‘Battlezone’ Is Coming To PC VR, Beta Starts April 19

Battlezone was one of the first games to grace the PlayStation VR platform. Rebellion brought a playable version of the game to Sony’s PlayStation Experience in December 2015, and the game launched alongside the PSVR HMD on October 13, 2016. Battlezone is currently exclusive to Sony's platform, but that’s about to change. The game’s PC VR release is just around the corner, and Rebellion is currently seeking a “limited number” of beta testers with HTC Vive and Oculus Rift headsets to help track down bugs before the launch.

Rebellion updated the graphics for the PC release of Battlezone. The new version of the game features higher-resolution textures and shadow maps. The developer also included super-sampling options to let you fine-tune the visual experience to your hardware’s capabilities.

Battlezone is an online co-op tank warfare game for one to four players, and Rebellion wants to test both single-player and multiplayer configurations. The developer is looking for people who enjoy playing solo and people who like to play with others and asks you to specify your preference in the application form.

Rebellion, it seems, is taking the screening process for beta access seriously. The closed beta application form also asks which VR HMDs you own, if you own the Oculus Touch motion controllers, which version of Windows you run, and how many GPUs you have installed in your PC. It also requires you to attach a DxDiag report.

Rebellion said that the Battlezone closed beta would start on April 19. Registrations are open now and will close on April 13. The developer didn’t say when Battlezone would make its public debut, but it said the game is coming to Steam and the Oculus Store “soon.”

TOPICS

 Kevin Carbotte is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware who primarily covers VR and AR hardware. He has been writing for us for more than four years. 

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  • derekullo
    I remember playing the original Battlezone on my Athlon XP 2200+ with a geforce 3 ti 500 and 1 whole gigabyte of ram.
    Reply
  • Freke1
    I played the original Battlezone (PC) a lot on a 3DFX Voodoo graphics card many years ago. Still have the game (also the next Battlezone II). Before PC's there was a "stick figure" Battlezone (enter coins to play) which was the first 3D game actually. I have yet to see bettar AI from the enemy when playing single player. Respect to those who programmed the AI in Battlezone (PC). You could even tweak the AI. Made my own missions also. So much fun and so many hours. Miss that game. Forevar in my heart. Watch out for the Walker ;-)
    Reply
  • s997863
    To anyone missing Battlezone 1998: 1.5 patch at battelzone.org, or Battlezone Redux on gog/steam.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    19545874 said:
    Before PC's there was a "stick figure" Battlezone (enter coins to play) which was the first 3D game actually.
    I think you mean the wire-frame arcade game, which I also played. Classic stuff.
    Reply