Latest news with #OculusStudios
Digital Trends
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Marvel's Deadpool VR is just as bloody as you'd expect
I've flown through the air as Iron Man. I've used my detective instincts to investigate a prison as Batman. And now, I've picked up my own decapitated arm and beaten my attacker to death with it. I probably don't have to say I was playing as Deadpool in that last one. I'm sure you already guessed that. Revealed at Summer Game Fest 2025, Marvel's Deadpool VR is a new action game coming exclusively to Meta Quest 3 and 3S later this year. It's the latest title from Twisted Pixel, the developer behind 2009's 'Splosion Man, and will be its first game since becoming a subsidiary of Oculus Studios in 2021. For its grand debut under the Meta banner, the studio is putting its history of irreverent humor and over the top action to the ultimate test by letting players embody the Merc With a Mouth as they cut through dimwitted goons Recommended Videos Ahead of its reveal, I played a slice of Marvel's Deadpool VR and got more details on the project from Twisted Pixel. It's every bit as bloody as you'd expect a Deadpool game to be. Though what's even more impressive is how it's pushing the Meta Quest 3's power to create one of the fastest and more fluid action games I've tried in VR to date. Merc with a headset Marvel's Deadpool VR is a first-person action game that has players dual wielding katanas, picking up any gun they can find, and creating moments of improvised violence across what Twisted Pixel calls a 'full campaign' complete with secret levels and unannounced replayability hooks. It tells a completely original story centered around the villain Mojo rather than adapting any specific comic book arc, though characters like Flag-Smasher and Lady Deathstroke play a role in it. It also features a new voice for Deadpool: Neil Patrick Harris, who is a dead ringer for Ryan Reynolds here. The first moments of my demo immediately tell me what I'm in for. I'm in first-person, but looking through the eyes of Deadpool's decapitated head. I take control of his nearby body and kick the scientist who presumably carried the beheading out, all while a peppy Neil Patrick Harris kicks out a barrage of fourth wall-breaking one-liners (including a very dated 'Damn Daniel' reference). After retrieving my weapons, I lob off the scientist's hand, use it to open a door, and get ready to butcher my way through a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. All of this unfolds in a vibrant pop art style that puts the Quest 3's power to good use. To properly adapt the character, Twisted Pixel had to figure out what it would mean to embody the character. It wouldn't make sense to have him play like the Caped Crusader does in Batman: Arkham Shadow, after all. To make him stand out from other heroes, Game Director Daniel Bullock says that speed was the key. 'We had early conversations with Marvel where we were talking about what makes Deadpool Deadpool,' Bullock tells Digital Trends. 'One of the things that came up was that Deadpool is basically Spider-Man with no webs. That kind of set us thinking early on about how we could push the movement and the fast pace and really make the player feel like a ninja.' That philosophy becomes apparent quickly once I enter a room full of enemies. I have two pistols, one I can grab from each hip, and a katana on each shoulder. Dual wielding is key in battle, as I can use those weapons on the fly in whatever configuration I choose. If I want, I can throw a sword in each hand and slash my foes to death. Or I can mix and match a katana with a handgun and try attacking two enemies at once while moving. It's remarkably complex for a VR game — and that's just the beginning. The deeper I get, and the heavier the waves of enemies become, the more I see just how much I can do in battle. I can toss my sword at an enemy, pinning their body to a wall. I can divekick into a guy, jump off his head, and fire my pistols down at him. When I get a grappling hook late in the demo, I'm able to launch myself up to a rafter with one hand while shooting with the other. The action is non-stop as I juggle my weapons with any ones that my fallen enemies leave behind, from shotguns to electrified batons. Weapon upgrades will deepen the slapstick routine too, as they'll give Deadpool's tools unique perks like the ability to turn a tossed gun into a boomerang. Twisted Pixel says it has a 'say yes to the player' mentality here; it wants players to be able to pull off anything they think should work. The routine works remarkably well thanks to responsive controls that let me very quickly grab tools off my body, toss them aside, and pick something else up without any friction. I've never quite been able to move this efficiently in VR before, and without a hint of motion sickness to boot. It's a blood-soaked ballet that does away with the flimsiness many VR action games bump into. I only got a taste of the project, but the demo I tried teased a full adventure game that isn't just about clearing out enemies to move on to the next room. I got a quick introduction to the story, which will see Wade Wilson fighting through Mojoworld. There will be sequences that have players driving cars and manning turrets. Mobility is important outside of battle, as my demo had me wall running and grappling out of a trap room. I even did a puzzle or two, grabbing a grenade off my wrist and tossing it into a hole to blow open an explorable path. All of those things could happen in any superhero game, but Twisted Pixel really tried to pay attention to how Deadpool would tackle them compared to any other cape. 'When we're developing our features, we do ask ourselves that,' Executive Producer Jody Coglianese tells Digital Trends. 'Okay, this is a cool thing, but why is it going to be cool for Deadpool? What's going to set us apart from another superhero? And then you kind of have to put your mind in a different bad place sometimes. We have a couple puzzles. Puzzles are fun! But what would be Deadpool's way on this puzzle? And you can kind of maybe put some … gestures in there to figure out what would make that happen.' Based on my first demo, it looks like Twisted Pixel have cracked how to make a hero that moves and acts like Deadpool rather than tossing players under a mask that could be on any old hero. So long as you have the tolerance for a few hacky jokes — and you'd have to if you're already a fan of the character — then Marvel's Deadpool VR should deliver a bloody good power fantasy fitting of an antihero. Marvel's Deadpool VR launches in late 2025 for Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S.
