VR Isn’t Dying Or Dead - It Is Uncomfortable Though

Today I went to put on my headset after a long day of work. Since most of my work, such as writing articles like these, consists of sitting down and typing on a keyboard, I figured it would be nice to actually move my body while I enjoyed a video game and unwound.

For those with more sedentary jobs and lives, this is one of the big appeals of Virtual Reality gaming. After a long day of sitting it’s a very entertaining way to do a little moving whether or not you’re aiming to do a full workout. While normally this would be great, today it wasn’t.

Maybe it was the aggressive amount of work I did that day, but I just could not get the Meta Quest 3 headset to sit comfortably on my head. This is despite upgrading from the default headstrap to the Elite Strap. Honestly, the headset feels almost unusable for more than thirty minutes without the elite strap and I think that it should come with one by default, but that’s only part of the problem.

What bothered me more was the weight of it, despite the Meta Quest 3 being slimmer than the Quest 2, it is still about as heavy. Sure the weight sits closer to your face so it feels lighter, but the weight of the device is apparent despite it being packaged more comfortably.

Regardless of the improvements made in Virtual Reality head mounted display technology, it’s still a big hunk of stuff strapped to your face, and the fact that you need to strap it in place, even if those straps are well-designed and comfortable, means that there’s going to be pressure on your head from the weight of the device.

So today I quickly got a headache and discarded the headset after about fifteen minutes, a real shame. I really wanted to have some fun in Virtual Reality while I got off my butt and limbered up a little. Going out for a run instead was still good for the fresh air, but I would rather have been punching robots to bits or ducking and weaving while blasting through waves of enemies.

Here’s a screenshot from UNDERDOGS just for fun

It was a real shame, and it was clear that the weight of the headset was just bothering me that day as it sometimes does. It did make me think though.

I realized that a lot of people probably feel the same way all of the time, but something keeps them away from the headset. Whether it’s motion sickness, or possibly just being too tired to want to move around after a day of more physical labor, there are tons of VR headsets gathering dust in closets for many reasons.

I think a chief one is the weight of the headset. It’s no secret that Virtual Reality headset sales have been down since last year. I’ve heard a lot of stories from people who love VR, yet the headset sits unused. A big part of this is that strapping a machine to your face is just uncomfortable. That doesn’t mean VR is dying, there are still so many people, myself included, who will use it forever for a number of reasons.

I love VR, but even I sometimes opt not to hop back into it because it’s hard to be entirely comfortable with the big HMD on your face, and that also cuts into the immersion of many experiences. Even the Apple Vision Pro, a headset designed to be worn constantly and comfortably, has been seeing an alarmingly high number of returns not only due to motion sickness but also due to wearing it giving people headaches.

There’s only so far ergonomics can go. Before mass adoption is possible Virtual Reality headsets need to be lighter and easier to wear. Right now the weight of the headset cuts down on how often even dedicated Virtual Reality users will utilize it.

Maybe it’s time to save up for a Bigscreen Beyond.

Top 7 Racing Games For Free On The Oculus Quest 2 and 3

So you own an Oculus Quest 2 or Oculus Quest 3 and want to play a fun VR racing game… but you don’t have a bunch of cash to spare to buy one.

Well don’t worry because there are plenty of free VR racing games that you can enjoy that are available on the Oculus App Store! There are more available on SideQuest, but we won’t include them here as they have a tendency to not be as fleshed out as those in the store.

Anyway if you want Oculus Quest 2 racing games for free you’ve come to the right place. Here are the best free VR racing games you can find on the Quest.

V-Speedway - A Solid VR Racing Game That Puts You In The Driver’s Seat

The V-Speedway Logo - This free Virtual Reality racing game absolutely nails the feeling of VR racing

If there is one free VR racing game that I’ll recommend to you more than any other it’s V-Speedway. It’s a simple game and doesn’t have a ton of replayability or features, though who can complain because it costs nothing, but this free VR driving game does nail the feeling of driving in Virtual Reality.

Instead of using a joystick to steer your car, you use your VR hands to grip the steering wheel and turn it to steer, like you’re actually driving a car! You can also optionally use the shifter on your car manually as well. All of your mirrors actually work, and you get to race AI drivers on a variety of maps.

