NeosVR is a

free-to-play Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or do not require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which ...

massively multiplayer online A massively multiplayer online game (MMOG or more commonly MMO) is an online video game with a large number of players, often hundreds or thousands, on the same server. MMOs usually feature a huge, persistent open world, although there are ...

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...

application created by Frooxius and operated by Solirax. It was released for free on Microsoft Windows via

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporizat ...

on May 4, 2018, with support for several

VR headsets A virtual reality headset (or VR headset) is a head-mounted device that provides virtual reality for the wearer. VR headsets are widely used with VR video games but they are also used in other applications, including simulators and trainers. VR ...

. The game allows users to interact with one another as

avatars Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearan ...

and features development tools for players to create in-game elements such as games and maps. It is also usable without VR in a “desktop” mode through the use of a

mouse and keyboard A game controller, gaming controller, or simply controller, is an input device used with video games or entertainment systems to provide input to a video game, typically to control an object or character in the game. Before the seventh generatio ...

gamepad A gamepad is a type of video game controller held in two hands, where the fingers (especially thumbs) are used to provide input. They are typically the main input device for video game consoles. Features Gamepads generally feature a set of ...

Gameplay

The gameplay of NeosVR bears similarities to that of

VRChat ''VRChat'' is an online virtual world platform created by Graham Gaylor and Jesse Joudrey and operated by VRChat, Inc. The platform allows users to interact with others with user-created 3D avatars and worlds. ''VRChat'' is designed primarily ...

and AltspaceVR. Players interact with each other through virtual 2D and 3D avatars capable of

lip sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated th ...

eye tracking Eye tracking is the process of measuring either the point of gaze (where one is looking) or the motion of an eye relative to the head. An eye tracker is a device for measuring eye positions and eye movement. Eye trackers are used in research ...

, blinking, and a complete range of motion. The game may be played with either VR equipment or in a

desktop A desktop traditionally refers to: * The surface of a desk (often to distinguish office appliances that fit on a desk, such as photocopiers and printers, from larger equipment covering its own area on the floor) Desktop may refer to various compu ...

configuration. Some limitations, such as the inability to freely move an avatar’s limbs or perform interactions that require one hand, exist in desktop mode. NeosVR's selection of worlds includes

minigame A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements, and is often smaller or more simplistic, than th ...

s, social lounges, and worlds created by the user base. A single user may have several

multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system ( couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

worlds loaded at the same time. Users can customize their own worlds entirely from within NeosVR without the use of external SDKs, though it is possible to upload custom content such as code and in-game items for use.

Events

Since 2020, NeosVR hosted an annual competition known as the “Metaverse Maker Competition”. Participants are given one month to bring their unique ideas to life using only resources created during the month. Most Sundays, players could come together at an event hosted by Creator Jam known as creator jams. Each event had a specific topic in which players would build objects and experiences for. Similar to the MMC, Neos Festa was a Japanese-hosted annual event in which players would construct a booth to present their creations.

Hardware and software support

NeosVR supports many

such as

Oculus Rift Oculus Rift is a discontinued line of virtual reality headsets developed and manufactured by Oculus VR, a division of Meta Platforms, released on March 28, 2016. In 2012 Oculus initiated a Kickstarter campaign to fund the Rift's development, a ...

Oculus Rift S The Oculus Rift S is a virtual reality headset co-developed by Lenovo Technologies and Facebook Technologies—a division of Meta Platforms. Announced in March 2019 and released that May, it is a successor to the original Oculus Rift CV1 mod ...

Oculus Quest The Oculus Quest is a virtual reality (VR) headset developed by Oculus, a division of Meta, Inc., released on May 21, 2019. Similar to its predecessor, Oculus Go, it is a standalone device that can run games and software wirelessly under an ...

and

Oculus Quest 2 Meta Quest 2 (initially sold as Oculus Quest 2) is a virtual reality (VR) headset developed by Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook, Inc.). It was unveiled on September 16, 2020 and released on October 13. As with its predecessor, the Oculus Que ...

with Quest link,

Oculus Go The Oculus Go is a standalone virtual reality headset developed by Facebook Technologies in partnership with Qualcomm and Xiaomi. It is in the first generation of Facebook Technologies' virtual reality headsets, and the company's first device in ...

Pimax Pimax is a technology company specializing in virtual reality hardware products. Pimax Technology was founded in November 2015. In 2016 its first product, the Pimax 4K virtual reality headset, was released, becoming the first commercially avail ...

headsets,

HTC Vive VIVE, sometimes referred to as HTC Vive, is a virtual reality brand of HTC Corporation. It consists of hardware like its titular virtual reality headsets and accessories, virtual reality software and services, and initiatives that promote ...

Valve Index The Valve Index is a consumer virtual reality headset created and manufactured by Valve. Announced on April 30, 2019, the headset was released on June 28 of the same year. The Index is a second-generation headset and the first to be manufacture ...

, and the

Windows Mixed Reality Windows Mixed Reality is a platform introduced as part of the Windows 10 and 11 operating system, which provides augmented reality and virtual reality experiences with compatible head-mounted displays. Its flagship device, Microsoft HoloLens, w ...

headsets. Controllers with finger presence detection, like the

, enable users to perform hand and finger movements that can be used to trigger specific facial expressions, animations, or customized events. In addition to headsets, NeosVR supports a variety of VR accessories such as the

Leap Motion Leap Motion, Inc. (formerly OcuSpec Inc.) was an American company that manufactured and marketed a computer hardware sensor device that supports hand and finger motions as input, analogous to a mouse, but requires no hand contact or touching. ...

finger-tracking module and the

Facial Tracker, enabling a user to visibly

broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution (business), distribution of sound, audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio ...

lower facial expressions and speech. The

Pro Eye is also supported, enabling the use of eye presence in select avatars. NeosVR also offers support for hip and feet

tracking Tracking may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Tracking, in computer graphics, in match moving (insertion of graphics into footage) * Tracking, composing music with music tracker software * Eye tracking, measuring the position of ...

, also known as 'full-body' tracking. Through

inverse kinematics In computer animation and robotics, inverse kinematics is the mathematical process of calculating the variable joint parameters needed to place the end of a kinematic chain, such as a robot manipulator or animation character's skeleton, in a gi ...

, the system calculates movement using up to eight extra trackers to replicate a person's physical movements in

real-time Real-time or real time describes various operations in computing or other processes that must guarantee response times within a specified time (deadline), usually a relatively short time. A real-time process is generally one that happens in defined ...

. NeosVR offers native Bhaptics haptic suit support used to immerse a player within the game using vibrations.

Usage

Users may import and create avatars from 3D models using NeosVR's built-in "avatar creator". In addition to avatars, users can write

computer program A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to execute. Computer programs are one component of software, which also includes documentation and other intangible components. A computer progra ...

s using LogiX, a node-based programming system implemented within NeosVR. LogiX may be used to drive functionality for avatars, worlds and other inventions. Users are able to create procedural textures and meshes in-game using the in-game component browser.

Controversy and fork

In 2023, most of the Neos development team left the company due to disagreements with Solirax, with particular disputes surrounding its promotion of

cryptocurrency A cryptocurrency, crypto-currency, or crypto is a digital currency designed to work as a medium of exchange through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it. It ...

with the game has receiving primarily negative reviews on Steam as a result since. In October 2023, a spiritual successor by the former team known as Resonite launched in early access on Steam.https://www.roadtovr.com/neos-vr-spiritual-successor-resonite-reveal-steamvr/

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control 2018 video games Massively multiplayer online games Virtual reality communities Virtual reality games Windows games HTC Vive games Oculus Rift games Meta Quest games