NEWS
RumourshavelongcirculatedthatValveisworking
on a much bigger VR title than 2016’s superb The
Lab, and the firm has finally provided a small insight
into this long-anticipated game. Speaking at the
DigiPen Institute of Technology, Valve programmer
Kerry Davis explained that the goal was to create a
world with fully simulated physics and interactions,
using doors as an example.
In the game, Davis wants doors to react to the
player as they would in real life. For example, you
can open it by turning the handle, but if it’s already
ajar, you could simply push it open with your hand.
During his talk, Davis also revealed that Valve’s
mystery game is running on Source 2; up to this
point, it has only been used for Dota 2 and Artifact.NEWS
NEW VALVE VR GAME
WiththePCVRspacedominatedbyOculus
and HTC, it’s hard to see an outsider
shaking up the business, but that’s German
startup Vality’s aim. The firm plans to
provide Ultra HD visual clarity in a headset
smaller than any PC VR unit currently on
the market.
It comes from a different approach to
structuring the headset’s visual display. All
current-gen VR headsets use a macro-
display with basic optics. This setup
requires the lenses to be set a certain
distance from the display, resulting in the
box-like structure that hangs off the front
of your face. Vality, on the other hand, aims
to build a headset with a much smaller
display and high-magnification optics to
compensate. Using this system, the
company claims it can provide near-retinal
resolution in a headset roughly half the size
and weight of the original Oculus Rift.
The company has produced a
prototype headset that, while not at
retinal resolution, already has a pair of
2,000 x 2,000 micro displays. However,
the overall field of view is considerably
reduced compared with current-gen
headsets’ wraparound displays.
Vality’s headset is still in development,
with a commercial release not expected
until 2021. Vality also expects initial
versions to be used more for enterprise
(such as VR training) than recreational use.
Nonetheless, it’s an intriguingly alternative
approach to headset design that could have
significant advantages for gaming.VALITY
FAI R
OVERALLSCORE
60
VERDICT
A gently entertaining
sci-fi thriller that,
while engaging, also
lacks a bit of a spark.RED MATTER
+^ Tense atmosphere
+^ Gently enjoyable
puzzles
+^ Cleverly designed
movement
mechanicsDOESN’T MATTER-^ Short for the price
-^ Not especially original
them. Meanwhile, you use your spacesuit’s
jetpack to gently glide between locations, and
it’s designed specifically to mitigate motion
sickness without forcing you to teleport
around like Star Trek’s Q looking for his keys.
All of this happens within an atmosphere
that’s strange and creepy without quite
descending into outright horror. Storywise,
Red Matter spins a sufficiently enjoyable
sci-fi yarn, albeit one that feels like it could be
fleshed out better, and the same can be said
for the game as a whole. Allowing for getting
stuck on a couple of puzzles, Red Matter
lasts no more than two to three hours.
Length, of course, isn’t everything. But Red
Matter also lacks a unique mechanic upon
which to hinge its other ideas. We saw the
same lever pulling, valve spinning puzzling
in Star Wars: Vader Immortal, but that game
also let you swing a lightsaber for a couple of
hours. By comparison, Red Matter feels a bit
staid. It’s not a bad game, but it never stretches
beyond being a gently entertaining puzzler.