Though these maps are pretty straightforward, just different lengths of track with varying turns, and while the AI has multiple difficulty modes there isn’t anything like powerups or abilities to really excite the back and forth of racing. Just good solid driving will get you the win in V-Speeway, and it is a very hard game on higher difficulty levels.

If you want a free VR driving game that makes you feel completely like you’re in the cockpit of your race car then look no further than V-Speedway. It is a fantastic VR racing game and like every other one on this list, it is free!

Racemaker VR - A Free VR Driving Game Where You Make The Track

The Racemaker VR Logo - Now you can build your own race tracks and drive on them in Virtual Reality

Racemaker VR doesn’t just have you drive, it also lets you build your own racetrack to zoom through. In this VR racing game for the Oculus Quest 2 and 3 your imagination and creativity are as much a part of every race as your ability to drive is.

While building your race track is a ton of fun, so is the driving, in this game you aren’t just limited to how well you can drive, but also to how you employ the numerous abilities and powerups that you can find along the track as you go. Though the powerups are few and can get old quickly as they are repeated very often.

While it is lacking in some comfort options for those who get motion sickness easily, Racemaker VR has a fantastic track builder and a fun and easy to grasp racing style. Oh, and like every other game on this list, it is completely free!

Slowp - A Fun And Unique Free VR Snowboarding Game

The Slowp Logo - A very unique VR snowboarding game

Slowp is a free Virtual Reality racing game that doesn’t have you racing cars, or bikes, or any sort of motor vehicle. Actually, in this game, you'll be racing with a snowboard.

As a free VR snowboarding game, Slowp is sort of simplistic at the moment and does feel sort of like an indie project, but it does stand out significantly from its flatscreen counterparts through the unique way that you control your snowboard. Instead of using a joystick or buttons to control the front and tail of the board you control them with your hands via your touch controllers.

So if you want to point the front of the snowboard to the left you move your front hand to the left, and to really shred you can move your back hand to the right at the same time to turn the whole board at once. You can do tricks after jumping off of a ramp by moving your hands as well, and the entire VR racing experience of Slowp is really transformed by its innovative use of VR hand controls.

So if you want a snowboarding VR game that really puts the “Virtual Reality” in Virtual Reality snowboarding, give Slowp a try. Competing to bet your best time, and the times of other players is very addictive.

Downhill Bike - A Free VR Biking Game

The Downhill Bike Logo - A free VR dirt bike game

If you want a free VR biking game or a free VR mountain biking game then Downhill Bike is it.

In this VR racing game, you’re a person on a bike, and you’ve got to carefully control your handlebars to pedal to the finish line through a variety of courses as quickly as possible. The controls for the handlebars can be a bit challenging without physical handlebars to grab onto, and this method of controlling a bike in Virtual Reality can be a bit hard and frustrating to grasp.

The physics feels a little floaty, and while the controls are easy to get the hang of using, they are very difficult to master. This is actually a good thing, because there’s not a huge variety between the tracks, and the gameplay boils down to just trying to get to the end as quickly as possible without many interesting obstacles in the way.

While it has got some problems, Downhill Bike is currently the only free VR dirt bike game out there, and it does do most of what it sets out to do pretty competently. It is still free after all, so why not give it a try?

Touring Karts - VR Kart Racing For Free

The Touring Karts Logo - It’s like free VR Mario Kart and is all around a great VR free racing game

If you want a free sort of but not quite Mario Kart VR type of experience for your free VR racing game, then give Touring Karts a look.

This free VR driving game has been around for a while and is far more polished than most others on this list, with the debatable exception of V-Speedway. It features different customizable Karts to try and experiment with, but the most interesting thing about this game is the tracks. Each track is varied and contains a ton of items and powerups to use. Each map also has environmental obstacles and helpers like ramps that give you a significant speed boost to launch you into the air.

Touring Karts also features a number of fantastic comfort options. The one area it falters is that controlling the steering wheel can sometimes feel awkward, and you must always have at least one hand on the wheel at all times. So when you physically move both hands away from the wheel it can end up with you awkwardly veering off of the track.

