Konami Launches Beat Saber Competition for Oculus Quest 2
Beat Arena is Konami’s new virtual reality rhythm game that differentiates itself from the highly popular competition with a very unique and cool idea.
Konami’s Beat Arena VR game is a band simulation. While you swing dual lightsabers at must-hit flying boxes to the beat of various rhythms in Beat Saber, in Beat Arena, you will be playing virtual guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, or drums. If you have some other friends with Quest headsets, then you can combine forces and rock out as a complete band.
According to the Beat Arena launch trailer, the virtual reality game will abstract from the real instruments to different degrees. For instance, you will be playing the keyboard by hitting roughly divided areas of the keyboard with your hands. The same applies when it comes to playing the guitar. The drums will be a little more authentic as you will be hitting the virtual drums with sticks.
Some Jam Session with Yourself
Players in Beat Arena will first create an avatar. This is also important as they can record their performances including body movements. This can come in handy in multiple ways. For instance, as a result of the replay mode, you can later watch your recordings and marvel at your own performance from different perspectives and then share this with other Beat Arena players.
On the other hand, it is also possible to import previous performances into new gigs. If there isn’t enough quorum for a jam session, you can easily fill out the missing band members with avatar copies of either yourself or your friends.
The recording function is a great idea thanks to the head and hand tracking as you can express yourself better in virtual reality than in a screen game so making music in Beat Arena has more of the performance character.
Beat Arena PC Version to Follow Soon
Beat Arena originally debuted in Asia and has now made a jump to Oculus Quest 2. As Western audiences are unlikely to be familiar with most of the Japanese pop music in the VR game, ten new English songs have been added to the soundtrack with additional tracks set to follow.
Like in other virtual reality games, Beat Arena has a leaderboard that players can use to measure their performances against those of their friends.
Beat Arena is currently available for purchase in the Quest Store with a SteamVR version of the game set to follow shortly.
Below is a list of Beat Arena songs available at launch: –
- Accord – BEMANI Sound Team Sound Team “HuΣeR” feat.Fernweh
- WONDER TRIP – dadaco
- Cajuput – BEMANI Sound Team “Yvya”
- *NEW* BLACK JACKAL (GITADORA Style) – Akira Complex with BEMANI Sound Team
- *NEW* Brazilian Anthem – Berimbau ‘66
- Clowing Folly – KanadeYUK
- *NEW* DEADMAN’S BED – Rotten Blotch
- Drastic Your Dream – Ryo Shirasawa feat. Mizuho Yasuda
- DREAMING-ING!! – Tokimeki Idol project
- Fat Snail – NECOMATA MODIFY SALVATION feat. Hinata Shishido
- *NEW* Fly Far Bounce – Nekomata_master (GITADOROCK by Mutsuhiko Izumi)
- *NEW* Fuego – GITADORA EDITION – BEMANI Sound Team “Yvya”
- Just Believe – Kanako Kotera
- LEMON & SALT – Hideyuki Ono x 96 x Yoshihiko Koezuka
- *NEW* Mannequin – Sis Bond Chit
- Murmur Twins (guitar pop ver.) – yu_tokiwa.djw merge scl.gtr
- Raspberry – Yoshihiko Koezuka
- *NEW* Reaching for the Stars – serena
- Real – L Size NoYume – MAKI
- *NEW* SEA ANEMONES – Jimmy Weckl
- Sweet Feelin’ – Honey latte
- *NEW* Take My Hand – Maria Eva with Dream Swing Kingdom
- TAKE YOU AWAY – SHIN feat. MiA & BEMANI Sound Team “asaki”
- Quilt – Des-Sana + wpt9
- *NEW* green leaf syndrome – red glasses feat. oka satoshi
- Gensouka – Kanako Hoshino
- Hatashijou – ATSUMI UEDA
- Black Hole – Megumi Tatsumi feat. Hiroaki Sano
- Peppermint Wa Watashi No Teki -Yu Tokiwa
- Hoshihuri – Sana
- Hane Naki Shojo Uta – Junjou Discord (Innocent Discord)
- Kikagakuteki Trickster – DJ Genki feat. SHIN from HYPERNOVA With Mitsuyo
- Mikeneko Rock n’ Roll – MAJISKA
- Shonen Ripples – Yu Tokiwa
- Jousou Dystopia – mami
- Fuurin Hanabi – BEMANI Sound Team “Gekidan Record” feat. Yura Mari
- Matenrou No Tokuiten〜Anti; HERO – Junjou Discord (Innocent Discord)
- Yume Ni Tsuite TYPE C – Hideyuki Ono feat. Hiromi Okamoto
- Koi No Melody – SARAH
- Rin To Shite Saku Hana No Gotoku – BENIIRO RITOMASU
- Oboro – GITADOROCK by Yamato