VR: Celebs Rumors

NME, actor Lucy Liu and director Eloise Singer have discussed bringing notorious Chinese pirate Chen Shih to life in VR game The Pirate Queen: A Forgotten Legend.Set in 19th-century China, The Pirate Queen: A Forgotten Legend follows Chen Shih – a real-world pirate who commanded hundreds of ships – on the night she rose to power.Chatting to NME from New York, Singer shared that she felt “compelled” to share Shih’s story upon realising that it wasn’t very well-known.“When I first discovered more about Chen Shih’s story, I was fascinated,” said Singer, pointing to Shih leading 70,000 men in the lead-up to the Opium Wars. “She [also] created a code of laws that meant men and women had to be treated equally on her ship, which was phenomenal.”Originally a courtesan, Chen Shih took control over a large confederation of pirates when her husband fell overboard.

Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR in a new deep dive video.Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR features the memories of Assassins Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Connor, and Kassandra as the player steps into the shoes of an undercover Abstergo hacker trying to prevent the company from rewriting history through these profiles.In the three different periods and locations, players will complete their objectives with the tenets of the series, parkour and stealth. Creative director David Votypka walked through how the movement mechanic has been translated into virtual reality with 360-degree navigation.

PowerWash Simulator is on its way to virtual reality this year thanks to nDreams‘ port for the Meta Quest 2 and 3.The announcement trailer for PowerWash Simulator VR showed off its new tool belt feature that holds the different nozzles for players on the fly. Additionally, the progress is tracked on a wristband with a display and “quick settings” tab to swap between stances to clean every inch of the house, van, or skateboard park.

Far Cry has been transformed into a virtual reality version of the classic first-person shooter, thanks to the efforts of three developers.Holger “cabalistic” Frydrych, devsnd and praydog have been working on the mod for a little over a month, improving on aspects like visible hands, quick saves, cutscenes, weapon handling and more. Check it out in action below.As well as being free to download and install, the instructions are very simple to understand for Steam VR and Oculus Touch, and it only requires a copy of the original Far Cry to play.

VR support and motion controls to Holy Wow’s Trombone Champ, describing the project as a “silly meme mod for a silly meme game.”Created by Raicuparta, a modder who specialises in making games VR-compatible, BaboonVR allows fans to play rhythm game Trombone Champ using any “OpenVR-compatible VR headset.”Raicuparta describes BaboonVR as “a silly meme mod for a silly meme game,” and outlines that “the game screen is shown as a projection in front of you, while you use your hands to control the trombone.”Although the BaboonVR will be released as a free open source mod when it’s finished, Raicuparta is currently charging £1.86 ($2) for early access to the mod, which is currently listed on itch.io. However, the modder warns that “game-breaking bugs are expected” at this stage in development.Raicuparta has shared a video of Trombone Champ being played in VR, which you can watch below.Trombone Champ by @HolyWowStudios is even more immersive in VR.

Sony has said he believes indie developers have been “waiting for this next VR boom” as the company prepares to launch its PlayStation VR 2 headset.The PSVR2 is due out early 2023 and speaking at GI Live 2022 earlier this week, PlayStation’s head of independent developer initiative Shuhei Yoshida spoke about what the new headset will offer (via VGC).“There are big games like Horizon: Call of the Mountain and Resident Evil Village and yes, they’re amazing, but it’s the indies, in my mind, that really take the risk because they want to make games on VR,” he said before adding that “indies have been waiting for this next VR boom.”He went on to say how “the VR market is small. It’s still growing thanks to Meta doing a great job promoting the Quest, so more people are coming into trying VR for the first time, but still, compared to console gaming, it’s a subset and a growing market.”Speaking to NME last year, Bithell Games’ Nic Tringali said he believes studios are “only just scratching the surface of what VR can do.”“There are so many different experiences being made possible right now.

VRChat is being review-bombed on Steam following the introduction of Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) into the game.The addition of the anti-cheat system to VRChat was announced in a developer blog on July 25. The reasoning given by the VRChat team was as follows.“Modified clients” are a large problem for VRChat in a variety of ways.