I highly recommend you try Touring Karts because not only is it pretty polished (despite a few bugs here and there) it also has multiplayer! Of all these free Virtual Reality driving games, this is the only one with true multiplayer where you can race directly against your opponents and hinder them with items and abilities. Oh, and as always Touring Karts is completely free!

Oh, there is also a paid “Pro” version of the game, but you don’t have to pay to get a ton of Touring Karts content.

TrailBouncer - Basketball And VR Racing In One

The TrailBouncer Logo - It’s like a VR basketball game mixed with a VR racing game

TrailBouncer is a very unique free VR racing game for the Oculus Quest 2 and 3 in that you’re not really racing anything that you could race in real life.

Instead of driving a car or a bike or anything like that you race in TrailBouncer by using a ball. This is an extremely cool idea that only really works in Virtual Reality because this VR racing game has you speeding up, jumping, and steering by using your physical hands with your tracked controllers to bounce, hit, and rotate a ball of energy in front of you.

TrailBouncer takes some learning to wrap your head around, but the unique concept works so well for Virtual Reality that I really suggest you give it a try to see for yourself just to find out what can be accomplished with a Virtual Reality game that couldn’t possibly be done on a flat screen. It’s sort of like dribbling a basketball… but the dribbling controls your movement and you move really fast.

Oh, and it looks really good, especially for a free Meta Quest game, so if you want to experience a hint of what might be the future of VR racing games give TrailBouncer a try.

Dart Racer Demo - Futuristic VR Racing For Free

The Dart Racer Logo - A futuristic free VR racing game

Okay, so this final free VR racing game is actually a demo for a racing game that, at the time of writing, is still in development. Still, don’t let that turn you off from giving this VR free driving experience a try.

In Dart Racer, you’re racing a futuristic floating contraption, a lot like the podracers from Star Wars. Many of the levels even take place within rocky canyons, just like in Star Wars, and the game gives you some options to customize your racing vehicle.

Of course, content is still limited as the game is an early access demo, but Dart Racer is very solid, and avoids the pitfalls of awkward controls that a lot of other Virtual Reality racing games, free or paid, fall into. So if you want a futuristic racing experience, for free, try out the Dart Racer VR demo.

That’s all for this list of fantastic free Virtual Reality racing and driving games. From cars to bikes to snowboards, there are a lot of options for racing in Virtual Reality even if you don’t want to spend a dime. No matter what caught your eye on this list, enjoy your free VR racing games.

Answered - How Do You Spawn Enemies In Blade And Sorcery?

Wondering how to spawn enemies in the fantastic VR sandbox fighting game Blade & Sorcery? Well look no further. This article will show you how to spawn enemies in Blade and Sorcery.

Spawning enemies in Blade and Sorcery, whether you’re playing it on PCVR or the standalone version for Meta Quest 2 and 3 called Blade and Sorcery: Nomad is quite easy. So here’s the answer to the question: “How do you spawn enemies in Blade and Sorcery?”

You may also be interested in:

• How To Use the Blade and Sorcery Controls

• All The Awesome Blade And Sorcery Maps

• All Armor in Blade and Sorcery: Nomad and How to Equip It

The Answer

The quick answer is: In each sandbox map there is a book, and you can spawn enemies from that book. It will always sit on top of a stone pedestal, and will sometimes be near where you spawn, but not always. Just look for the book and use it to spawn enemies. It’s usually near the book that spawns weapons as well, but again not always. For an easy example go to the Market map and the book is right in front of where you spawn to the right of the steps.

The book you spawn enemies from in the Market Map in Blade and Sorcery Nomad

If you want a more in depth explanation then here’s one.

To spawn enemies in Blade and Sorcery you’ll first need to go to a level in the Sandbox mode.

You start the game in your house, and you can go up to the map board on the wall next to the weapon rack and point at the “Travel Map” icon on it with a hand and then pull the trigger on that hand’s controller to be teleported to the travel map.

The travel map in your house in Blade and Sorcery

Or you can just go outside and walk down to the beach. The map is right next to the boat. There’s a path leading down to it through the rocks.

The path to the travel map outside your house in Blade and Sorcery Nomad

Once you’re at the travel map select the area you want to go to. This is as easy as pointing your hand at it and pulling trigger, just like using the map inside of your house.

