The VR Conundrum
 

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There are many VR conundrums. (Is putting your head in a box a good use of your time? Is this tech just a brilliant new Betamax? Is AR the real future of face candy, especially given the cheapy launches? Etc...)

My core conundrum here though is: Should I buy a gaming VR kit?

My criteria are:

• I'm not too hyped for 'roomspace' gaming for now. Still seems uber gimicky, and difficult to pull off in a small flat. Seated 'classic' gaming and casual standing stuff is fine.
• 3D interactive movie-style experiences could be cool down the line.

With the established but imperfect Rift on a six-week sale, and the budget Microsoft kits coming at the end of the year (including some decent advances)... I'm torn...

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IN THE RED CORNER: THE RIFT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSED5yQoUmY

PROS

• Known entity. Works well with games I'm interested in.
• Thanks to its cunning software my gaming rig can run it reasonably well.
• Solid hand and head tracking once set up. Ideal for seated play.
• Currently nearing affordability at £400 (!) for the sale bundle

CONS:

• Glare is a known issue.
• Resolution isn't ideal for reading small text.
• The 'screen door effect' is noticeable.
• Setting up for roomscale is not easy.

UNCERTAINTIES:

• This price drop hasn't come from nowhere. Could be superior competitors on the horizon, could be their lawsuits mean they're in trouble...

IN THE BLUE CORNER: THE MICROSOFT ACER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XVZlVzHBKo
^^First look - confirms most of the claims to date. Further Q&A here^^

PROS:

• Plug and play, no external sensor set up, use easily in multiple locations
• Has far lower minimum specs to run than current gen (in the vid above it was running on a 2012 graphics card). The official reason is that they can make big savings as they know their own OS so well. (The question is does it scale to the high end machines, allowing better gaming graphics than currently achievable).
• Crisper text and images. Allows for eye roving.
• Predicted to be in a cheaper band (approx £300 for the full kit).

CONS:

• Unproven, no gaming pedigree as yet.
• Cheaper construction shows in the headset not standing up well to quick head movements. Not ideal for involved gaming.
• The 'screendoor effect' is noticeable, and appears in the periphery too.
• The controllers will only work well when in your field of view, as they use the 'inside out' tracking from the helmet. Bit more limited than current gen.
• Lower field of view than the current gen.
• Also has 'god-ray' glare.
• No in-built microphone.

UNCERTAINTIES:

• Still so many unknowns about it's intended use, capabilities and software support.
• A slightly higher quality model (HP) is coming, but dev kit not out yet.

EDIT: UPDATE:

The general roll of early dev impressions is suggesting I was in the right ballpark here. The release kit will probably be far more accessible than the current gen, but is ultimately aimed at a more casual user, and will need to populate it's software ecosystem etc. Interesting for the future but not in the game right now. EDITEDIT: Decent look at the Dell's pros and cons here and broader pricing (slightly pricier than forecast etc - the tracking aspects are definitely the bits that bug me the most though, despite the ease of set up). Decent general overview of the Windows kit, and test of the Acer, here. EDITEDITEDIT: Reasonable overview of all the Windows headsets here.

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Current conclusion:

Test a Rift kit in the wild here. If it suits my face, wait til the last week of the sale to see what else crops up about the MS kit, especially gaming tests with the controllers. Then make a call...

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

Honestly?

I'd hold off until the second generation of the tech..... says he who has just bought a Switch. ;D

That would absolutely be the sensible thing to do :D

Kit's going to depreciate like mad, and it's clear the visual experience still isn't that easy on the eye. I am still really intrigued though, and have been saving for well over a year, so these price drops mean I could jump in without toooo much pain.

Reckon it'll all come down to the hands on. 15 minutes in a John Lewis trialling the kit should be enough to see if this 'presence' business is worth the punt. I kinda feel like I'm aware of the downsides. Just need to see if the upsides live up to their claims ;)

Hands-On Report:

First Impression:

Wow. Definite wow. This gen does make an impression!

Demo Tried:

The Climb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5hB-9bhLkI

Detailed Impression:

First off I was just happy that the kit worked fine with my eyesight (which is eccentric, supposedly I need a monocle ;)). Popping the helmet on it was really pleasing to gauge the initial hub environment straight away and read all the the option panels etc.

The demo booted swiftly, with some standard cyber-fog transition, and then boom. I was in a sunny X-games mountain climb :). (On a really narrow wooden plinth of course. The bastards.)

Really stood up to close inspection much better than I was expecting. Legibility of the (large) text was fine, the standard world convincers (shadows, light glimmer, textures etc) all looked genuinely at a decent level even if I shoved my face into them (although I'm not the pickiest in these regards). It was incredibly easy to buy I was in this (pseudo-real-looking, gamey) scenario.

I was looking for all the negatives, and they were there for sure. The screendoor was the most obvious when looked for, but didn't really bother me. It almost has a retro '80s view of the future' imperfectness to it, which almost feels fitting. It wasn't really distracting at all for this short session and I mainly wasn't aware of it. The field of vision does feel a touch tunnelled, but swinging your head around in this environment felt natural and fine. Didn't really feel enclosed at all, did feel like I was on the side of a mountain, with an expanse all around me. (The border warnings worked fine as a way of stopping you wondering off in the real world. Could see them being an issue if you were truly story immersed, but found it easy to work with them while still essentially feeling like I was in this situation).

The controllers are nifty, I dropped into the game aspect of it really easily. It was totally intuitive to climb up the mountainside, fathom the tip system, mess with the inputs and ephemera.

What's interesting is what drops away when you're focused on the game (or just hanging taking in the scene). I didn't notice that my hands were disembodied. Didn't notice or didn't care, probably because they responded really well to my actual hand movements. Didn't notice the light gap around my nose once I got going, which I'd observed at the start. Like didn't notice it at all, despite looking down on multiple occasions. Did notice the very genuine feeling of vertigo when I looked dowwwwwwwn :D

Caveats:

The Climb shows off all the kit's strengths and non of its weaknesses. A brightly lit scene with no really dark backdrops (so glare not apparent), no small text, no nausea-inducing world motion etc. The trial was probably 8 minutes tops too, so no endurance issues, or noticeable after-effects or disorientation. (I noticed a slight after-image of the screendoor effect possibly about 10 minutes after).

Definitely feels like an extended session, with more demanding games, would be needed to know for sure if my eyes and mind could get decent playtime out of this thing.

Conclusion?

Do I care if I never play The Climb again? Nah, not really. As an experience and a game it did get my heart rate up, did feel kinda fantastic to be on a faux jutting cliff side. Purely as a game it's hard to see where they can take the skill ceiling to make it engaging for long though.

Could this type of 'front facing' (but not fully 360) roomspace gaming be engaging? Yep. Could I set this type of 2mx2m floorspace up with 2 desk sensors in my flat relatively painlessly? Yep...

Do I want to try VR again? Hell yes :D. That is very much a take-home...

Specs:
GPU: GTX 1080, CPU: 'latest' i7, RAM: 32G (not really needed, reco spec = 8G)

That's encouraging from my point of view as well - I'm blessed with one eye significantly more short sighted than the other to the extent that I use one for distance and one for close-up. It's the result of being too vain to wear my mildly prescripted specs in school.

That's essentially my situation too, so yeah it was really encouraging. (I've read that the lenses somehow prep your eyes for long-distance viewing, even though the actual info is super close. Was expecting one or the other aspect to be blurred).

I'd want more time with it to see if any strain issues emerged, but yeah off the bat it's a relief :)

The Tech Has Game, But Are There Any Games?

Ok, I'm pretty sold on the Rift kit. The questions about software spread, and game design that doesn't make you vom, definitely remain though...

The short story is: There are very few big titles that offer longevity, and although there's a decent back catalogue of slighter gaming, many of them suffer from interfaces and content that are either slightly unpleasant to use, or pared back to simplicity. Or both ;)

The long story is...

Games I've Got:

Elite Dangerous:

Attack of the galaxy geeks :D

https://youtu.be/5J1VuT2nE1I

I'd be relying on this to be a mainstay. Despite the issues I'd have with text, jaggies, and lost-pretty on my rig, could see VR adding a big lease of life to the existing content (driving round the alien crash sites again, flying through the Arena architecture in small ships? in VR? Yes please :)). And then there's hopefully years more content to come with my lifetime pass, including the unfolding alien invasion, and at some point, space legs...

Pulsar Lost Colony:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLzVS7F3MgI

Still very much a work in progress on the VR front, with 'look to walk' locomotion, and a tilting flight deck that makes most people feel space sick. Could definitely do with more UI refinement to tackle that side. On the plus side, lots of content, lots of silliness potential :)


Games I'd Probably Buy:

Lone Echo (£30):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfIG_ilDUko

This just released, and does look pretty grand. Although at about 6 hours for some atmosphere and puzzling that's some poor bang for buck. The big selling point is that they seem to have nailed a locomotion system which is both flexible and fun to use. Here's a quick example of the handhold system in action. Does seem pretty cool.

Super Hot VR (£19):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knIKlA-ijk8

Again not much game. But by all accounts, what a game ;)

Esper 2 (£8):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq-QRYecINc
Creative wee puzzler. Liking what I've heard.

Free Games:

There are almost too many to mention here, but a few that stand out as possibly having some legs...

Echo Arena: (free until Oct 2017)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSC8nEgHKN8

Now a free spin-off from Lone Echo (probably to ensure a playerbase), this seems to be Ender's Game made real. Again the most interesting thing here is just how robust the motion system is. It looks odd from the outside, but they seem to have nailed a load of aspects which prevent your brain from rebelling, allowing for some pretty sweet zero G moves.

Portal Stories (free with Portal 2):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xYAyWp8fbY

Apparently there's no actual portal-ing, but the teleport mechanic at least feels fitting here.

Vivecraft (free with Minecraft - works on the Rift):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lusGHgSCXHw

Look I'd have to give it a go. Infamously nauseus classic locomotion system though. Bows work well tho :D

Rec Room

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPb6XoJN9KQ

Wii Sports meets the birth of the internet. What's not to like? ;). (Well, the weird groping and general inter-net-ness, but aside from that the mini games and daftness seem great...)

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And then there's a ton of experiences, educationals, art programs, puzzlers, nonsense farms, novelty demos up the wazoo. The works. Can see my girlfriend swooping around in Google Earth and painting in Quills. Can see myself bopping various moles in all the different amusement parks.

Hopefully there'd be enough there to tide me over until some major releases gain form ;)

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Current Status: I would actually jump right now if I wasn't just off on hols and unable to accept delivery. High chance I'm snagging one on return if the sale's still on. It's supposed to be. Guess I'll see :D

What Causes VR Nausea?

I've been looking into this, and finding it pretty intriguing. Because if there's a real block between presenting fantastical scenarios and the body then rejecting them (because they're fantastical), the whole tech is a dead end.

Thankfully it does seem there are solutions. There's been a lot of intrigue around the Echo games, as they seem to have solved a slew of issues. My amateur summary of the issues would be:

Problem:

• If there are more sensory inputs contradicting (or failing to confirm) your perceived scenario than supporting it, you're going to feel nausea / discomfort.

Solutions:

• Motion systems that give primacy to your inputs (instantaneous acceleration/deceleration, not allowing others to inhibit your motion suddenly) and encourage propulsion towards the area you're viewing solve many issues.
  
• Visual guides that mask peripheral motion / 'vection' where necessary and focus vision into central areas solve some other 'car sickness' causes.
  
• The body will accept analogues. If you moved laterally because of a big 'push' movement from your arm, your body will accept that as a reason to believe the movement and its direction.

It's way more involved than that though. For more colour, here's a big player discussion. And here's a fun perspective from a guy who works with vertigo on conflicting inputs. And great breakdown by a VR pro of what Echo Arena does right:

As a bonus here's a Gamasutra piece on techniques used when speedy gameplay meant even a vehicular model needed aids. You can see the learning that's going on. This stops 'vection' nausea etc in an emergency:

http://www.sigtrapgames.com/wp-conte...TunnelEdit.gif

But this does it better. And looks like a game ;)

http://www.sigtrapgames.com/wp-conte...TunnelEdit.gif

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**UPDATE**

How many people experience nausea on average?

A little round-up study I did:


What's Changed over the Last Year?

Essentially devs have learned better techniques to avoid the main causes of nausea (prolonged acceleration curves, fast and input-controlled rotation, sudden cinematic removal of player control etc), or at least to use such things sparingly. Locomotion techniques such as 'controller led' (vid) are a gaming step up on the 'meh' that is teleportation too.

Plus people like me in the '60%' have also learned to adapt, and probably physically acclimatised to an extent. I can still feel woozy even in 'comfortable' game designs at times, but it's rarely an issue at the moment. (I suspect I am closing my eyes at key junctures to avoid being exposed to certain stimuli though :D. Such as decelerating suddenly when hitting a wall. It's all pretty intuitive ;))

Ach, what can I say, barring the sale ending earlier than expected (and I can't find any official source confirming the '6 weeks' that's been widely touted :/)... I'm getting me one of these beasts :)

They've got a big delivery backlog, so gonna risk ordering a week before my holiday ends and hope it doesn't actually get delivered too promptly (and end up in a puddle in my front yard...)

Computer says yes...

http://i.imgur.com/sauoSLg.png

Caveats elsewhere say: You're gonna have to tinker like a fool, fool. But I'm cool with that ;)

(Spotting that the two touted Echo games both have reco specs higher than my rig has been sobering. No doubt many future releases will be pushing that envelope :/)

And lord knows the hijinks to get 'off platform' games like Elite to play nice get properly meta. Many ways to do it wrong it seems, and get gnarled up in launcher wars and the like.

But hey, there was a minor Green Man Gaming offer on. I now own a game for a platform I don't own :D

http://i.imgur.com/3sgQ8Qc.png

*EDIT*

There's no fool like a 40-year-old fool :/

http://i.imgur.com/b7qCgwJ.png

70% off on GMG, down to £12. I had to I tell you...

So I've been properly down the rabbit hole, trying to figure out what the gaming landscape of VR looks like. Found a beguilingly odd thing today:

https://youtu.be/nm8CgAHlK2I

It's not this lone dev's passion that's interesting. (Please, nobody try and sell me another procedural planet game :/). It's the way his passion is communicated through his bobbing head, body sways, and gesticulating hands, all while lugging a virtual camera around inside his own game.

It kinda feels like a mirror image of the 'presence' in game that everyone rabbits on about. Seeing presence 'projected' was intriguing, especially while he's able to tinker with his game at the same time (and show his wonderfully ludicrous interfaces, which include many giant levers that you can adjust 'by hand', a subject on which his passion really does brim over ;)).

I have no idea why he has giant blue balls.

I could currently rabbit on for ages about how intriguing this presence / interface / game potential stuff is, but for the sanity of anyone passing I'm going to keep this short :D

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On the gaming ecosystem, the short story is it's clearly subsisting on a ton of indie output, and a lot of the overall output has charged off down early dead ends or done the same old wave-shooter **** etc.

