Is PCVR Dying? Steam Hardware Survey Shows VR Users Stagnating

The conversation of “VR Is Dead” or “VR Is Dying” pops up on social media, especially X (Twitter), every now and again.

Strong sales of VR headsets in general in the early 2020s proved this continual conversation to be wrong, at least until the recent stagnation of VR headset sales in 2023.

United States headset sales, according to CNBC, went down nearly forty percent in 2023. This is pretty shocking news to someone who is a Virtual Reality fan and wants to see others enjoy VR as much as possible.

This could be attributed to a number of things, like the cessation of COVID restrictions on living and travel, or simply market fatigue and general awareness of Virtual Reality reaching its peak. What the VR headset sales numbers don’t show you, however, is how many games existing users are buying, and most importantly how often existing users are using their headsets.

While we don’t have either of these numbers for what appears to be the most popular way to enjoy VR, standalone headsets like the Meta Quest, we do have some PCVR information from the March 2024 Steam Hardware Survey.

The “VR Headsets” results from the March 2024 Steam Hardware Survey.

This information is much more useful than headset sales. It doesn’t matter how many headsets get sold if new adopters don’t use it, or those already playing VR stop using it. While it would be great to have some numbers for how often standalone headsets get used, we can at least see if PCVR is still popular.

Most PCVR games are played through Steam, and what we see here in the hardware survey isn’t encouraging. You would think with new headsets still being continually sold in the millions that we would have at least a slight uptick in the amount of Steam users with VR headsets.

Yet we have a slight decrease, basically a net neutral change. In fact, what’s even more alarming is the decrease in PCVR usage among Quest users. Could this potentially be pointing to a stagnation in Quest usage or just a stagnation in people streaming PCVR games to their Quest?

Either way with continual sales of VR headsets it’s not encouraging to see that PCVR numbers are not increasing. That being said, the cost of both a headset and a PC capable of playing VR games is limiting and means that far fewer people have access to PCVR in general.

So PCVR is stagnating according to Steam. Is PCVR dead? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Escape Simulator Adds Free VR Mode In Latest Update

Flatscreen game Escape Simulator has now added a new Virtual Reality mode in its latest update on April 3, 2024. Escape Simulator VR is free as long as you own Escape Simulator, so you can play this escape room game in Virtual Reality via PCVRor on the flatscreen as long as you have it.

Escape Simulator is a puzzle game that puts you, and some friends too with the game’s multiplayer, into a number of escape rooms with different themes and puzzles. You’ll have to solve these puzzles and use your intelligence and wit to escape from these rooms. There are even new rooms to escape from added as well for long time fans.

While Escape Simulator VR has not come to standalone platforms like the Quest yet, it’s a great addition to the puzzling genre on the PCVR platform. The following is a quote from the press release given by developer Pine Studio:

“The popular first-person escape puzzler Escape Simulator and all its additional content is now available in VR! Following the great success of the original Escape Simulator with more than 2 million players worldwide, developer Pine Studio rebuilt the game from scratch for the VR version. You can now experience it in VR with any set that supports Steam VR either by yourself or with up to 8 players (optimally 2-3). Don’t know anyone with a compatible VR headset? You can also team up players who aren’t using VR!

Even more so than the original version, Escape Simulator VR is a highly immersive and interactive gaming experience. Pick up and examine every item you can find as if you were in the room yourself and toss (literally!) everything you deem irrelevant. Supported locomotion types are controller-based movement, smooth move and teleporting, as is the full room-scale setting and snap-turning. It is also possible to play the game while seated.

Escape Simulator VR is included in the base game, meaning that everybody who already owns the game can now access the VR version for free! For those who have yet to purchase the game, this update will be their last chance to gain access to the vast amount of content it offers at a lower price. After April 14th, the price will increase in accordance with the impressive increase in content.

All 29 rooms from the base game are escapable in Escape Simulator VR, consisting of the tutorial room, the four original theme packs, the 2 Versus rooms, the 6 extra one-off rooms such as Leonardo’s Workshop. What’s more, all the original DLCs — the Steampunk, Wild West and Magic DLCs — are receiving similar updates. Everyone who already owns these can now also play them in VR at no additional cost! The same goes for the free Portal Escape Chamber and Among Us DLCs.

The VR update comes with good news for Escape Simulator’s passionate community and all its room-makers: besides the Pine Studio’s content, most of the 4.000 community-made rooms are now also available to enjoy in VR! With all these additional rooms at your disposal, there is more than enough content to keep you and your friends busy for a long time to come.”

— PINE STUDIO

For fans of the puzzle and escape room genres that experience Virtual Reality via PCVR, check out Escape Simulator VR for more puzzles and a lot of rooms to escape from alone or with your friends.

