Darts VR Review – Oculus Rift

VR might be good for replicating some activities in a virtual space but after playing Darts VR I am fairly certain darts is not one of them. Now available for Oculus Rift and Vive, prepare to throw phantom darts at a non-existent board, but make sure to attach those wrist straps so that’s all you’re throwing. Interestingly enough the Steam version only supports Vive, so if you want to play the Oculus Rift version (the one I’m reviewing here) then head over to the Oculus store.

I chose to review the Rift version solely because I thought the Touch would feel a bit more natural, or at the least less intrusive to the dart throwing experience. As a bit of background, I played darts competitively for several years and even played in some tournaments in Vegas, so I know what playing darts feels like.   Sadly, as I quickly learned, it’s nothing that can be replicated in VR.

Darts VR is as barebones as it gets. Sure, they offer a few venues like a sports bar and a dance club and something like looks like a Vegas style tourney arena, but there is nothing quaint like an English/Irish pub.   Not that it matters, as all that scenery is behind you, and once you’ve seen it there is no reason to look over your shoulder again. The only thing that matters is the dart board in front of you and the three darts lying on elevated stand.

A simple circular menu grants you access to limited options and game modes. You are either playing 501 or best score mode. There are no 301 or Cricket (my favorite) modes and no options for double-in/double-out, although the 501 game defaults to double-out, where the last dart thrown must be in the double ring or a bullseye, even though the game doesn’t tell you that. Of course it doesn’t matter how many modes you have if the game doesn’t work, and Darts VR simply doesn’t work.

Using the Touch you squeeze the grip and the trigger to pick up a dart. Releasing the trigger in conjunction with making a forward motion throws the dart. Without a forward motion you simply drop the dart on the floor and it vanishes, so dropping a dart counts as throwing a dart. Trying to aim and accurately throw a dart and have it land where you want is virtually impossible. If you are lucky you might be able to hit the large sector of the intended number but anything like a double or triple ring or a bullseye is pure luck.

I played at least 20 games of 501 trying to review Darts VR, hoping I would see some improvement, but the darts were landing just as wild on game 20 as they were on game 5. It’s sad really because this is a great looking game with loads of potential if only they could get the actual throwing mechanic replicated in VR…and add those missing game modes. Also annoying is the fact that after each thrown dart the camera zooms in to the board to show you where it landed. This would be a good option to be able to turn off as it severely and annoyingly pads the game time and throws off my rhythm since I am used to rapid-firing my three darts in real life. Also annoying are the crowds that cheer solely based on hitting high scoring targets, so if you are going for a double-2 to end the game and hit a double-17 the crowd goes wild even though you busted by 30 points.

Darts is great as a competitive sport, and I would have welcomed an online component to be able to inaccurately throw darts versus a human, but the only multiplayer is a local party mode, and who is going to be swapping headsets and Touches every round? At least they didn’t try to program some arbitrary AI competition.

Sadly, Darts VR is a failed attempt to bring one of my favorite games into the virtual world. Much like pool, bowling, and Skee-Ball, some things are best left for real life. Darts VR is frustrating, disappointing, and needs a lot more work before I could ever recommend trying it. 

 

Author: Mark Smith
I've been an avid gamer since I stumbled upon ZORK running in my local Radio Shack in 1980. Ten years later I was working for Sierra Online. Since then I've owned nearly every game system and most of the games to go with them. Not sure if 40+ years of gaming qualifies me to write reviews, but I do it anyway.

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