So you’ve been lucky enough to get a tethered VR headset for Christmas: Now what? VR headsets are still very new platforms, and you’ll probably be a little short on really high-quality games and apps for the near future. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to try out, no matter what headset you have. Here’s some of the best stuff to get you started.
We’ve rounded up our favorite and most-used apps and utilities for the technology we use every day. Check out our other picks for iPhones, Android phones, PCs, and Macs. We’ve also listed our favorite games for iOS and Android from this year.
ALL PLATFORMS
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If you’ve got the Oculus Rift with Touch controllers, there are some great titles to choose from. But the single best thing you can buy right now is the Oculus Touch launch bundle, a package that includes the three titles above, plus painting app Kingspray Graffiti and arcade wave shooter Space Pirate Trainer. At $89.99, it’s a 25 percent discount on all five games, and a good balance of action, art, and puzzling.
Of course, there are also plenty of free ways to have fun with Oculus Touch. Polygon has a good roundup of your options, but they include the art app Quill and the multiplayer shooter Dead & Buried, which is free for all Touch users. But if you have the core Rift headset without motion controllers (or just aren’t excited about flailing around), don’t despair. Two of our favorite titles of the year, Chronos and Technolust, are based on the gamepad. The Rift also supports many Vive titles now, so it’s worth checking out its options as well.
SONY PLAYSTATION VR
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Valve Steam catalog and the Itch.io marketplace have a broad range of Vive titles, but it can be tough to sort through all the chaff, especially because many of them are still in development. Valve’s demo The Lab is always a great place to start, especially its universally beloved archery section. And art app Tilt Brush, with its intuitive design and broad appeal, is good for hours of 3D painting.
There are a few perennial favorite titles on the Vive, including Job Simulator and Space Pirate Trainer. If you want to shoot monsters, you’ve got a VR installment of Serious Sam, the colorful zombie game Arizona Sunshine, and the tense Brookhaven Experiment. And if you’re looking for something lighter, there’s baby, kitten, and puppy-catching game Rescuties, or fruit-chopping game Fruit Ninja. The ReVive app will even let Vive owners play Rift-exclusive games — although Oculus doesn’t condone it, and they’re not guaranteed to work perfectly.
Source: The Verge