Smalland: Survive The Wilds VR Announced And Available For Preorder On Meta Quest

The Smalland: Survive The Wilds VR Announcement Trailer

A Virtual Reality spinoff of Smalland: Survive the Wilds was announced on March 28, 2024. It is now available for preorder on the Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, and Meta Quest Pro. Unfortunately for PCVR and PSVR fans this title has not been released on those platforms.

Likely as with many VR spinoffs to flatscreen games, the developers at Merge Games have likely decided to target the burgeoning market of standalone Virtual Reality headsets with Smalland VR in lieu of or before the smaller and more expensive PCVR and PSVR markets.

Smalland: Survive The Wilds VR seems to be planned to be a very similar game to its flatscreen inspiration. It will be focused on survival, base building and upgrading, crafting equipment, and most notably and uniquely the taming of creatures. Hopefully, Smalland VR will bring a quality survival experience that includes creature taming, unlike the lackluster ARK VR port and standalone title.

Smalland VR is available for Pre-Order on the Meta Quest store for 24.99$. What follows is the press release given by the developer Merge Games:

“Today, Maximum Entertainment are thrilled to reveal ‘Smalland: Survive the Wilds VR’! Bringing the towering open world of ‘Smalland’ to players from a whole new perspective, take on entirely new stand-alone survival adventure in single player as you explore, scavenge, craft and build.

Play through a brand new story as you fight to gain a foothold in the perilous Overlands, battling the elements and the many colossal creatures that reside in the forest.

Available to pre-order now on the Meta Quest store, construct and design your encampment, tame creatures, and craft unique weapons, armour sets and more in this deeply immersive VR experience.”

— Merge Games

It remains to be seen what caliber of VR game this will be, but I am hopeful that we have another great VR survival game in store in Smalland VR.

Full release is planned for the Spring of 2024.

Medieval Dynasty VR Launches On Standalone Meta Quest Headsets

The Release Trailer for Medieval Dynasty VR

A Virtual Reality spinoff of Render Cube’s 2021 title Medieval Dynasty has just been launched today, March 28, 2024 on Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, and Meta Quest Pro. Sorry PCVR and PSVR fans, but Medieval Dynasty VR hasn’t come to these platforms.

Medieval Dynasty VR is, like it’s flatscreen counterpart, a game focused on survival, crafting, and building you and your family’s lives out in a remote medieval village. The game is entirely singleplayer and retails for 29.99$. What follows is the entire press release given by Medieval Dynasty VR developer Spectral Games:

“Forget about your present day worries and dive into medieval life with ‘Medieval Dynasty New Settlement’, a delightful VR game available now on Meta Store!

Seamlessly blending simulation, role-playing and exploration it takes you on an adventure set against the backdrop of thoroughly crafted medieval landscape. Players will be tasked with the monumental challenge of founding a thriving settlement and starting their own dynasty.

As the protagonist your primary focus will be on the challenges of survival, resource gathering, and the difficult task of creating a lasting dynasty. Utilizing the immersive capabilities of VR technology, you will physically engage in the construction of buildings, cooking, crafting, hunting and cultivating fertile fields. Doing all of this and much more will ensure experiencing the gratification of watching your settlement rise from humble beginnings to a majestic medieval hub.

Venture beyond the safety of your lands to explore the enchanting landscapes, stumbling upon quests, challenges, and hidden treasures that add depth to the narrative. Encounter characters with unique personalities and stories, forging alliances or rivalries that influence the course of your settlement’s destiny. Nurture your relationships to find a lifetime partner with whom you’ll give the beginning to your very own dynasty.

Following the success of the original flat-screen version from ‘Render Cube’, polish gamedev studio ‘Spectral Games’ created a brand new VR game set in the Medieval Dynasty universe. ‘Medieval Dynasty New Settlement’ launched March 28th, 2024 on the Meta Store, available for Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest Pro.

Featuring a new story and never seen before map, it’s a whole new gaming experience with the VR technology. Put your headset on and look around the medieval world surrounding you, as you swing the axe cutting down the trees, or squat down when crafting wooden planks in your woodshed. D
on’t forget to take care of your vitals, or else your dynasty might find an early end!

‘Medieval Dynasty New Settlement’ is a perfect game for fans of the Medieval Dynasty universe, or people hungry for a vast open world to explore using a VR headset. No matter if you’re an experienced VR player, or it’d be your first time putting the headset on, you’ll be able to freely customize the difficulty and gameplay settings to your needs. Two game modes are available on initial release – an adventure mode, which puts all the new experiences in narrative order allowing the player to slowly dive into the world following the story part, and a sandbox mode that grants the access to full experience of the game mechanics from the very beginning.

