Terence Eden. He has a beard and is smiling.

Terence Eden’s Blog

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VR Review: Moss 2

· 200 words


A mouse in a clockwork puzzle.

Did you enjoy the game Moss? This is a sequel which is identical to the original. The graphics are identical, the gameplay is identical, the puzzles are identical. There are a couple of slightly new mechanics and a new playable character (also a mouse). But it is fundamentally more of the same. So I suggest you read my review of the original. Seriously, there isn't much else to say here. The…

Beat Saber is gaming without the bullshit

· 1 comment · 550 words


Beat Saber logo rendered in neon lights.

Several years ago, at the start of the pandemic, I tried using Nintendo's Ring Fit as an exercise method. It didn't last long. I felt I was spending too much time earning in-game currency, making choices on what to spend it on, crafting, managing inventory, choosing power-ups, and all sorts of other tedious nonsense. In short, I constantly felt like I was working rather than working out. If…

VR Game Review: Labyrinth deLux – A Crusoe Quest

· 1 comment · 200 words


In game graphic show lots of lasers flying around.

I love single player VR puzzle games. Especially ones with no timers, baddies, or jump-scares. I just want to play against myself. Labyrinth deLux is brilliant. The puzzle is simple enough - point lasers at mirrors, then align mirrors until they point at the target. You've almost certainly played a 2D version of this. But it has a mind-bending 3D layout which requires you to continually walk…

VR Game Review: Vader Immortal

· 1 comment · 500 words · Viewed ~357 times


Point of view shot inside a cave with a lightsabre in the foreground.

I'm a sucker for anything Star Wars. So when my Oculus Quest told me I could fight Darth Vader in VR, I leapt at the chance. I kinda wish I hadn't bothered. There is very little "game" here. It's barely an interactive movie. Walk forward until you step on a trigger, watch a very slow cut scene, wave your arms until something happens, repeat a few times, roll credits. That's it. There's nothing …

Let's (not) share our VR headsets

· 2 comments · 400 words · Viewed ~1,530 times


Tall retail unit with a CRT TV on top - it has Sega Dreamcast branding.

It is hard to get people excited about VR. Even at its best, it is an isolating experience - that's why Zuck is pushing the social features of The Metaverse so hard. But, worse still, it's hard to show people what the VR experience is like. If your friend buys a 4K laser projector, you can immediately understand the appeal of the massive screen. Even if you only see the photos of it on…

Rejected Sci-Fi Ramblings from my MSc

· 500 words


VR view of a room. A graph floats in midair.

It was only after I started editing my MSc down to its prescribed word-count, that I finally understood the phrase Kill Your Darlings. I spent ages writing florid prose, only to realise it was needless verbiage. The delete key was hammered mercilessly. But... As all fans of Jasper Fforde know - there is a "Well of Lost Plots"; where rejected sentences live on in the eternal library... As I was …

MSc Dissertation: Exploring the visualisation of hierarchical cybersecurity data within the Metaverse

· 8 comments · 400 words · Viewed ~1,290 times


VR view of a room. A graph floats in midair.

Well gang, I did it! After two years I've finally finished my MSc! My final project was a 10,901 word epic about... The ✨Metaverse✨. Have I gone a little bit peculiar? No. I don't think so. I was advised to pick a project which would sustain my interest for 6 months. So I chose something which would have lots of modern papers to read. And, more importantly, justify me buying a new toy to play …

Gadget Review: Meta Quest 2 replacement headstrap

· 200 words


A VR headset strap with lots of questions.

The headstrap which ships with the Meta Quest 2 is shit. It is a cheap piece of fabric, held together with velcro. It's fiddly to adust and uncomfortable to use for longer than a few minutes. Zuckerberg likes causing you pain. So I purchased the cheapest upgrade strap I could find - £15 on special offer. It has a forehead cushion, which reduces pressure on the face. The tightness is …

Zeno's Paradox and Why Modern Technology is Rubbish

· 4 comments · 550 words · Viewed ~1,497 times


Robot faced Mark Zuckerberg is wearing a VR headset - it digs painfully into his smiling cheeks.

Amazon Alexa is losing billions of dollars. Self Driving Cars are losing billions of dollars. The Metaverse is losing billions of dollars. Are we about to witness the biggest crash in technological progress? I'm particularly fond of the Rule of Credibility which states: The first 90 percent of the code accounts for the first 90 percent of the development time. The remaining 10 percent of the …

Game Review: Red Matter 2 for VR

· 400 words · Viewed ~244 times


A cosmonaut stands in front of a glowing orb.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first Red Matter VR game, so I leapt at the sequel when it was on offer. What's it like? Exactly the same as the first. Lots of creepy corridors, a range of puzzles, and a sedate-ish journey. You're exploring an abandoned space-station, looking for clues and trying to figure out what happened. It's a completely linear journey, and consists of a series of locked-room…

Game Review: Red Matter VR for Oculus

· 1 comment · 450 words · Viewed ~321 times


A cosmonaut with a burning red eye.

This is the first paid-for game that I've played on the Oculus Quest 2. I've mostly stuck to demos - because I get bored easily. Or free games - because I'm a cheapskate. But Meta gave me £30 in credit for helping people fix their broken Quests. So I bought this much hyped puzzle game. And… It's excellent! Much better than I expected. As puzzler, it works really well. Lots of different types of…

You can't make secure payments in the Metaverse

· 4 comments · 300 words · Viewed ~411 times


VR screenshot. the Oculus is complaining that the authentication mechanism of my credit card is too strong and cannot be used. It suggests using PayPal.

Another in an occasional series bemoaning the shitty user experience of Zuck's Metaverse. I have an Oculus Quest 2 and wanted to pay money for an in-app purchase. This seems like a normal thing to do. There's no way to add a credit card while your head is strapped to an overheating Android device. So I emerged into meatspace opened the Oculus app on my phone and typed in my credit card details. …