But there are definitely some glimmers of promise out there in indie land:

Rough looking parkour games that make you feel like you're actually belting through the air:

https://youtu.be/uj0rbE4Nr6c

Asymmetric VR-vs-PC prison breaks with a minor Spy Party twists (God head tries to spot identical minion with spotlight and godly sniper shot)

https://youtu.be/qsQrUAgVguQ

A slow motion insurance super agent game? Sure why not:

https://youtu.be/7OhkfF2DqhU

The last of which is an hour long and costs £15 :/. Which also speaks volumes to where things are at. Even slightly intriguing conceits are often short yet pricey.

The Lone Echo release is definitely hopeful (AAA execution, inventive locomotion etc), and not at a crazy price point either. (Hell the online side is free thanks to sponsorship). Just about every other upcoming AAA does genuinely seem to be a wave shooter though. Most with elevator pitches like 'Imagine dinosaurs in SuperHot'. :/

What I've seen to date still suggests some pretty sweet stuff could actually happen in VR. In the ability to 'monkey see, monkey do' tinker, the ability to get subsumed into another world, in the 'personable online' aspects etc. It's still a punt whether it actually will tho ;)

And dammit, I rambled on anyway :/

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

Superhot VR would probably be the first thing I buy, and I've seen DiRT Rally VR played - it looks one of the most solid VR driving experiences right now.

My buyers remorse on the Switch has totally started, now, and I'm constantly looking at stuff I could have spent that money one - This week it's either a VR kit or a super widescreen monitor. :(

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

Ach, if it helps, it's clear that this stuff is still in the early adopter stage, still finding its way. It'll involve much compatability and graphics tinkering (which you were getting bored of on PC), and it's hard to sift the gold from the trash on the gaming front. Also novelty on-foot gaming dominates ;). Coming to it later, when both the tech and the games have refined, is probably far wiser :)

(That said, if you're near a hub of civilisation where they're doing demos, def give it a go. Does look fine on a 1080 ;). And you don't have to staple anything to a wall to enjoy it ;))

I live in Clogher.

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

I hope for a day when you can jump in and play Elder Scrolls type games or Fallout in high quality VR.

Imagine if they could do it like Inception where you go and live a lifetime in a dreamstate then come back to reality and only a few hours has passed. Awesome but obviously fantasy.

Hah, well Skyrim and F4 are coming to current day VR at the end of the year. (F4 for PC in Oct & Skyrim for PSVR in November. Might have to wait longer for the time dilation ;))

If the F4 execution is cool, and I can run it, I'll def jump in :). Some of the sneak peaks look promising. Actual walking (hard to do right in VR), aiming down sights, teleporting dances in VATs etc. I doubt it'll be everything I want, but I'll def keep an eye on it :)

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

Must. Stop. This.

http://i.imgur.com/vAVm3Vm.png

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp8GciOM7tQ

Hey, it was 15% off and they have fun plans. Plus it's an Early Access multiplayer indie game, what could go wrong :D

(Still like at least 2 weeks until my kit even ships :/. I now, perversely, live in fear of them not taking my money...)

'HOW TO REALISE VIRTUALITY?'
(Or how I'm going to keep trying to communicate an 8 minute demo ;))

Weirdly, this crappy footage of a 75-yr-old woman in The Climb is the closest communicator of that 'experience' I've seen yet :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJU969tSZo8

You can stop when the Benny Hill music starts ;). (Ok, maybe it's not the best example...)

It's interesting trying to communicate this ****. (I mean communicating that many of the games seem to be shoddy or slight is easy ;). But explaining what's redeeming about having your head and hands in the game, and having much of your vascular system go along for the ride, is a lot harder :D).

The above footage is mainly daft, but I do like that people are still knocking out decent green-screen 'mixed reality' footage elsewhere (Unity games and Minecraft support it it seems. Explanation of the technique here). Does feel like the closest way to express the positives that I felt in the demo.

Here's an old school example. (Most of the modern footage is commentated by people you wouldn't want in your reality ;))

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT6SAjIzPE0

As the comments state there though, that's essentially Pong :D

I kinda like this (vid) example, from the hand waving dev of a previous post, as it gives a good feel of what being in the mix adds:

https://j.gifs.com/Rg2AAV.gif

Even if that's not a game I massively want to mix with either ;). (Apparently that's 'Arm Swing' locomotion. I guess 'Duck Waddle' didn't stick :D. Those cartoon rubber maces do look kinda ace tho...)

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

Found this musing by an old VR hand to be intriguing:

It is a fun idea that reflexes we take for granted in current games are still bedding in in VR, and might form a platform for future fun game designs.

(Just from that one could see various tropes combining: low G sports + teleport + 'self passing skill' etc. Could have it be that if you snag your own pass the ball gains a new power or whatever. Could be totally unplayable, could be neat ;))

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Also I just won a free copy of this oddity by just engaging too much with Reddit. Works for me :)

https://youtu.be/P8BtKiM1Bvs

Seems a kinda odd use of scale (floating over giant planets one minute, and picking them up like cue balls the next...), but could be a good one to try on my old man I'm thinking...

Aha, one way to deal with a price-bloated market. Mods :)

https://youtu.be/IvBfJUdup7U

That said, I've now scoured 100+ indie offerings. If it weren't for so many of them being Early Access numbers (with £25+ pricetags :/), and apparently stalled dev runs, would have mopped up quite a few. Plenty of fun ideas out there. Lots of freebies too, just don't want to mainline on jank :/

Someone stop me buying this 'Elite-like' speeder game:

https://youtu.be/TjlvKzzZnEw

And this strange one with very long arms...

https://youtu.be/orVJKMt9RmA

(Really tempted by the flying / locomotion aspect in the latter. Looks like it inspired some more polished recent AAA output. Plus I love flying ;))

My trip down the rabbit hole is complete. I've found what the crypto-currency Metaverse guys are up to...

https://youtu.be/O6DUV19Ri_8

https://youtu.be/xxmPJ0DFRPI

I can see how they think that's one step closer to Snowcrash land. Not my thing (and my imaginary money is on it being full of S&M vampires immediately), but could see it going a good distance. (Possibly further than the more traditional models, like the new Second Life etc, given that VR social hubs are crashing left and right at the mo)

Oh my...

https://youtu.be/m6Tqf1kKstg

It's only Greenlit, so HL3 will probably come first, but I could go for some crowbar action :)

Nearly timed this perfectly. Got back from hols today, my massively delayed Rift should drop on my doorstep tomorrow :D

I'll be working late though :|. So, I've prepped my machine to hell and back and gone on another mad dash of mini purchases (making full use of my time like). Sure hope the kit actually works ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hYJ0sIABoY
Esper 2: The trippy telekinetic head-tracking puzzler. NB vid gets good here. (£11 bundle with the original)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKRPHeaiCmk
Omega Agent: James Bond low-poly jetpack fun (£3)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf0P4Yvyx7c
Batman Arkham VR: The short but sexy puzzle-lite 'experience' (50% off: £7)

Have also snagged a ton of free stuff, from 'explore your inner cell' educational stuff, to Rear Window style red scare silliness, to shiny but stunty RPGs.

And then have a load of mid-tier actual-games I'm ready to pop on when sales come. Particularly liking the look of the fantasy spider-man trappings of Windlands, although I'll have to get my VR legs first...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffS7Hr_XFwc
(Minor point, but I can imagine even basic first-person platforming would be vertigo-city in VR, in a fun way. The swing is the thing here though :))

That and a slew of other intriguing 'one third length' games. Too many to list. (And too many priced at £25+ to consider right now ;))

But hell Rez, I might also get Rez :D

DAY 1:

Ok quick thoroughly subjective impression: ****ing wow :)

I set up voice recognition to take some screengrabs. Here are some 'non spoilery' shots from the super cute intro (none of the fun little physics toys shown, just an impression of the ability to move about inside the world and interact etc).

http://i.imgur.com/xIA31lM.png

http://i.imgur.com/4vvmHdS.png

http://i.imgur.com/euXk81j.png

In the control familiarisation bit prior to this I literally found myself staring at the rendered controllers going: 'Wait are these the controllers in my hands, or CGI ones...' :D. (Obviously because that area was a willo-the-wisp type mist zone they could focus all the render power on the controller representation, but still, it was freaking weird :))

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Here Be Caveats:

• The screendoor seems much more noticeable than on the high end demo I played, and jaggies definitely much more in attendance on my 970. I'm guessing their downsampling 'HMD setting' was smoothing a lot of these sins.
  
  
• Set up was a minor pain (slightly worrying file errors, need to take headset off to faff with things etc), and the higgeldy piggedly play space I've cleared will be hard to maintain during daily living.

Counter-Caveats:

Honestly don't care about any of that at the moment. First impressions are super cool :)

But off I go to try some actual games ;)

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

Congrats!

But ... tidy your room, dude. And buy Superhot VR. ;)

Hah, done and done :D. (Although it's the pokey scale of my basement flat that I'm up against. Doesn't offer many convenient 2mx2m+ spaces. I've just shoved a dining table out of the way while the Mrs & bairn are away ;))

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Just gonna slam down some thoughts on a break, coz I'm intending to binge some more :D

The Negatives:

PC madness gone mad:

• Had some heavier technical issues. First the headset kept disconnecting periodically, which I think I've solved by stopping the USB busses from power-saving. That's held on relaunch, but now the headset has started streaming audio alone at the start of sessions. Reconnecting the HDMI fixes it, but obviously something's up. Might be a conflict with the Steam VR portal, might be a dodgy cable, might be USB bus conflict. Unclear right now.

How big is space?

• I'm hitting the edges of the '270 degree' set up the 2 desk sensors affords me. It's surmountable, but full 360 freedom would be more fun, rather than periodically having to figure out where my desk is to ensure hand tracking. (A 2 sensor '360' is possible, but would involve plenty of wirework and ceiling stapling...). I'm also very occasionally hitting the ceiling and walls ;)

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The Experiences:

(Ton of bootleg screengrabs with these in the links. They look odd, coz they're mainly just one eye's worth, and don't really communicate the weird 'I'm in the game-ness', but they give some of the flavour...)

The Intro Demos: First Contact (above) & The Lab are pretty delicious little delicacies.

http://i.imgur.com/nxt3FRn.jpg

Valve's Lab (pics) is a more sprawling affair than the compact Contact, scattered with numerous slickly presented skunk projects. It has more misses than hits for all that, but the highlights all had me grinning in delight at some aspect or other... (The bizarre verisimilitude of the Venice streets, the clockwork orrery of the correctly-ratioed solar system, the ridiculous Portal references & twists strewn throughout half of the 'experiments').

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http://i.imgur.com/aOe3FK6.png

Batman: Arkham VR is bizarrely phenomenal (pics). It seems to be very much a collection of set pieces, with some bonus detective/narrative optional strands thrown in, but the attention to detail is just grand. I barely left the batcave because I was having too much fun seeing what every single lever did ;). (In the end I took a break because it was just so full on - not in action terms, just in terms of being a bit overwhelming existing entirely in that world. Still need to find my VR legs. And all the batarrangs I dropped ;))

(Amusingly/terrifyingly it glitched at one point and left me stuck 8 metres above a floating batcave workstation. The vertiginous views were genuinely disturbing after a while. Then I fell through the world, and confused the game further by trying to grappling hook my way back up. Glitches in VR are bizarrely intense and personal :D)

---

I also tried one of the higher end 360 videos. Weird as it was to watch Obama walk around Yellowstone, it was the most "kid's face pressed to the TV screen" experience to date on the visuals front, and the least technically engaging. There were a few magical moments (sitting in a canoe drifting down river, sitting on a mountain edge as it time-lapsed through the day). But on the whole I can see why people rate the fledgling 'volumetric' stuff that you can actually move amongst more highly.

---

Also I drew this shitdragon in imaginary clay :D

http://i.imgur.com/p5ZKk2w.png

---

The Yet To Become Clear:

I'm gorging on headline experiences here for the most part, and as blown away as I am by some of it, I'm still looking for the 'game' to an extent. In part because even fun mechanics have their blockers when lined up against classical game expectations (the zenith of which is 'go explore this world, while immersed' which they seem a fair way short of still. Teleporting, even when very snazzily executed, still doesn't feel quite right, and strips a fair bit off the otherwise stellar immersion.)

Can also vouch that the 'intense' experiences will flip your stomach for real initially. The only way I made it around a 3D representation of a Van Gogh painting was by tiptoing in time with the stick motion. (Lateral strafing just makes the body say 'baaaaaaaaaad' :D).

Gonna write up some more game stuff tomorrow, but Google Earth is surprisingly rad. You get the buzz of flying at speed over scanned natural formations or the weird claymation-like reconstructions of cities. Plus you get to sit in the middle of Hackney like a giant :D

http://i.imgur.com/YXOfTV4.png

http://i.imgur.com/MK4E7eG.png

TON MORE PIX

Delving down streets you haven't seen for ages is really odd. Made extra trippy by the fact that the human scale stuff goes super papier mache style. It's bizarre, but strangely beautiful at times.

http://i.imgur.com/mm36R2U.png

After the After-Effects?

Day 1 Back At Work:

Very weird. Seeing 'depth' in my work screen all day. Woke up thinking I didn't have any shoulders (a result of having mis-matched bodies in Elite and Dirt Rally I think). Plus I dreamed I had CGI hands. The VR hangover is real ;). (But then I did have a proper binge over 2 days :D)

Day 2 Back at Work:

Today was a lot more tame. (All I did last night was sit in the middle of San Francisco in Google Earth, then play a seated puzzler - all very sedate, plus got 7 hours sleep). The effects today are much more muffled. Still dreamt that my bed was at 3:1 scale though, and have spent much of the day feeling slightly wobbly again (like I might reach for something and miss, or take a step and misjudge it). It's not hugely unpleasant, but it's not exactly pleasant either. Would rather everything settled into a comfort zone sooner rather than later...

Reports from Game Lands...

---

Elite Dangerous:

---

Robo Recall:

http://i.imgur.com/9Cs1YL7.png

Experience:

As with Elite, the graphical downgrades accompanying the more classically replete gameplay are really obvious here. I mean yes this is just a fancy wave shooter, but you can teleport down reasonably sized city-scape routes, and the action gets very busy and kinetic - they've obviously had to dial it right down to jaggy town to get all that working for the 970.

Actually enjoyed it a fair bit (pulling different weapons from different 'holsters' works really well, as well as the novel melee stuff). Only reason I stopped playing was a succession of glitches and crashes :/

Conclusion?

Definitely pushing me to trial the 2 sensor '360' set up. Although they had some really slick UI to help you work with 270, it was one thing too many to stay on top of amongst the hectic interplay. Could definitely see 360 being a lot of fun here, even with a confined space. (RR seems to do the UI really well, including a simple floor icon to help you recentre painlessly when you've wandered too far).

