Valve Adds VR Categorization Options, Developers Start To Use them

In preparation for the release of SteamVR’s first HMD, the HTC Vive, Valve recently updated the Steamworks settings for developers so they can specify that their game is VR compatible, which headset it works with, and several other parameters, including the size of the required play area.

Many of the supported games that you’ll find on the list are in fact older games that have SteamVR support added. Among them you’ll find DCS World, a military flight simulator that was originally released in 2013; a few games from 2014, including World of Diving and Mind: Path to Thalamus Enhance Edition; and a number of games that launched throughout 2015, such as Euclidean, a “geometric horror game” that launched in September for the Oculus Rift DK2, and Crystal Rift, which also originated as an early Oculus Rift demo and was later released as a full game in April last year.

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Most of the games that are on the list and that will be released this year appear to be VR-exclusive titles, many of which we’ve known about for a while and have even tried, but there are some games that we aren’t familiar with, such as A-10 VR, a sci-fi gallery shooter; The Brookhaven Experiment Demo, a first person horror shooter; and A Legend of Luca, a first person “rogue-lite” game that the developer describes as “Zelda-like.” These three games are roomscale, Vive-exclusive titles that we’ve not yet tested, but they look very interesting.

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Game title	Motion Controllers	Gamepad	KB / Mouse	Seated Experience	Standing Experience	Room-Scale Experience
Descent: Underground	Row 0 - Cell 1	X	X	X	Row 0 - Cell 5	Row 0 - Cell 6
Windlands	X	X	X	X	X	Row 1 - Cell 6
5089: The Action RPG	X	Row 2 - Cell 2	X	X	X	X
Euclidean	X	X	X	X	X	X
Spermination	Row 4 - Cell 1	Row 4 - Cell 2	X	X	Row 4 - Cell 5	Row 4 - Cell 6
DCS World	X	Row 5 - Cell 2	X	X	Row 5 - Cell 5	Row 5 - Cell 6
Crystal Rift	X	X	X	X	X	X
Kumoon: Ballistic Physics Puzzel	Row 7 - Cell 1	X	X	X	Row 7 - Cell 5	Row 7 - Cell 6
World of Diving	Row 8 - Cell 1	X	X	X	Row 8 - Cell 5	Row 8 - Cell 6
Mind: Path to Thalamus Enhanced Edition	X	X	X	X	Row 9 - Cell 5	Row 9 - Cell 6
4089: Ghost Within	Row 10 - Cell 1	Row 10 - Cell 2	X	x	Row 10 - Cell 5	Row 10 - Cell 6
Water Bears VR	X	Row 11 - Cell 2	Row 11 - Cell 3	Row 11 - Cell 4	Row 11 - Cell 5	X
The Grand Canyon VR Experience	X	X	X	X	X	Row 12 - Cell 6
Calestrion	Row 13 - Cell 1	Row 13 - Cell 2	Row 13 - Cell 3	Row 13 - Cell 4	Row 13 - Cell 5	X
Metaverse Construction Kit	X	Row 14 - Cell 2	Row 14 - Cell 3	Row 14 - Cell 4	Row 14 - Cell 5	X
Caffeine	Row 15 - Cell 1	X	X	X	Row 15 - Cell 5	Row 15 - Cell 6
Arizona Sunshine	X	Row 16 - Cell 2	Row 16 - Cell 3	Row 16 - Cell 4	X	X
Skyworld	X	X	Row 17 - Cell 3	X	X	X
Hover Junkers	X	Row 18 - Cell 2	Row 18 - Cell 3	X	X	X
Felt Tip Circus	X	Row 19 - Cell 2	Row 19 - Cell 3	Row 19 - Cell 4	X	X
Spare Pirate Trainer	X	Row 20 - Cell 2	Row 20 - Cell 3	Row 20 - Cell 4	Row 20 - Cell 5	X
Budget Cuts	X	Row 21 - Cell 2	Row 21 - Cell 3	Row 21 - Cell 4	Row 21 - Cell 5	X
Jeeboman	X	Row 22 - Cell 2	Row 22 - Cell 3	Row 22 - Cell 4	X	X
A-10 VR	X	Row 23 - Cell 2	Row 23 - Cell 3	X	X	X
Sluggey' Fruit Emporium	X	Row 24 - Cell 2	Row 24 - Cell 3	Row 24 - Cell 4	Row 24 - Cell 5	X
The Rose and I	Row 25 - Cell 1	Row 25 - Cell 2	X	X	X	X
Cloudlands: VR Minigolf	X	Row 26 - Cell 2	Row 26 - Cell 3	Row 26 - Cell 4	X	Row 26 - Cell 6
Thunderbird: The Legend Begins	X	Row 27 - Cell 2	Row 27 - Cell 3	Row 27 - Cell 4	X	X
Marble Mountain	X	X	X	X	Row 28 - Cell 5	Row 28 - Cell 6
The Brookhaven Experiment	X	Row 29 - Cell 2	Row 29 - Cell 3	Row 29 - Cell 4	X	X
Modbox	X	Row 30 - Cell 2	Row 30 - Cell 3	Row 30 - Cell 4	X	Row 30 - Cell 6
A Legend of Luca	X	Row 31 - Cell 2	Row 31 - Cell 3	Row 31 - Cell 4	Row 31 - Cell 5	X
Waltz of the Wizard	X	Row 32 - Cell 2	Row 32 - Cell 3	Row 32 - Cell 4	X	X
Final Strike	Row 33 - Cell 1	X	X	X	Row 33 - Cell 5	Row 33 - Cell 6
Orc Assault	Row 34 - Cell 1	X	X	Row 34 - Cell 4	Row 34 - Cell 5	Row 34 - Cell 6
A Chair in a Room: Greenwater	X	Row 35 - Cell 2	Row 35 - Cell 3	Row 35 - Cell 4	Row 35 - Cell 5	X
Fantastic Contraption	X	Row 36 - Cell 2	Row 36 - Cell 3	Row 36 - Cell 4	Row 36 - Cell 5	X
Abbot's Book Demo	X	Row 37 - Cell 2	Row 37 - Cell 3	X	X	X
Job Simulator: The 2050 Archive's	X	Row 38 - Cell 2	Row 38 - Cell 3	Row 38 - Cell 4	X	Row 38 - Cell 6
The Gallery - Episode 1: Call of the Starseed	X	Row 39 - Cell 2	Row 39 - Cell 3	Row 39 - Cell 4	X	X
Final Approach	X	Row 40 - Cell 2	Row 40 - Cell 3	X	X	X
Audioshield	X	Row 41 - Cell 2	Row 41 - Cell 3	Row 41 - Cell 4	X	Row 41 - Cell 6
CDF Starfighter VR	Row 42 - Cell 1	X	Row 42 - Cell 3	X	Row 42 - Cell 5	Row 42 - Cell 6

It’s good to see more titles listed on Steam and announced for HTC’s Vive. We’ve spent a lot of time testing out the hardware, but as amazing as the technology may be, it’s the software that will show the true value of the system. It’s a safe bet we’ll see many more titles in the coming weeks. In fact, I had to revise this article (twice!) while I was writing it because several more titles were added before I finished.

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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.

4 Comments Comment from the forums

MrChain

To get VR beyond these random $30-$80 popups now..
Reply
Achoo22

Not one of those games looks or sounds appealing.
Reply
Warsaw

Not one of those games looks or sounds appealing.
You don't even have any idea what those games are like. Way to open yourself up to new experiences and be negative about something trying to innovate.
Reply
HTC vive and oculus ? why no OSVR ? and no support for leap motion ? shit, gamepad, motion controller are not right for VR
Reply