Meta Quest Gaming Showcase

vr-sport-‘racket-club’-action-revealed-in-new-trailer,-created-by-‘demeo’-&-‘blaston’-studio

VR Sport ‘Racket Club’ Action Revealed in New Trailer, Created by ‘Demeo’ & ‘Blaston’ Studio

Resolution Games, the studio behind Blaston (2020) and Demeo (2021), showed off its upcoming VR sports game Racket Club for the first time during Meta’s Quest Gaming Showcase.

Taking inspiration from many of the world’s most popular racket games, such as Tennis, Padel, Pickleball, and Squash, the new trailer released today shows off what Resolution Games calls “the first real look at how Racket Club is played.”

Here’s how the describes the action:

When players step onto the court, they’ll find the play area for their matches surrounded by four clear walls — each providing a surface for the ball to bounce off to keep it in play and provide a new dimension for strategic gameplay. The more times players can hit the ball back and forth during each rally, the higher the points value for the player that takes it. This “points rally” mechanic introduces a unique blend of risk and reward that’s not typically found in racket sports. Players will need to read their opponent’s behavior to determine just the right time to break their reluctant cooperation on any given rally and win the points for themselves.

The court size in Racket Club has been designed with living rooms in mind, giving players the ability to fully immerse themselves in racket sport VR play while keeping their footwork within a safe boundary. This allows for natural movement in all its forms, from traversing the court to taking big swings at just the right angles.

The built-for-VR racket sport is set to include both single player and online multiplayer, which at launch will include singles (1v1) and doubles (2v2) multiplayer in addition to single player career mode. You can wishlist the game today on the Quest Store.

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Meta to Host Quest Gaming Showcase Just Days Ahead of Rumored Apple Headset Announcement

Meta announced its third annual Quest Gaming Showcase is arriving next month, coming only a few days before Apple’s rumored XR headset announcement at Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

Meta is livestreaming the Quest Gaming Showcase on June 1st, a bit unusual for the company, as it traditionally holds the annual event in late April.

Calling it their “biggest celebration of the depth and breadth of content across the Meta Quest Platform yet,” Meta is slated to share over 40 minutes of content, including a brand-new pre-show covering game updates and debut trailers, starting 15 minutes before the show begins.

Meta says to expect new game announcements, gameplay first-looks, updates to existing games, and more. There’s also set to be a post-show developer roundtable, which will feature conversation around upcoming games.

There could be at least one clue to what’s in store, as we get a brief glimpse at a horned helmet in the showcase’s promo video, which seems very much like Loki’s helmet from Rift exclusive Asgard’s Wrath (2019). Maybe Meta’s Sanzaru Games has slimmed down the Norse-inspired RPG?

Meanwhile, previous reports maintain Apple is finally set to unveil its long rumored mixed reality headset during the company’s WWDC keynote, taking place on Monday, June 5th.

Provided Apple indeed plans to announce its headset at WWDC, Meta could be looking to generate so called ‘strategic noise’ to better manage market reactions, and potentially offset any negative sentiment prior to Apple’s expected announcement—undoubtedly slated to be a pivotal moment for the entire XR industry.

Meta recently released its Q1 2023 earnings report, showing a consistent investment of around $4 billion per quarter into its XR division Reality Labs. With Apple rumored to be unveiling their own XR headset and a host of apps, reportedly set to include everything from fitness to VR/AR gaming, Meta may want to showcase where some of that investment is going.

Who knows? We may even hear more about Meta’s promised Quest 3 at the gaming showcase, which the company has confirmed will “fire up enthusiasts” when its released at some point this year, notably targeting a higher price point than its Quest 2 headset.

To find out, tune into the Quest Gaming Showcase on June 1st at 10AM PT (local time here), livestreamed across the company’s various channels, including TwitchFacebookYouTube, and in Meta Horizon Worlds.

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