This year’s Oculus Connect conference, OC6, had a bunch of new VR games and features to show off, from social MMOs to big-name VR shooters. For anyone saying that VR doesn’t have its killer app yet, these could well be the games to prove them wrong.
There weren’t any big hardware announcements for VR headsets, and so the focus from Oculus right now is all about the software.
Make sure you check out all the other news we covered from the conference, including Oculus CTO John Carmack’s views on 5G in the VR industry, and a new way for Oculus Quest headsets to play games from the higher-spec Rift library. But for the best new VR games that were announced, read on below.
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond
We knew Respawn was making a VR game for Oculus, but we certainly didn't expect this. Taking a break from giant mechs and Apex Legends combat for a WWII setting, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond sees the famed developer bringing the long-standing Medal of Honor franchise into the world of VR.
You’ll spend as much time reloading as shooting given efforts to accurately recreate the experience of a WWII soldier without modern machinery. But, having played through the tutorial and one of the initial levels, we can tell you the shooting mechanics are on-point, with enough adrenaline to make it feel distinctly like a Respawn game, even if it inevitably doesn’t aim as high as with its big-budget console games.
Release date: 2020
Vader Immortal: Episode II
There’s no shortage of Star Wars content to be digging into, with the end of the Skywalker trilogy on the horizon and the new Mandalorian TV show launching with Disney Plus this year. But Oculus Connect also marked the unveiling and immediate launch of Vader Immortal: Episode II.
Following on from the original game, which put you in the shoes of an apprentice to Darth Vader, the new title sees your mentor teaching you how to use the force alongside your lightsaber skills – and is now available for download on the Oculus store.
Release date: available
Facebook Horizon
Facebook Horizon is the next step for the social media platform’s VR ambitions, in a journey that started with Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus back in 2014. Horizon is a social MMO for the Oculus platform, with expressive avatars and various creation tools to help you shape the world you’re in. It will replace the Facebook Rooms and Facebook Spaces apps the company had previously been pushing.
Will we get sucked in and never want to leave, like the VR world in Ready Player One, or will it feel like too much bother? We’ll find out more when the beta launches sometime in 2020.
Beat Saber
Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for…The Panic! At The Disco Music Pack is landing in Beat Saber next week! @PanicAtTheDisco pic.twitter.com/wUbY9xdhH0September 25, 2019
Ok, so, this isn’t a new game, but Oculus Connect had plenty of new updates for the frantic neon lightsaber rhythm game. The 360-degree play mode will officially be launching for all users in December 2019, and there’s also going to be a third add-on music pack with songs from Panic! At The Disco landing in the coming days, joining the existing packs for the bands Imagine Dragons and Monstercat.
- Check out the cheapest Oculus Rift prices to get you started
