In the last couple of years, the use of VR technology though still very much at an early stage, has been able to establish its own niche in the video game industry. VR gaming products where released not only in the form of VR HMD's, VR SmartPhones and other peripherals but in terms of the content that continues to drive the market. Within this given time, the VR games industry was able to sort of solidify itself as an alternative medium for electronic games and was divided into the high-end and mobile VR sector.

Of the high-end devices or HMD's, the console based Sony PSVR overtook the PC based Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets in terms of sales, and popularity. The main factor was not really the quality or capability of the VR device but the ease of use and the cost of obtaining one for home usage. As VR gaming is a business and an industry, content developers tend to favor platforms that they view will have a better chance at sales to be able to carry their content and provide them with an opportunity to (let's face it) make a buck.

So, without much further explanations, let's check out a few of the upcoming games for 2018 being readied by developers for the high-end or main VR games market.

From Other Suns VR

Under development by Gunfire Games, From Other Suns is a First Person Shooter solo or up to 3 player co-op space adventure game in VR. The game provides one with a virtual experience of manning and managing a starship, fighting intruders and enemies and simply trying to stay alive and in one piece. The game controls are intuitive but rely on the Oculus Touch controllers for maximum performance. Combat is not only limited to FPS confrontations as you can fight enemy ships with your ship as well. In skirmishes like these, crew members perform important functions like doing on-the-spot repairs or re-routing auxiliary power to ship components like guns and shields. All these while in VR.

Platform: PC/Oculus/Touch
Estimated Release Date: Late 2017-Early 2018

Bravo Team VR

A lot of gamers love First Person Shooter games and bringing this genre to VR has become one of the major highlights of the VR games industry. Fitting FPS shooters into the VR environment requires a lot of effort on the developer’s part as current HMD limitations have to be overcome in order for the user to be able to stay within VR for a much longer period of time. FPS games have high frame rate requirements with smooth and fluid motions lest the user succumbs to intense optical side effects like dizziness, vertigo and the worst cases of throwing up. Bravo Team VR is a single player or 2 player co-op mission based shooter from Supermassive Games in the tradition of games like Medal of Honor, Call of Duty and CounterStrike Insurgency. If you love FPS modern day combat shooting games and have a PSVR, this game is for you. Just make sure you have a dual shock control pad, PSVR motion controllers or for the ultimate experience, a PSVR Aim Gun controller and you're set to play. The only thing you have to wait for now would be the release date.

Platform: Sony PSVR/PS4 with either
Dual Shock Controllers, PSVR Motion
Controllers or the Aim Gun Controller.
Estimated Release Date: Dec 2017 to Jan 2018

Brass Tactics VR

From FPS, we now go to RTTS. Brass Tactics VR from Hidden Path Entertainment is a game of Real Time Tactics and Strategy in a table top environment that can be played in Virtual Reality. To make things simple, the company aims to bring competitive multi-player RTTS gaming like DOTA or LOL to VR. The game currently in development will feature a table and map-terrain environment in VR that can be adjusted to the users ease of use and preference like height, distance and angle of view. Troops and pieces can be controlled via a pop-up Virtual Menu where structures can be selected and placed at a specific location on the table. Base management and upgrades work in a similar way and troop movement and commands are as simple as drawing a box around selected units and pointing the direction you wish them to go or to the enemy units you want them to attack.

Platform: Oculus Rift and Touch
Estimated Release Date: Late 2017 to Early 2018

Star Child VR

From RTTS, we now go to Arcade Action side-scroller gaming. Star Child VR is a game being developed by Playful Corp to be released by GameTrust for the PSVR. The game uses 2.5-D cinematic side-scrolling which works wonderfully well in VR. The game is actually sort of reminiscent of the 1990's cinematic plat-former game Out Of This World which was a big hit during it's time. Just imagine a game like Out Of This World in VR with awesome alien scenery, fluid angular camera view and motion and a girl protagonist bent on completing her quest. The game's heroin can be controlled via the PS4 Dual Shock controller as she explores the awesome alien world and lives out the adventure of the games storyline. The game will also work for regular non-VR PS4 so for those who love this kind of games and have a PS4 and PSVR to play it with, just keep checking for announcements on the games release date.

Platform: Sony PSVR/PS4 with Dual
Shock Controller
Estimated Release Date: 2018

Beat Saber VR

VR beat-based music rhythm action games seem to have become a favorite fad for crowd and party VR gamers. Beat Saber VR from Czech based studio Hyperbolic Magnetism is a rhythm game that combines light-saber Star Wars game play with slashing game Fruit Ninja in a musical dance-like sequence which is really cool. The game is perfect for exercise routines and for crowd competitions where the player with the highest score wins. The graphics is attractively beautiful as it syncs with the beats combined with the slashing of the light-sabers to create a fun filled musical score that would result in an awesomely addictive VR game. No release date yet but judging by the demos, this game would be one of the most awaited.

Platform: HTC Vive, Oculus
Estimated Release Date: Late 2017 to Early 2018