Once you’ve selected a map take a look to the right side of the map screen and make sure that Sandbox mode is selected. Not all maps in Blade & Sorcery have Sandbox mode available. If you’re wondering which do then consult the list of maps. You can select which game mode the map will load in with the arrows on the board.

Once you’re ready hit the travel button and load in.

Selecting a map and putting it in Sandbox mode in Blade and Sorcery

In this example we’re looking at the market map. Each map will have the pedestal with the book that spawns enemies located in a different place. So if you don’t see it from where you spawn look around until you find it.

On the market map the pedestal will be right in front of you to the right of the steps.

The book that you spawn enemies from in the Market Map in Blade and Sorcery Nomad

Just walk up to it and you can spawn enemies in Blade and Sorcery by just selecting something from the book! Easy. That’s how to spawn enemies in Blade and Sorcery.

The book will also show you how many enemies will spawn on the right hand page. Enjoy!

You may also be interested in:

• How To Use the Blade and Sorcery Controls

• All The Awesome Blade And Sorcery Maps

• All Armor in Blade and Sorcery: Nomad and How to Equip It

This book is how to spawn enemies in Blade and Sorcery

The First VR Headset - The Sword Of Damocles and The Virtual Boy

Virtual Reality has actually been around in one form or another much longer than you might think.

VR is often viewed as a more recent technological breakthrough with huge advances in consumer headsets like the original Oculus Rift, Valve Index, and HTC Vive. Not to mention more recent breakthroughs in standalone VR headsets (those that don’t need to be plugged into a PC to work) in the Meta Quest and Pico.

Despite the popularity and consumer availability of VR headsets skyrocketing so recently in the last decade, Virtual Reality technology has actually been around since the 1960s with the first VR headset… The Sword Of Damocles.

The First VR Headset - The Sword Of Damocles Or Rather The Stereoscopic-Television Apparatus for Individual Use (or Head Mounted Display)

You read that title right, while the “first VR headset” is commonly known as the “Sword Of Damocles” in reference to the biblical story in which a ruler lives beneath a swinging sword that may fall at any moment over their thrown, this prototype Virtual Reality device wasn’t actually called that.

According to the inventor credited with the creation of this device, Ivan Sutherland, the proper name of it was actually “Stereoscopic-Television Apparatus for Individual Use” or the “Head Mounted Display”. It was created way back in 1968.

Some old photos of the “Sword Of Damocles” Head Mounted Display. The first VR headset.

This name can be linked to a common term for VR headsets, which is Head Mounted Display or HMD. A very scientific sounding name, since any VR headset is, in essence, a display of two screens mounted on the head of the user.

The Sword of Damocles's name might also originate from the fact that this early VR prototype was suspended from the ceiling, and each user had to be strapped into it so that they wouldn’t move too far and escape the device. Surely a far cry from today’s VR headsets that are completely self contained and stay attached to your head until you purposefully take them off.

The field of view was merely 40 degrees, and since computers of the time had such limited processing power the first Head Mounted Display showed only wireframes and basic geometric shapes.

This innovation was derived from the head tracked camera displays being developed for helicopters. The difference here being that what the user saw was rendered by a computer rather than cameras.

While a far cry from today’s VR devices, the Head Mounted Display is far and wide attributed to being the first VR headset in that it was the first device ever to display a 3D environment generated by a computer to a user with a stereoscopic view by using a display over each eye. Each of these displays show the same environment from a slightly different angle to simulate depth perception like your actual eyes do in the real world.

For more about the first VR headset check out this Forbes interview with Ivan Sutherland.

Of course, a very select few students and professors could actually access the Head Mounted Display, and so despite the innovation it represented, it wasn’t really the first VR headset that was commercially available or usable by the public. So what was?

The First VR Headset Anybody Could Own - The Virtual Boy

Of course, the lack of access to the original Head Mounted Display for anyone except a select few makes it kind of dubious to call it the first VR headset because it was more of a prototype than a product.

The honor of the first mass market VR headset is widely attributed to the Virtual Boy. This was the first mass market console that could display stereoscopic 3D graphics into a gamer’s eyes.

The Virtual Boy. The first VR headset to be available to consumers.

