Last week’s Meta Connect conference started off with an intriguing focus on gaming. Viewers learned that Facebook-owned VR company, Oculus, was releasing Iron Man VR and a Quest game previously exclusive to PS VR in the coming months, as well as among Us VR. The company also announced that it was acquiring three major VR game studios—Armature Studio, Camouflaj Team, and Twisted Pixel—although we don’t know what they’re working on just yet.
Based on the Meta Connect and subsequent smaller announcements, there are few experiences that show off Quest Pro’s improved passthrough technology. I Expect You to Die, the VR cooperative game, is getting an expansion called Home Sweet Home. It’s described as a “mixed reality mini mission” where players will interact with real-world objects while using the headset. There was also a quick demo showcasing Beat Saber being played in mixed reality, but it didn’t show off anything novel or unique to the Quest Pro.
Other Quest experiences featured at the conference included fitness-related games. Working out in VR is great because the headset allows for different types of movement than a user would normally get working out from home. It can also make exercise more visually appealing by allowing users to float through gorgeous landscapes or box against more realistic opponents. Meta also announced its Quest Active Pack, which will be released this year and includes accessories specifically for working out in VR.
Facebook’s purchase of Oculus was to use VR to expand social connectivity online. But games always played a big role in that. “Oculus’ mission is to enable you to experience the impossible. Their technology opens up the possibility of completely new kinds of experiences. Immersive gaming will be the first, and Oculus already has big plans here that won’t be changing,” said Zuckerberg in a statement following Meta’s purchase of Oculus.