早安! Cas here, and the world is finally opening up again. At least over here, we’re
finally transitioning from having nothing to do at all outside to having… stuff to
do. :D
I’m curious what the current state is for you over there. So let me know in the comments
below.
But because of this, I’m thinking of bringing my Quest 2 with me to friends again, to show
them the wonderful world of VR. But to VR newcomers, you really can’t drop them in
every game you can think of. It’s just very intense to drop them straight away in a game
like Population One. It’s not a good idea. So here’s a list of my top recommendations
of games to show off to friends and family. You can even use this specific order if you
want.
If you haven’t yet, consider subscribing for more VR content, and now, join me beyond
reality. After a quick message from today’s sponsor.
If you wear glasses, I highly recommend getting these prescription lens adapters for your
VR headset. Because glasses can potentially scratch your lenses, and it reduces your field
of view. Lens adapters protect you against that and still give you the clarity you deserve.
I’m a fan of these adapters from VR Wave as they are good quality and well designed
so that you can attach them to the lenses quickly. Chary use these adapters, and she
adores them because of their magnetic design, allowing her to easily remove them when she
shares her headset with friends or me.
So you can get these lens adapters for your Oculus Quest 2, but also other VR headsets
such as HP Reverb G2 or Valve Index. You can get them with or without a prescription, and
you can add options like a blue light filter to make it easier on your eyes. Click on the
link in the description to order one! VR Wave ships worldwide, and it’ll take about two
weeks.
Now let’s get started.
Number 1. ROLLERCOASTER GAMES
LOL I’m just kidding; please don’t start with rollercoaster games. As much fun as it
would be putting your friend through that, it will make them motion sick, and they’ll
think VR isn’t something for them. That’s not what we want because the goal here is
to make them a VR lover, too, so they can play with you next time.
When showing VR to people who never tried it before, my advice is to start with games
that don’t require any in-game walking. So games where you stand in one spot or games
that scale with your room that allow you to move around in real life. And then slowly
we can transition them to a game with teleportation, and after, the mild, intense games. This is
how I’ve built today’s list too.
So let’s start with the real number 1… Richie’s Plank Experience.
Richie’s Plank Experience is my favorite way to show off VR as it quickly shows how
immersive VR can be. In this game, you basically enter an elevator and go like 500 floors up,
and once the doors open, there’s only a plank that you can walk on. This is where
it gets fun; everyone experiences this differently, but almost always, people do not expect it
to feel so realistic. I’ve had people freeze up, some scream, one of my friends even jumped
down, fell on the floor, then cried. I don’t think she likes me anymore, I’m just kidding
– she’s fine.
Anyways, if you decide on getting this game, make sure to buy a real plank, because you
can clone that into the game, which makes it even more real. You do need some space
for this, but trust me, it is worth it.
Then next on the list are more games that don’t have locomotion. Try out Blaston,
for example. It’s a competitive slow-motion bullet hell where you duck, dodge, and weave
to evade incoming attacks from your opponent on the other side. Around you, some weapons
randomly spawn, each with their own special skills. So it’s up to you to decide quickly
and be tactical. You’ll break a sweat for sure, so it’s also a good showcase of how
VR can make you stay active and keep people healthy without even realizing.
Talking about keeping active, the two games you cannot miss is, of course, Beat Saber,
you know, that game that has you slash boxes on the beat of the music? I don’t think
this game needs any more explanation, right?
Same goes for Pistol Whip, another music game, except instead of an arm workout, you’ll
get a lot more leg action, which is excellent. You use pistols to defend yourself against
enemies that come at you with bullets on the beat of the music. This one features more
EDM music, while Beat Saber has more different artists. Online, you can give it a listen
before you get the game. Which I recommend doing.
Both of these music games are fun for parties because you can stream them on TV to get music
in the background while others watch with some booze. It’s super cozy.
Superhot VR is also one not to miss. This is the Matrix-style game where time moves
when you move. Strategize with that, as it’s up to you to defeat the red diamond men. Since
the game doesn’t have locomotion, it is super comfortable. Still, it’s one of those
games making people feel totally bad a**, so I highly recommend getting this game for
newcomers.
Next, you could try out one of these games that simulates sports games—eleven Table
Tennis for realistic table tennis—Topgolf with Pro Putt for golf, and ForeVR Bowl for
Bowling. The last two games do require your friend to move around, but it’s by teleportation,
so it’s still comfortable.
If you’re having a party, the bowling title even has a pass-around mode for up to 8 players,
which is a ton of fun. I mean, it’s like having your own bowling alley at home. These
are the kind of games that people will recognize, and it will usually amaze them that a $300
dollar headset makes it possible for them to do these things at home.
This is also the kind of marketing Oculus is using online, which is pretty funny….
but I digress. There are a few more chill games without movement I recommend. Pick one
of your choosing, depending on what your friend likes.
Open Brush is a free Tilt Brush clone, and it lets you paint in 3D space. This is for
the arty, creative friends. It’s free now because Google open-sourced the code instead
of shutting it down this year. So don’t buy the original version; just get this one
available on App Lab. I’ve linked it below. Tilt Brush is one of the first games I’ve
tried on a consumer VR headset and it’s sold VR to me, so maybe it can do that for
your friend too.
