One of the most popular time-killers on the web comes to VR using Google 360 capture.
For those of you who are still somehow unfamiliar with GeoGuessr, it’s essentially a browser-based geographic discovery game that provides you with a 2D image of a location somewhere on planet Earth and then asks you to identify exactly where you are before time runs out. The closer your guess is to the correct location, the more points you’ll receive.
Now thanks to VR and Google Street View, you can take that extra terrifying sensation of disassociation to new heights with a brand new location-based puzzler for the Oculus Rift. Brought to us by developer Oblix in partnership with Google 360, Go Guess is an interactive VR game that essentially follows the same mechanics as GeoGuessr, only this time instead of looking at a standard computer monitor users step directly into the scene via a combination of VR and Google 360 Street View.
Upon starting a round, you’re immediately thrown into an unknown location and must use any indicators around you to accurately identify your present locations. This includes anything from plants or road signs, to landmarks or other geographical features. A series of nodes scattered throughout will help you better investigate your surroundings for a more accurate guess. Once you’ve decided on what you think is your area, select the corresponding spot on the 3D globe provided and peep the results!
While Go Guess as well as its predecessor GeoGuessr both support a multiplayer challenge mode as well as a single player experience, Go Guess sets itself apart with an interesting use of social functionality. When first entering the experience, you’re immediately thrown into a 360 capture of Times Square in NYC along with several other competitors, each of you represented as a randomly generated avatar.
Each match happens periodically, with users hanging in the Times Square social space between rounds. Unfortunately your avatars body and name are chosen at random at the beginning each round, making it nearly impossible to travel the world with the same crew. Still, it is a cool opportunity to duke it out with a couple of strangers off the coast of the mediterranean.
Go Guess is available now on the Oculus Rift via Steam for the low, low price of $0.00. Although you may have some issues with controller support, you should be able to access it on HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality headsets as well.
Image Credit: Steam