CNBC
30-04-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Meta's Reality Labs posts $4.2 billion loss in first quarter
Meta is continuing to sink billions of dollars a quarter into the metaverse. In its first-quarter earnings report on Wednesday, Meta said its Reality Labs unit recorded an operating loss of $4.2 billion in the period while bringing in $412 million in sales. Analysts were projecting an operating loss of $4.6 billion on revenue of $492.7 million. Meta's Reality Labs unit is responsible for the company's Quest-branded virtual reality headsets and Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. It's the key business unit that anchors CEO Mark Zuckerberg's plans to build a new computing platform involving digital worlds accessible via VR and augmented reality devices. Reality Labs has reported cumulative losses of more than $60 billion since late 2020, including a loss of $3.85 billion in the first quarter of last year. In late 2021, Zuckerberg changed the name of his company from Facebook to Meta. Wall Street has questioned Meta's big spending on the metaverse, which Zuckerberg has said could take many years to turn into a real business. The company must now also contend with sweeping new tariffs from President Donald Trump and the likely increase in costs that will follow, potentially leading to higher-priced devices. Last week, Meta said that an unspecified number of Reality Labs employees were laid off. Those workers were part of the Oculus Studios unit, which creates VR and AR games and content for Quest VR headsets. "Some teams within Oculus Studios are undergoing shifts in structure and roles that have impacted team size," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement about the cuts. "These changes are meant to help Studios work more efficiently on future mixed reality experiences for our growing audience, while still delivering great content for people today."
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Latest tech layoffs hit Meta's Reality Labs division
(KRON) — Facebook parent company Meta has laid off an unspecified number of people in its Reality Labs Division. The cuts have primarily impacted teams working at Oculus Studios, Meta's in-house games division for Quest headsets. Some employees involved in the company's hardware efforts have also been impacted, The Verge said, citing sources familiar with the matter. Blue Shield, Kaiser announce dozens of layoffs statewide 'Some teams within Oculus Studios are undergoing shifts in structure and roles that have impacted team size,' said Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton in a statement. 'These changes are meant to help Studios work more efficiently on future mixed reality experiences for our growing audience, while still delivering great content for people today. We remain committed to investing in mixed reality experiences including fitness and games, and our drive to deliver the best experiences possible for the Quest and Supernatural communities remains unchanged.' Laid off employees will be eligible to apply for other jobs at the company, a spokesperson told Meta maintains its headquarters in Menlo Park. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Sign in to access your portfolio
San Francisco Chronicle
25-04-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Meta guts virtual reality division amid mounting losses and fading hype
Meta Platforms has laid off more than 100 employees from its Reality Labs division, the company's unit dedicated to developing virtual and augmented reality technologies for its Quest headsets. The cuts, confirmed by a company spokesperson, primarily affected Oculus Studios, Meta's in-house VR content division, and employees working on hardware and the VR fitness app Supernatural. The layoffs come as Meta continues to recalibrate its workforce following a wave of industry-wide job reductions and a new emphasis on performance and efficiency. 'Some teams within Oculus Studios are undergoing shifts in structure and roles that have impacted team size,' a spokesperson with the Bay Area tech giant said in a statement Friday. 'These changes are meant to help Studios work more efficiently on future mixed reality experiences for our growing audience, while still delivering great content for people today.' Employees working on Supernatural, a subscription-based fitness app acquired by Meta for $400 million in 2021, were among those let go. 'We're deeply saddened to share that these changes have resulted in the loss of some of our incredibly talented team members. Their contributions have been instrumental in shaping our journey and yours, and their absence will be deeply felt,' the app's team said in a Facebook post, noting a forthcoming reduction in workout content. The layoffs come on the heels of Meta's decision earlier this year to cut 5% of its workforce, roughly 3,600 employees, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg pushes for a leaner, performance-driven culture. In an internal memo, Zuckerberg said Meta had strayed from 'masculine energy' and vowed to raise 'the bar on performance management.' The employees impacted by the cuts are eligible to apply to new roles at Meta, and many of them have already been matched to open roles to interview, according to the spokesperson. Reality Labs has remained a financial drain, losing nearly $5 billion in the fourth quarter of last year, even as Meta's stock has rebounded amid Wall Street's approval of tougher cost-cutting strategies across the tech sector. 'We remain committed to investing in mixed reality experiences, including fitness and games, and our drive to deliver the best experiences possible for the Quest and Supernatural communities remains unchanged,' the statement said.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta Lays Off Reality Labs Employees
The cuts affected those working in Oculus Studios, which develops apps and games for Meta's Quest headsets, and on hardware efforts. Sign in to access your portfolio
