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Meta taps US, UK universities to test VR in education, creates digital twin ‘metaversities’ in Europe

As part of an ongoing effort to embed virtual reality (VR) in education, Meta has launched a new partnership with a slew of universities in the U.S. and U.K., designed to provide feedback on a new product that Meta hopes will finally make VR just a little more mainstream. The new Meta for Education beta […]

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The First $100 You Should Spend on Meta Quest Games

Quest 3S launches on October 15th, letting you dive into some of the best free games and experiences out there on the cheap, as well as a ton of paid Quest content built up over the years. Whether you’re into active games, puzzles, or just want to slice or shoot the ever-living crap out of something, we’re here to help you settle into your new headset with a few games that should keep you playing for hundreds of hours yet to come.

Note: This list includes only Quest-native games. Don’t forget that you can also play PC games with Quest Link, Air Link, or Valve’s Steam Link, and of course a VR-ready PC. Find out if your PC is ready for Link.

This list is a great starting point if you’re looking to burn pretty close to a single Benjamin, with each genre section featuring some tried-and-true games for cardio freaks, shooter fans, puzzle nerds, fantasy swordplay geeks, and much more. Click through each category, or pick and mix using the legend below:

Multiplayer Shooting Madness

Zero Caliber 2 – $28

While Zero Caliber 2 packs in an eight-hour single player campaign, not only can you play in four-player co-op, but also classic multiplayer game modes with up to 10 players. It looks (and plays) amazing on Quest 3.

‘Zero Caliber 2’ on Quest

Pavlov Shack – $20

After a long stint in free early access, Pavlov Shack brings a torrent of awesome features, making it truly worthy of its $20 price tag. Including 65 realistic weapons, you can team up in a 5v5 match of classic Search and Destroy, uncover traitors in a casual murder mystery, monster hunt in an asymmetrical 1 vs. 9 game mode. Operate vehicles in a 4v4 WWII match to defend Stalingrad, and hundreds of community made mods.

‘Pavlov Shack’ on Quest

Breachers – $30

In Breachers, you plan your assault or orchestrate your defense as a team through intense close-quarters combat. Whether you play as an enforcer or a revolter, master your nifty gadgetry, customize your powerful weaponry and beat your opponents in stunning environments. Intuitive to grasp. Endlessly playable. Basically Counter-Strike.

‘Breachers’ on Quest

Ghosts of Tabor – $20

Ghosts of Tabor is an extraction-based game with both PVP and PVE survival where you will have to use your wits, skills and resources to survive. Inspired by games such as Escape from Tarkov and Day Z, the game features a variety of scenarios from scavenging, looting to crafting. Make your safehouse your own by building your personal collection weapons and gear to display in your armory.

‘Ghosts of Tabor’ on Quest

Into Black – $25

This is another strong single player game that just so happens to make everything more fun with the addition of four-player co-op, essentially replicating a lot of the action of Deep Rock Galatic in VR. Mine the caves. Shoot the many-legged beasties, and try to repair your ship to get the hell out (and back in again, because it’s so fun).

‘Into Black’ on Quest

Continue on Page 2: Single Player Shooters»

The post The First $100 You Should Spend on Meta Quest Games appeared first on Road to VR.

Mixed Reality Arena Shooter ‘Spatial Ops’ Launches on Quest Next Month

Resolution Games announced that Spatial Ops, the studio’s multiplayer mixed reality shooter currently in beta, is heading for full launch on Quest next month.

Update (October 14th, 2024): Spatial Ops is now headed for full launch on Quest 2/3/Pro on November 14th, priced at $20 ($15 for pre-orders).

Alongside multiplayer shooting, the game also features a two-hour Campaign Mode for some story-based wave shooting action. A separate Campaign Edition for Pico 4 headsets with Campaign Mode is also launching on November 14th.

The original article announcing its release window follows below:

Original Article (June 26th, 2024): Spatial Ops lets you turn any physical space big enough for mixed reality play into a virtual battlefield, replete with barriers and a host of weapons, such as Tommy guns, revolvers, shotguns, scoped rifles, rocket launchers, grenades, and a riot shield—making it feel more than a bit like a game of laser tag on steroids.