Post Malone is set to showcase his new album in a virtual reality concert for Meta.The 40-minute concert film, Twelve Carat Toothache: A VR Experience, will premiere in Venues within Horizon Worlds, a free online virtual reality app accessible via Meta Quest headsets. The show will also be aired via Malone’s Facebook and Instagram.Speaking to Billboard, the ‘Rockstar’ singer said: “What really appealed to me was Meta being a great partner and allowing us to go absolutely nuts to create some of the most epic shit ever.

Polyarc, has sat down with NME to discuss the studio’s upcoming VR game, Moss: Book 2.Now that Polyarc has confirmed that Moss: Book 2 is set to launch on March 31, the team has been able to share a bit more on what it’s been working on.In a preview of the game viewed by members of the press, the game was revealed to be a fair bit less linear than its predecessor, and – in Metroidvania fashion – some areas will require items gained later in the game to access.On the decision to open up the world of Moss a bit more, Stiksma shared that “this was a big goal for us. We know that the world in Moss One was very much “I can go to this chapter, play this chapter,” and that’s it.

Polyarc has announced that VR title Moss: Book 2 will launch in just a few weeks, meaning fans won’t have long to wait before picking up Quill’s tale once again.Today (March 17) it was revealed that Moss: Book 2 will launch on March 31.A sequel to VR adventure game Moss: Book 1, the second game will follow a mouse named Quill as she tries to overthrow the Arcane and save the world.The game will launch on PS4 and PS5, however since it’s a VR title, a suitable headset will be required to play.Ahead of launch, NME was able to sit down with Polyarc’s Josh Stiksma, the game’s principle engineer and design director, to discuss what fans can expect from the sequel.According to Stiksma, Moss: Book 2 will be less linear than the first game, and players will be encouraged to return to previous areas they have explored to unlock new routes.The game will also include “quite a lot of environments to explore”, which Stiksma shared would include “a lot of variation” for players to find.Stiksma also added that Moss: Book 2 was a chance for the team at Polyarc to build upon certain things it liked about the first game.“We wanted to have more varied types of interactions as you go through the game, and then one of the things we really wanted to do is try to tell a bit more of the story in the world versus just strictly in the book,” explained Stiksma.

Liam Gallagher has admitted that he “stacked it” while playing a The Simpsons game on his Oculus Quest 2 VR headset.READ MORE: Liam Gallagher swaggers towards summer with new Dave Grohl-featuring song ‘Everything’s Electric’Last year, Gallagher fell out of a helicopter after his headline set at the Isle of Wight festival, with the singer sustaining multiple injuries and cancelling gigs as a result.In a new interview with Absolute Radio, Gallagher has said that he “nearly had an accident the other night (that was) worse than the helicopter.”Talking about playing on his Oculus Quest 2, Gallagher said: “I’m in The Simpsons thing, you’re in The Simpsons shop selling people food and stuff and all of a sudden, I’ve got right into it and there’s a counter and I’ve lent on the counter to have a little chat with a dude, and I’ve stacked it. Nearly smashed my face in again on the island.

In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats, an interactive VR experience based on the Acid House movement, is to launch in Coventry later this year.READ MORE: The best VR games you can play in 2022The exhibition invites “audiences to go in search of an illegal rave, one night in Coventry in 1989. From poster-strewn bedrooms to pirate radio stations, police headquarters to secret warehouses, you’ll step-into the shoes of rave culture pioneers as you go in search of the party.”In Pursuit Of Repetitive Beats is “in an immersive exhibition and explorable virtual world set in Coventry.

virtual reality release of Capcom’s horror classic Resident Evil 4 is getting a significant update that aims to enhance movement and comfort settings on Meta Quest 2 – formerly known as Oculus Quest 2.Developed by Capcom and Armature Studio, the VR remake of one of Resident Evil’s finest instalments was well-received when it launched in October 2021. Now, an entry on the Quest Blog details that Resident Evil 4 VR’s first post-launch update “has overhauled mobility and comfort settings in response to player feedback, and has enhanced gameplay to give players more options.”These enhancements include “new controller-directional movement” so that players can steer walking direction with their hand, the option to switch the dominant analogue stick movement hand, “which is a big boon for left-handed players”, and height adjustment settings.“Additionally, there are new accessibility settings for adjusting waist and chest holder positions,” the announcement continues, “as well as an option for changing the colour of the laser sight on weapons.”Other minor changes include more reloading settings, fixes for known issues affecting saving, and “other optimisations that enhance various facets of the experience”.Although the update brings no new gameplay content, it seems to lay the groundwork for the upcoming The Mercenaries mode, which was announced in November 2021.

