Meta Quest 2: Impressive graphics demo "Agency" turns into a full game
The Agency tech demo has shown what can be achieved graphically with Meta Quest. Now it's being turned into a full-fledged product.
The demo was created in 2019 when developer Blair Renaud attempted to port his PC VR game Technolust to Meta Quest. Using Google's VR rendering technique Seurat, Blair conjured amazingly detailed cyperpunk environments.
Seurat works like this. First, a 3D scene is digitally photographed. Then, the same 3D scene is recreated from those photos like a cardboard backdrop. This recreation requires only a fraction of the computing power of the fully rendered 3D scene, but only displays it in full detail from a limited viewing angle.
The following video illustrates how Seurat works.
Green light for Agency
Since Renaud already had a big VR game in development with Low-Fi, he didn't pursue the project any further - although Meta expressed interest in a port. Something must have been going on behind the scenes, because Renaud now announces that work on Agency has begun and the game for Meta Quest will be released in the Oculus Store. Accordingly, the project has received green light from Meta.
We're happy to announce that LOW-FI's prequel/ companion 'AGENCY' is now in development for @MetaQuestVR
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Development is being taken over by @AndreElijah and his studio, who will ensure that it's a best in class experience as well as visual feast!Follow Andre for more info! pic.twitter.com/vZdDZ0VRHW
- Blair Renaud // LOW-FI ??⬛ (@Anticleric) June 28, 2022
Agency is being developed by Andre Elijah's VR studio, which has done contract work for big-name clients like Google, Meta, and Valve. The developer has confirmed to me that Seurat will be used. It could be used to create stunning VR environments in Meta Quest 2.
What is Agency about?
Renaud said nothing about the game's content or scope. The tech demo appeared on the App Lab in 2021 and includes a description of the story there. According to it, you are an Android that has received an experimental firmware update. You suddenly have free will and with it the ability to break out of the prison you find yourself in.
A scene from an early version of Low-Fi. | Image: Blair Renaud
According to the description, you can expect a rich narrative adventure filled with highly detailed characters and environments, exciting mini-games, and a reason to keep coming back. Live out the ultimate cyberpunk power fantasy: Start as a weak servant and end as the leader of a robot rebellion.
Low-Fi: Cyberpunk game for VR and 2D
Low-Fi has since been confirmed for the PS5 and Playstation VR 2. I was able to try out an early version of the game in 2019, in which you take on the role of a cop in a dystopian cyberpunk city and solve crime cases. The demo impressed with its Blade Runner-like settings and city scenes, but didn't offer any sophisticated gameplay mechanics yet.
You can buy the current version on Itch.io and try it out for yourself.
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