Featuring 1-8 players, Spatial Ops offers a number of modes, including a solo PvE bot mode, and PvP modes like Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Domination, and Free-For-All.

While it might seem like the game is designed with VR arcades in mind, thanks to a handy level editor basically anyone can pick up Spatial Ops and tailor it to their living room, basement, or well-lit outdoor space for some pretty impressive battles. Check out our early hands-on here to learn more.

Resolution Games says the launch version of Spatial Ops will focus on reduced gametime setup, pre-set and movable maps, performance optimization, more gameplay, more enemies, and more modes.

Spatial Ops is already available to wishlist on Quest 2/3/Pro via the Horizon Store (ex-Quest Store). If you’re interested in playing the open beta, you can play it via SideQuest up until its full launch.

The post Mixed Reality Arena Shooter ‘Spatial Ops’ Launches on Quest Next Month appeared first on Road to VR.

25 Free Games & Apps Quest 3S Owners Should Download First

Not ready to plonk down your first $100 on Quest games? Thankfully there’s an impressive number of free games, experiences, apps, and social VR platforms to keep you playing before you’re paying.

Looking to make your Quest 3S gaming experience even better? Don’t miss our top picks for the most essential Quest 3 accessories. The new hotness supports all of the same Quest 3 accessories, save the facial interfaces, which are unique to each headset.

Free Quest Games

Yeeps: Hide and Seek

As a Yeep, your belly is full of stuffing used to craft anything from pillows for building to bombs for destruction. Pull items from your vast imagination and toss them into the world. The game’s intuitive block-based building makes it easy to express your creativity at any skill level.

Gorilla Tag

Like your primitive ancestors, Gorilla Tag will have you lumbering around a tree-lined arena using its unique ‘grab-the-world’ locomotion style that lets you amble around like a great ape. Chase the other apes and infect them or climb for your life as the infected chase you. Pure and simple. Make sure you’re far from TVs, furniture, babies, and pets because you will punch something in the mad dash for sweet, low-poly freedom.

Maestro: The Masterclass

Step on the podium and become a true orchestra conductor in Maestro: The Masterclass. Play hands free or grab a chopstick and master the real hands motions that command the orchestra through an off the rail conducting masterclass that culminates with an epic symphonic concert in a packed opera house. Good luck, Maestro!

Noclip VR

Riding off the success of cult-like status of ‘The Backrooms’ Internet lore, Noclip VR lets you and online players explore the liminal spaces, solve puzzles, and escape that which lurks within. To move, you’ll need to swing your arms, and always keep in ear-shot of your friends, otherwise they won’t hear you scream. Gameplay is a bit barebones, making it feel more like something you’d find imported on a social platform like VR Chat or Rec Room, although it’s definitely invoking Gorilla Tag vibes.

Population: One

Population: One is basically VR’s most successful battle royale, letting you climb, fly, shoot, and team-up with whoever dares. The free-to-play game does feature microtransactions, but only for cosmetics, which is nice. It’s more than just a battle royale though: you can play in the sandbox for custom maps and rules, team deathmatch with customizable loadouts, a 12v12 war mode, and more.

Gun Raiders

Gun Raiders serves up a healthy slice of multiplayer shooter action with multiple game modes that let you jetpack through the air, climb from wall to wall, and shoot down the competition. There’s the same sort of microtransactions you see in bigger games, but it they’re all avatar skin stuff, so no pay-to-win here.

  • Developer: Gun Raiders Entertainment Inc.
  • Store link

Gym Class – Basketball

Gym Class – Basketball is the solution if you’re looking to shoot some hoops and dunk like you probably can’t on a physical court. Online multiplayer lets you go head-to-head for a pretty convincing game of b-ball thanks to the game’s physics-based and full-body kinematics.

Blaston

This room-scale shooter is now free-to-play, letting you take on friends, family and foes in head-to-head 1v1 dueling. Refine your loadout and jump into the action as you scramble for weapons and send a volley of hellfire at your enemies, all the while Matrix dodging through this innovative bullet hell meets futuristic dueling game.

