Well, the big announcement we were waiting for at last night’s 2015 Game Awards has dropped and it’s Rockband VR from Harmonix, a virtual reality re-imagining of the successful rhythm action franchise. One thing was unclear from the launch trailer though, and that was if indeed the Oculus Touch controllers pictured atop the featured guitars would translate to the retail game. Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe has now confirmed that yes, this is indeed the case.
Tweeting in the wake Oculus’ announcement on the 2016 Game Awards last night, Brendan Iribe, CEO of Oculus, clarified that the Oculus Touch controllers spotted in the launch trailer did indeed serve a purpose.
It's official – Rock Band VR on Rift by @Harmonix and Oculus Studios! Guitar is tracked using Touch https://t.co/PlOYVMkBq6
— Brendan Iribe (@brendaniribe) December 4, 2015
I think it’s safe to say that that’s not a use case we’d immediately thought of here at Road to VR so kudos to Oculus for such an inventive solution.
The announcement that Oculus and Harmonix are to bring Rockband to virtual reality has received a mixed reception thus far. But it’s an important play for Oculus to make at this point of transition for virtual reality between enthusiast’s hobby to bonafide, consumer proposition.
But, aside from the obvious “how do you tell where your hands are in relation to the controller” issue, the prospect of stepping onto a virtual stage in front of a screaming audience, acting out your rock star fantasies is enticing for this writer. Bringing a familiar franchise to such a widely unfamiliar technology may go some way to encourage adoption of the Oculus Rift CV1 outside of the hardcore VR community once it arrives in Q1 2016.
