good time when you get into the flow and the riffs kick in. Against feels frenetic and effortless at the same time, oozing style and knowing exactly when to push you a little further than you’ve already been.

Perhaps its best moment, though, is the end level boss with a giant spider – the animation for which is incredibly impressive. It suggests that Joy Way is working towards something more targetted and personalized than just a set of new tracks; a rhythm-based action game in which each level introduces its own unique set of challenges.

Not a bad set of first impressions, then, but I wonder just how much capacity Joy Way has to sustain it. The developer is still working on the Early Access and Quest versions of Stride and is also working on another prototype for Steam Next Fest called Outlier. While it’s impressive to see the team rapidly iterate like this, I’d prefer that Stride was seen through to completion and then Against given the team’s full attention.

For now, Against is due to release later this year on Steam. You can try out the demo for yourself right here.