Released in May 2019 for PlayStation VR and PC, Beat Saber sees the player using motion-controlled sabers to slice glowing blocks to the beat of the music. Along with different positions for blocks to hit, requiring adjustments to the slicing angle and direction, one must also move physically to avoid walls and bombs. Various new mechanics were added over the years, including a Level Editor for players to create stages.

As of February 2021, Beat Saber has sold over four million copies. It’s also sold over 40 million songs through paid DLC. Though Meta currently owns Beat Games, the developer remains independent. Stay tuned for more details on the PlayStation VR2 version in the coming weeks.

https://twitter.com/BeatSaber/status/1610813767130152961

It feels like we’re entering a period of serious consolidation in the game industry as many smaller studios are getting bought up by the major corporations that are either part of it already or coming into the business. Facebook is one such latter entity as they’ve beginning to muscle into the industry with their Oculus VR initiative.

It was announced via Facebook itself along with a FAQ explaining the situation that Beat Saber’s studio, Beat Games, is now under their umbrella. It’s interesting in and of itself, but what’s more interesting is probably that the FAQ explicitly states that more acquisitions will be coming soon with an almost ominous statement at the end.

“We’re exploring many ways to accelerate VR, and we think next year is going to be an incredible one of VR game launches and announcements. We are thrilled to have Beat Games join our team. This is just the beginning.”

Microsoft has purchased a lot of studios, with Sony also getting in on that with the recent purchase of Insomniac Games. Right now it seems that Facebook is mostly regulating itself to the VR business, but who knows what this “beginning” this will lead to.

In what is a landmark for a VR game, Beat Saber, the popular rhythm saber game, has crossed a milestone and sold 1 million copies worldwide, the developers confirmed today.

“In February we reached 1 million sold copies across all platforms,” said Michaela Dvorak, Head of Marketing at Beat Games in a statement to UploadVR.

Beat Saber is available on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR; but lots of other games are too, and they have not reached this milestone. What made Beat Saber stand out is its overwhelmingly positive reception from critics, followed by very positive word of mouth from players. Indeed, word of mouth has often been attributed as a driving force for the continued success of Beat Saber, coupled with a thriving mod scene on PC, which allows players to load custom tracks to the game.

It is unclear if Beat Saber is the first VR game ever to reach 1 million units sold—it is entirely possible that Skyrim VR may have beaten it to the punch (though UploadVR reports that Bethesda has declined to comment on that either way). Nonetheless, it’s a great achievement, so congratulations to Beat Games.

If you’re looking to take a dip into the burgeoning PlayStation VR, December might be a good time to do so. Sony has announced that it will be releasing a new bundle for the PSVR on December 14, which will come packaged with two excellent games.

Those two games are Borderlands 2 VR – which itself releases on that very day – and the excellent rhythm title Beat Saber. The bundle will include download codes for both (no physical copies), the PS VR headset itself, two PlayStation Move controllers, a PlayStation Camera, and a demo disc, in case you want to try out other experiences beyond the two that the bundle already comes with. It will be sold at a retail price of $349.99 in the US and $449.99 in Canada.

Borderlands 2 VR probably needs no introduction- Gearbox’s looter shooter has a whole host of adoring fans already, and the opportunity to play it in VR is an exciting prospect in and of itself. Beat Saber is a unique rhythm game that sees you using two PlayStation Move controllers to slash oncoming musical beats with sabers in each hand. All in all, it’s a pretty sweat deal, so if you’re interested, give it a look.