---

Dirt Rally

https://roadtovrlive-5ea0.kxcdn.com/...lus-rift-9.jpg

"I'm going sidewayyyys! Waaaargggg!" *scatter scatter scatter*

This was fricking amazing :D. I don't know how long the buzz will last, but driving like Miss Daisy down a rally course was itself strangely exhilarating, and pelting around a Rally Cross race was excellent. I'm not even sure what the VR actually brings here (aside from the clear verisimilitude of having a helmet on :D), but objectively speaking I was definitely driving better for whatever reason (better times / positions). And subjectively speaking I shouted 'Holyyyy sheeeeeet' a lot more going round corners :D. Whether it's coz I was more afraid of the corners, so slowed more sensibly, or because I was gleaning just a touch more info on competitors from glances around or whatever. Can't put my finger on why the races were noticeably more fun, but they definitely were :)

---
Windlands

http://i2.wp.com/metrouk2.files.word...trip=all&ssl=1

A Tale of Two Control Settings:

Lovely little world to drop in on, but with the most 'intense' move-set I've trialled yet. Went for classic smooth turning (rather than the crappy 'snap turns'), but chickened out on the strafing for now. Made it a bit unintuitive to walk around, but given you're mainly high jumping or grapple-swinging around trees, it worked out pretty well. (Was quietly smug that I didn't get tooo motion giddy using all those things in conjunction, although there were definite 'woah, lets just stand still for a bit' moments). The swinging, when I could get it to work fluidly (which was rarely), was pretty great, and also vaguely amusing when just desperately saving yourself from plummeting. In the end I noped out after about 30 minutes of play though. These forms of locomotion in conjunction are pretty intense.

Girlfriend in Space!

Happy to report that my lady, who is normally the ultimate boss battle at the end of every gaming purchase, has signed off on this deranged project :)

For the record: The Oculus First Contact demo, followed by Google Earth were a winning combo in her case. (She was a bit less sold on the locomotion complications and bitty-ness of The Lab, and has got a touch motion sick generally with classic motion titles). Elite was a hit today though, until the flight got a bit much. Reckon puzzle games are probably the future.
---

Blade Runner lives!

Aircar is an amazing one-dev project. Not a game, just a 'fly around Blade-Runner-land' simulator, but an excellently done one. You practically hallucinate some accompanying Vangelis ;)

https://youtu.be/2qqWej30ZAs


---

I'm charging through some of the official Oculus freebies and assorted promo stuff.

---

Short Stories / Animations:

Nothing super stellar so far (the lack of depth movement really undermines a lot of the 360 intrigue), although having a rabbit body in one was a cute touch ;). I'm hopeful some detective style narrative stuff that's out there might be better. There's some potential there, but these early offerings are still finding their way with the interactivity level, or mainly come across as novelty alone in the case of straight narratives in a 3D environment.

---

Science Silliness:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKbwmTG8chQ

This was a promising glimpse into what could be done on an education front. It fell short ultimately, but some of the visualisation of cell internals was great. It just needed a bit more of a bridge between dry sci and practical demonstration. Meaningful interaction with the DNA/RNA/protein models etc. The mad glory of cell structures and floating mitochondia was cool though, and drama of the virus attack was getting somewhere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8BtKiM1Bvs

Tried this out, it's completely insane. Looked amazing, played very eccentrically (grabbing passing planets etc). Eventually it glitched, placed me permanently on top of the ISS, and me and my vertigo noped our way out of there ;)

---

Physics Fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOabe5glPCI

This stood out as a really well executed bit of physics fun. Loads of neat ways of just messing about, cross-pollinating things, and occasionally messing with forces you shouldn't have ;)

---

Plus some bonus Elite musings:

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

Superhot is the most innovative shooter I've played in years.

Haha, oh yes, I am totally getting there :D. Have heard very grand things about the VR implementation too.

Saving it up for a day when I've got the flat to myself and can just get ludicrous though. Leela's got a classic aversion to shooty gaming, and I think the sight of me smashing through glass men would definitely test her current acceptance of this beast in our lives ;)

Thankfully there's actually a ton of content for me to chew through still, while I wait for other AAA stuff like Lone Echo to devalue :). Lots of freebies, lots of tinkering needing doing, and ultimately I am going to superglue or screw my 2 sensors high up in the 'experimental 360' format, as it'll get a lot more out of my place space. Like a ton more.

Such disruptive changes require baby steps though :D

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

I've gone to a VR cafe twice, and I already started feeling the novelty wear off. At first it was incredible, but as I got the hang of it things became boring. It may likely just be the games, since they had very few multiplayer games that I could play with my friend there. They said the liscencing was pretty expensive. Most of their games were a bit too cartoony for my taste. I also found my hands getting pretty tired, and it was just really hard on my system after an hour. My friend felt nautious because he opted for full screen when moving, where as I opted for the black tunnel vision when moving because I noticed it felt more comfortable even though it reduced my field of vision. Neither of us were thinking of vection, but I could feel that I was making the right choice. Now it makes more sense after reading some of your posts.

Some of the games you're posting look really cool, and I haven't tried a racing game yet.

If you already said something to this effect then sorry for missing it, but I didn't thoroughly read every post. How much time do you find you can comfortably play in one session? Are you able to play for a few hours, or does the experience wear you out in an hour?

Damn really, I'm definitely still feeling the novelty :D. Yeah might be the spread of games they had on offer. Which ones did you try?

[EDIT: Ok whoops I went to town on the answers!]

On Simplicity:

I think graphical simplicity is always going to be an issue, but games with 'AAA style' graphics seem to be coming out in greater numbers now, whereas it's been more indie guys pushing the field since launch, and cartoon graphics ensure they can hit the 90fps x 2 requirements of the kit. (I'd guess the arcade has solid machines, but if they're not top end I can see why they'd go for reliable games - ensuring they hit 90fps also removes one cause of nausea etc, and I doubt they want to run a vomatorium ;))

Think repetition is also a big aspect in the early launch material. Everyone's still trying to figure out what's possible, so when someone finds something that works there's been a lot of copying. And damn there are a lot of wave shooters and physics games... (For every new possibility VR brings, it definitely has at least another limitation ;))


Possible Multiplayer Games:

I haven't ventured into the online side yet, but there seem to be a healthy spread of launches. Of the current crop Echo Arena looks a good one to try (zero G sports game), and then the shooters run from 'realistic' like Onwards & Pavlov (VR legs required), to the big spread of wave survival ones and teleport stylings: Arizona Sunshine is supposed to be a solid zombie one, and the early magical teleport-duelling of The Unspoken is supposedly pretty decent too. Bizarrely the free novelty game Rec Room has the most celebrated Co-op Adventure mode out at the moment.


On Session Lengths & Comfort:

I haven't hit exhaustion at any point so far, but the longest I've played a standing game at a time is probably about an hour and a half, mainly because I'm just running through my library trying everything :D. (Seated sim games like Dirt Rally and Elite I've already got some 3 hours sessions in just fine, with occasional screen breaks). Fatigue is definitely there as a possible issue though. (In games where you're looking to get your heart-rate up the standing aspect actually feels like a bonus, but can definitely see it limiting super long sessions). It might help that I'm in OK shape and quite light bodied, I haven't hit any physical fatigue there as such. No hand discomfort as yet either. (Were you using a Vive or a Rift? The Vive 'wand' controllers seem to be a bit less ergonomic. Rift ones sit in a pretty natural hand position it seems).

A bigger issue than potential physical fatigue are the factors like the motion intensity, and the general 'presence' intensity. For games that require some nausea stamina I'm kinda building up my tolerance, and have been doing things like 10 minute tests up to like 25 minute sessions. The Spiderman-like Windlands definitely required me to put it down after 25 mins. And on intensity of the certain worlds... let's just say I probably will try the Alien: Isolation mod, but I'm not sure if I'll last more than 5 minutes :D

If anything though I'm kinda liking the challenge of getting my VR legs. If bigger AAA experiences like Fallout 4 and beyond turn out to be any good, I want to be ready... :D

Game Update: Dirt Rally is Fricking Awesome :)

God I am mainlining a lot of Dirt! Partially because I'm keeping the 360 experiences in cold storage until I can sort out my sensors. But mainly because it's a deep AAA and fairly fricking phenomenal :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lBoBnzO2gI
^^I endorse this message^^
(But not their use of horizon lock and crash blinkers, which detract from the epic ;))

A Blur of Impressions:

I'm now on my second go at a 1960s rally, urging my plucky Mini to 2nd and 3rd places. The intensity of dedicating your full attention to each stage is just grand, and the way both the stages and settings bring a range of challenges and aesthetics is really cool. It's a proper joy to spray your way over the muddy knolls of Wales, bouncing over rutted blind hills one minute, churning through soft forest turns the next, then snaking over a set of simple hilltop 6-turns, slipping ever closer to flipping as their subtle switchbacks and scrubby tilts accrue... and the grass rushes by as the speed starts to gather round your ears... And then you're off. Scudding across the treacherous icy twists of Sweden, because why stop at one country? :D And then you're hairing around the rude rocky inclines of Monaco...

They all have their different beguiling variations, both inter-stage (landscape transitions, weather hazards), between stages, and then in each country's dynamics. But they'll seek to sucker you.. you think you've got the vibe of this country, the beat of this stage, but they've always got a jutting post-jump rock awaiting you, a taped-off twist seeking to ensnare, a casual spray of gravel from a poorly tended drive, a shaded corner glinting with lingering midnight ice...

And that's before you even get to the 1970s, with the most over-steery 'I want to kill you' car ever invented...

http://historygarage.com/wp-content/...os-sliding.jpg


Cross Rally Cross:

It's a good thing me and my Mini-moke are actually making dollar out in the gritty expanses, because Rally Cross is the most immensely difficult thing I've ever encountered in my life! So far I've profited nothing more than expensive blows to my chassis and pride. Thankfully, from reading around, it turns out that it's by design :D

Apparently you're meant to start as a total scrub, completely incapable of winning your first 20+ races, because your car and crew just aren't up to it. Which is cool, because it's made me experiment with every corner, track every cauterised trace of rubber, shorten my gears down to spiky points, and seize on every dirty manoeuvre available. And I'm still coming last. But I'm getting closer.. :D

The weirdest thing was, I had one round where I swallowed a placebo pill and actually came second in two of the qualifiers, racing raggedly over the line right on the tail of first place. And it's all because I'd finally hired an engineer, and assumed he had upped my stats. (Turns out they just improve your repair efficiency, so useful for Rallies and major racing prangs). I've no idea what happened, but I can only assume I was throwing myself into corners with wilder abandon and assuming my car would pull me out the other side :D

I've got a plan though. I'm gonna grab this guy's setup from the Steam workshop, as I'm clearly in need of semi-professional help ;)


Why Is This So Much Fricking Better In VR?

I don't fully know. It helps that there's a focus on the sounds and scintilla of the experience in the Dirt sims perhaps? It helps that the rally courses are beautifully and believeably crafted (in a way that is still striking, despite seemingly perceiving it all through a spray of digital detritus with safety netting across your face...).

Does it help that you can kind of 'feel' the shape of that lumpen congealed mound in the mud road as you approach it more effectively? Or how the rut to its side will flip you if you catch it wrong? Or that you saw it earlier than normal, peaking sideways out of your window as you wet-slalomed around the corner on approach? Hell yeah, I reckon all that stuff does help :)

But what that all really helps with, as you speed along, hunkered down in your seat scanning the road, while you assort the jumbled instructions of your co-pilot into the twisted forms looming ahead, is that you're kinda actually there doing it...

(And stringing hair-raising risks together at ludicrous speeds without the threat of actual fatal compression :). Although the risk of converting your wildly scampering steed into a hobbled hissing hunk is a pretty good motivator to keep you careening between the jagged lines :))

---

EDIT:

I think it's becoming clear that you were subsumed by the metaverse some time ago :D

(Oh I will get my Matrix on. And also discover all about Frank the binary Hedgehog, or whatever other arcane mysteries are in there...)

(I've been kinda putting my guns in front of my face and shouting in capitals to avoid spoilers to date ;))

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

So I played this yesterday...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QIbI4Wtgug


It was $25. About ten minutes. Really fun walking around and having the real environment interact with the VR stuff. 3 of us did it.

It could have used one more section to it to make it really great. But it was fun walking around, seeing my buddies as Ghostbusters. When they shot at me, my best tickled me. I could hear them in the headset. It was an experience alright.

Ahhh wow, that does look grand! Freedom of movement and haptic feedback like the tickling must be great. Seeing StayPuft looming into view must have been immense too :D

(Love it when they demo these things with the 'mixed reality' camera work too - really well done there considering they seem to have done it with live action footage rather than green-screen.)

Ironic that they've got the classic 'where's my next act' problem that all VR stuff seems to get too - long form isn't it's thing right now it seems. Does look badass tho :)

I've slammed this link out a lot, but I'm really intrigued by what other magician's tricks can be performed with this type of installation. IE like making the areas appear 'infinite' and cunning use of physical objects. Will be interesting to see if we get a whole spread from AAA razzmatazz to hipster arthouse uses and more....

Just some supa-cute noob-induction in Echo Arena. I definitely have to get on this...

https://youtu.be/lLpaetWYTXI

Although given how chaotic and rambunctious open play looks, I'm still gonna wait til I'm full 360...

https://youtu.be/_WRM7M4A57U

(I've heard snap 45 degree turns just don't cut it for quick adjustments to grab the disc as it flies past you etc. Plus that kind of zero-G sport zen just calls for a 'free' axis of movement :))

---

And some bonus hardware stuff. The trial 'Elf' kit - small, high resolution, high refresh rate screens which might point to smaller, clearer next gen kit. Current downsides are lower field of view and the standard lense artefacts etc.

(There's a load of other tech stuff in the nearer future, like Valve looking to attach sensors to your knees, and their full-finger-tracking strap on controller, and a ton of other peripheral, speculative and pie-in-the-sky stuff. Just thought that piece was nice and in-depth on a slice of long-now tech happening at the moment).

Made a quick scrubby vid of me trying out a new car in Dirt Rally :). Excuse the dodgy border and audio levels, I'm still figuring out how to capture in VR :D

https://youtu.be/VMQ4d_RyyfA

Obviously the depth perception stuff can't come across, but I guess there are a few bits there where you can see me peeping round the corner and stuff. And generally turning to berate my co-driver ;)

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

That guy will just not shut up :D

Cheers man, yeah if I shoot another will def try and trim him. (I found if he was much lower I kept mishearing and driving into cowsheds tho :D).

I reckon you'd love this to bits! Sounds like it's grand on the PS4 too. (My only worry with the PSVR generally is that it seems weaker in the non-seated stuff right now, tech and game wise, so maybe less bang for buck there. Right now I'm almost feeling like I could have bought the Rift just for this and got my money's worth tho!)

(PS the wipers are on auto. I've got evvvverything on auto. I'm such a scrub ;))

SUPERHOT!

Ok so I've only tried 30 mins, and still haven't delved into the memes, but already yeah, what a game :D

That 'SUPERHOT' sign-off when you've Matrixed a wave to pieces is just off the chart :). Loving the air grabs and improvisation with the VR hands too. (Throwing is a bit shonky, but with with a straight 'push' you can get fairly accurate strikes, and throwing long range ones to the next realm feels really natural).

