The fifth annual Oculus Connect conference was full of new announcements and innovation that were highlighted by the announcement of the Oculus Quest.
The Oculus Quest is the third mainline VR device that Oculus has come out with to date but unlike its predecessors, its primary focus is gaming. It’s also a self-contained piece of hardware, which means that users don’t have to worry about connecting their device to their computer in order to use it.
But where does the Nintendo Switch fit in? According to Oculus CTO John Carmack, the Oculus Quest will have to compete with the Nintendo Switch if it is to become successful. A large reason for the competition is that the Quest is closer in graphical comparison to the Switch then the XBox One or PlayStation 4. Also, while the Switch doesn’t currently have any VR capabilities, the two devices are priced within $100 USD of each other and they both are billed as part-portable gaming devices.
Carmack’s claims don’t come from lack of knowledge as he has a long history of being in the gaming industry. He was one of the founders of id Software, the company behind seminal shooters Wolfenstein 3D and Doom.
The other main highlight of the event came in the form of an all-new Star Wars game called Vader Immortal that puts the player in the perspective of a student of Darth Vader. The game is being developed by Lucasfilm and Ninja Theory, the latter of which is primarily known for their Devil May Cry and Hellblade games.
Vader Immortal is also written by David Goyer, who helped create the Dark Knight Trilogy as well as Batman V Superman and Justice League. There is no firm release date for the game, other than Spring but it has been confirmed that it will be structured as a series of episodes, stretched out over some time.
The Oculus Quest will launch in the Spring of 2019 at a cost of $399 USD. It will launch with over 50 games available including Moss and Vader Immortal.
