Show HN: Quake VR – Quake (1996) as a first-class PCVR experience
https://vittorioromeo.info/quakevr
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.

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> 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

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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

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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).

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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

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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.