Oculus Rift DK2: Kôna
Travel back in time with me to 1970 Quebec as I drive trucks, search for clues, and tip over Ski-Doos in Kôna, a first-person survival adventure game that can be played with the Oculus Rift.
Download the demo at its (successfully funded) Kickstarter.
Kôna is made by Parabole.
A screencap of Kôna's controls.
Oculus Rift DK2: The Matrix VR
Join me as I see just how deep the rabbit hole goes in The Matrix VR, an Oculus Rift demo that allows you to experience select key moments from the original film. Check the timestamps below to jump to the different gameplay segments available.
The Construct - 1:33
The Jump Program - 4:33
Rooftop BulletTime Dodge - 12:11
The Final Hallway - 15:12
The Matrix VR is made by Tipatat Chennavasin, Eric Beyhl, and Jon Dadley.
Oculus Rift DK2: Star Hill VR
Explore a faithful recreation of Star Hill from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars in this Oculus Rift DK2 demo from Peter Valencia.
I added footage from the original Star Hill after the credits so you can compare them yourself.
Oculus Rift DK2: Mining Mike
Mining Mike is an endless runner from developer Rift Away (Cyber Space, Chilling Space) for the Oculus Rift. Let's see how far I can get this mine cart before crashing!
Here are my impressions I wrote on NeoGAF:
I also tried out Mining Mike. It's made by Rift Away, the same developer who made Chilling Space and Cyber Space, and has recently been updated for the DK2. It's an endless runner where you guide a mine cart as far as you can without crashing. You can play it in either first or third-person view, though I prefer the former. You can also collect coins to gain a double jump ability. My high score is 919.
Oculus Rift DK2: Proton Pulse
From ZeroTransform, the developers of Vanguard V, Proton Pulse is a first-person Breakout-like game developed specifically for virtual reality, and it's some of the most fun I've had with the Oculus Rift yet.
Here are my impressions I wrote on NeoGAF:
I finally checked out ZeroTransform's Proton Pulse. The developer made an updated version of it and released it as a way to help advertise their Vanguard V Kickstarter, which didn't meet its goal. The best way to describe it is it's a first-person VR version of Breakout. You control the paddle with your head movement to bounce the ball back to destroy the bricks. You also get power-ups like lasers to help you out. It took me about 20 minutes to play through the whole thing. It has a great soundtrack and I'm looking forward to the full version of the game. Proton Pulse is a good showcase of taking a familiar concept like a Breakout clone and designing it specifically for VR. It's simple, but I was engaged the entire time.
I just checked out the Vanguard V site and the link to the latest version of Proton Pulse isn't available right now. It seems they are now raising funds via other means for Vanguard V.
Oculus Rift DK2: Vanguard V
From the makers of Proton Pulse comes Vanguard V, a third-person rail shooter designed specifically for virtual reality.
Get the demo at their Kickstarter.
Here are my impressions I wrote on NeoGAF:
I also finally checked out Vanguard V, a third-person rail shooter designed specifically with virtual reality in mind. It reminds me of Rez/Child of Eden in some ways. You use the Oculus Rift headset to aim your reticule over targets and fire while trying to dodge objects and attacks yourself. I like the look and music, and the gameplay, menus, and text input are handled well. The same developer made Proton Pulse, and they've shown an understanding of how to design systems specifically with VR in mind. I hope they continue making projects.
The game's Kickstarter ends in 38 hours. It doesn't look like it'll be reaching its goal, but you can acquire the demo by making a donation. I donated $8 myself, but you can donate just $1 to get a link to the demo. It'll take a little bit to get your download link emailed to you, but I think it's definitely worth checking out.
Oculus Rift DK2: That Booty
Watch as I ski and observe dat ass while trying not to crash in Andrew Clark's "That Booty" demo for the Oculus Rift DK2. Stupid sexy Flanders!
Hitting the "Space" key should restart the demo after crossing the finish line.
Here are my impressions I wrote on NeoGAF:
I checked out That Booty earlier today. Like Ninja Discount Warehouse, you control the game solely with the headset. It's a skiing game where you try and reach the finish line in the shortest time possible while dodging various obstacles. Lean forward to go fast, lean back to go slower, and lean left/right to dodge. It's simple and is only worth a few minutes of play, but there was enough there for me to try and get my time lower. I was too busy looking at dat ass to really do too well, however.
My only real problem with the demo is that I couldn't figure out how to restart it without completely exiting. The ski run is pretty short, so having to exit out and restart the demo was a little annoying. Let me know if you play it and I just missed something.
Edit: Talked to the developer. Hitting the space key should restart the demo. I must have only tried it when I was having recording issues with the Rift.
Oculus Rift DK2: Resistance - a stealth VR demo
I take a look at Resistance - a stealth VR demo and fail miserably. If only I had a cardboard box with an Australian model on it.
Here are my impressions I wrote on NeoGAF:
I also played Resistance - a stealth VR demo the other day. You have to locate and hack servers while avoiding detection from guards and cameras. A green line on the ground points you in the general direction you need to go, but that's the only assistance you'll get. I found the demo to be too difficult to be very enjoyable or make any real progress. When you fail you won't always be clear on how, and there's a lot of trial-and-error as you test the limitations on what you can get away with, figure out how far guards can see, etc. I liked peeking around corners and the concept of a first-person stealth game in VR, but it needs a lot of work and more information on what you're doing wrong to be much fun. I played the demo before recording, but after a while I wanted to see what I could get away with and how much running I could do before getting chased down. The developer says it can be completed in less than 15 minutes, so maybe someone else will be better at it than I am and actually finish it.
Another issue with the demo is that after a little while it would start to judder and there would be a delay in my movement and when I saw it on screen. Only exiting the demo completely and going back in fixed it.
Oculus Rift DK2: Ninja Discount Warehouse
Watch me get whiplash as I hurl barrels at ninjas using only the power of telekinesis and my neck.
Here are my impressions I wrote on NeoGAF:
I played a demo earlier called Ninja Discount Warehouse that was just released yesterday. It was made as part of the Valve VR jam a few months ago by William Manning and Eli Gorman. Using only the Oculus Rift, you jerk your head down to pick up barrels, and then jerk your head either left or right to throw those barrels at incoming ninjas. It's an interesting demo that uses only the motion sensors in the headset itself, though I don't think I would want to play something like that for too long as there is a small gap between my nose and the headset, so whenever I jerk my head quickly the headset will hit my nose and it'll hurt a little. It worked a lot better than I would expect, however. It's more fun when you start picking up as many objects as you can before flinging them all in one, massive push. I recommend checking it out briefly for the novelty of doing these actions with just your head.