It's also sweaty as! Even in these early rounds there's been much squat ducking under punches, cowering behind desks, and dual spraying maniacally in circles... (I have also naturally given parts of my flat a light punching ;))

http://cdn4.dualshockers.com/wp-cont...perhot_gun.gif

Loving the look too. There was a wonderful moment early on when I turned around to check for trouble, and saw the fine-flecked concrete detail of a white wall behind me instead, covered in diamond mesh shadow cast by the high window above. It was surprisingly realistic-looking, yet imbedded within the game's aesthetic too. (Really fitted with this VR philosophy of adding to presence in proximity but not baffling your vision at range).


----


Talking of which, there was a great AMA with some of the Lone Echo devs last night. Really interesting to hear their thoughts on everything from balancing immersion against interaction (and how narratives are tricky with this novel '4th wall'), to hitting that 'real but readable' aesthetic, to... Why they think stick locomotion won't work this gen - But hey, they proved others wrong on arms, bodies and smooth motion ;)

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

Superhot VR is one of the handful of things I'd want to play in VR. I know it's a separate, shorter game but does it have any of the outside-of-mission meta lunacy that the original has?

I suspect yes. There have been some meta-games and sidestep breaks from the carnage already... (won't discuss in case they're distinct 'n spoilery like...)

---

Also driving games T, you'd probably like driving games in VR :). Get DD online as well and you could both destroy me in some cruel and unusual race format. Like one that requires driving nous or something. (I'd win at swearing tho ;))

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

Is there a messaging client? That's all I'm sayin' ;)

Nah just floppy discs and subliminal instructions so far ;)

---

Skyrim VR jank will be a whole new dimension of jank...

:D

Indie Odds & Ends:

Oh god, players hack cyberpunk horror game... activate VR...

https://youtu.be/n-CYUJVYShU

(Well actually, it turns out most games built in Unreal probably come with VR capability built in. But still, that looks spooky...)

---

On a more calm and soothing note, it looks fun to be an incarcerated potato...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA-FSrhlZxQ

Tech Tests & Future Fun:

Liking these shonky attempts to turn simple 360 footage (just filmed with the classic bundled GoPros) into '6 degrees of freedom' 3D vids, allowing viewer position to move around within the footage etc. There are a ton of artefacts and glitches, and all of this will probably get superseded by 'lightfield' or something sexier, but still, pretty neat :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu9OgM5Kvoc

Examples with positional tracking and lighting effects etc:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hye8...ature=youtu.be

The middle clip in this one looks pretty classy too. Not sure what the CGI-looking treescapes are about though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRfJ9DYYjMI

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

---

I've also bought this IndieGala VR bundle for £2.78. Possibly more than just fool's gold in there. It's easier to take a punt on Early Access games at 30p a pop anyway ;).

The more promising looking ones are...

A pretty-looking semi-on-rails solo & offline shooter/brawler:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_6z98cSsCE
An RTS played at the scale of your choosing...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJTbiZV3LyY
The rest are all swatting bees, defending towers, flimsy Steampunk chuminess, and bow-and-arrowing Unity assets. Also a really terrifyingly bad horror one about riding a paperboy's bike through a terribly rendered forest. Not doing that one :D


---

--EDIT--

http://i.imgur.com/AnEHh2k.png

Damn, SuperHot lives up to its name like this! It's getting me doing squats and all sorts. I'm genuinely hot! (Although most of the Neo-feeling moments probably look more Drunken Lemur, Upset Turtle in reality ;))

They have also made me do... things. No spoilers, but... I feel dirty. Oh the things...

EDIT: PS, I totally smashed my lamp, trying to throw a gun around a corner on a plane. Lamp still works though :D

---

EDIT:

Form Over Substance: (-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-HY3NA01v4

Snagged the puzzle game Form for £8. Knew it was short and simple even for that cash (think it was something ludicrous like £25 at launch), but wanted something on the slick end. It's definitely that. At points it's almost horror-like in the world it takes you into, of shifting forms and half-seen intangibles, at others pretty resplendent, when it takes you into the light. Unfortunately the puzzles, despite some classy visual design, are best compared to the most grandiose, operatic, slightly unnerving version of Simon Says ever committed to silicon :/

Do feel like I've got my money's worth, purely in terms of actually feeling like I was a lab toy in an alien thoughtscape at points, periodically being bestowed with aesthetic rewards. Just unfortunately, it was also like being inside the mind Jean Michelle Jarre. While he's playing snap...

https://i2.wp.com/www.speakforyourse.../simonsays.jpg

EDIT: Well ******. I flung it back on for what I thought was the third act. Instead I was presented with a quick epilogue at the final 'door' which was both visually stunning, and narratively incredibly trite. I guess it fits :D

To sum up: It's a terribly thin puzzle game. What it does very well is to lavish the vibe and tone. I'm not entirely convinced that 'escape room' style puzzlers should be enjoy evoking claustrophobia quite so much, but it was effective at times, and made the catharsis of the 'light' sections more effective too. Even with such novel light licks to the cerebellum, still gotta highlight the lack of gaming gumption in the score though: (-)

The 'Experimental 360' Sensor Setup:

All done, and working nicely :). Nabbed a pair of GoPro 3M adhesive mounts for £15 (Prime deal), the cable extension they recommend, and some cable tidy odds and ends. Was pretty painless:

http://i.imgur.com/mQhbRBy.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/UtwieDy.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/5ODFTJx.jpg

Helps that my playspace is like 1.5m x 1.5m. Two sensors can totally handle those distances, the tracking is pretty flawless.

As freeing as it is to be able to spin 360 completely now, it does also open up the 'I wish I had more room' pangs. (I was genuinely opening doors to allow me to reach things in Rick & Morty's Accounting ;)). Has opened up more games and more locomotion methods though, which is all cool.

---

Some '360' Games:


Robo Recall:

Pros:

Much more enjoyable to play like this. Felt like I was 'in the middle' of this ridiculous 80s wave shooter, allowing for more fluid and coherent teleporting about and setting up strategic angles of fire painlessly. Was very freeing not to have to care about my real-world orientation throughout.

Cons:

Forgot about the real world and shinned a small table really hard. I believe I was leaping into action at the time ;)

---

SuperHot

All pros here. The game is very front-facing-friendly, but being able to pull off ridiculous behind-the-shoulder shots without worrying about it was cool. Also meant I could reach every potential weapon (previously a few directly behind me were unusable)


---

Echo Arena

Lots to learn here, but the vaunted locomotion method is very cool. I was mainly a lost zero-G duckling in the one online game I played though. Very easy to get stranded miles from the action. Also crazy just how much rotation and free-motion is involved (conceptually, not physically). It all works, but I'm pretty sure something's gonna get smashed in my room... I was losing my real-world bearings instantaneously. Which is cool, but... dangerous :D


---

Looking forward to trying the 'point and move' locomotion some more in Minecraft. Felt I was nearly onto something cosy with the old set up, reckon 360 could actually be practical / enjoyable :)

Just bought two games in the £10 range thanks to sale savings. They're launch titles that both come highly lauded :). They both also clock in at around 2 hours long (and were both initially £20+)... :/

The price-to-content continuum still crazy out of whack then. Reckon I should have some pocket fun with these though:

https://youtu.be/RauvvV4QAHQ
^^ Vanishing Realms: Zelda-ish dungeon-crawling mini-RPG-lite ^^

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBeMBdmo1pI
^^ The Gallery: Puzzle-lite '80s action fantasy movie' ^^

Biiiinge Tiiiiimeee :D

---

REVIEW: ROBO RECALL

Despite the fact that this is essentially a wave shooter, with only 9 short-ish maps spread over 3 locations, and with heavily recycled boss battles to cap it off... they still knock every aspect out of the park :)

Pros:

• Locomotion: The teleport system is particularly fluid, allowing you to dictate your facing position on arrival and allowing for seamless and coherent consta-zipping around the playspace. From vertical leaps to progressing down streets you don't really feel the lack of classic locomotion, and focus instead on the advantages of strategic mobility. (The UI is nicely tailored to help 'front facing' set ups work, but it really comes into its own when you can move freely in 360 degrees).
  
  http://i.imgur.com/dh6jLyN.png
  
  
• Great weapon system: Pulling your chosen weapons from 4 holsters (hips and shoulders) is very satisfying, and then the customisation unlocks allow for plenty of tinkering and tactical shake ups (and also add replayability to the maps). The ability to slot the new additions onto your weapon 'physically' (above) is a cute touch. (And makes up for the lack of physical 'reload' functions, which while cool in other games, would be too much upkeep amongst the anarchic abandon here).
  
  
• Physics fun firestorms: You can get pretty playful here. Want to ride out a round purely armed with a robot's arm? You can do that, swatting bullets and bopping fools madly. Grabbing and flinging low moving projectiles, using foes against each other, seeing how many times you can chain-shoot a robot through the air, catching their falling weapon and charging on without a care. These are the core mechanics, which are all gaudily encouraged.
  
  
  http://i.imgur.com/OHukgQA.png
  
  
• Consistently fun 'retro future' stylings: As the credits rolled, the future-blimps roiled over the rooftops, and some tongue-in-cheek song called 'Shooty Face' played, I could definitely say they've done a fine job with the presentation overall. My system struggled with the visuals, but ultimately I acclimatised and got pretty embroiled in it. The lurid Robocop-meets-iRobot setting worked well, the audio was all grand playful fair (despite the comedy baddie and 'plot' being exceptionally slight). Little touches like robots bewailing their handles as you hurled them about never really got old.

Cons:

• Short-ish, recycled boss, a bit of a struggle with a 'front facing' set up

Rating: (Based on it being free - If it was a full fat £40 price it'd be a just due to length).


---

PREVIEW: REC ROOM

It's a fricking creche! :D The few adults in there tower over the diminutive hoard of youngsters, drawn by the cartoon style, cute upgrade system, and accessible mini games and quests. We try to corral them, but their flitting herd mentalities and gaming acumen dominate all corners of this world. How this many 8-year-olds have access to £400+ kit I have no idea...

Stand Out Quest: Jumbotron

http://i.imgur.com/2zqAPjB.png

This was an absolute blast, Lazerquest made 'real' :D. Yes I had to accept many high-five revives from a 5-year-old, and yes we perished horribly to lurid robot lasers in the end. But everything clicks here, this would be a blast with mates :)

Teleportation really fits here, zapping from cover to cover, and the giant clunky white blasters all have some great reload actions that really add to the strategic peep-and-pew gaming. Laying down covering fire while others advanced felt great here...


Mini Games: (& the meh of PvP teleportation)

Mainly underwhelmed, although they're obviously proof of concepts for the most part. Might be more fun with a mate in tow. Frisbee golf could be a chilled distraction. The most fleshed-out, but the most disappointing, was Paintball. Although it was very cool in many ways, with solid map design and great 'blindfire round corners' action, teleportation is much more irritating in a PvP environment. It's on a cool down, making your own movement feel sluggish, but equally opponents zap in unpredictable fashion. The winning strategy was to teleport-mash, never staying still, which was frankly annoying to do, and annoying to play against. Needs some work :|

---

PvP LOCOMOTION MUSINGS:

Possible solutions here might be the 'animated teleport' option that others are trying. Games such as Sairento (vid) have used the 'leap to location' animation to good effect in PvE, and I've tried something similar in the freebie 'RPG' The Ranger: Lost Tribe. No motion sickness at all weirdly, and would at least give opponents more chances to hit you and clues as to your actions.

It seems that the upcoming 'FTL meets Borderlands' space-em-up From Other Suns is going for a 'quick walk animation' that might fit the bill, but weirdly it seems you go into a third person view for the process. Unfortunately the article suggests it's good for general movement, but falls down in combat. Hands on description here (vid). I could imagine a faster first person 'rush' option (which blurs peripherals to smooth the experience') could go somewhere though...

---

Wallowing in DIRT

Earned my Renault Turbo. Turned off all the visual aids....

Of course I got Greece for my first Rally... Of course the second stage was at night. Of course you can smash out your headlights... of course you can...

This game is so fine :). Front wheels skating over the abyss when you power slide that corner he told you not to cut. Moonlight peeking between mountain peaks to give you desperate glimpses of detail (when you've foolishly smashed your headlights out). So many classy touches :)

INTRIGUING UPCOMING VR GAMES:

Stealth Games:

Espire 1: - 'Metal Gear Solid meets Goldeneye'

Some neat touches here. Climbing is a good fit, and the sound mechanic looks neat (anything can make a noise, either deliberate taps of your gun on a surface, or accidentally knocking things with your swinging arm etc). The nausea-reduction viewing options make sense, given it uses 'sliding' locomotion (IE classic stick motion), if not immersively ideal.

This is paid up propaganda, but demonstrates the latest demo build:
https://youtu.be/vXrnGvm4FlE

The Dev on the project:
https://youtu.be/m1S9vyCofIk

---

Budget Cuts:

The other big stealth contender is this cartoonier teleporter. The gimmick here is that you can use your teleport destination as a spy portal. Some fun body stashing and scalpel throwing physics on display...

https://youtu.be/5MORehJY31Y

---

Space Games:

From Other Suns: - 'FTL meets Borderlands'

As mentioned upstream, it's kinda a ships, stations and away missions affair, in co-op format, with rogue randomisation n'est pas...

Trailer:
https://youtu.be/B_qMwH8kZao

---

Dungeon Crawlers:

VR Dungeon Knight: - Dungeons meet crawling...

Some great Knightmare-style tongue-in-cheek Dungeon Master narration here. Sounds like it might sling comfort out the window by animating your body, lack on the sword and board, and still need some more time in ye olde clay oven. But the co-op aspect and deeper-content-than-most-Early-Access games aspect, well, well they're something. Vids intrigue...

Steam Co-Op montage thing:
Online Co-Op Gameplay

Some randoms Co-Op-ing...
https://youtu.be/Y6elH5OKYfc

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

Just The Weirdest Thing:

A hologram of Buzz Aldrin just tried to convince me to 'cycle' to Mars. Then he exploded. It was properly odd.

http://i.imgur.com/WKaDSvw.png

http://i.imgur.com/zKodova.png

http://i.imgur.com/09UEV2F.png

Some pretty grand depictions of lunar mining and his weird solar craft in there, with crazy scale. I was too taken aback at the time to take screengrabs of that tho :D

---

Also tried this utter oddity: Flicking switches to get the first manned Mercury craft into orbit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEAYakClECU

A strange project, but on an educational front, it did at least highlight just how damn cramped and rustic that module was. And alongside the audio of the time, and the flickering flames, just how damn terrifying that first re-entry must have been! ('Ok....' 'Ok....' 'The Pilot is saying that he's ok.' '.......Ok...............')

First Impressions: The Gallery - Episode 1


Oh damn, this is pretty neat. Pix don't do it justice (yadda yadda), and it's just a familiar mystery / puzzle narrative affair, but the fit is good. The teleport system works fine here, and there's a gentle pacing which is a cool change of beat. The use of a backpack which you grab from over your shoulder works really well - it's a gimmick but a pretty seamless and somehow comforting one. Dropping new finds into it over your shoulder works particularly well. The retro 80s 'Goonies' vibe is also pretty ace :).

http://i.imgur.com/WHqSCg7.png
That note is more tongue in cheek than it appears. The big font does help in VR tho ;)

http://i.imgur.com/9DzA679.png

http://i.imgur.com/cZWEUN2.png
It looks a bit odd when slung open, but the mix of UI and 'grabbable' works well with the rucksack menu.

http://i.imgur.com/PJf6Dp2.png
Mmmm, torch :). (Lord this looked better in motion :D)

But hey, I'm just past the first puzzle. Should probably judge it properly down the line ;)

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

From what I've heard about VR, I actually think that VR arcades would do extremely well (it would be pretty awesome if arcades made a comeback in that way)

Have a car seat and steering wheel for racing games, plastic machine guns for shooters etc.

