VR is here and it's amazing: top 10 must have apps and games for 2018

Virtual Reality is no longer a gimmick, and it’s becoming increasingly affordable, from desktops to laptops, as well as mobile devices, the accessibility to this technology is formidable, and its true momentum, while it has yet to build, it will inevitably build towards a shift in how we interact, play and socialize through technology. The following is a list of the best VR apps for the two most popular headsets available, namely Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, as well as Gear VR for mobile devices. Some apps will work for both headsets, while others may be exclusive to one or the other.

Oculus Rift - for Windows 10 PCs

Ground Runner - Trials

https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/1495367467245425/

Ground Runner - Trials is a sci-fi action shooter, which places you in the driver’s seat of a beautifully designed hoverbike, in the middle of what could very well pass for any portion of the Arizona desert.

The vehicle responds in a very similar way as a jet-ski, and can be controlled using a simple flight stick, on the left of the bike, providing for forward and vertical thrust, as well as strafe.

As you progress through higher levels, you gain access to a weapon, which you will use against a variety of targets, as well as on mineral deposits that serve the purpose to recharging your hover-bike.

The story line is rather slim, but the action is incredibly fun, and the scenery is very well designed and filled with detailed art.

Players who are not as familiar with VR sickness should take breaks at least at every level achieved, as the motion may cause nausea and dizziness.

The requirements, as for most high-end games, whether they’d be VR or not, are hefty. To play GRT, you will need at least 6GB of RAM, a graphic card with equivalent specs as the NVIDIA GTX 970, and at least 7GB of storage available. The game is also available to HTC Vive users.

Lone Echo

https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/1368187813209608/

Story-line based VR games are often a hard bet to make, especially with those carrying a higher price tag in the range of $50-$60. Lone Echo is priced quite modestly at $40, and currently discounted, which makes it an attractive offer for those interested in story-based science fiction that doesn’t require exploration of vast environments.

Lone Echo places you inside a state-of-the-art synthetic body, as you aide Captain Olivia Rhodes, in solving a mystery while orbiting around the rings of Saturn.

As you progress through the plot, intricate details emerge that will keep you playing until the truth is revealed.

The game runs for approximately 3-4 hours, which is quite an accomplishment for a VR title of this size, and this price, considering the amazing graphic details, and interactivity.

The best feature of Lone Echo is how players move through the game. The absence of gravity is remarkably realistic, and the only way to move is by grabbing onto objects and pushing yourself in the desired direction. This also creates inertial momentum, which must be taken into account, to avoid floating off into space.

There is no way to actually “die” in Lone Echo, as each time the synthetic body is damaged beyond repair, whether through high exposure of space radiation, or by physical harm, the consciousness of the player is automatically transferred into a brand new body to keep the storyline going.

Rock Band VR

https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/744866972281509/

It was only a matter of time for Rock Band to include a VR version. The game play is identical to the traditional real-life version. For those who already own a Rock Band guitar controller, you are in luck, as the original guitar can be rigged very easily to work together with Oculus Rift Touch controllers, through a Rock Band Guitar Connector, included with your Oculus Rift. This connector is really just a plastic hook that houses the Rift Touch controller and helps position the VR version of the guitar in virtual reality.

Most of the content available for the regular version of Rock Band is also available as DLC for the VR version.

Robo Recall

https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/1081190428622821/

This first person shooter with a robotic twist is one of the most fun you’ll get to play this year. Robo Recall places you in the virtual shoes of a recall agent, who hunts down rogue robots that belong to a large corporation. The player has available a full arsenal of weapons to accomplish the task, some of which can be found during battle.

Aside from gunfire, the action includes grabbing robots and tearing them apart, and even using their own limbs to beat them, which, within context, is just plain hysterical, especially when including the several 1980s and 1990s TV references peppered throughout the game.

The fast-paced action is still very comfortable for most players and will not cause motion sickness, as teleportation is available, in addition to walking.

The game is incredibly detailed, and very fast paced, so make sure your specs meet at least medium requirements for Oculus Rift headsets.