This mode is dedicated mainly for the players’ own imagination to explore the world on their own terms, and build without boundaries.

Now that #MDNS is out in the world we can’t wait to improve it more with our community’s feedback, and expand its fun with co-op mode in the works, or future DLCs to come!”

— Spectral Games

After some brief time playing the game I have to say that it is certainly interesting, and a seemingly welcome addition to the VR survival game genre. For a closer look at Medieval Dynasty VR wait for my review of the game here at realityremake.com.

New AI In Swordsman VR Breathes Life Back Into This VR Sword Fighting Game

So, Swordsman VR just released a new experimental update that brings big improvements to the combat AI in the game. This new experimental AI feature makes them much more responsive in combat and brings the enemies in Swordsman VR much closer to the feeling of sword fighting an actual opponent.

When I was fighting the improved AI opponents I felt that they defended themselves much better than they used to. Despite the fact that a lot of their attacks still seem to be predetermined animations, they definitely still responded with their attacks in response to what you were doing in a much better way.

An AI Samurai blocking an incoming attack in Swordsman VR.

For instance, if you would go for a risky lunge trying to stab an enemy under the armpit, they would counterattack if they weren't in a good position to defend your thrust. Otherwise, unless their sword was way out of position, they would often be able to at least attempt to block or repost your attacks. This is much different from how fighting the AI in Swordsman VR used to feel and play.

Once you got the hang of the game, the enemies felt a lot like punching bags, where the only challenge was to not get hit when they attacked, and then stab them immediately. Their defense was terrible. Now, their ability to have a back and forth with you when you're fighting makes them feel a lot more like an actual opponent. Their ability to reliably block your incoming attacks makes them both more formidable and more interesting.

With this AI update, Swordsman VR feels a lot more like actual fencing. You'll attack, and if it's not a very good attack, especially when your opponent is ready to block you, they'll often swipe your blade out of the way.

The AI have become much better at defending themselves. After they block, they'll often riposte with an attack of their own, and sometimes they'll stay defensive. Each sword fight is more situational, and not as predictable as it used to be.

There are still some problems with the AI reacting to more dishonorable tactics, however. Rushing in with a shield to block off their sword arm while wildly stabbing them up close still worked too well. It would have been better if the AI backed off if you got too close and they were clearly at a disadvantage.

Bullying an enemy with a shield in Swordsman VR

So, it's definitely not perfect yet. Still, the enemies have a much better defense, they'll see your attacks coming, and they'll also attack you when you're not ready for it a lot more. These are all great improvements. However I did run into a bug where the bosses would basically blow up the moment I engaged them, and I would win automatically. Bugs are to be expected with big changes, though this was a very bad bug. Undoubtedly it will be fixed soon.

The one big complaint I have so far is how enemies defend their legs. I still felt like the enemies did not do a great job defending their legs, which, if you've played Swordsman VR, you know is their primary weak point. The one strategy that I could always use without fail would be to duck really low, and just stab the AI in the legs constantly.

Maybe the AI would advance a little and get a swipe on the back of your head, but when they're trying to block down low, it's like they can't quite cover all of their legs and their feet. The legs are still a major weak point for the enemies. They should have weak points that you can exploit, sure, but you should only be able to exploit them under circumstances that you create to make the fight more favorable to you.

You shouldn't be able to always stab them in the legs so easily. So, they definitely need their defense beefed up there. Still, the fact that they can defend themselves much better and have a back and forth riposte, parry, attack, lunge, exchange with you, at all, is a very marked improvement for this game.

I've always enjoyed Swordsman VR, but after playing through it and defeating all of the bosses, it kind of lost a lot of its luster, because by then you've mastered the game. You could defeat the enemies easily once you figured out how stupid they were. There was nothing new to any of the fights.

Enabling the Combat AI Update makes Swordsman VR a lot more fun

If Sinn Studio continues working on this and continues improving their enemy AI, then they really achieve their goal of having the best Singleplayer sword fighting experience in Virtual Reality.

This update shows a lot of potential for the direction that Sinn Studio is bringing Swordsman VR. I really hope they can bring this game continually forward to the next level. I cannot stress enough that this update is incredible. It's really given me a lot more love for the game, and it's really made me want to play through it again.

After they finish improving the AI though, it would be really great if they took another long look at the campaign and how the levels and progression are structured.

Maybe try to make the game more of an RPG than it already is. There's some great RPG elements in there already. There's already a progression system, but it feels a little boring to go through after you've already done it once. It would be really nice to see a Single Player campaign rework in Swordsman.

This could be something similar to Grimlord or Legendary Tales. That would be really nice to see built on top of the improvements that they're making to the fighting AI. If they bring it just a little bit further, it will definitively be the best single player VR sword fighting game out there.