Released to the public in 1995, the Virtual Boy was the first VR head mounted display available to the average consumer, though for a hefty price (about 370$ in today’s money). The Virtual Boy didn’t sell well, less than a million units overall, and to this day is much sought after by vintage game collectors for this reason.

That being said the Virtual Boy might have been before its time. It married a lot of the parts and features you might find in a Virtual Reality headset today with those of a gaming console you might find today.

The Virtual Boy had no hand controls, but rather a controller that also powered the headset itself, which was meant to be used not attached to your head, but on a stand on a table in front of you. Just like a modern VR headset, there was a face cover on the front of the Virtual Boy to keep external light out of your eyes. You could even change the distance between the two displays that simulate your “eyes” with a slider, just like a modern headset.

The graphics of the Virtual Boy were way behind that of the original Head Mounted Display, though they’re still pretty bad by today’s standards, and are also all in black and red monochrome.

This is what a game in the Virtual Boy looks like. Very red.

This was all to keep the costs of producing the headset down. There were also few games available for it, and the public reception was very poor. This is attributed partially to how the VR headset was marketed, but mostly that it was considered very uncomfortable to use. The stand of the headset was not very adjustable and so it was hard to use it without having to hunch over uncomfortably. Eye strain was also common due to the low resolution and red color of the rendered graphics.

Despite this, the Virtual Boy is widely considered simply ahead of its time and the first VR headset to hit store shelves. While SEGA had earlier attempted to create a VR game console like the Virtual Boy, they never made it to market. So Nintendo gets the dubious honor having the first VR headset to be commercially available and also to commercially fail.

The Virtual Boy was discontinued in 1995, the same year it was released.

Thanks for reading. While the “Sword Of Damocles” Head Mounted Display is the first VR headset ever, the Virtual Boy is the first VR headset that anybody could buy and use, for a year at least, and so both of these pieces of technology have gone down in history as true innovators of their times.

CONVRGENCE VR Early Access Review

Here's a tragic story. Once upon a time, there was a little VR game called called Paradox Of Hope. An ambitious shooter made entirely by one person. It felt like a real passion project, a little rough around the edges, but with unique assets and a setting and gameplay not found anywhere else in the realm of Virtual Reality gaming.

The frightening feeling of the post apocalyptic underground was unmatched. Updates were consistent and over time it got better and better, less rough, my optimism and excitement for this game only went higher. Paradox Of Hope was called "Metro in VR" by so many for its underground metro tunnel setting and generally oppressive slavic vibes.

Then, suddenly, it was gone. Destroyed by a DMCA strike from an unnamed company, shortly afterwards an official Metro VR game was announced.

Metro VR was announced shortly after Paradox Of Hope was hit with a DMCA strike.

Now I'm no conspiracy theorist, but it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to see a connection here, though the source of the strike was never confirmed. Anyway, that's history, because the one person developing Paradox Of Hope, known as NikZ, has just released a new VR game into early access on Steam, called CONVRGENCE.

New Game, Same Dev

Now I'll be honest, I'm inclined to be a little more charitable to this game than usual because of what happened to this man. He had to create a whole new game just because a larger studio couldn't stand a little honest competition from one dev making a project by themselves. Not to mention I've still got plenty of Paradox Of Hope nostalgia that's been waiting for an outlet, and oh boy did CONVRGENCE give an outlet.

This game is a lot like Paradox Of Hope, and despite being pretty rough around the edges and having a new setting that (hopefully) won't result in legal action, still slaps.

Ambushing an enemy in CONVRGENCE.

So what do you do in CONVRGENCE? Mostly you collect stuff to sell, buy stuff, and use that stuff to avoid getting killed while you collect more stuff. It's a surprisingly entertaining system.

You've got a home base to store items and do your trading. You get tasks to complete to upgrade your trader level to be able to purchase better gear. Oh, and you can also clean your weapons, refill your water so you don't die of dehydration, eat some food so you don't die of hunger, pet your dog (more on that later), and add modifications to your guns.

Adding a laser module to a pistol in CONVRGENCE.

You can also smoke a ton of cigarettes if that's the vibe you're going for. As far as I know, there's no cancer mechanic in this game, which is good because cigarettes actually not the most cancerous thing you'll run across while you're raiding. There are anomalous artifacts as well that are highly radioactive.

