Last chance to get a cult VR game for free before it disappears
Ahead of the demise of cult VR game Echo VR, Meta is giving away the previously paid-for shooter mode Echo Combat.
Meta's decision to shut down Echo VR has been met with criticism from fans and former Meta VR advisor John Carmack. But subsidiary studio Ready at Dawn is planning a parting gift before Meta shuts down the popular VR online game's multiplayer servers on August 1. The Rift version of the game's shooter mode, Echo Combat, is now available for free. The expansion previously cost about ten dollars.
The zero-gravity arena shootouts are exclusive to the PC VR version, which is only available in the Rift Store. Quest users will need to connect their VR headset to a gaming PC via Air Link or Virtual Desktop to play.
Echo Combat now free to play
If you want to know why the VR sci-fi shooter is so popular among e-sports enthusiasts despite a decline in player numbers, you have the opportunity to do so until the end of July. The unique motion control system, which allows players to move weightlessly around the arena, is probably one of the main reasons for its popularity. Similar to the great single player spin-off Lone Echo (2) and the now discontinued Space Junkies by Ubisoft.
The main game, Echo VR, which is reminiscent of Frisbee, was already free for Rift and Quest. Protests against the shutdown were apparently unsuccessful. "The plan is still to take down Echo VR servers on August 1st," reads the official update from Echo Games on Medium.com. Andrew Bosworth, Meta's CTO, said on Instagram that continuing operations would tie up resources that could be better spent elsewhere.
The Season 7 Rewards Event, which gives out cosmetic rewards for the simple act of playing the game, will be running until August 1.
Echo VR and Echo Combat are available in the Rift App Store.
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