'Obduction' Gets Oculus Rift Support On Halloween (Update: Now Available)

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By Rexly Peñaflorida
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Update, 10/31/2016, 12:49pm PDT: The VR version of Obduction is now available. In addition the game's latest update also includes Nvidia's Ansel screenshot technology as well as high dynamic range lighting.

Cyan’s latest game, Obduction, isn’t just made for the Windows and Mac platforms. At E3, I also had the chance to play the game in virtual reality, specifically on the Oculus Rift. However, when Obduction launched last month, the VR version wasn’t ready. Now, Cyan said that Oculus Rift owners will be able to play the game in VR starting on October 31.

The release date for the VR version coincides with the 19th anniversary of the release of Riven, the sequel to Myst. If you backed the game on Kickstarter, however, you can play it as early as Friday, October 28, a few days before the official release date.

Obduction was supposed to come out in late July, but Cyan delayed it for another month due to then-recent updates to Unreal Engine 4, as well as continued work on the VR version of the game. When the game finally launch on August 24, the studio mentioned that it was still working on the Oculus Rift variant and that it needed “more optimizations and some UI polishing.” We contacted Cyan for clarification about the extra time for VR development, as well as support for other VR platforms such as the HTC, and will update when we have more information.

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NameObduction
TypeAdventure, Exploration
DeveloperCyan
PublisherCyan
Release DateAugust 24, 2016 (Windows)October 31, 2016 (Oculus Rift)
PlatformsPC, Mac, Oculus Rift
Rexly Peñaflorida
9 Comments Comment from the forums
  • clutchc
    Finished the game awhile back. Can't imagine playing that in VR with all the traveling back and forth one has to do. But it will no doubt be great because the graphics are so well done.
    Reply
  • tntom
    I really enjoyed Obduction. Walking on the edge of those cliffs in VR would nauseate me for sure. Really beautiful environments. A great storyline that initially disappoints because it is not hand fed to you on a spoon but rewards you as a 'well thought out' puzzle that requires deep thought even after you watched the final moments of the game unfold.
    Reply
  • Jeff Fx
    I might get this if it was just a PC game, but being an Oculus exclusive in VR, they've lost the sale. If you offer VR, you need to offer real, room-scale VR on the Vive.
    Reply
  • caustin582
    18782317 said:
    I might get this if it was just a PC game, but being an Oculus exclusive in VR, they've lost the sale. If you offer VR, you need to offer real, room-scale VR on the Vive.

    Actually they're currently working on Vive support, but haven't given a release date for it. From what I understand, the Oculus support wasn't given priority due to any sort of publishing deal, but rather because it was one of their original Kickstarter stretch goals that the supporters pushed for, 2 years before the Vive was even announced.

    I'm a Vive owner too and would love to replay this game in room-scale VR, but just for the record, Obduction is amazing on its own and totally worth buying. :)
    Reply
  • Jeff Fx
    18783509 said:
    18782317 said:
    I might get this if it was just a PC game, but being an Oculus exclusive in VR, they've lost the sale. If you offer VR, you need to offer real, room-scale VR on the Vive.

    Actually they're currently working on Vive support, but haven't given a release date for it. From what I understand, the Oculus support wasn't given priority due to any sort of publishing deal, but rather because it was one of their original Kickstarter stretch goals that the supporters pushed for, 2 years before the Vive was even announced.

    I'm a Vive owner too and would love to replay this game in room-scale VR, but just for the record, Obduction is amazing on its own and totally worth buying. :)

    Thanks for taking the time to reply to my poorly-informed, knee-jerk post. You've turned around my view on this, and I will buy this game.
    Reply
  • firebane
    I got this for Oculus and I personally don't think it's the best game for VR.

    You spend most of the game "teleporting" a few feet ahead, looking the direction you want to go, and teleporting again. Even if I had room scale and hands it wouldn't improve it much. Games with room space VR work better if there's lots of objects to manipulate in a small area. And this, while a great game, isn't really designed in such a way.
    Reply
  • Jeff Fx
    18815385 said:
    I got this for Oculus and I personally don't think it's the best game for VR.

    You spend most of the game "teleporting" a few feet ahead, looking the direction you want to go, and teleporting again. Even if I had room scale and hands it wouldn't improve it much. Games with room space VR work better if there's lots of objects to manipulate in a small area. And this, while a great game, isn't really designed in such a way.

    Bummer.
    I guess that's to be expected when a game was built to run on a monitor. I hope Fallout 4 VR turns out much better.
    I'll go ahead and play Obduction in my theater, rather than waiting for a Vive version.
    Reply
  • firebane
    It didn't help that I am pushing the very low end of the VR spec. So I had to run it at low quality. Until I can hide enough money from my wife that I can buy a 1070 without her knowing I spent that much money, I won't know how good it looks in VR on High.

    But moreso my issues were the gameplay. Teleporting is the only way I can move long distances in these games without feeling nauseous. And it has a fairly large world where most "zones" (10ft square ares you teleport into) are empty of objects you can interact with.
    Reply
  • Jeff Fx
    18815457 said:
    It didn't help that I am pushing the very low end of the VR spec. So I had to run it at low quality. Until I can hide enough money from my wife that I can buy a 1070 without her knowing I spent that much money, I won't know how good it looks in VR on High.

    But moreso my issues were the gameplay. Teleporting is the only way I can move long distances in these games without feeling nauseous. And it has a fairly large world where most "zones" (10ft square ares you teleport into) are empty of objects you can interact with.

    Thanks for the additional info. I can move in games without teleport as long as the floor is at floor-level. Luckey's Tale makes me sway because it's at waist-level. I have no life, so I was able to buy a 1080. With VR and all the great PC games available, it's a really good time to not have a life.
    Reply