I say raiding because that's how the game is structured. Once you're ready to hop over to your car and have a fun interactive driving loading scene until the procedurally generated level is created.

Each level is loaded while you drive this car in CONVRGENCE. A nice touch.

Then you fight and loot your way through until you find an extract and stand next to it for a few seconds. Then you're back in the base, sell your stuff, buy whatever you want or need. Rinse and repeat. Oh, and if you do die you lose everything, unless you have insurance, then you lose everything except for what's in your backpack.

Nothing in your backpack is ever safe.

The mutants are very deadly if you wake them up.

There are multiple different location types to go and raid with different enemies, dangers, and surroundings, and overall I'd say the gameplay loop is solid. It's very similar to Paradox Of Hope's Raid Mode, though unfortunately there's no story mode in CONVRGENCE.

That means this game does rely heavily on procedural generation, so it does have the downside of seeming a little repetitive once you've raided a location type a lot. You'll notice patterns, especially now that this game hasn't been around for long. I think like a lot of procedurally generated games with this problem it will become a lot less apparent when more possibilities are added for generation.

Right now there just aren't a whole lot of map pieces that can be picked, and enemies don't really patrol or do anything other than wait around until you get close to them. So, I think with some updates the amount of possibilities will become greater, and so the game will stay interesting for longer. As it is I became very tired of both of the level types after around 3 and a half hours of play.

There are multiple levels to explore in CONVRGENCE.

The Garage Collective didn’t pose a challenge at all after I got used to it, and the Underground levels are more of a stealth than a combat challenge, so right now they're really just an exercise in patience.

Why? Well because if you wake up any of these absolutely horrifying looking demon creatures, then all of them wake up, and it's not going to be a good time for you. I doubt it's even possible to win fighting five of these at the same time.

A humanoid mutant in CONVRGENCE.

The Best Dog In VR Gaming

Speaking of possibilities there are a ton of different guns to unlock and buy, but your most important companion and weapon will be your dog. Yep, look at that good boy.

This big guy is probably the best dog ever implemented in a Virtual Reality Game.

Look at that good boy.

You can pet him, whistle at him to tell him to attack enemies, and also sometimes he pees, which is hilarious. Oh, and your dog can also dig up items from time to time.

He also functions as an early warning system, growling when he senses an enemy nearby and is ready to attack. I'm honestly not sure why the dog is in this game. The constant companionship makes the whole atmosphere a lot less tense, especially coupled with the fact that enemies won't surprise you because the dog will point them out even if you don't hear or see them.

You can always choose not to bring the dog if you don't want to though... but it's kind of hard to give up the advantage of having them.

So I love the dog, but I'm not exactly sure if he's the best fit for this game. Still, I'd like to see CONVRGENCE come a little further along before I really manage to say no to this adorable mug. Still, I don't think I've ever seen a friendly dog in an environment as openly hostile looking as that in this game.

You can pet the dog, and they are very helpful.

Even outside of the underground labyrinths, the sound of gunshots is very common, and so is the chatter on your radio directing various units to fight to the death. There's stuff floating in the air and some notes I've found talk about aliens and mutants of terrifying caliber. The feeling of CONVRGENCE is bleak.

Now keep in mind CONVRGENCE is in early access, and so a ton of enemies, locations, and features are yet to be implemented, and there are a fair amount of bugs and jank to be overcome. If NikZ's track record is anything like it was with Paradox Of Hope though, we'll definitely be seeing a lot of fixes, expansions, and improvements coming to CONVRGENCE.

Hopefully to the combat more than anything, the combat is kind of janky. The enemies are all stiff and unrealistic looking as they switch between animation states and hardly seem to react to the dog biting their crotch. It's early access. You know the drill, but I'm optimistic it will get better.

Fighting a bandit with the dog in CONVRGENCE.

If you're interested in picking up this game it's 19.99$ on Steam, and you'd be supporting a solo indie VR developer with a good track record and terrible legal luck.

If warm and fuzzies aren't enough to get you to fork over 20 dollars, and I wouldn't blame you if they weren't, then I'd recommend waiting to pick this game up, but definitely wishlist it. This is a Virtual Reality game to watch. There have already been several dev diaries posted to the store page, and major updates will be included in an article here, at Realty Remake. Enjoy!