As I used to be perusing Quest App Lab for attention-grabbing video games, a VR manga app priced at a whopping $145 caught my eye. Certainly it should have been a mistake… or a rip-off?
Whereas we’ve seen dear apps on Quest’s official unlisted ‘App Lab’ retailer earlier than, virtually all of them are some form of medical or coaching app that’s not meant for normal audiences. So once I noticed the XR MANGA Fist of the North Star app because the third costliest app in App Lab I believed for certain it was some sort of mistake or perhaps even a rip-off.
However truly it seems to be a very professional, and really fairly attention-grabbing, providing.
Whereas we’ve seen a handful of ‘learn comics or manga in VR’ apps prior to now, XR MANGA Fist of the North Star isn’t a generic reader app, however truly a whole VR digital assortment of probably the greatest promoting manga collection of all time, Fist of the North Star (also called Hokuto no Ken), initially run from 1983 to 1988.
Developer MEDIA DO says that XR MANGA Fist of the North Star contains 18 volumes which comprise all the things within the 27 normal version volumes of the manga collection, together with “extra episodes” written by Tetsuo Hara, the illustrator of the collection.
And whereas $145 is much like what you’d pay for the corresponding bodily assortment of Fist of the North Star, this VR model comprises a shocking variety of extra options and content material appropriate for mega-fans of the collection.
For one, the developer says the digitized photographs come from the unique paintings and are offered at a decision that’s “a lot larger than the printed [version].” Given the age of the manga, the unique paintings is hand-drawn, shaded, and painted, and the builders say “irrespective of how far the picture is enlarged, the comb strokes of [illustrator] Tetsuo Hara’s brush are clearly rendered.” Whereas Quest 2 positively lacks the decision to resolve all that element at arm’s size (as you’d learn an actual manga), should you carry your face nearer in you must be capable to see the total extent of the element.
Past that, this VR model of Fist of the North Star has immersive backdrops that correspond to the story and alter as you progress by means of the chapters.
That’s cool, and perhaps even anticipated from a VR manga app, however XR MANGA Fist of the North Star goes a pair steps additional. Additionally included within the app is 2 digital figures of characters Kenshiro and Yuria, each of which could be posed by the reader. What’s extra, you possibly can change the backdrop and add speech bubbles & textual content to create your individual little scene, then use an in-app digicam instrument to snap the scene as if making your individual manga panel.
And that is the half the place in an infomercial they’d say “however wait, there’s extra!”
XR MANGA Fist of the North Star additionally features a mini-game that lets gamers step into the sneakers of fundamental character Kenshiro and act out some actions which can be attribute of the manga.
So, for the value of $145 (about what you’d pay for the bodily assortment), you’re getting the entire manga and a few cool digital extras. For mega-fans of the collection, I’d say that’s truly a strong deal.
However if I have been shopping for this app I’d positively have some hesitation…
For one, as novel as it may be to have immersive backdrops, it’s actually not that comfy to learn in a VR headset; are you actually going to learn 18 volumes all in VR? Certain, perhaps sooner or later we’ve lighter and extra comfy headsets… however that brings up one other necessary query: if one goes to spend $145 on a digital assortment, what are the chances that 10 years from now it’s nonetheless accessible on fashionable headsets?
To guarantee prospects, it might be good if shopping for the XR MANGA Fist of the North Star additionally included a digital obtain of the manga photographs so customers may again them up on their very own to make certain they’re all the time accessible—and even learn them exterior of VR in the event that they’d like.
In any case, XR MANGA Fist of the North Star is definitely attention-grabbing so far as VR apps go. Is it a one-off novelty or a style of issues to come back?