The main thing I hear is that all the games just feel more like tech demos than real, full-fledged games. Now granted I don't follow VR closely, so I don't know if this is already being done in some way, or if they're still just trying to do PC/PSVR stuff. I just know that the extreme hype for VR last year has really cooled down since they were released, and am unsure if VR has really been as successful as people predicted.

Just a thought.

Yeah Arcades might be the big public access route for now. The kit costs are still pretty high for anyone other than hardcore gamers.

I've only just bought in, but it does seem like they're slowly lifting out of the indie-freewheeling of the first year. Oculus have been averaging around one big 'exclusive' launch a month recently, which suggests the dev pipelines are opening up, and they've been big glossy well-received things on the whole, with more matured takes on interfaces & game mechanics etc. (Although we're still talking about games with 6 hour playtimes for £30. The bang-to-buck is still heavily reliant on the novelty factor etc).

Think they're turning that particular corner in terms of getting 'AAA' content out, but if the tech's gonna make it to broad accessibility (and more accessible pricing / meatier content investment) it's gonna be a lonnng road. The VR Reddits console themselves with things like this ;)

http://fowens.people.ysu.edu/Diffusi...chnologies.jpg

Oh fricking sweet news. LA Noire coming to VR...

https://d201n44z4ifond.cloudfront.ne...K_851x3151.jpg

Just 7 cases from the original rebuilt, but they're slinging in the driving and shooty bits too, not just reformating point-and-click to be 'prod and point'. (The free writing notes in a pad, while a nice bit of flexibility, does have huge silliness potential though. Pens I've used to date in VR have tended towards the enormous :D).

The things that spring to mind are:

• I bounced off this hard because the point and click aspect was so tedious. Also the driving and shooting were just too damn familiar. Shaking those aspects up, and placing me right in there under the detective hat, are at least addressing some of those issues.
• On the plus side, having bounced, most of the content would still be new to me.
• If they can get this working, then GTA V............? :)

Foolish Purchases of the Day!

X-Rebirth VR: £15 (54% off)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM3TYjWfjgw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIA1kQuN5OI

The Early Access rework of the much-maligned (then much loved) X Rebirth. What can go wrong? :D

In theory a solid amount of content in there, lotsa single player silliness and vibe to soak up hopefully.

---

Aaannd:

Ship It: £3.50 (50% off)

https://youtu.be/T1WQyWOa1is
Packing Tetris blocks into suitcases...

(What can I say, I chatted to the dev a while back and he seemed like a nice guy ;))

http://i.imgur.com/aALU44v.png

Aha, so yes, The Gallery: Episode 1 was indeed pretty short. And a bit more Laura Croftian by the end, stylistically, as that non-spoilery shot shows.

Possibly 3 hours all told, and that's with lots of digressing and bouncing things off things for fun. Maybe only two real set piece puzzles as such, with diversions and tricks linking them up, and an ending that was more narrative then anything. Hard to review, but the experience was enjoyable, and classy at points :). Just short...

EDIT: As cool as the feeling of being on this 80s adventure was (), and even though I got it for £8, the length and challenge do have to weigh against it, so I've dropped it to a [rating]3_5[rating]+++. It's as much vibe and techniques as actual puzzles. What was there was pretty cool, it just couldn't build too far. (Next version is pitching to be 3 to 4 x longer supposedly).

Here is another inaudible vid :D. Demonstrating one of the cool touches: The rucksack menu...

https://youtu.be/FLquaB2ydWQ

---

EDIT: Initial impressions: here.

EDIT: REVIEW: Episode 2

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

Foolish Purchases of the Day - 2

Vertigo - £11

https://youtu.be/tbFnWj867sA

Figured I'd jump now rather than wait for a sale on this one, the devs seem worth the full hat tip. Generally summed up as 'A budget Half-Life in VR' (so no pressure ;)). It's got around 6 hours playing time, and seems to layer up new tools and odd environments. Supposedly buggy in places still, but a fair old adventure too. Intrigued :)

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

Foolish Purchases of the Day - 3

Aaand, another audio-tape-driven, narrative-through-location, puzzle-lite, walking sim...

Pollen - £7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sikKm-Fhhk

Again felt like rewarding the fair pricing here, so didn't wait for a sale. Although the original £20 launch price was clearly nuts for what appears to be a few hours of prodding and tinkering, the price-drop response to it bombing, and the general detail apparently lavished on the walking sim side, all make it worth a punt. Also the fact they've added hand control now.

---

iOMoon - £4.50

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7WkeYdCwVs

Probably a daft purchase this, as it's clearly on the hokey, Jules Verne, end of things, but I'm a sucker for space craft stuff (and at home with the mild nausea it involves, as it always feels fitting). Music from the Bioshock guy helps (and again the enthusiasm of the dev, who jumped from working on the likes of GTA V to go lone passion project for this).

---

Stimulating Walking?

I'm really not normally a 'soak in the vibe' style walking sim guy. I do kinda like piecing together background lore sometimes (say Fallout 3), but normally as a backdrop to more activity and game mechanics. VR is making it all more appealing at the mo though. If the world is well realised then the 'prod and tinker', 'sit and ponder', 'amble slowly' aspects all seem to gel well together. Tempted by picking up longer experiences down the line IE : Obduction and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. (Although I do kinda wish they'd get hands in for both of those too, it really does bring you further into the world).

EDIT: Oh yeah, I remember now. Both of those bulky adventures have hella high requirements, and run into trouble even on top machines. That's why I was holding off. On the plus side it seems Obduction has actually added hands. But unfortunately not very well. Will keep tabs though.

FIRST LOOK: POLLEN

Ok sweet, this is proving worth the punt so far :)

http://i.imgur.com/9c7rfPD.png

Got off to a very rocky start (Pro Tip: Unplug any peripherals like joysticks if you want the menus to work...). Then, despite a neat little intro, Titan's surface storms were only partially impressing on the settings I'd juggled together, and involved some ludicrous load times when transitioning inside. But get inside the complex I did. And things got better :)

http://i.imgur.com/ygFKj7D.png

Like better in a 'hairs on the back of your neck' way, without being outright horror. No jump scares, more the unnerving clank of a disconnected ventilation tube banging away as you approach, wondering 'Who would disconnect that? And why?', as you shine your helmet light into the murk of the next room...

It's very much a 'piece together the story' scenario, with a mix of minor engineering puzzles and alien mystery as the main pillars. But also with plenty of bonus chaff and fitting items to peruse and kick around. (Did I have to sweep a load of stuff into a storage cupboard with a broken mop, to improve a slovenly room? Nah, but it amused me ;). Do I have to read every taped note on each box of tupperware? Nope, but I'm liking that each is unique. Did it matter that I didn't depressurise those random tubes, or that I left the heating tray on in the kitchen? Not sure yet...)

It seems to have various little working systems and item arrays around the place that don't exist to propel the story on, but purely to cement the world as a place. I'm definitely in the mood for that kind of thing.

http://i.imgur.com/Hb5hMSU.png

It's not perfect, it's definitely budget. I don't even have hands, despite being human. I've got these (admittedly swanky) controllers instead. When I heated up a can of delicious salmon soup until it smoked, no yelp was heard as I picked it up. When I hear the solid audio tapes humanising the missing crew, I feel a tiny bit odd that I pressed play with my plastic mandibles. These little things are a shame, but I can appreciate that they took the other details as far as they did...

http://i.imgur.com/YFllcd0.png

Dirt Endurance Update:

Man, I thought this was losing its grip on me. My new Renault Turbo wasn't feeling as peppy as the trial version, Sweden had stupidly narrow roads, and Germany? Germany can flip off with its endless artificial hairpin turns. I was getting some joy out of clambering around the place, but it was feeling increasingly grindy.

And then I realised I hadn't unlocked the turbo yet :D

And then Finland happened :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baHsoEAAMZU

Endless ribbons of fast slidey gravel with evil gullies and horse-bucking jumps, some so ramped they obscure the trees you thought would always show you the bend, or threaten to flick you clean over other nested corners. I ended with my car about a foot shorter, scraped down both sides, and with a radiator so crumpled it was emitting a high pitched whine that cut through the cacophony of other rattles. (All the engineers ever wanted to repair was my suspension ;)). But hell that was fun again :)

To be honest, it's mainly that I had my crazy kick back to get me out of trouble. I could have enjoyed the channelled fish-tailing of Sweden again, even the composed poe-facedness of Germany, with that back under the hood. Dirt really does like to punish you in the noob stages of each discipline :/

---

Elite Dangerous - Arena:

I'm essentially on repeat here, and I'm preaching to the non-converted because Arena is so damn hard to break into, but damn it's good to get a game in. Only Deathmatch was populated (I prefer Team), and I barely broke even on K/D terms, but the gaps you can zip through in VR, and the intensity of the duels as you track your opponent visually while on the move, just takes it to a whole other level :). Flashing through a gap and seeing the sun flash back, as you death dive down and between the struts of a space elevator. All while feeling like this **** is really happening... It's properly immense :D

I can only spam this old vid again to get even halfway to what it's like when you dodge a pursuit and hear the boom of them hitting the superstructure instead of you ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e-sgkN-C48

-- VIRTUAL REALITY: ONE MONTH REVIEW --

---

THE WOW FACTOR:

It does feel a touch less miraculous to pull on the headset now, a bit of that wide-eyed magic has been tamed by daily use. As some of the cherubic glow clears there's a stronger strand of objective crit emerging instead, now I've got a feel for what the games can or can't do. (If a game's not working for me I certainly seem more likely to dwell on the graphical imperfections too...)

That said, the core joys are still in place :). I'm not uttering 'holy f*ck!' and dropping my jaw every five minutes, especially now I've consumed the main freebie 'experiences', it's true. But... I am still encountering flabbergasting audio-visual showcases that make me stop and grin, still gasping my way through high octane 3D-fu, and still enjoying the quiet moments of 'presence' which ground these conjured worlds. All those things are still holding true :)


NOT THE GAME YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?:

As a corollary to the above, there are generic negatives worth noting. Fundamentally, certain game types may never work swimmingly at this resolution and with these immersion limits. (Ones built on detailed menu management spring to mind, or on untrammelled movement at speed). The shape and beats of old favourites are altered necessarily, and still in experimental form. Many require degrees of upright activity, and may involve you leaning foolishly on an imaginary shelf by mistake, or kicking a very real table. You'll have to remember to do things the opposite way to your natural one (so that your cable doesn't end up like a pretzel, for example). Online games are also not well served by the small-ish community.

At this stage I'm really not feeling the bite on any of these fronts though. Pros definitely outweighing cons. But this may change if I run out of...


GAMING CHOICES:

The bulk are more on the indie end certainly, and so require a forgiving nature at times, but there are definitely more varied and considered experiences out there than I initially figured. (Lots of devs clearly got busy very early in the tech's life cycle, as these are often the fruit of 2yrs+ dev). Established vehicle sims, exploration narratives, adventures of various lengths, puzzlers, shooters, online, offline, yadda yadda, there's a decent spread of styles.

The coming of old title conversions like Fallout 4, LA Noire etc are interesting forays by the big guns, but it's perhaps the bespoke AA & AAA exclusives dropping month by month that suggest a decent pipeline of sorts is open.

Pricing bang-for-buck on the other hand? That still sucks pretty mightily as a rule of thumb. But there is this cheaper back catalogue out there. And you can also broaden your options considerably with the help of...


THE SENSOR SET UP:

The 360 roomscale set up has been key in the end. It made a load more games playable and improved most of my existing ones. Neither too pricey or tricky to do once I bit the bullet, but it will vary depending on your playspace. There's the odd detection wobble now that I've got the two sensors facing each other, but the coverage is generally solid for a small 2mx2m space, and the benefits of having your hands tracked wherever they are, and being able to rotate 360 freely, are pretty wide, improving everything from chilled exploration games to hectic shooters. Plus it also helps with...


PLAY COMFORT:

Nausea Stuff:

I've found a locomotion system that works for me: 'Point walking' (which still lacks an established name ;)). Essentially pointing your preferred direction with a casual gesture and pressing to proceed. Becomes second nature very easily. You can combine it with 45 degree snap turns etc to travel everywhere, but I've found it far more enjoyable when I can just turn 360 (and deal with the inevitable cable loops that follow ;)). Done right it sorts all of the issues brought about by classic strafing (vid), acceleration and rotation (vid), while still working well for a lot of game styles.

Kit:

Long play sessions definitely start hitting a wall. Either my face or the back of my head will start getting uncomfortable 3+ hours in. It's not huge, as taking a break is a good idea anyway, but once you hit that point the breaks normally start beckoning every half hour, and that can get annoying.

---


TLDR:

The tech is properly cool. It and the gaming ecosystem do have their limitations though. Currently pros outweigh the cons :)

Indie Options:

Some more intriguing long-tail indies added to the Wishlist. Yeah they're both zombie-spanking-spellcasters (a more trodden path in VR than bow-wielding wave shooter...), but def worth keeping tabs on:

Spellbound:

This 'first chapter' Early Access seems ludicrously short, but having read this cool long read by the dev about how he got into VR (started developing about 3 years ago it seems), and heard some good things about the attention to detail, I've got a feeling he's going to keep plugging away at it, despite the current gap in updates. More a watch and wait, but could be fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCEzybyOpUM

Left-Hand Path:

Dark-Souls-inspired (natch) gesture spellcaster with recent updates and what seems to be at least 6hrs+ of content. Don't really know if my game time will love something with such cruel edges and disparate save points, but production looks decent for an indie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep7q6HXbUN4

Trying to Verbalise VR: Part 3

I know these pics are thoroughly underwhelming, but they represent moments where I could happily stare at an object for an age and absolutely believe it was there.

https://i.imgur.com/2i9HoTD.png

https://i.imgur.com/wRZwNpM.png

In both cases I think it was the appropriate reflections as light passed over the object that helped suggest physicality. Something about it really communicates the sense of shape, and perhaps of material make up too ('plastic' surfaces seem particularly effective), in a way that just overrides other graphical infidelities or counter-info. At these times objects can appear strikingly solid and palpable.

The reflection tech isn't novel, but in stereoscopic view, while freely touting the dinner tray about, it seemed so present that I felt I could bash it over my head ;). (It probably helps that you can also fling it instinctively through a gap somewhere, and hear it make a suitable tray-clatter sound. All these interactions and possibilities reinforce its 'presence' too)

I do wonder if one appeal to developers is that they get to see technical details and touches they've always added to 3D worlds spring to life in this way?

