SideQuest used to be the main source of games, outside of the main Oculus Quest store,
for your Quest headset. With the release of ‘App Lab’ though, Oculus have essentially created
their own version of SideQuest, which means experimental and demo games can be released,
direct on the Oculus Store, without you having to Sideload games.
This massively simplifies the process of getting these games on your headset,
and we’ve seen plenty of games jumping ship from SideQuest
to the App Lab store so that they can reach a larger audience.
This video is taking you through some of the best games that are available
on App Lab that you should definitely try...Bear in mind that App Lab is an
experimental store so you do get games that are in various stages of development and so most
are not going to be anywhere near as polished as the games you see in the standard Store..
With that said…..
Welcome to My Tech Gear...
Let’s get into it.
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Probably the game that SideQuest was most well known for,
Pavlov Shack has now made the move to App Lab, making it easily available to even more people.
They even saw a spike of 3000 new users when it was launched on App Lab. That’s quite a spike!
If you’ve played any first-person shooter such as Counterstrike,
then you know what you’re getting. If not...then where have you been?!
First person shooters, in VR, take things to a whole other level.
This is a classic multiplayer online shooter which sees you in various team-based vs modes
as you battle to win. With a variety of weaponry to choose from,
and a wealth of online players to play with, it’s a pretty polished game already despite it
being in ‘beta’ release as it’s been available on SideQuest before now for quite some time.
In its beta release form it is currently still free, but be prepared for it to get
promoted to a fully fledged game in the Quest store later this year for a rumoured $24.99.
It’s a great time to jump in though and try the full game for free before then.
This is a game that was one of my best games on SideQuest when it was on that platform.
Now that it’s on App Lab, Ancient Dungeon VR is now even more accessible.
This is a rogue-lite dungeon crawler, in the graphical style of Minecraft,
where you have to fight through hordes of different monsters using your sword
and throwing knife whilst collecting powerups along the way to improve them.
As every dungeon is procedurally generated, this means that every run is different from
the last one which keeps each attempt fresh. There are traps and secrets to uncover,
which are never in the same place twice, and tons of different loot to find.
Along the way you can also buy different upgrades and perks so you’re ready for
that inevitable boss fight. It’s a game you’ll easily find yourself coming back to for more.
The clue to the game is in the name. You get to play tag….as a Gorilla...literally!
Up to 3 players play in a simple game of tag, or 4 or more play in infection mode,
where the premise for either is simple enough,
run from the infected, or try to catch the survivors, depending on which side you’re on.
It’s parkour in VR where you get to spring up trees and scramble up cliff faces,
all in a jungle that is your playing field. You
can also hang out in private rooms and chat all day if that’s more your pace.
With a movement style that’s fast flowing and all over the place as you jump trees, cliffs,
and swing from branches, it might not be the game for you if you easily suffer from motion sickness,
but it’s definitely worth a try.
If you can’t be bothered heading off to the court to shoot some hoops, then do it in VR instead!
Gym Class has no rival in this space and so offers a truly unique experience that’s well worth a try.
You can play hoops online with up to 8 others, in an NBA regulation-sized gym,
from the comfort of your own home. Or just solo to get your skills up-to-speed.
The graphics are simple but well done and the mechanics of the game are easy to get the hang of.
Team up with your mates to practice lay-ups and stunt shots,
or just spend hours getting that perfect slam dunk.
Your arms will certainly feel it after you’ve finished! VR basketball is now a thing!
Hyper Dash was one of my best games available on SideQuest (and still a game I whole-heartedly
recommend buying), but since it’s promotion from SideQuest demo to a fully fledged game
in the Quest store there’s been a void in App Lab. So here comes Gun Raiders to fill it!
It is another free-to-play VR shooter. In a similar vein to Hyper Dash, with similar graphical
styling where you can jump in and play various team-based battle modes, all the while chatting
with your friends. You can even use custom skins to make your player stand out from the rest.
Whether it’s holding a strategic location until time runs out, a free for all session where
anything goes, or a simple team deathmatch where the team with the most points wins,
there’s tons of fun to be had here in some super frantic gameplay.
Who says that every game has to be action packed. Finally introducing a pool game for the Quest,
Black Hole Pool is currently available as a demo on App Lab.
Whilst it is easy to see that it’s still currently in development, the physics of the game are
already very good. Here you get to try out a famous practice drill where you pot the balls in
any order. Go for basic potting skills or take it up a notch and try to execute amazing trick shots.
Honestly, the tricks that you can pull off here, with a bit of practice,
are very satisfying. You can even watch youtube videos, in game, whilst you’re playing!
I love that this is being shared early,
and it allows you to share feedback to the developer on what you think is working,
and isn’t. If you love pool, and even if you don’t, I recommend checking it out.
Whilst all the other games have been free-to-play,
here we have a game that actually costs money. At $14.99 it’s certainly not an expensive game though
and it’s easy to see the difference that paying a little bit of cash gets you.
Guardians is a VR shooter that blends the genres of Real-Time Strategy and First Person Shooters,
all within a Sci-Fi setting. With both a single player campaign AND a multi-player
PVP and PVE co-op modes, there’s plenty to get your teeth stuck into here,
and it’s also cross-play between PC and Quest. That’s certainly a lot for your money!
You are responsible for protecting the federation as they extract a new energy
source for harvesting. You have a powerful arsenal at your disposal in standard FPS affair,
but you can also summon and control defensive structures and units
to help them fight invading armies, in true real-time strategy fashion.
It’s Command & Conquer, Halo and Starship Troopers all rolled into one. Definitely give it a go.
If you like The Sims type games, or can remember Populous (I might be showing
my age with that one) then this game is definitely for you. It’s not free,
but at only $8 it’s not exactly going to break the bank either.
Deisim is a VR modern take on classic god games, like Populous.
Build your own world and help mankind to evolve from the stone age to the industrial revolution.
You choose whether to perform miracles and provide them with the necessary resources they need,
or make them suffer with disasters. Be careful with this though as humans are
your source of power and treat them too badly and heresy will slowly corrupt your people
and convert them to a false god, stripping you of your power.
There are hours of gameplay here. A recent update has also seen ‘the future age’
added so now it’s possible to evolve your people, and their Cities, even further.
So, sit back, put your feet up, and go build yourself a world.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of the games available in App Lab.
It’s a great way to get in early to try some games in development and help the developers
craft their games, whilst still getting access to predominantly free content.
With currently almost 200 games available in App Lab, and that number ever-increasing,
there’s certainly always something new to try. So be sure to check out
applab.games for the easiest way to find out the current list of available games.
If you want to know HOW to install App lab games then be sure to check out my video
that takes you through the easy steps needed to do this. Link in the description below.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the video and it’s given you a few ideas of what games to try next. Please
like this video if you’ve enjoyed it, consider subscribing if you’re not, and as always…..
See you in the next one!