Oh man, okay, brain dump time. So there’s this studio, Metanaut, right? They made this game, Gadgeteer, which is all about those crazy Rube Goldberg machines. You probably played with marbles as a kid, right? Well, multiply that by infinity and you get Gadgeteer’s vibe. Anyway, they recently popped up saying, “Hey folks, we’re cooking up something new!” And, I mean, who doesn’t like new things?
Their new concoction? It’s called Wonder, and it’s this mix of virtual and mixed reality awesomeness. Metanaut’s basically teasing it like a flashy magic show you didn’t even know you wanted. Apparently, it’s dropping on the Quest 3/S soon-ish. Maybe they’re just toying with us at this point? Like they want us to feel tricked by time. Next couple months is a long way off if you’re an impatient person.
Wonder’s offering up a trifecta of experiences. First up, Ancient Ruins – which, funnily, morphs into a mysterious cave. And, get this, gobbled up by a black hole! Who even thinks of this stuff? It’s like “Oops, lost my car keys, and now the room’s a cave!” Then there’s Jellyfish Bloom. Imagine your living room under the sea, teeming with these squishy, glowing jellyfish. I swear, watching them is like having a lava lamp but more… alive. And finally, Parallel Worlds. Really trips me out. Portals. Like, those sci-fi ones that make you think, “Is reality even real anymore?” Different versions of your space but with ice? Dots? I don’t even know.
Metanaut’s saying they’ve pulled some wizardry to make the visuals pop like a dream on Quest 3. Some kind of super smart rendering, using scanned room meshes – whatever that means. Oh, and it’s all hand tracking. Means no fumbling with controllers. Finally, something to do when I’m tired of that controller-shuffle. Every so often, technology just slaps you on the back of the head like, “See what I can do?”
And there’s this whole audio element. Sounds exquisite. Created by this award-winning studio, Ictus Audio. They’ve even nabbed the John Lennon Songwriting Award before. I’d imagine it’s like winning a Grammy, but without the flashy outfits and awkward speeches. The Metanaut guy, Peter Kao, he’s lamenting over the industry focusing on games for kids or something, and he’s like, “Nah, let’s do something for the adults.” Can’t blame him – adults need more wonder, come to think of it.
Anyway, you can already pre-order Wonder for just 4 bucks. It’s likely to get pricier after more cool stuff comes out. Only for Quest 3 and Quest 3S though, so if you’ve been hanging onto your old headset, maybe this will push you to make the jump. Just something about being first in line, you know?
