The Exciting World of VR on Meta Quest 3: Wallace and Gromit on Mars and a K-pop Concert with BLACKPINK
Welcome to the year 2024! Recently, I had the opportunity to embark on some extraordinary virtual reality adventures using my Meta Quest 3. I journeyed to Mars with Wallace and Gromit, engaged in a bloody brawl in Bulletstorm VR, and even attended my first K-pop concert in Horizon Worlds.
Of course, I must not forget the games I wrote about in my Meta Quest 3 Games and Apps column back in December 2023. Asgard’s Wrath 2 proved to be a substantial game, while Walkabout Mini Golf remained an excellent way to unwind after work.
If you’re looking for more VR software recommendations, you can check out my list of Meta Quest 3 games and apps from November 2023 or visit our sister site TRG, where you’ll find a list of the best VR games.
Wallace and Gromit’s Great Escape
As a fan of Wallace and Gromit, I couldn’t pass up this virtual adventure. “The Grand Getaway” was a true success as a story featuring Wallace and Gromit. The plot, where the duo decides to fly south on their rocket but, of course, things don’t go as planned and they land on Mars, feels like it was taken straight out of an untold short film with these English icons.
This VR adventure is full of Wallace and Gromit’s classic humor, which brought a smile to my face at every turn. The Tee’s-Up 3000 automatic golf ball dispenser was my favorite element.
New characters, such as Beryl (voiced by Miriam Margolyes) known from “The Big Fix Up,” and the Auto-Caddy, who is the main protagonist of this adventure, fit perfectly into Wallace and Gromit’s mythology. Controlling the Auto-Caddy is a true delight due to its absurd mechanics. Instead of throwing objects, you simply place them in its mouth and it shoots them out into place.
Furthermore, the stop-motion inspired animation makes you feel like you’re actually participating in one of those iconic Wallace and Gromit adventures.
Unfortunately, as a VR experience, “The Grand Getaway” still needs some work. The controls are a bit clumsy, and even picking up simple objects can be a challenge. I also noticed a few glitches during my gameplay. Some were purely visual, like the moment when Wallace temporarily assumed a T-pose while transitioning between animation cycles. Others were more glaring. I had to close and reopen the app when the shooting mini-game didn’t load correctly halfway through the gameplay.
The puzzles in “The Grand Getaway” are diverse but not too challenging. If you’re looking for mental challenges in virtual reality, this adventure may not meet your expectations.
If you’re a fan of Wallace and Gromit who wants to experience another adventure with this duo or if you’re looking for a fun VR experience that provides entertainment for around two hours, then “The Grand Getaway” is a game that will interest you. Otherwise, you may find something more suited to your taste, such as “The Last Clockwinder” or one of the other puzzle games available on the Quest platform.
VR Concert with BLACKPINK
I was aware of the K-pop phenomenon that BLACKPINK is, but I couldn’t recognize their songs. Therefore, I decided to rectify my lack of knowledge by attending a free VR concert of the girl group in Meta Horizon Worlds. Despite a few hiccups, I had a great time.
The issues I encountered mostly revolved around the Horizon Worlds platform, not the actual BLACKPINK performance. The 70-minute performance – a recording from their tour finale at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul – was dazzling. The stunning light shows, pyrotechnic effects, excellent choreography, and songs that will undoubtedly make it onto my 2024 playlist.
The recording smoothly transported the viewer through various perspectives to provide the best experience of the concert. Sometimes, I was up close to the stage, right next to Blackpink, while other times, I was far away to observe the performance of a large group of dancers who joined the girls. At times, I sat atop to enjoy the light spectacles and sense the scale of the crowd watching the concert live.
However, my experience with the Horizon Worlds platform was a bit mixed. If you don’t want your concert interrupted by strangers and want to host a private gathering in Music Valley, you can do so by clicking the three dots on the world menu page and selecting “Start Closed Session.” It’s a neat feature if you want to enjoy the music only with those you know (or just by yourself). However, I was surprised that even as the host of a closed session, I didn’t have clear control over playback of the Blackpink concert. The live concert was looped.
I suspect this may be due to licensing limitations, but having a playback and pause feature for the concert would be really useful. It would ensure that everyone in your group is ready before the concert starts, and if someone needs a break, you could stop between songs and resume once everyone is ready. In my case, I had to join the concert somewhere in the middle and watch until it looped back to the beginning again, which didn’t seem like the best way to experience the majesty of Blackpink.
The video quality occasionally dropped, and there were buffering delays. Initially, I thought it was an issue with my internet, but other concert attendees kept moving when the video was paused. When the concert resumed, everyone was where they were before the pause, rather than skipping forward as expected if it were due to my internet connection.
The final issue was that Music Valley, the map within Horizon Worlds where the concert takes place, was a bit distracting. I think the game elements should remain, but I would like a better viewing area for the concert without flying saucers or rocks obstructing the view. However, these issues definitely did not detract from my overall experience.
Will Horizon Worlds replace attending real concerts? Absolutely not. Quest 3 – or any other VR headset – cannot replace the genuine emotions that accompany live music. However, virtual concerts, such as the one with BLACKPINK in Meta Horizon Worlds, provide us with the opportunity to experience unforgettable performances that we may never see in person.
FAQ
1. What is Meta Quest 3?
Meta Quest 3 is a virtual reality device that allows users to participate in various VR adventures and games.
2. Which VR games were mentioned in the article?
The mentioned VR games in the article are “The Grand Getaway” featuring Wallace and Gromit and the VR concert with BLACKPINK in Meta Horizon Worlds.
3. What are the opinions about the game “The Grand Getaway”?
“The Grand Getaway” is popular among Wallace and Gromit fans but has some flaws related to controls and technical glitches.
4. What is
The source of the article is from the blog smartphonemagazine.nl