Anyways, it's pretty impossible to communicate just how weirdly convincing some of these tech strands are when running in tangent, but I'll probably keep trying ;)

---

Perusing Pollen: Part 2

https://i.imgur.com/tyVYRRW.png

Pollen's timeline uses the slightly silly conceit that computers never took off even as interstellar travel did. It doesn't bear too much scrutiny, but I can see why they did it. The paper notes & giant push buttons come with two benefits. One is that you feel like you're in an early 70s sci fi movie where people were still using clipboards (and it's consistently done). The other is that things like paper notes with the watermarks of past scribblings, and things like analogue counter wheels on old tapedecks, are very satisfying to scrutinise and prod. (I can see Minority Report style interactive screens being just as fun and detail-rich, but this is still a cool retro approach).

https://i.imgur.com/O0gsrA2.png

I'm not sure the game would merit lionisation in normal circumstances, but the attention to detail is still the stand out aspect in VR. There are a fair few tropes used (recycling of locations etc), and I'm pretty sure the story won't be ultimately stellar, but I'm enjoying just flipping everything over and tracing the actions of the missing astronauts. I keep seeing examples of dev efforts put into making little aspects function and little incidental moments convince. For that I can forgive the odd crash, spaced out save points, and the horrendous initial load times ;)

https://i.imgur.com/DsuItdw.png

---

Indie Offerings to the Gods of Affordable Gaming:

I may have overpaid here ;). But got these for 75p in the latest Indiegala bundle....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SjCi9TOiSg
Hey, I've always wanted to fly :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luL5GAqhs8k
And I've always wanted to smash an imaginary city up too, sure ;)

Gave my last bundle purchase a try, which is now £18 on Steam (!), and it looks pretty promising. Run of Mydan takes the uninspiring route of 'rail shooter', but ups the skill level by allowing you to dodge around the moving platform (skipping past the descending swords of GIANTS etc) while also slowly strafing the platform about to help you psyche opponents and aid your dodges amongst environmental machines. The choice between your own projectile or shield when dealing with mobile enemies seems standard fare, and the whole affair might be toooo gymnastic for my tastes and roomspace, but alongside the fairly lovely art design first impressions are decent :)

https://i.imgur.com/FweRU8f.png

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

Wishy Washy Wishlist:

A dinosaur-strewn land? Made by Crytek? Should be a no-brainer right...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9p1IM-vS6U

And given they've just added to motion controls to its puzzle-lite environments, I reckon I will nab it :). But not at £30 for 5-ish hours. Just no. (Also need to wait and see if they've broadened the locomotion options, as it was considered something of a vom comet at launch).

---

I wonder if this dev is right and rolling updates / ongoing soft support will be the way for a lot of VR titles:

I guess it could make sense. With fewer titles competing for attention, certain games will be able to maintain a steady-ish ongoing uptake. (I'm certainly raiding those types of titles now, and zoning in on the ones that are still updating).

---

EDIT:

The Solus Project: (£6.50 in GOG sale)

https://youtu.be/TkivRfYyGhs

It seems I'll need to do some command line short-cuttery to get it to launch in VR mode, but this looks likes some fine 'Indiana Jones archaeological exploration on an alien planet' walking sim content :). Trailer says 12hrs of play (players say about 6 ;)).

---

EDITEDIT:


XING: The Land Beyond (£15 - launch price)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-hLrdHqCzE

Bespoke puzzle-n-chill game. Bit of a punt, but the buzz has been good, and it's supposedly 8-16hrs long, according to the main dev. Felt like rewarding the pricing too. (Many others have been slapping £30+ price tags on stuntier and less focused launches purely because they're VR compatible).

REVIEW: VANISHING REALMS (+)

https://i.imgur.com/H0T8FQT.png

Cutesy dungeon crawler & adventure-lite with some fun melee AI (vid). I ended up liking the cartoon stylings here (if also hankering slightly for a more grounded realism, and for the painterly outdoors to have more 3D form over implied shape on simple flat planes). All told it's a decent pocket adventure though :)...

PROS:

• The melee feels chunky, and although it was never hugely challenging, having the higher-end enemies vary the speed of their attacks and order of their combos upped the interest and made it feel more like a face-off. Especially the way they'd lock their eyes to your weapon and flinch or alter their attack based on its approach, or try and psych you with fake attacks. Experimenting with dual wielding and giant pole-axes and the like was all fun, especially against the giant beasties, and the ranged stuff was solid.
  
  
• Atmosphere was actually pretty cool, considering how cartoony the art style was. Although I rarely thought I was going to get trounced by the mystical beasts, I often worried about what was hiding down the next misty corner.
  
  
• Playful interaction: They make decent use of some simple interactivity, such as the ability to set fire to almost everything. Makes the world feel like a more realised place. Simple acts like picking up a skull to find the gold coin naturally stashed beneath is all very freeform here too.

CONS:

• Length is still an obvious issue. Even at £10, having got 5 hours out of it via exploring every niche, it felt it had been padded out via the Arena setting of the second stage. Prior to that, despite some slightly shonky pathing and hint system (which really screamed 'lone dev'), it did at least feel like an adventure.
  
  
• Although the locomotion is functional (teleporting around, then investigating in 'roomscale'), it would have been more immersive to have some free-roaming options. [EDIT: Aha! He literally added that and climbing today :D]
  
  
• It feels pretty clear at points that this is the product of one dev. Passionate, but threadbare of necessity in places.

https://i.imgur.com/9MwDK5A.png

https://i.imgur.com/z4mveuh.png

(+)

Pollen Review: +++

https://i.imgur.com/MAd98HG.png

Really torn on the rating here, as the bulk of the experience was pretty -y for me, in an understated fashion, but it's definitely not a perfect game. Think my previous ponderings ([1], [2]) cover its main strengths and foibles. Perhaps it's a case of: Classical game components () + VR components placing you 'in' the scenario () = +++

It's the details that are the stars, from the character of the locations, to the layers slowly added to the relationships of the missing astronauts. If you're up for sifting through such things, in an eerie setting (if not a horrific one), then this could be the space walk for you. (If you just speed run the puzzles needed to advance you could probably burn through this in 2 hours though :/. I've somehow managed to potter around it for nearly 8 :D)

PROS:

• Solid hand crafting for the locations, ideal for poking around in VR. Along with some well executed audio that's essentially it. But it's a pretty cool it. Scenarios left in notes, tapes and sealed doorways...
• They included the 'point to move' locomotion system, which I find a ton more immersive than teleporting, and has none of the nausea of normal strafe & smooth turn motion etc. Regularly felt like I was genuinely there hopping over tumbled tables and shuffling through dusty interiors.

CONS:

• It definitely has some technical issues. I've had one crash, fallen through the floor to my death, and had entire ventilation shafts disappear on me.
• Initial load times are crazy. Stick it on an SSD if you've got one...
• Save points are a bit spaced out. Bit annoying if you want to save for the night.
• The story is ultimately eccentric.

Fair warnings: It goes properly 2001 by the end, don't expect a completely logical tying off of every line of inquiry. It's a journey-over-destination experience in that sense, although I did find the ending a mixture of tense and entertaining (even if it did feel that I'd been thwarted from pursuing a last few engineering heroics). The denouement is ultimately too budget-flambouyant for its own good, but putting my feet on the rungs of that final act, and approaching the final destinations, was amazingly tense in VR. Loved that aspect :)

https://i.imgur.com/Pqx8FFs.png

Holy crap I tried X Rebirth and I have no idea what I'm doing. I think this is some kind of defence drone that I've deployed...

https://i.imgur.com/3LH3pJP.png

But it could equally be one of the angry security guards that was trying to kill me. I may have shot some of the wrong things.

It's kinda pretty, in a painterly way. Helluva lot of menus to decipher tho...

https://i.imgur.com/aZZnKG1.png

There also seems to be a willowy woman guarding a pot plant in the back of the ship. I'm not sure what they're doing either.

THIS POST IS ABANDONED NOW. **UPDATED REVIEW PAGE HERE**


REVIEWS:

--SHOOTERS & BRAWLERS--

http://oi65.tinypic.com/qmysd3.jpg

SUPERHOT VR - Superhuman slow-mo super-antics. Short but pretty perfectly formed.

Robo Recall - Gaudy teleportation shooter, short-ish but slickly executed. It's future-90s cities felt like a place you were scudding through, but the focus was on the high octane gamery. [Rift Freebie]

GORN - Ludicrous arena melee-fest that deploys its cartoon hammers and bendy swords to great effect. [Early Access]

Onward - Arma-style 'realistic' mili shooter that really places you in the moment! [Early Access]

Hotdogs, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades -- - Ridiculously replete gun simulator sandbox with bonus zombie sausage scenarios. Even though it's more a suite of mechanics than a game it's surprisingly good. [Early Access]

Run of Mydan (+) - A short but pretty & trippy flying platform shooter which ends up like a duel inside a 1990s microchip [Early Access]


--SIMULATORS--

https://i.imgur.com/iUsLDTE.png

Elite Dangerous VR (+/-) - Flying a spaceship never felt so real! (Some queueing for parking required...)

Dirt Rally + - 'Dark Soulsian' offroader that shows no mercy in its starter disciplines, but rewards with deep challenges.


--TEAM SPORTS--

https://i.imgur.com/ykufxoq.png

Echo Arena - Challenging and super-slick Zero-G team frisbee, Ender's Game style... [Rift Freebie]


--ADVENTURE / PUZZLE / WALKING SIMS--

https://i.imgur.com/cZWEUN2.png

The Gallery - Episode 1: Call of the Starseed +++ - '80s adventure' with some neat tricks and touches, just ultimately light on puzzles and length.

Pollen +++ - Explore an abandoned space outpost in search of missing astronauts - Tactile, 70s-style, and not a little bit trippy by the end.


--ACTION ADVENTURES & RPGs--

https://i.imgur.com/Bt1tfXG.png

Vertigo ++ - Eccentric but pretty damn excellent 'escape the lab' adventure, with some stand out giant boss scenarios.

Vanishing Realms (+) - Satisfying melee and cartoony consistency make this dungeon crawler overcome it's short-ish length. [Early Access]

Edge of Nowhere - 3rd person linear Cthulu-horrors don't tick my boxes, but the art and swirls of storytelling raised this above its more monotonous mechanics.(+)



--PUZZLE GAMES--

https://i.imgur.com/cz7A1gL.jpg

XING: The Land Beyond -- - Super zen puzzler which sees you flipping environmental effects and pacing around various natural zones.

I Expect You To Die +++ - Giddy and gleeful physics puzzler, set in faux 60s Bond scenarios. Only let down by short content and some repetition mis-steps.

Form - - Evocative puzzler that is unfortunately all form and very little substance.


--SURVIVAL GAMES--

https://i1.wp.com/www.vivecraft.org/...YwME.png?w=650

Vivecraft -
Excellent mutation of the survival classic, featuring a huge suite of options, leading to some surreally immersive results. A ton better than the official version. [Free Mod]

Star Shelter ++ - Neat 'rogue lite' space scrounging simulator. Punishingly cruel at times, but has a certain something in its loops. [Early Access]


--PLATFORMERS--

https://i.imgur.com/vMd41qI.png

Herobound +++ - A pretty tight little combat/puzzle platformer, with some minor non-linear aspects. Gains almost nothing from being in VR, but hey it's 8hrs long and it's free. [Rift Freebie]


--EXPERIENCES--

https://i.imgur.com/4vvmHdS.png

First Contact - Just an exceptional and super-slickly designed intro to the tech. Highlights what's special but makes everything feel natural. [Rift Freebie]

Batman: Arkham VR - Super immersive, if super short, chance to don the bat cape and tangle with some dark Gotham dilemmas. On the light puzzle end, and more experience than game, but immersively good for all that.

Waltz of the Wizard + - Lovely free physics plaything, with the odd mini-narrative hidden in its playful folds... [Rift Freebie]

Google Earth ++ - The capture tech and motion freedom here can get pretty mind-blowing at points. Yes, it's blobby at human scale, and many bits of the earth are 'flat' scanned, but from flying like an eagle over natural formations, to settling in a favoured city dell, there's some strange joy here...

Interkosmos - Great little 'land the lander module' mini-adventure, featuring tongue-in-cheek Cold War stylings & audio story.

Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab +(+) - Too short, and slight on a gaming front, to even rate if it wasn't free. But as a demonstration of what full actor capture could do, and for slipping into the Blade Runner reboot neatly enough, it's definitely worth a reco. [Rift Freebie]

Aircar ++ - Another free super short experience, which is never-the-less properly epic. It's just a wonderfully rendered cityscape experience, which is immediately evocative of the original Blade Runner. [Free]

Mission:ISS - Another high class freebie, featuring solid zero G locomotion, the sci-steeped setting of the station, but what's genuinely glorious is the ability to space walk outside it all... [Rift Freebie]

Kismet +(+) - A slight but slickly-present collection of Tarot reading, Astrology, & a fun little board game from Ancient Ur... well worth a sale snag, if missing hand control.

Farlands + - Delightful alien locations mixed with deeply tedious gameplay. Worth a download for the initial transporting sections though. (Warning, includes chirpy robot guide...) [Rift Freebie]

Mythos of the World Axis - Super-short early proof of concept that makes your feel like you're controlling a tiny hero in a cavernous room of adventure...[Free]

Cycling Pathways to Mars + = ? - Buzz Aldrin in hologram form. Need I say more...? [Free]

The Body VR -- - A hint of what education VR could become, but not there yet. Some of the scale as you passed over and into the mechanisms and environments of the inner cells was pretty cool though. [Free]

---

REVIEW: GORN

Think of this as a first-person Gang Beasts for VR. It's experimentally Early Access, foolishly physics driven, and its secret sauce lies in its jelly-legged action...

https://j.gifs.com/Rg2AAV.gif

The sword and board of Vanishing Realms got me hankering for more meaty melee encounters. This may just be an arena wave affair with its tongue firmly in its cheek (until the tongue gets severed in some horrendous cartoon accident), but damn it is strangely engrossing :D

The ultraviolence is leavened by the sheer ludicrousness of your tiny-legged opponents and the actual tactical reactions required by their varied loadouts. It's hard to take a boss fight against a giant guy with tiny nunchucks that seriously... :D

https://i.imgur.com/tKINFTg.png

I mean ultimately the tactics normally involve kiting at least one opponent while you splang the armour off key areas of another one, or contrive to get a weapon that will help with that. But aspects like slow-mos after a successful block, the ability to target chinks in armour, and last ditch desperate shoves allow you to manage mobbings and bring some refinement to the chaos. (Thankfully the game also allows for 'point to move' motion, which is pretty fluid, and weirdly not unsettling to use with strafing in this environment).

The game is famous for damaging household fittings, and I've already given my keyboard a good bash. (If you're dealt a blow by an opponent you've got a tiny window to finish them off or you'll perish. Much windmilling and desperate lunging normally ensues ;))

I've tried most of the main weapons already, and can see most of the longevity will come from the core mechanics staying fun, as much as expanded content. Happy to it right now though, and call the £15 already well spent. It's sweaty cartoon escapism with some great little details. Plus any game where you can whittle an opponent's shield down to a stub, or accidentally backswipe your opponent clean out of the ring with a giant hammer, is alright by me :)

The updates are still coming strong, which is a good sign. The latest added a ton of content, including local Co-Op - although I'm damned if I'd risk standing near the whirling dervish in the headset :D

---
EDIT: Actually there's only been one update since Early Access started. But it was a big one :D. Some info here.

