Hello – welcome to Update VRiday, where I’ll talk about the latest VR news and highlights
of the last two weeks!
I’m Cas and I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving yesterday.
And of course, happy Black Friday, because of that, I got some Black Friday deals for
you today.
And we have some juicy VR hardware news, like a new VR headset with 120 degrees FOV, then
the community is losing their minds about 120Hz refresh rate on Quest 2, and we got
so many awesome VR game updates for you, like you can get Asgard’s Wrath for free, and
we also may get Resident Evil 4 on Oculus headsets.
And that’s not even all.
But we're just going to get right started.
So join me for this Update VRiday!
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[Update VRiday Intro]
Let’s start with some free updates to existing content!
Star Wars: Squadrons is getting a cool DLC update, completely free for current owners
of the game.
At first, the devs weren’t going to provide DLC’s, but since the game has been received
so well, they wanted to give back and I think that’s just a cool way to show appreciation
to the community!
The updates are spread out over two months, like in November the new map Foster Haven
will be added and four new components.
In December, two new starfights are coming and custom matches.
If you’re interested in more info about the updates, I’ve linked the blogpost below.
Microsoft Flight Simulator has confirmed in a Twitch stream, and then also on Twitter,
that they will release its VR mode before the holidays in December for the public!
And they’ve also confirmed that the VR mode will work on all SteamVR headsets, so not
only Windows Mixed Reality headsets.
The exact date isn’t clear yet, but we should hear more soon.
Awesome news for the simulator fans!
Then, Virtual Desktop also got a HUGE update.
Things like new environments that look super cool, but also latency improvements of about
~10ms when streaming VR games compared to previous versions.
And game compatibility has been fixed with some major games.
Enjoy guys 😉
You can now play The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind in VR with motion controller support.
This is made possible by open source project OpenMW.
You still need to own the game to play it, but it’s currently on sale for 75% off,
but it has overwhelmingly positive reviews and a lot of people say it’s the best RPGs
ever made.
Installation looks easy to do as well.
Well, I’ve never tried the game, but I’m giving it a try now.
Ok, now, something that the community have been losing their minds a little over.
A comment by John Carmack regarding 120Hz on the Oculus Quest 2.
Carmack, who is currently a consulting CTO for Oculus, is very much for it.
He says:
“Quest 2’s display can run at 120hz, but there are various concerns about it -- few
apps could run smoothly at that rate, some units might show some
visible ghosting, and it could constrain second sourcing of the display.
I argue we should do it anyway" dot dot dot
However, he also says there is a “non-zero chance that Quest 2 may get an update to allow
it”.
So chances are very slim that it’ll actually happen but still, who knows – I guess we
can expect it from the next Quest now.
A shout out to our Discord member The Lukeman who posted about this in our #update-vriday-suggestions
channel on Discord.
I also welcome you to join our Discord to post VR news you find interesting and maybe
I’ll include in the next video.
Link to our Discord is below!
Speaking about Oculus, last Friday, it was Oculus Link’s birthday and well, Oculus
said to giveaway Asgard’s Wrath to new Quest 2 buyers, leaving out everyone who bought
the Quest 2 early.
Of course, that wasn’t received well….
But, some good news here, as Oculus responded to this post by saying that everyone who purchased
a Quest 2 between Sept 16 and November 20 will also be eligible for a free copy of Asgard’s
Wrath!
If you haven’t played the game yet, I highly recommend doing this.
What you need to do is submitting a ticket with Customer Support (using the link in the
description) and select “I am having an issue with Oculus software or content”,
then include: - The serial number of your Quest 2,
- Your Oculus username - And in the attachment, include a PDF with
proof of your Quest 2 purchase - They also want you to confirm that you have
Oculus Link set up, which you can do with any compatible USB cable.
Once they added the game to your library, you’ll gain access to it once you have Oculus
Link configured.
A big thanks to NastroScourge on Twitter for sending over his email response.
Then we also have interesting news from the popular social VR app VRChat.
They have started monetizing their game as a new way for fans to support them.
For 10 dollars a month or 100 dollars a year, you can get VRChat Plus, which gets you extra
features unlocked that you otherwise won’t have.
Like custom user icons, 100 favorite avatar slots, a supporter badge, early supporter
badge, increased Trust, and more things are on the way.
The core game stays free, but this is just for those who want to show some extra support.
Currently, VRChat Plus is in open beta, and you can try out the new features for free
for a limited time.
I am only a casual VRChat player, but around me I’m seeing some backlash about this since
you can get a lot of these features by modding the game.
I’m curious to hear what regular VRChat players think about this, if you’re one,
let me know in the comments below!
Now, we got one exciting VR game news…
There was a ransomware attack and data breach at Capcom.
A response to this on the Capcom website confirms this.
Poor Capcom, but because of that, unannounced projects were leaked which includes Resident
Evil 4 for Oculus VR.
It’s not certain what headset they mean by this, maybe Oculus Quest 2?
And right now, there’s no way to confirm if it will come and when, but it would definitely
be awesome for those who love the Resident Evil series or horror in general.
But let’s move on to some juicy hardware news.
First…
Hmm?
What’s this?
Well, this is a new VR peripheral by KAT VR, you know, that company that’s also making
this.
By attaching motion sensors on your waist and ankles, you can make walking movements
on one spot to walk in VR.
This frees your body from thumbstick-controlled movements.
KAT VR claims that this is more intuitive, immersive, and reduces motion-sickness because
it’ll feel more natural.
It is compatible with most major PC VR headsets, and it works out of the box with SteamVR games
that allow for free locomotion.