Hyper Dash

Hyper Dash is a multiplayer shooter that basically fills in where Echo Combat never could (never mind that Echo Combat was never on Quest, and is now entirely defunct on Oculus PC). Letting you quick dash, sprint, and rail grind around, Hyper Dash manages to serve up an impressive number of modes, including Payload, Domination, Control Point, (Team) Deathmatch, Capture The Flag, and Elimination. You can also take on both Quest and SteamVR users thanks to the inclusion of cross-play.

Ultimechs

Ultimechs should look pretty familiar: it’s basically Rocket League, but instead of driving around in cars, you’re given rocket-powered fists to punch balls into the goal. Online multiplayer includes both 1v1 and 2v2 matches, offering up tons of opportunities to earn cosmetic gear that will let you outfit your battle mech into something unique. There are also now two paid battle passes too, offering up a ton of cosmetics to set you apart from the competition.

FRENZIES (early access)

Fans of arena shooters, get ready to battle in this lucky dip of game modes, including all of your favorite modes and a few new ones too, like Red Light, Green Light and Glitter Pig. Now in early access, the stylish, neon-soaked free-to-play team shooter packs in some serious style.

Cards & Tankards

Cards & Tankards is a pretty addictive social collectible card game, letting you collect and battle friends with over 180 cards. With cross-play against SteamVR headsets (also free on PC), you may consider hosting your regular game night playing more than a few rounds in the game’s characteristic medieval fantasy tavern.

Vegas Infinite

No real cash gambling here, but PokerStars’ Vegas Infinite not only let you go all-in on games of Texas Hold’em, but now a full casino’s worth of table games a machines that are sure to light up the dopamine starved pleasure centers of your brain. It’s all free play, so you won’t be risking real cash unless you buy in-game chips, which cannot be turned back into real money: it’s only to keep your bankroll flush for free play.

Bait!

Since the Fishin’ Buddies update, this classic VR title has gotten a whole new lease on life as a multiplayer VR fishing game that lets you sit back and crack a cold one with the boys as you reel in the big’uns. The additional social areas also let you sit back between your fishing adventures to take part in casual mini-games.

Gods of Gravity

Gods of Gravity is an arcade-style RTS game where you compete in an epic showdown of between celestial gods (2-8 players). Scoop up ships and fling them to capture a nearby planet, or open wormholes to teleport them across the solar system. Hold planets and moons to boost your production. Mine asteroids for the powerful resources within. And if you dare, capture the sun for the ultimate buff. Then send a massive fleet to conquer your enemy’s home planet. Last god standing wins.

Social VR Platforms

Rec Room

Without a doubt one of the most fun, and most expansive VR titles out there… and it’s free. Sure, you can pay real cash for in-game tokens to buy spiffy clothes for your avatar, but that’s really up to you. Gads of mini-games await you in both first-party creations such as the ever so popular co-op Quests—that could be games in their own right—to user-created stuff that will keep your pocket book gathering dust. It’s social VR, so meet people and have a ball for zero dollarydoos. Fair warning: there’s a ton of kids.

VRChat

If you’ve been anywhere near the Internet in the last few years, it’s likely you’ve already heard about VRChat, the user-generated social VR space filled with… well… everything you can imagine, re-pro games included like Among Us, Mario Kart, and even a version of Beat Saber. Fashion your own avatar or download the millions of user-generated avatars out there so you can embody SpongeBob, Kirito from Sword Art Online, or any one of the million anime girl avatars that you’re bound to see there.

Horizon Worlds

Horizon Worlds has changed a lot since launch. It now includes more tools, user-generated content, and some more compelling first-party games which has rounded out things to make it more competitive with Rec Room and VRChat. You may want to check in just to see the state of Meta’s first-party VR social platform. Whatever the case, the price of ‘free’ is hard to argue with.

Continue on Page 2: Free Experiences & Apps»

The post 25 Free Games & Apps Quest 3S Owners Should Download First appeared first on Road to VR.

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