Playing Angry Birds with Quest 3's mixed reality is pretty cool
Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs is getting a mixed reality update for Quest and Pico headsets that makes the game even more fun to play.
Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs is getting a mixed reality mode on March 26, which Resolution Games says includes the following features:
-
Passthrough - Place scenes from Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs into your own real-world environment! With room mapping capabilities, players can manually move the level they are playing to a convenient location of your choosing whether it be floor, table or elsewhere, while falling objects - such as blocks, pigs, birds, etc. - can bounce off of and hit real world surfaces in your environment.
-
Hand-tracking - Players will have the option to set their controllers aside and use their actual hands to hold the slingshot, fling birds, resize and rotate your playspace, and more.
I wrote a review of Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs years ago and was curious to see how the mixed reality version was implemented. Here are my impressions of the mixed reality mode on Quest 3.
Angry Birds VR: More convenient and fun to play with MR
I was happy to see that Resolution Games went the extra mile and created a mixed reality game mode that is more than just the VR version with passthrough enabled.
The 100+ levels of the original are more compact and, unlike the VR version, can be rotated and placed anywhere in the room using the VR controllers. This ensures that the digital elements fit perfectly into the physical environment and that you always have the ideal shooting angle without having to get up from the couch or walk around the room. For me, the mixed reality mode is the most enjoyable and beautiful way to play Angry Birds VR.
The levels can be freely rotated and scaled from a distance using VR controllers.| Image: MIXED
I have mixed feelings about the hand tracking. A game like Angry Birds requires absolute precision, and Quest's hand tracking simply can't keep up with this requirement, which can be frustrating. Angry Birds VR is more fun with VR controllers, partly because it feels like you're really holding a slingshot. However, hand tracking is still a welcome feature if you've forgotten your VR controllers.
My conclusion: If you are interested in mixed reality and have never played the original Angry Birds VR, you now have a good reason to check it out. The mixed reality mode makes the game even more enjoyable and allows you to stay present in your environment.
Mixed reality is for Quest and Pico only
The mixed reality mode makes Angry Birds VR the seventh Resolution Games title to support mixed reality, joining Demeo, Demeo Battles, Racket Club, Spatial Ops, Blaston and Game Room.
There is also an AR version of Angry Birds: Isle of Pigs for smartphones, which I reviewed in 2019. With a headset and controllers, however, Angry Birds is in a completely different league.
Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs is available in the Quest Store, the Pico Store, the Playstation Store and on Steam. Only the Quest and Pico versions will receive the mixed reality update.
Note: Links to online stores in articles can be so-called affiliate links. If you buy through this link, MIXED receives a commission from the provider. For you the price does not change.