You can get one for 229 US dollars, but it’s currently on sale for 183.
Unfortunately, these sensors do not work for full body tracking, but I hope they can add
this feature later as I think that would add value.
Then something entirely different.
OPPO, the China-based smartphone manufacturer, may have caught up on Apple with Augmented
Reality glasses.
Last week, I attended an OPPO live stream where they showed off a new AR glasses concept.
One that is nearly 75% lighter than its predecessor as they went for a tethered design that allows
you to attach the glasses to a smartphone with a USB-C cable for content consumption.
The glasses use bird bath optics with 0.71 inch OLED panels, and they include stereo
fisheye cameras for gesture recognition, a time-of-flight and RGB camera.
It can give updates and feedback, plus it enables authentic spatial experiences.
They showed off some games during the live stream too, like a Tower Defense game, an
AR English Learning app, and a MOBA game.
They will also launch a developer program and SDK as they hope to gain more industry
partners to make AR content.
OPPO hopes to be the first company to introduce users to AR, and I think it’s fantastic
to see them investing so much in AR.
I’m personally pretty excited to see these kinds of things as I think AR could be fun
but also a beneficial addition to our lives.
However, VR is just a lot further right now, while AR is much more in its infancy phase.
But seeing concepts like these and glasses like Nreal Light coming out.
I really hope that it won’t take so long anymore.
Now, now, now, we do have something cool coming up in the VR industry too.
A new VR headset was revealed by JVC, heh, I don’t remember the last time I heard of
this brand!
But it looks like they want to join in on the VR fun with a prototype headset that has
120-degree FOV, 2.5K resolution per eye via dual LCD panels.
It will use SteamVR tracking which allows you to use any SteamVR compatible controllers
like the Valve Index ones.
Unfortunately, the chances are small that we as consumers will be using it as they are
focusing on enterprise like the simulator market.
And it’s not certain that they will produce this headset, but I still think it’s fun
to take a look at these specs as it may give us a peek of what the future may be like for
us.
Let’s move on to some upcoming VR games!
Buckle up, we got a lot to play in December.
Pistol Whip: 2089, the action-packed campaign update that will include five story-driven
chapters, will come on December 1st for Oculus Quest and Rift platforms and it’s an update
to the existing Pistol Whip.
Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister, the VR adaption of the Warhammer 40K universe is coming on
December 8th on the Quest platform.
And a co-op multiplayer mode is coming early 2021.
MYST, an adventure puzzle game from 1993, is reimagined and built from the ground up
for VR.
In MYST, you’ll explore a beautiful island shrouded in mystery and intrigue, and it’s
coming on December 10 for the Quest platform.
I really can’t wait for this one as it looks beautiful and like something you can just
get lost in.
This is also the first time, I think, that you can get an exclusive Myst-themed Oculus
Home environment by purchasing the game – pretty cool.
On December 17, Ven VR Adventure is coming for SteamVR, PS VR, and Oculus headsets, including
the Quest!
This is a new charming VR platformer where you help and control this little fox.
Games like Moss are surprisingly fun to play in VR, so I’m looking forward to trying
this one out as well.
Then, here’s an announcement of a game you might recognize.
Carly and the Reaperman, another platformer but this one you can play alone or with a
friend in asymmetrical co-op.
The devs will work with Resolution Games, who are the devs of fun multiplayer games
like Cook-out: A Sandwich Tale.
And together, they will bring Carly to the Oculus Quest in 2021.
It’ll be so cool to have a local co-op game on the Quest, so I’m looking forward to
seeing how this will turn out.
Ready Player Two, the sequel to the popular science fiction novel Ready Player One, has
just been released.
I’m buying that book as soon as I’ve finished my current one as I loved the movie.
If you haven’t seen it yet, go watch it!
But this isn’t the news on this because Big Screen is also hosting a Q&A event on
December 5th at 5PM PT with the writer Ernest Cline.
Admission is free; all you need is the Bigscreen app, which you can also download for free
on most major VR platforms.
Andddd, since it’s Black Friday.
I also have some Black Friday deals for you!
On Steam, you can get pretty nice discounts even on games that don’t usually get discounts,
like Half-Life: Alyx for 25% discount, Boneworks with a 20% discount, and more VR games.
I’ll put a link below.
Oculus also has sales and it’s not just bundles!
Of course they do have some good bundle deals, like this Vader Immortal pack for 16% off.
But also single games like Superhot for 30% off, one of my personal favorites Journey
Of The Gods for 30% off and more.
I’ll link this page down below too.
HTC also has a 100 dollar discount on their headsets, and they are giving away Half-Life:
Alyx for free.
I still think these headsets are too expensive for what you get, but if you’re looking
for an HTC VIVE headset specifically, then this is a good moment to buy.
VRCover also has some Black Friday sales right now, for most major headsets, except Quest
2 unfortunately.
But they have sales for Quest 1, Valve Index, Rift, HTC Vive, and Go.
If you don’t know VRCover yet, we’ve been using their covers for years now and they’ve
always helped with comfort.
I’ll put our link below in case you’re interested!
That concludes the third episode of Update VRiday!
By the way, I’m sorry for not posting a video this week, but I was busy with this…
And it was amazing, I actually used a VR headset for this, I made a VR game on the Quest 2
and I got Chary’s permission to post it, so there will be a video coming up on this
hopefully very soon.
Now, if you want to discuss these topics further with us, or just to chill, come join our live
stream tonight at 9 PM CET.
We live stream every Friday, and we would love to see you there.
Thanks for watching.
Stay healthy & a special thanks go to all our Champions, especially these Patrons down
below.
As always, VR on!