The VR thread

[Tain]

Keys sent! If anybody else wants one, let me know.

[James]

Nice! I'm really looking forward to getting home from work and diving in. Thanks!

[Frogacuda]

Welcome back from the commercial break. The interview ends with him saying that unannounced AAA games will hit before Christmas, so we'll see soon enough.

I imagine Valve is working on things, and perhaps someday they will come out. I just don't see a purely third party effort at a high budget original VR game with the installed base where it is right now.

[Frogacuda]

A nice GunHeart preview in the second half of this week's Projections episode.


GunHeart is looking very good. Rec Room has made me realize how enjoyable VR co-op can be, and the game looks gorgeous and has a lot of interesting ideas.

I feel like the rest of the year is pretty thin. GunHeart, From Other Suns, and Arktika.1, and I'm kind of lukewarm on Arktika.1 for using node teleport, even though it looks gorgeous.


I also enjoyed this article about Lone Echo. I think the Mario 64 comparison is apt -- there were good 3D game before Mario 64, but Mario 64 figured out so many little things that had been troubling 3D game design that it really marked the turning of a page. I know I'm going on about this game too much, but it really is a defining moment for VR.

[Toupee]

So I tried out that "Just In Time, Incorporated" game

these are my thoughts

[Frogacuda]

What are your favorite games for showing off VR?

[Toupee]

This is the "VR Menu" we put on all the tables at the brewpub.

https://imgur.com/a/JHx5I

My go-to for folks who can't decide is Tilt Brush, for sure. If it's a person who doesn't look like they have any video game experience, TheBlu is very good... Job Simulator is great too. For those who want more of a gamey experience, I recommend Longbow, Space Pirate, and Brookhaven.

Brookhaven remains immensely popular due to its theme, although I'm not the biggest fan of it personally. People always ask for scary stuff. I used to have Chair in a Room on the menu, but we try to limit to about 10 minute sessions so lots of people can have a go.

Also, Richie's Plank Experience is a HUGE hit (with a real plank of course). As soon as someone sees it, everyone wants to try. It's a great icebreaker. Roller coaster stuff is popular as well, though I fear it's close to what you can get with a GearVR. Usually those are so short, though, I'll pop them in something else immediately after.

Snow Fortress has made the list more recently, very accessible. Really fun. Fancy Skiing is also a blast although we really need to have a spotter for that game, someone fell right on their ass while playing!

Guided Meditation also gets more play than one might expect.

[Frogacuda]

Brookhaven never looked very fleshed out to me. Like a barebones wave shooter that relies on scary visuals.

For me, it's usually Super Hot, Robo Recall, or Rec Room. I've yet to show anyone Echo Arena but I have a feeling the lobby in that might be pretty great to introduce people, even if they don't play a game.

[YellerDog]

I got a couple of the little cardboard goggles from a trade show, so what's the state of smartphone VR these days? Any standout titles? No way in fuck I'm spending $400+ bucks on a wired headset in 2017, so what's good in the barebones world?

[Frogacuda]

I got a couple of the little cardboard goggles from a trade show, so what's the state of smartphone VR these days? Any standout titles? No way in fuck I'm spending $400+ bucks on a wired headset in 2017, so what's good in the barebones world?

Nothing I would call "good" exactly. Lamper VR, Chair in a Room, Proton Pulse are all worth checking out.

Google Carboard is not really VR, it more like an interactive viewmaster. Fun for what it is, but VR isn't really VR if you don't cross a certain threshold of illusion where your brain accepts it as real.