REVIEW: SUPERHOT VR

https://i.imgur.com/AnEHh2k.png

I've already pretty much covered this, because at heart it's what you'd expect: It's clean lines, black humour, and feeling like an absolute badass as you watch a bullet whistle just past your chest... (before limboing into what you like to think is a deadly Matrix-style response :D)

Yes, a core 'campaign' that's only a few hours long, for £15 or so quid, doesn't strike as great bang for buck. But **** it this stuff is art. Or at least, it looks incredibly striking with its red-on-white motifs and the set pieces feel focused yet creatively fluid in action ;). Once you've got a handle on the throwing mechanic you can improv your way out of many a scenario. You can go all puzzle-king, pausing the action and parsing out the best response. Or get your kung fu guru on and blindfire over one shoulder while doing the half splits and firing under your armpit with another :D. (Which frankly, while often ill-advised, feels absolutely amazing when you nail it and get rewarded with giant 3D SUPAHAWT salutations :))

The meta stuff felt more flavouresome than flat out awesome, but the framing kept things playful (if on the dour Polish end of play ;))

I'm not sure how many of the novelty 'end game' variants I'll play through, but revisiting the whole thing again on hard is definitely happening (suddenly item placements are much more vital, now hand melees aren't one shots any more, items only block one bullet, and guns only have one blast in the chamber...). Plus I'll definitely drop back into standard mode again just to feel like a badass ;)

REVIEW: Elite Dangerous VR (+/-)


I've written a bajillion things on Elite here, on its excellent aspects, and the tedium and grind you have to negotiate to enjoy them. But to just focus on the VR side, these posts probably sum it up [1], [2], [3]. Here's the 'first impressions' one:

The main things to bear in mind here are: The game isn't hugely accessible, and often requires a lot of keybind tinkering before you're comfortable. This can be a major pain with your head sealed in a helmet. Once you've got your head in the game it can also leave you flying a spaceship through deadspace for prolonged periods, with no access to the external tools many rely on to add content and diversion.

On the plus side, with a 'helmet' on your head, and a spaceship apparently all around you, a lot of these gameplay and convenience worries fade into the background. Because you're flying a fricking spaceship ;)

---

EDIT: Bonus... Elite Arena mode is just insane, close-flying, seat-of-your-pants, PvP-Star-Wars bliss :)

https://youtu.be/ksMgpyQz74c

Real Virtuality...

As part of my ongoing mission to translate the VR experience (and to totally kill everyone's bandwidth ;)) have some more 'Mixed Reality' gifs...

https://j.gifs.com/AnjBvl.gif
(via TribalInstinct)

https://j.gifs.com/Rg2WmO.gif
(via Barnacules Nerdgasm)

https://j.gifs.com/mwlBjR.gif
(via Weird Wizard Dave)

https://j.gifs.com/lOjJj5.gif
(via VoodooDE VRGaming)

https://j.gifs.com/66LnLn.gif
(via SweViver)

https://j.gifs.com/nZnDBY.gif
(via Get Good Gaming)

---

These are in-game captures auto-synched with green-screen footage. No real post editing used as a rule in streams like these. What you see is what the player does, just from a 3rd person perspective. (Explanation of the capture technique here (vid)).

They definitely communicate an aspect of the 'in-the-game-ness' at any rate. (If not the cardiovascular & psychological responses you get when your body buys that you're in that event ;))

Ok I've got a brainwashing drive, ahem, I mean Co-op evening coming up, so splashed on some of the asymmetric games out there:

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes (£3.29)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HIjkZvSzLw

Pretty famous game, but liking the idea of having actual hands to cut the wrong wire. Sticking the manual up on the 'mirror' screen saves on giant paper tomes too. Should be cool for handing around the headset after each death/success hopefully

Mass Exodus VR (£5)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoNrSMOlSGY

This looks cool. Essentially identical to the still in-dev Panoptic. Liking the 'Spy Party lite' potential etc.

---

Plus, the just-added ridiculous VR-vs version of Gorn :D

Gorn PvP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn8oHotd_r4

Can see this working if I set up the mirror on my tv screen (like welllll away from the whirling VR loon), and get the full 4 opponents to even things up :)

FIRST LOOK: FROM OTHER SUNS [BETA]

So I haven't played FTL, but in theory this is it in VR...

https://i.imgur.com/ORmATUS.png
^^enclicken for more screenies and thoughts^^

Things you can definitely do, and which seem good/promising, are:

• Raid randomised ships & stations with your randomised weapons (atmosphere and gunplay seem decent)
• Stalk around your own giant ship, repairing breaches & modules (or assigning your crew repair jobs from a map view).
• Upgrade your ship (although ship fights are static affairs, and there's no flight within systems generally).
• Be reborn as a surviving crew-member if you die.

Ultimately I suspect it's more streamlined than FTL, and it seems less deep than Pulsar Lost Colony on the ship management co-op. The atmosphere and core intents were solid though. If/when the price is right can definitely see myself getting it ultimately. The remaining questions are: How much mission variety is there? Will I find anyone to Co-op with?

If they added 'away missions' to cheesy 60s planets I'd be totally sold though :D

To space!

https://i.imgur.com/4PEcUlf.png

Bonus: Here's some fella playing a bit:

https://youtu.be/KkbGNga7RJg

Second Look: Echo Arena

Finally got my teeth into this, and it really is pretty damn slick. And riding a big old wave of potential. If you've ever wanted to live out Ender's Game fantasies (of cerebral Zero G sport, not annihilating alien races ;)), this is the place...

https://i.imgur.com/ykufxoq.png
Discussing tactics - click for more discussion & pix

I'm only at level 6, but I'm definitely seeing some depth in the gameplay that could give this real legs. The tactics and strategies being employed by regulars are pretty neat:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.enjin...ght_of_Way.gif

IE: Boosting off team mates, giving the ball carrier a boost-tow. (Hell, forming three-person kernels that can explode off in unpredictable directions... spitting out a defender to allow a human raft to smash their way through...). Stuff like that is definitely do-able.

Well... not by me yet. And THE BIG QUESTION is: Will it ever have the sustained player base it needs? The matchmaking was really struggling to sort out noobs and high end players, of which there was a fair split. (For some reason, at level 4, I got pitched against 3 more experienced guys. Not sure what the matchmaking is actually doing :D)

But hey, at least I didn't feel guilty about taking photos in that one ;)

https://i.imgur.com/9SFZYtY.png

That issue aside, on pure presentation and core mechanics alone, this is looking like a all day long. Need to get some more time in to completely confirm (and not smash my controls during heated and disorientated moments :D). And need to stop being terrible at throwing too. But I can get to the boost tubes now at the start, and cruise around tactical zones with more control... and when I do pull off an intercepting block, or provide an option for the pass, or make a last ditch save, it does feel damn good :)

EDIT: Worth noting the one big con of this game. You will hit bits of your house while disorientated about your real-life position. I've thumped my tabletop lamp 3x and the wall at least twice to date. No side effects to date (both the lamp and the controllers are tough), but definitely a downside.

---

EDIT: Possibly not the slickest intro to the game, but here's a look at the Lobby node, and some super noob action :D

https://youtu.be/3QitU8FG6Us

https://youtu.be/sOA2-aUMVYI

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

GORN'S BADGERMANCER UPDATE...


https://i.imgur.com/I4Eq0bP.png

This was the chunky update that convinced me to jump in. Gave the local multiplayer a go, annndddd, these are my thoughts :D

• Guiding a fighter with an Xbox controller feels a bit like Gang Beasts mixed with QWOP. I could do ninja leaps fairly reliably, but my jelly fighting skills will need some work.
  
• Messing with the parameters in Custom mode could be good. 4 players vs a VR giant should be fair right? :D
  
• I'm gonna mirror to my TV, as far as possible from the flailing VR viking! (Either that or buy everyone helmets...)

**More Pix**

Render Tokens: A blockchain currency for online rendering

I'm trying to fathom this prospective crypto-currency (and hell, blockchain finance generally :D). The short story seems to be: If it makes it, you'll be able to rent out your spare GPU capacity for online render work, getting paid in these 'Render Tokens' (RNDR). And indeed, use earned tokens to pay for increased GPU processing for your gaming, art production etc potentially.

I mean in principle I could see this working. I've donated my GPU downtime previously to calculate climate models using BOINC etc. That was relatively painless.

Some links for those who are intrigued, or who can bring more light to this topic:

• In-depth AMA with the CEO Jules Urbach
• Urbach biog / hagiography

I'm actually genuinely tempted to buy in for a small amount, if I can figure out how the hell you do that :D. Or (more likely) to at least use the service when it launches. Currently my thoughts are:

CONS:

• Blockchain ICOs are ten a penny and frequently scams or failures.
• Going by the 'biog' the OTOY outfit is a real guru-led affair, with Urbach being the lone leading light on whom everyone is betting.
• Some OTOY customers suggested in the AMA that they're dropping behind in the marketplace due to focusing on blueskies over their current product.

PROS:

• OTOY does seem to be an established company, running on the same principles, which has earned its cash doing specialist high end rendering (Transformers, the intro to WestWorld, etc). Hence they've a lot of Hollywood glitterati dumping cash on him.

General Speculation: What would they do with all that rendering power?

The basic potential of ramping up and 'outsourcing' GPU power is cool, if it works, and the output claims don't seem outlandish IE higher polygons, resolution, interactivity.

Beyond that, on a more 'futuristic' front, it seems one plan is to push aspects like '6 Degree of Freedom' point cloud vids. IE proper 3D video that can be further altered using CGI techniques, deployed straight into games, baked into super high quality fixed cinematic experiences etc.

https://youtu.be/EK3RaU6IPf4

And generally Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality are seen as key recipients of that extra oomph. If that all happens, I'm on board for some of that ;)

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

Had a great session of Echo Arena last night :). (Only smacked my lamp twice and kicked my cat once ;))

Here's a quick cruise around the Lobby, just showing how smooth the locomotion and interaction stuff is really. And then some intensely noob-ish examples of the gameplay :D

https://youtu.be/3QitU8FG6Us

https://youtu.be/sOA2-aUMVYI

HEADSET OVERVIEWS:

Great breakdown of the full range of headsets about to broaden the market here. Have pulled out the Microsoft models as they look the ones with the most potential to open up the market (slightly cheaper & more accessible, but still a decent VR experience, with head and hand tracking, not just phone-style non-positional stuff).

---

VERTIGO:

https://i.imgur.com/hB2uJdV.jpg

On a gaming front, the 'budget Half Life' that is Vertigo is proving properly grand :). The description has been pretty apt. (Well I'm guessing, as I never played the original HL. But certainly I'm escaping a lab, there's Portal-style tongue-in-cheekness aplenty, disturbing metal clanks in the background, and plenty of invention. Will write up a review when I'm done, 6 hours in so far...)

VERTIGO ++

https://i.imgur.com/mUQavs9.png


Quick Summary:

PROS

• Genuinely glorious boss battles. (Not revolutionary in terms of technical challenges, but in VR they felt really fresh and involving. Being suddenly 'confronted' with a monster can do that I guess ;))
• Some grand settings that would please a James Bond villain no end.
• Lashings of tongue in cheek humour
• Functioning physics to keep your hands busy. It's not that they're super functional, or hugely leveraged by the puzzles, but their absence would have hurt the world-building.
• Little touches like detailed imperfections and staining on glass, or disturbing noises in the distance, make the giant cartoon locations feel more like real places.

CONS:

• Some serious bugs (like not being able to use both hands on ladders, requiring a level reset, or being so blinded by some rogue glare that I couldn't see the puzzle at all, leaving me to prod blindly at space...) break up the flow, and occasionally left lingering doubts as to whether a puzzle is eccentric or actually broken.
• Communication is a mixed bag. (PSA: Your teleportation device can also slow down time. This is helpful for some puzzles. Being directly told it would have been helpful too ;))

REQUIREMENTS:

• Roomscale, with full rotation and tracking when hands low down.

https://i.imgur.com/Bt1tfXG.png


Vertiginous Wall of Words:

My first complete VR adventure! :) In flat-game terms it's still not the longest at 7+ hours, nor the most innovative with its 'escape the compromised lab' setting. Where it shines is in the scale and variety of its world, the mischievous details which give it colour, and the titanic punctuations brought about by the boss clashes. The core combat and puzzles just tide you over solidly while you sweat on the next major event. The naturalistic moveset also helped the sensation of actually being there. All round it was a properly enjoyable and involving jaunt :)

It sits in a particular sweet spot (for me) in terms of the mix of kinetic action, progression puzzles, and playful narrative-through-location. The 'end of level bosses' were really well implemented, often catching me on the hop and using scale and location really effectively. Cowering behind an item and firing at an eye on a stalk has never felt so fun :D

Caveats exist though. One is that the main dev was 15 when he started this. This both explains the way its a frothy love letter to a load of gaming archetypes, and also... why it has some really glaring bugs. Like some major major bugs on the Rift. But although they detracted from the experience and the flow at points, they were brief exceptions on balance. I genuinely had so much fun that they couldn't kill the buzz, or knock the overall score down exceedingly. The ending is eccentric, hell, the whole thing is eccentric, but the overall journey was grand :)

---


++


https://i.imgur.com/gjhf63K.png

Interkosmos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0eFXv6Eumg

I'm gonna call this an experience rather than a game, even though it has lots of neat interactive functions and a narrative running through the middle. It's really fun, and really evocative at points, just also really short. I got an hour out of it, but felt it well worth the £2.67 I spent on it.

Definitely the best 'land the landing module' scenario I've played (and there are many), elevated further by the reactive tongue-in-cheek audio story. It's a cartoony take on Cold War impasses for sure, but manages to add some extra tension to events.

I'd recommend playing it on Hard from the start. Figuring out where the hell everything is, and how it works, without visual guides (as seen in the vid above) is much more fun and immersive. (The save points are automatic and generous, and it's quick loading, so deaths aren't that punitive...)

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

Decent non-spoilery review of the 'real time' detective murder mystery game-xperience The Invisible Hours:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xp32GKt-zI

Definitely intrigued by this one. Seems like it's essentially Clue the VR game. 5 hours or so playtime if you follow every strand it seems, and decently immersive (if a bit mannequin-y). Won't be jumping at the £30 (!) launch price, but can see it in a sale for sure.