Resident Evil 4 VR’s The Mercenaries mode has leaked, confirming it will release for free next year.Over the weekend (November 20), the trailer for Resident Evil 4 VR The Mercenaries was reportedly uploaded to the Oculus YouTube channel ahead of its scheduled release time but was set to private before more eyes could see it.However, thanks to Biohazard Declassified, the trailer was quickly recovered and posted to YouTube, showing new gameplay as well as confirming The Mercenaries mode will be arriving in 2022 as a “free update” on the Meta Quest 2 (thanks, PC Gamer).You can check out the trailer below:Mercenaries is a popular mode in the Resident Evil franchise, having made an appearance multiple times throughout the series, after debuting

Skyrim modder and neuroscience PhD student Marius Klug has created a VR mod that measures your brain’s function to decide the power of magic attacks.The mod works in tandem with the Muse 2, a device that measures brain activity to aid in meditation. However, it doesn’t fit perfectly under the VR headset.

Oculus, has raised his concerns over hasty pushes to create the metaverse – immersive online worlds merging VR and AR technologies.It’s a view that may be at odds with that of Oculus’ parent company Facebook, which rebranded as “Meta” on October 28, part of a move to switch from being a social media company to “building the metaverse”.

Facebook Connect 2021 has revealed that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas VR is coming to Oculus Quest 2 in the future.Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement at the event, which was then confirmed by an Oculus blog post.

Transformers Beyond Reality, a new VR game based on the robots in disguise, is coming to PSVR and SteamVR this winter.The game, which was announced as Hasbro Pulse Con, a virtual press conference where brands like Star Wars, Power Rangers and Ghostbusters show off new products, is set to launch later this year.A brief teaser trailer was shown, during which the player can be seen behind the wheel (legs?) of a Transformer as other famous bots battle in front of them.

HTC has announced a new VR headset in the Vive family. The Vive Flow is a semi-standalone headset designed for video.HTC’s new headset is finally here, but it isn’t designed for gaming.

Facebook from the Oculus Quest 2, meaning outages like the one experienced earlier this week won’t affect the VR headset.Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp were all down earlier this week, disrupting work and communication for many. The service failure also had the knock-on effect of making VR games on the Oculus Quest 2 completely unplayable, as the headset requires users to log in to a Facebook account to access the titles.The Oculus is a £300 piece of equipment, but it becomes little more than a paper weight when Facebook is down.

Squid Game, one of Netflix‘s most popular series of all time, in VR thanks for a fan made version of the show’s Red Light, Green Light challenge.READ MORE: ‘Squid Game’ review: child’s play turns deadly in a cutting critique of late-stage capitalismIn the show, hundreds of debt-ridden contests compete in death games against each other in the hopes of winning a life changing sum of money. The challenge Red Light, Green Light, similar to playground game Grandma’s footsteps in the UK, has now been re-created in VR thanks to the Soaring Roc Studio developer behind Let’s Go Chopping.In the show, and the game, contestants must move towards a disturbing mannequin after it calls Green Light.

Panzer Dragoon VR shared that the game was cancelled due to the death of its producer, though the claim has been disputed as false.As reported by VCG, a now-deleted tweet from the Panzer Dragoon VR account said:“Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record has been cancelled due to the cancellation of the contract by Sega and the death of the producer, Haruto Waranabe, CEO of Wildman Inc. Thank you for your support.”This tweet was posted in English and Japanese, though both were deleted just a few hours later.VCG report that multiple friends of Watanabe disputed claims of his death, with one stating “I went to the Wildman office and can confirm he’s safe.

HTC has issued a series of cryptic tweets, teasing an upcoming announcement.The tweets, which use the hashtag #gowiththeflow, link to the main Vive.com homepage, which reveals an event planned for 4pm BST on October 14.10.14.21 https://t.co/IBS7Xa9yll #gowiththeflow pic.twitter.com/TaidAkicJo— HTC VIVE (@htcvive) September 27, 2021HTC Vive released two new products to its line of gaming headsets in June 2021. The Vive Pro 2 and the Vive Focus 3 both cater to the higher end of the VR market, offering a wide field of view and high resolution which aligns with their high end price point.