Gear VR - Android mobile devices

Hitman GO

https://www.oculus.com/experiences/gear-vr/817961768314571/

Fans of the Hitman franchise will find Hitman GO a refreshing table-top version of the game, featuring delightfully designed diorama style sceneries, and a pleasant background music that will keep you playing through each increasingly complex level.

The game progresses by moving the character along directional lines on the diorama/tabletop scenery, in turns with all other game pieces, resembling mobsters, guards, police, and other characters featured in the original Hitman series.

Dead and Buried

https://www.oculus.com/experiences/gear-vr/1490394380970763/

This is a classic target shooter game set in the old West, where you play a ghost gunslinger back from the grave.

The scenery is fun, colorful and cartoony, but don’t let that fool you, as hitting targets requires a bit of practice.

While also available for regular PC headsets, the game is lightweight enough to play on some higher-end phones, like the Samsung S8 Plus, compatible with Gear VR.

Steam VR - Windows 10 PCs, Linux, (soon Apple Macs)

Fallout 4 VR

http://store.steampowered.com/app/611660/Fallout_4_VR/

The Fallout franchise has been around since 1996, always faithful to a retro, steampunk, post-apocalyptic theme, where everything runs on nuclear power, and civilization is being barely rebuilt after the world has gone thermonuclear.

In its first, non-VR inception, the fourth installment in the Fallout storyline was a massive success, as it introduced for the first time elements such as the ability to build settlements for non-player characters to live and work in, as well as a massively detailed world, much more complex than any other previous versions of the game.

Sometime last year, Fallout 4 was also upgraded to ultra-high-resolution textures, adding increased realism to this already excellent roleplay game. Aside from that, the array of characters is still massive, ranging from ghouls, super-mutants, raiders, and two rival advanced military factions: the Enclave, and the Brotherhood of Steel, each faction belonging to its own separate storylines and outcomes.

The VR version currently supports only HTC Vive headsets, but Oculus Rift support, and perhaps more devices, is hopefully coming soon.

Moving around the massive Fallout 4 universe, works in much of the same fashion as with its 2D version. Much of the game consists in walking, or “fast-traveling” from one settlement to another, and engaging in combat makes extensive use of touch controllers.

Due to the simple, straightforward, and minimalist graphical style of the game, which dates back decades, the shift from non-VR to VR was actually very simple and easy to grasp. For instance, interacting with other characters still uses multiple choice phrases that carry the conversation along.

The only downside with a game like Fallout 4 VR is that the motion while walking or running might affect players with a weak stomach, thus frequent breaks are recommended.

Doom VFR

http://store.steampowered.com/app/650000/DOOM_VFR/

Doom VFR, much like its non-VR predecessors, takes place on a military facility on Mars, where the main character, a cybernetic soldier, is sent to fight hordes of demonic monsters, with a wide range of massively high-caliber weapons.

The pace is fast, and the intensity of the action requires plenty of room to turn freely, and survive in an environment where, similarly to previous Doom releases, enemies will come out from all directions.

Just like Fallout 4 VR, Doom VFR requires HTC Vive headsets to run, but Oculus support is likely coming soon.

Google Earth VR

http://store.steampowered.com/app/348250/Google_Earth_VR/

Google Earth VR is in many ways a massive improvement in user experience over the PC or mobile version, as it places the user, quite literally, on the map.

The mix of satellite imagery and high-altitude data, as well as the massive amount of 3D buildings integrated in Google Earth, allows the user to physically explore every accessible corner of our planet, through spectacular walkthrough.

Just like any other version of Google Earth, searches can be performed on any address on the planet, with pinpoint accuracy.

Google Earth VR is available across all platforms supporting PC VR headsets, as well as mobile phones, making it one of the most widely supported applications... on Earth.

Rise of the Tomb Raider

http://store.steampowered.com/app/391220/Rise_of_the_Tomb_Raider/

This movie-celebrated gaming franchise has culminated in recent time as one of the first triple-A gaming titles to get a VR adaptation. This VR version celebrates a 20-year anniversary of the franchise, and offers multiple, diverse chapters, some of which support multiplayer mode.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is a cinematic delight that was truly made for VR, and it’s available for both Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive, from the SteamVR store.

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