WISHLIST:

POSSIBLE LAUNCH BUY:

Star Shelter - Space survival build-a-thon. Waiting on a few reviews but looks pretty promising and replayable for the price point. [£10]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvr1YDR4Mmw


WORTH IT IN A SALE:

Narcosis - 4hr-ish 'walking sim' underwater semi-horror. Good atmosphere but trippy/fractured dialogue perhaps. Some say it's a slog until the second half, but end worth it. [£15]
Bomb U - Cheap, cheerful single & multi-player bomb throwing competition etc. The drop on losing is... impactful. [£5]
Infinity Fall - Lo-fi storified zero g parkour space shooter - Indie Lone Echo with guns? Vive only at mo though :/ [£11]

https://youtu.be/ahwHynvf1JQ

MOST ANTICIPATED NOVEMBER LAUNCHES:

Fallout 4 - Nov 12th - Vive only at launch [But should work in Rift with workarounds]

LA Noire - The VR Case Files - Nov 14th - Vive only at launch [But should work in Rift with workarounds]

From Other Suns - Nov 14th - AA rogue-lite - Can't quite compete with the above on potential grounds. Beta showed some promise.



OTHER INTERESTING UPCOMING:

Sprint Vector - high paced day glo parkour race? Can see some nice design elements in there that suggest this could have got high speed motion working...

https://youtu.be/0zhTMTxHpcQ

Talos Principle VR - Good conversion? It's a minor frustration that The Witness is unlikely to get a conversion apparently, as some of the puzzles are easily brute-forced in VR [in the game's current build at least]. Next best thing maybe... :/

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ROOMSCALE WITH A VIEW...

So back in Feb, 75% of VR users on Steam had a playspace at least 1.5mx2m

That seems insane to me. I am so fricking jealous of other people's houses...

(My space is calculated to be 1.2mx1.2m by Steam. Although in fairness I have set it really conservatively, like a foot in from the walls...)

First Look: Star Shelter ++

Here's me rambling around space looking at the core mechanics of the game. Hopefully gets across some of the flavour:

https://youtu.be/OvrXQA903jg

Very much Early Access, repelling me slightly with its inane bugs and innate rogue-like cruelty, but there's a solid core here. Feels worth the £10 entry fee for sure. The core conceit is that if you die you lose all your scrounged consumables, and any improvements to your suit, but your homebase keeps its improvements. So when you rock up as a fresh stranded astronaut you've got an an increasingly sparkly platform to sally out from...

I'll probably keep fortifying my base and hitting mission milestones until the next update wipe comes, then set it aside to flower in space for a fair while...

Early Access Rating: ++



Second Look: Run of Mydan (+)

Kinda agree with this vid on the whole...

https://youtu.be/1s6fImqJ4Zs

Pretty stunning environmentals and stonkingly large bosses elevate the slightly stilted 'control your platform' motion. The campaign was an hour of spoon-bending enjoyable oddity for the most part. The Arena looked pretty but it flattered to please with its invisible walls in front of fun formations (which would have been cool to duck and dive around) and the waves of bots didn't hold me.

Hard to rate as I got it for <£1 in a bundle. Not really sure it's worth £15 in it's current state, longevity and online wise, but for now...

Early Access Rating: (+)

Oculus Connect 4 - Keynote Summary:
^^subliminal Facebook colour scheme^^

*Vid of the full thing*


The Big Announcement:

The $400 price-drop is now permanent :)


Software Improvements:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvP_RI_S-bw

• The 'Dash' dashboard allows for multi-app use in Home (Minority Report style 3D desktopping). The coolest aspect is that you can open up stuff like browsers or vids as 3D items within games and other apps though. (So I could have my music player as a floating panel in Elite or whatever). [48mins+]
  
  
• 'Multiview' can 'boost' framerate up to 30fps by reducing load on CPU. (Only confirmed for one Gear game initially, but assuming this will be rolled out more broadly. Could be good news for min spec & general performance etc). [58mins+]

Hardware:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RlPZ_EGIv4

• The 'Santa Cruz': Wireless, with inside-out tracking. '6 degrees of freedom' gaming on the go, potentially, although not high end gaming, as it's relying on onboard CPU/GPU. 4 cameras means it should have better controller detection than the Windows models just released etc. Will start hitting dev hands in 2018.
  
  
• The 'Go' is a '3 degrees of freedom' portable all-in-one device that's essentially a mobile phone headset with the 'phone' built in.

Game Announcements:

Kinda slim and cryptic pickings in terms of big exclusives. On the AAA front, it's good that Ubisoft are still working on their zero-G shooter, that Respawn are working on something CoD-ish for 2019 by the sound of it, and that Ready At Dawn are adding guns to the Echo Arena franchise & a sequel to Lone Echo. A campaign coming to their mainly forgotten mage-PvPer The Unspoken looks a tad hopeful though. Barely a teaser to muster all told tho...

On the more AA and Indie front:

A Blade Runner freebie drops on Thurs.
The talk is that it's both terrible (as a game) & wonderful (as a tech demo of '3D video people').

https://youtu.be/2DrPe_z6KmI

Red Matter - AA narrative puzzle/adventure game:

https://youtu.be/FVbuJftvfuE

So no big depth charges here then.

This is probably one of my biggest gaming punts ever, but hell, I knew I was going to do it :D

https://i.imgur.com/MrPzI3F.png

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jspdtha3t1k

The GreenManGaming 15% off, plus that 10% stackable took the pre-order down to £30. In hard-nosed terms that means I sneak it in for this payday, and cover my inevitable LA Noire purchase with the next ;). (Plus I'm guessing there's unlikely to be comparable price drop for 6 months after launch, unless it completely bombs... :D)

Reasons it's a silly punt? Well hell...

• It's a Vive exclusive. I own a Rift. (Although almost all games work on all the kits these days, just with slightly bewildering keybindings and other annoyances as a rule).
• It's a giant open world game, and more importantly, a Beth game. It will be a jankfest at launch, and a beast to run generally. With my 970/i5 only just sneaking into the 'recommended' tier, the odds of me even running it with any degree of pretty at launch are slim.
• Hands ons have been very very mixed. (Although there's a claim floating around that the demo is a pretty old build, but that doesn't mean the newer builds have fixed all the issues ;))

But ach, yeah, I was always gonna take the punt :D. That much content is something no bespoke game has had time to lay out for the ravening VR crowd...

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A mix of user previews to date:

A mainly positive take from a dedicated Beth modder [11:40]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gViTJNGeV0

Big ole laundry list of mightily mixed player previews here and here

In Other News:

Gallery Episode 2 - Heart of the Emberstone looks like a solid must-buy-at-some-point....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GAJ4krEetU

They've supposedly expanded the gameplay time and the puzzle ratio, so the bang for buck should be ok at £22. But I'm pretty stacked up on the puzzle & walking sim front (Xing, Herobound, Solus Project), so will be letting this one simmer.

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Some of the Lone Echo devs had a vague idea of programming for hands because they'd hacked together their own PowerGloves back in the 90s (3m24s) :D

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I forgot that Fallout 4 got pushed back from early November to early December. D'oh! :/

Snagged Breach It (£3.50) as I fancied some manual clip loading and grenades with pull-able pins. Add destructible walls a la Rainbow Siege 6, and it's pretty fun for a barebones Early Access :)

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.n...2D080A8F99272/

I spent most of my time baffling bots with my snipy pistol and lump hammer, making various bespoke holes in their chipboard home. There's a nice spread of tools available as attackers. (Can see how police shield + semtex would be a good pairing in a team...).

In the meantime, the AI are not the brightest...

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.n...6AF5455ECE6A1/

The few rounds I did get with other players were fairly incompetent. (I blew myself up while trying to understand grenades :D). But can definitely see some promise here, with defence all about the strategic reinforcing and positioning, and offence all about those surprise entry points...

Wish Upon a Car (Or: How Cool Would Open Worlds with Hand Steering Be?)

Fricking cool is the answer, I reckon :D. This initial LA Noire tease got me really hankering for it...

And this GTA-style mock-up...

https://youtu.be/gd3ZNsODZ6s

The idea of moving easily (hopefully :D) from foot movement to car, in a big Rockstar-style open world, smashing around in the semi-arcadey driving model, then smashing or rocking your way out onto the mean streets again. Could be potentially pretty seamless, and extra immersive as a result. (Then there's all the little bonuses like being able to one-hand cruise, maybe while shooting out the window, or grabbing people's hats, or opening the door to take out a dog you've been hired to dispatch...)

In the meantime it seems I could hack my way into racing games...

https://youtu.be/lb0zGBVwN4Y

But I reckon it'd be the transition between a 'walking world' to driving within that world that could be really compelling here.

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On the plus side, it seems the guys making the Half Life 2 mod are planning to have hand-driven hovercrafts :)

A Classic VR Conundrum: Something For The Weekend...

So I could have bought this new release: Skyworld (£23). A pretty full fat title with lashings of presentational panache. It's even got a 'launch reduction' (down from a slightly more heart-stopping £30).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN20mKCMEe8

An RTS-lite, sitting somewhere between Civ Revolutions and Clash of the Clans, it does look fun. But limited content fun, just with some delicious presentation. (Most reviews are already saying: 'Nail your iron mine and you're golden, maps don't change the strategy...' :/).

So instead, I bought this! Deism (£6).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df1XpPYIpAs

An indie 'open world' twist on the God game. Sure it's not that innovative to have a VR gamer be a man in the sky, but hey, no one's nailed the formula yet, and this looks worth the price of entry... or at least feels like a lower risk if it ends up only being only a few hours of fun :/

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The take homes are probably familiar...

• The are plenty of high end releases around, but their bang for buck is poor
• Indie experiments feel like better returns on the entertainment front
• A premium title with premium content & longevity really would be lovely...

(I shouldn't complain really, I've got some pretty varied titles on rotation depending on my mood. But it's probably because I don't have one big full fat game to sink my teeth into that I'm rotating EA and indie quite so much ;))

Re: The VR Conundrum
 

Somethings from the weekend...

Echo Arena laid on some ludicrously lush Halloween toys for the lobby...

https://i.imgur.com/HfX8Vw3.png

This is a tiny, remote-controlled, voiced model which I'm holding in my hand. If she'd been animated too I would have completely lost my **** :D. Steering her little broomstick around and watching people get transfixed and chase after her was great :). (Again, really really hard to describe just how freaking convincing these things are in the high-end graphics games...)

Fun as the matches were, it felt wise to stop playing after a while though. Mainly after one guy punched his own floor. Twice. And then we all heard the distinct sound of breaking glass from someone else's mike. Game is dangerous! :D

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Breach It! Is pretty damn cool when it works. All the weapon physics, destructibility and eccentric human tactics come together well. Being able to punch handy holes in any wall with a mallet, and blind fire for low impact hits straight through the wooden walls are neat dynamics.

Mainly though... it doesn't work at all :D

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.n...ED8AA8331FA17/

Spent a large part of today's game being marched off the edge of the map to my death by unknown forces...

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Deisim is super cute. Much more of a zen sim than an outright game...

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.n...69203428B75F2/

I mean yeah you do defend your evolving villages from heretics, and heal the odd disaster (and visit the odd one yourself), but these challenges are very languidly spaced out. The main passtimes include throwing looping seed shots onto new tiles (this is strangely satisfying) to spread the map in ways that encourage village growth, and then occasionally picking up a house to snag the heretic hiding under it ;). (Supposedly it gets a bit more grandiose once the map gets too big for you to micro-manage, with whole heretic villages forming etc).

So I couldn't resist splashing out further this weekend. I went for the worst-named game of all time:

Hotdogs, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

Or H3 to its aficionados ;). And what you're getting for your £15 is primarily just: A stupidly in-depth gun simulator... The guy has absolutely gone to town on making a huge spread of working replicas...

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.n...B4E9F4264B185/

Like with this 6-shooter you shake the bullets free, and then snap the cylinder back into place with a wrist flick having fed it with bullets. There's no safety here (but lord knows there are on other guns, and fire-rate switches, and breaches to be loaded and such...). Every cinematic clunk-click of battle prep is represented in full, and feels strangely kinetically cool to do, in most cases. (Screw the 1850s breach-loading pistols tho :D)

As a Brit who has no exposure to the real thing this was all strangely educational. And doing things like flip loading old-school rifles like Arnie in T2 didn't hurt either ;). I literally didn't leave the initial shooting range for hours, playing with everything from mini guns to matches...

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.n...4FE1B9D228665/

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The actual game-modes are mainly a mix of destructive physics puzzles and 'clear the room' style bot-fests. It's pretty clear the dev has just been amusing himself rather than constructing a hugely coherent game ;). It's strangely fun for all that though: Toying with loadouts and slapping weapons onto your chest before storming a hostage situation (the hostages are rabbit statues, and you have a choice of enemies, from stationary targets to rogue robots) for example...

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.n...A4FAEE7E308AE/

Scaling the tight bespoke race course that requires parkour and calm shooting; taking on the daft 'West World' style wild west zone. (Honestly this was a bit annoying, but the thought was there, and working up through the historical guns was cool). And I haven't even got to the hotdog-zombie scenario yet. (Of course that exists...)

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Even though at its heart it's a physics sandbox first and foremost, as this vid amply demonstrates...

https://youtu.be/z96TwW1NSUI

I'm going to class it as a shooter and give it a -- though, coz I had that much fun in my first 4 hours :D. (DISCLAIMER: I fricking love a good sandbox, so alongside the more delineated game-modes I'm definitely getting my bang for buck here. Others expecting a more coherent game experience, even for £15, may be more disappointed. Worth noting I'm also weighing in just how active the dev has been, and expecting him to keep adding content and game mode additions...)

EDIT: The ongoing dev is definitely a thing :)

First Look: Onward

The latest update convinced me this was worth the full £20 asking price. The fact that they were adding some co-op 'get to the chopper' maps was cool, alongside the Arma-style online action it's more renowned for. But actually it was the little innovations - like checking the pulse on a revivable comrade - that convinced me it was going to keep developing in interesting ways...

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.n...F6BE94350158A/


'In the game' intricacies:

Continuing with my guilty gun fetish, this game totally layers on the involved clunk-and-click mechanisms. Loading the big suppression guns involves grabbing the ammo and feeding it into place before clacking many gun parts together. Stuff that might seem ludicrous, but reloading in the heat of the action, hunkered down behind some sandbags, is actually pretty cool.

Despite the game looking notably gash, the sense of place given by things like reaching to your shoulder to radio info to your squad, or actually stabbing your downed mate with your magic syringe, or running faster if you lower your gun, all really adds up. Pragmatically speaking the scrubby maps make up for their lack of looks with scale too, allowing for a ton of flanking and squad cover and the like.

Solo Missions, Co-Op Escapism and Online opiates...

I spent a happy hour or so in the offline modes just learning some of the guns and playing with some of the solo modes. (Surviving against 6 AI in the 'Hunter' mode looks like it might actually be distracting fun on its own for a bit. Had the most success sneaking around with a silenced sniper kit on an open map). But online squad play is definitely the star. Despite the cautious 'realism' approach, and some downtime during death (staring at birds flying over black and white brutalist Iraq...), the rounds are still only 5 minutes or so as a rule and I was immediately on that heroin feed of 'one... more... game...' :D

Provisional score:

EDIT:

Ok I finally won a Hunter round, me vs 6 'Normal' AI. I was proving a bit too impatient to pull off a full daytime sniper round. Spent my outfitting points on a silenced mid-range rifle and night vision instead... Had to do it with ironsights, but night vision vs mainly torches was kinda weighted in my favour ultimately ;)

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.n...DBF455EB044DE/