Space Junkies (2019), Ubisoft Montpellier’s VR arena shooter, seems to be hunting for a larger playerbase as the studio today launched an open beta for non-VR PC users.
The open beta is available from July 25th – August 7th via Uplay (PC only) and includes cross-play with the platform’s standard mix of VR users.
To access the non-VR open beta, visit the official webpage to add it to your Ubisoft account, which will let you install the open beta via the ‘Free Game’ section in Uplay.
The open beta supports mouse & keyboard, and gamepad. Unlike the VR version, which suggests users have at least a Core i5-4590 or Ryzen5 1500X CPU, and a GTX 970 (4 GB) or RX 480X (8GB) GPU, the version for traditional monitors is predictably much more modest in the specs department.
At minimum, the PC-only version game (for 60FPS on low settings) requires a Core i5 2500k or AMD FX 6350, and Nvidia GTX660 or AMD Radeon R9 270X. Recommended specs for 82 FPS on ultra graphics settings are a Core i5 4590 with Nvidia GTX780.
It’s unsure what advantages/disadvantages PC players will have over their headset-wearing counterparts, although the beta will likely reveal just how balanced Ubisoft Montpellier has been able to make it.
The studio has been quick to issue post-launch updates however, and has improved a few of the things we mentioned in our full review; we gave it a solid [7.7/10], so whatever the open beta reveals, it would be uncharacteristic of the studio to simply throw a massive advantage to PC users. It’s also unsure how the addition of traditional monitor support will affect its position as a budding VR eSport, as it would be the only game in ESL’s VR League that includes a player population using non-VR devices.
Space Junkies supports a wide swath of VR devices (with cross-play) including HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Valve Index, Windows VR headsets, and PSVR. The game typically retails for $20; at the time of this writing the game is available through Humble Bundle for just $7.