The company is taking a “quality-first” approach in regards to their standalone headset.
As we grow closer to the release of the Oculus Quest, creators are already underway developing a new helping of games and experiences capable of harnessing the standalone devices 6DoF capabilities and inside-out tracking. With the latest addition to their VR ecosystem, Oculus is taking notes from previous releases on both the Oculus Rift and Oculus Go to ensure that only high-quality, AAA content makes its way to the Quest.
As a result, the company will be implementing a stricter application system for developers in order to better gauge the quality of their potential releases.
“High-quality, innovative titles tend to be expensive to build, and developers need confidence that they are shipping into an ecosystem that will generate a return on investment,” states Oculus in an official release. “We’ve set a high bar for content quality on Quest, higher than we’ve ever enforced before, in order to build a platform where everyone has confidence in the quality of the titles they’re buying and developers know that their investments have a strong chance of success.”
Oculus Quest in action / Image Credit: Oculus
Before creators can even access the store submission process and non-public development resources, they’ll need to provide Oculus with a concept document outlining the details of their project for Oculus to review.
“We’re looking for evidence of quality and probable market success, and alignment to our Oculus Developer Content Guidelines. The concept submission process is a chance for developers to show us not only how cool their title will be, but also to explain how it will resonate with the Quest audience.”
Oculus Quest launch title ‘Moss’ / Image Credit: Oculus
Oculus claims this revamped application process is designed to better inform creators whether or not they’ll receive the go-ahead while still in the early stages of development; hopefully saving developers valuable time and money. An official form for submitting projects will be available via the Oculus Development Center later this March. Of course an accepted application by no means ensures that your final product will ultimately be accepted, so you’ll want to be sure your game or experience is as polished as possible.
As with the Rift and Go, developers can register a Oculus Developer Organization account to begin development the day Quest launches in-stores. However, the application process for the Oculus Rift and Oculus Go will remain the same for the time being.
With a majority of competing VR platforms embracing a general “open-arms” approach towards developer content, it’s nice to see Oculus taking a stricter stance in terms of the quality of content they offer their users.
Similar to the endless wave of half-baked smartphone applications, it’s fair to say that VR is currently being hindered by an onslaught of poorly made experiences that turn more people away from the technology than they attract. By developing a well-curated catalogue of quality experiences, the Quest has an opportunity to build a platform consisting of only the very best that VR has to offer.
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