Quake VR – Quake (1996) as a first-class PCVR experience

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Quake VR – Quake (1996) as a first-class PCVR experience

Hello HN! I am proud to show you Quake VR, a "labor of love" one-man project that I started back in 2020 with the goal of turning Quake -- the timeless classic from 1996 -- into a first-class PCVR experience. --- > What do you mean by "first-class"? There are many mods out there that enable older games to be played in VR, however, not much thought is put into VR-unique mechanics or in making the experience feel seamless. While I do enjoy reliving nostalgic classics in VR (and thank the modders for their efforts), it does feel weird having to use a keyboard+mouse setup for a VR game, or -- even with motion controls -- not being able to physically interact with the game's world, or having a gun glued to one of my hands. With Quake VR, I tried my best to make the game feel like an experienced designed from the ground up for VR. A video is worth a thousand words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBoI16z8Nxg --- As you can see from the video above, Quake VR provides a plethora of VR-specific features, including: - Virtual in-game hands with finger tracking - Dual-wield weapons or hold a weapon with two hands - Physical melee combat, including throwing weapons and headbutts - Weapon models with ironsights - Collisions between the player's hands and the environment - Holster system with virtual torso For a complete list of features, check out the README: https://github.com/vittorioromeo/quakevr#main-features I love VR-unique interactions, and I try to find opportunities to add more. As an example, I recently added "flick reloading" to the SSG -- see it in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV8gbDvNYAM . Here is an older trailer showcasing features like dual-wielding, holsters, and the grappling hook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_ctxSqs6gA --- Quake VR is written in modern C++ and it's completely free and open-source : https://github.com/vittorioromeo/quakevr . If you have any question about the game or any implementation detail, feel free to ask here on or the official Discord server ( https://discord.me/quakevr ). --- If you have a PCVR headset, I sincerely hope you will check out the game and let me know what you think! The game is available on a "pay what you wish" model here: https://quakepcvr.com/ - Make sure you closely follow the installation guide ( https://github.com/vittorioromeo/quakevr#installation )! Cheers, Vittorio --- FAQ: > Is this project related to the Quake ports available for the Meta Quest? * No, this project is separate from those. It uses a different engine and it was developed by me, Vittorio Romeo, with some very appreciated contributions by community members (https://github.com/vittorioromeo/quakevr#credits). > Why is Quake VR not available on Steam? * I've tried really, *really* hard to release it on Steam as a free community mod. However, that requires permission from the owners of the Quake IP. I have spent countless hours trying to communicate with id Software, Bethesda, Microsoft, never receiving *any* sort of response. I've even tried directly contacting employees, who kindly forwarded my request to the legal team, to no avail: zero answers whatsoever. I have not given up -- if you know someone that can help, please let me know! > Is Quake VR compatible with existing Quake mods or existing Quake servers? * No, Quake VR uses a custom protocol and engine in order to deliver first-class VR features. It is possible to adapt mods to work with Quake VR -- I have done that for the official expansions and some popular mods. > How can I support the Quake VR project? * Quake VR is FOSS, however I am more than happy to accept donations for my efforts. PayPal (https://paypal.me/romeovittorio) works best for me, alternatively consider purchasing "Open Hexagon" (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1358090/Open_Hexagon/), my first commercial game on Steam.