'EVE: Valkyrie' Available As Pre-Order Bonus For Oculus Rift

The hype for VR continues to rise, and if you were lucky enough to try out the Oculus Rift in recent months, one of the most prolific demos on the VR HMD was CCP Games’ EVE: Valkyrie. Even though we don’t yet know the exact release date for the Oculus Rift, the company wants fans to know that the device will have enough content at launch, so it’s including the final version of EVE: Valkyrie with every pre-order of the Oculus Rift.

The deal is exclusive to Oculus, even though we’ve seen the game demoed on other VR HMDs such as PlayStation VR. So far, the demo has been the same experience for quite some time: Players take the pilot’s seat of a fighter ship and then launch into space. After a few minutes of getting used to the controls and flying with a squadron, the first wave of enemy ships arrive. Taking them down isn't difficult, but the tide of battle turns with the arrival of the Avatar, a Titan-class ship.

However, the pre-order announcement came with another trailer, this time showcasing various segments of space combat.

If anything, the partnership is sure to raise the popularity of one of the most notable VR companies in the industry. The EVE universe is one of the most popular franchises in gaming and attracting a new audience outside of EVE Online would boost CCP Games’ profile as well as Oculus’ launch date appeal.

Those with Oculus DK2 units can sign up on the EVE: Valkyrie page to register for a chance to participate in pre-alpha testing of the game before its launch in Q1 2016.

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Rexly Peñaflorida II is a Contributor at Tom’s Hardware. He writes news on tech and hardware, but mostly focuses on gaming news. As a Chicagoan, he believes that deep dish pizza is real pizza and ketchup should never be on hot dogs. Ever. Also, Portillo’s is amazing.

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  • scolaner
    When I played this demo back at Computex, it was a "moment" for me. It helped me realize 1) what VR is really going to be, at least at first, and 2) why it's so enchanting.

    We've all played these cockpit space shooters before. But I've never liked them much, because you had barely any FOV. I always found myself wishing I could just turn my head to the side to see what was happening so I could adjust my fire and track enemy ships.

    In this demo, though, I did exactly that, instinctively. I was caught off guard: I could see out the side windows. And I could look all around and see the inside of the whole cockpit, and even had a sense of spatial awareness. It was such an intuitive thing for me to do -- to look around -- and my natural reaction was rewarded with a 360-degree virtual environment.

    All the demo really does is put you inside a game that you're already familiar with -- but that's *so cool*. It didn't matter to me that it wasn't photo-realistic. I was INSIDE a video game. Just incredible, and so fun.
    Reply
  • ninjustin
    Shut up and take my money!
    Reply
  • falchard
    But why do you need a vr headset for a screen saver?
    Reply
  • rarson
    Must I ask the obvious question? Why is there no mention of when we'll be able to pre-order?
    Reply
  • dark_lord69
    Must I ask the obvious question? Why is there no mention of when we'll be able to pre-order?
    Right!?
    I was thinking the same thing... I'd preorder now if I could.. but I suppose they want GearVR to have it's day in the sun for now.
    Was thinking, wouldn't it be amazing to see HTC released with a free game too... Half-Life 3!!
    Reply