Then I recommend Bonfire for those who like movies. This is an interactive animated short
where you’re a Space Scout on a mission to discover a new home for the human race.
However, you crash land on a mysterious planet where you’ll meet these cute aliens. It’s
a super comfortable experience as you mostly watch. Yet, there are interactive things to
do which showcases the power of VR. What makes this great is the incredibly charming characters
that come alive, and it makes you feel like you’re really there.
Then continuing the movie lovers category, it’s also fun to show off Big Screen VR
as that’s like having a movie theater inside your house. You can watch any videos or movies
in 3D or without on a huge screen together with other people or alone. It’s also a
free app, and it includes free tv channels.
Then I think after going through a few of the previously mentioned games. We can move
on to games that pose a bit more challenge, like the third-person platformer Moss, where
you control a little mouse on a mission to save the world. This game makes excellent
use of the power of VR as you, as the player, helps the mouse out by manipulating the environment.
You’ll solve puzzles together. It’s an incredibly comfortable game, yet, so so good.
Let’s also move on to games with locomotion; my advice is to start with games that use
teleportation as it’s just more comfortable.
Start with Elixir; this is a hand tracking game where you become a sorcerer’s apprentice.
It’s made by Facebook as a demo for hand tracking, so it’s free and short, which
is, of course, perfect for showing off VR. I like showing this experience as newcomers
usually find it pretty magical seeing their hands tracked. As you learn magic in the game,
your hands also change colors and into weird things, which is a strange feeling. But strangely,
that kind of sells VR when it can make you feel weird. Or am I weird for liking that?
Let me know if you agree with a thumbs up 😉
Here’s another magical experience that doesn’t have anything to do with magic, but when I
show people VR, there is one request I get a lot, especially from non-gamers. The question
is: “Can you just take me to a beautiful place? Just something I can escape to” Well,
then there is one perfect game for that, which is National Geographic Explore VR.
In this game, you set off as an explorer, and you discover two iconic places Antarctica
and Machu Picchu in Peru. I recommend this one because the developers did a fantastic
job capturing the environment realistically and giving it depth. It’s insanely beautiful,
and it makes you feel awe when you’re there. You have some freedom to teleport around too,
and a guide will explain stuff about the place, so it’s also educational.
Once you think your friends are ready, you can move on to a bit more intense games. My
advice is to start with these titles first.
First, Creed: Rise To Glory, a boxing fighting game with stamina mechanics. So it’s not
only about who can drop the most punches, but it requires some gaming skill. Still,
it’s able to get a sweat out. People usually get a good laugh when they try to punch virtual
people. Just make sure you have enough space for them to reach out as new people typically
do not notice guardians.
The Climb 2 is a great one as well, as it’s easy to understand. You just climb higher
until you reach the goal. There’s a casual mode where you can turn off the more complex
mechanics like chalking your hands. I recommend turning this mode on for your friends.
Another great title, in my opinion that sells the power of VR is Phantom: Covert Ops. In
this game, you play as an elite covert op on a stealth mission. All of the game is played
in a kayak, so you actually have to paddle to move around. I recommend having the player
seated as it makes it realistic and comfortable.
Ok, last title, and you may not expect this. But I think this title is fun, especially
if you’re having a party with a group. I’m talking about Five Nights At Freddy’s Help
Wanted. Let me explain. First, it’s a really easy-to-understand game. It has no locomotion;
most of what you do in-game is look around while doing easy tasks like pressing buttons.
It’s a fun game just to pass around and play without any explanation to see who can
get through the levels without screaming. I’ve played this game at a party with friends
before, and we had such a great laugh, so this is why I’m recommending it!
That’s it for the list. Getting people into VR isn’t easy; there’s just so much more
to consider than flat gaming. I’ve done it for four or five years now, and I have
kind of a specific method now. So I wanted to share some last tips.
When you are just handing the controllers over, make sure you create a guardian first,
then walk out of the guardian and give the headset to the one playing. This way, the
passthrough is activated when your friend wears the headset. So they can still see you,
and it’s easy to give them the controllers. After you strapped them in, help them move
inside the guardian as it will look like they just entered a portal into a new world. I
love doing this as people find this magical. Usually.
Then one more tip for your non-gamer friends, they usually don’t know the mapping of the
controller. They won’t know what a joystick is or what the trigger button is. I’ve had
people hold the controllers like this, lol. So make sure before you give them the headset,
you show them what buttons there are on the controllers first.
If you’re showcasing VR, especially to women, you have to make them feel safe too. I mean,
when they wear the headset, they become very self aware that people can see them, but they
can’t see others. So always say out loud when you’re going to touch them to move
them around or something else. Just… do not surprise them.
But once you know they are good tho, you can move on to your favorite intense games. Like,
I like to show off The Walking Dead Saints & Sinners.
Now you made your friend a VR enthusiast. Congratulations. I hope they will buy a VR
headset now so you can play together. Oh, don’t forget to get them to subscribe to
us then too, you know, as support 😉
Thanks for watching. A special thanks go to all our Champions, especially these Patrons
down below. Wan an, VR on.