oculus rift

Low-poly puzzles restore light to a dark world in a new game

Virtual reality is still in its early days, and being young, has a lot of issues that need ironing out. But sometimes developers can’t pinpoint everything, which is why the vast majority of developers are releasing games on Steam Early Access—to crowdsource Quality Assurance testing, in a way—before

Diesel Power drives back to the golden age of arcade racers

We’ve seen so many games in virtual reality: shooters, simulators, hotdog crossbow slingers, among dozens more. Though one genre, at least for the most part, has been notably absent from the technology that boasts ‘immersion’ and ‘innovation’: the arcade game. Whether they’re the ones people would l

Mare will use your gaze to guide a lost girl through mystical ruins

On June 3rd, 2016, a little over a week before E3 2016 began, Visiontrick Media quite boldly announced a new game. Called Mare, it’s to be the studio’s first virtual reality game, one that places an emphasis on exploration and the player’s senses. In the announcement post, Visiontrick noted that the

The broken promise of virtual reality

This is a preview of an article you can read on our new website dedicated to virtual reality, Versions. /// You don’t need a fancy games writer to tell you how few VR games are trickling out into the world these days. A quick perusal of the 2016 release calendar can give you that. Once the luster fa

How virtual reality reinvents party games

This article is part of a collaboration with iQ by Intel. Though virtual reality can be an immersive, solitary experience, multiplayer games are bringing people together for a new kind of group fun. With all the enthusiasm and excitement surrounding virtual reality (VR) games this year, it makes sen

Everything’s (not) alright on the VR front, apparently

On the occasion of CES, the annual “consumer” electronics extravaganza in Las Vegas, murmurs started to be heard about whether virtual reality headsets were all that useful, particularly at the prices at which they are being sold. Better late than never. CNN, however, is here to distract from the do

How virtual reality will push PCs to their limit

This article is part of a collaboration with iQ by Intel. Today, almost everyone can access entertainment on their PCs, consoles, tablets and smartphones. Anyone eager to own a new virtual reality headset, however, must first find out if their trusty computer is up to the task. Oculus released its c

Download an artist’s psychedelic trip by stepping into Ixian Gate

With the invention of the internet and smartphones, many people now have the ability to pull a knowledge box out of their pocket and look at almost any great work of art at a moment’s notice. Remarkably convenient as this is, there’s still something to be said for going to a museum in person.  When

Time Magazine might not get virtual reality, but The New Yorker does

Watching traditional media outlets like Time scramble to try and wrap their minds around something like virtual reality is, well, kinda adorable. Don’t get me wrong: for all the patronizing smugness we feel about knowing a bit more about emerging technologies (since we’re, you know, a videogame arts

Virtual reality may be coming to the courtroom

Most people do not want to be picked for jury duty. You have to take time off work. You’re made to sit around for hours. Wouldn’t it be better if jury duty consisted of exploring Link’s childhood village from Ocarina of Time in virtual reality?  Jury duty is unlikely to ever boil down to playing vid