[UPDATE] EVE VR is now known as EVE: Valkyrie and, despite previous claims that the company wasn't sure they could monetize the title, CCP Games expects the tech-demo-turned-standalone-game to see a commercial release sometime next year.
Nearly 50,000 people descended upon Los Angeles last week to see Microsoft and Sony introduce the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, along with new games for a variety of platforms, but is it possible that EVE Online creator CCP's EVE VR Oculus Rift demo was the coolest thing at E3 2013?
It was if you ask me.
While most of the gaming world spent the majority of June 11-13 focused on the coming showdown between the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, EVE Online developer CCP was tucked away in a meeting room on the second-floor of the Los Angeles Convention Center with half a dozen Oculus Rift headsets and EVE VR. Though it may not have been the most trafficked booth of the convention, it's hard not to think that EVE VR was one of the most important games on display at E3 2013, the EVE Online spin-off demonstrated the real value of the Oculus Rift even as the VR headset's developers continue work on their creation.
Developed by a small group of CCP employees, both in their own free time and the 20 percent of their day when CCP encourages employees to work on personal/private projects, EVE VR is played with the existing Oculus Rift dev kit and a dual analog stick, twin-trigger USB gamepad. Once you've strapped the Oculus Rift onto your head, you find yourself inside the fully-modeled cockpit of a spaceship, and can look around at your ship's instrumentation, through side windows, and at your avatar's hands and feet. During the E3 demo, those fortunate enough for some EVE VR game time were partnered with two other teammates against a team of three opponents, and the rest of the game's basic premise is pretty self explanatory. You fly around in space, trying to down members of the other team as often as possible before time is up, and are given a single-line score read out at the end of the match. Simple, yet surprisingly addicting.
About halfway through my first experience with the Oculus Rift, I understood why so many people have practically become evangelists for the up-and-coming virtual reality headset, which just received an upgrade to full 1080p support in recent weeks. The device's built-in head tracking allows players to explore the space around them, with that input kept separate from the controller used to pilot the ship, giving an immersive feel to EVE VR that simply can't be replicated by flight-sims played on a television or PC monitor. In fact, targeting opposing players with the game's missile system requires players to keep an eye on their opponent, even as they might be required to navigate their starship around an obstacle or perform evasive maneuvers to avoid an incoming attack.
It's hard to over-emphasize just how immersive EVE VR really can be, particularly when played in a dimly lit room with five other players familiar enough with basic gaming concepts to provide adequate competition for one another on CCP's first (and possibly only) Oculus Rift game. Unfortunately, given the fact that the Oculus Rift is still many months (possibly years) away from anything resembling a true consumer release, it remains unknown whether EVE VR will ever see the light of day in any form other than as a tech demo to be trotted out at conferences and conventions like the Electronic Entertainment Expo.
Still, even if EVE VR never sees a proper commercial release, I'm certainly glad that the talented folks at CCP not only created such a gaming experience, but have proceeded to travel the globe sharing EVE VR with others on their own dime. The game represents an important step forward for the gaming industry, and is just downright fun at the end of the day.
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com and follow Scott on Twitter for more E3 2013 coverage, and all the latest on EVE VR as we continue to follow the game's life alongside the always-improving Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.
What do you think of the Oculus Rift? Have you had a chance to play CCP's EVE VR Oculus Rift game for yourself? Think the gaming industry's recent interest in virtual reality is a bunch of wasted energy?
Let us know in the comments section!
More E3 2013 Coverage:
Payday 2 Release Date Will Bring Better Graphics, New Heists And Enough Weaponry To Hold Off A Small Army [HANDS-ON]
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z Combines Cel-Shading, Dark Comedy And More Than A Bit Of The Old Ultra Violence [HANDS-ON]
Saints Row 4: E3 Game Play Demo Drops The Bass, Laser Swords And The Most Super Powered President In History [HANDS-ON]
