The sports game for which VR has been waiting.

Trying to find a good multi-sports game for virtual reality (VR) has been difficult.

Sure, there are passable attempts like All In One Sports, and it’s somewhat less successful sister game All In One Summer Sports. But, this very arcade styled game – that has heavy limitations on things like movement and actions – is a far cry from what most people want.

For those who grew up playing Wii Sports, this free game – included with one of the most intuitive consoles of its time – is the gold standard for sports games like this. In fact, an argument could be made that even Nintendo has failed to outdo themselves since they released the original.

As of Dec. 11, VR and mixed reality (MR) enthusiasts looking for a top tier game featuring multiple sports, may finally have seen their wishes answered; and just in time for the holidays.

Home Sports, created by Resolution Games (Spatial Ops) is a MR game that not only scratches that multi-sport itch, the game makes you feel like you’re playing an upgraded and improved version of the game originally created for the Nintendo Wii. The game boasts five sports at launch – pickleball, badminton, hockey, mini golf, and bowling – and does it all while using MR to bring the court, rink, and alley right into your home.

 “Home Sports is the first of its kind to feature multiple sports within one game, all playable in mixed reality. This is a big deal because mixed reality allows players to move freely around the game elements and their home, while still being immersed in the game, allowing players to play more dynamically while being less restricted,” said Clarisse Blondy, producer of Home Sports. “We had the idea for Home Sports to be a collection of some of our favorite fun, social sports, that players could access in their own living space, where they didn’t have to rent a pickleball court or go to a public bowling alley. As soon as we tried mixed reality, we knew that was how we were going to be able to make that vision a reality and make playing sports an even more accessible experience for players! So we set out to make Home Sports not only a very straightforward, easy-to-pick-up-and-play game, but one that was social, fun and engaging right from players’ living rooms.”

And Home Sports does what Blondy and other members of the development team set out to do, as the game beautifully mixes the game world with yours for the most immersive and unrestricted experience. Whether you grab the bowling ball and walk up to the lane, move freely as you play badminton, or line up your shot to sink that mini golf hole-in-one, the MR here is stellar – of course Resolution Games is known for making great use of the technology.

Upon launching the game, you’re asked to setup your space; this allows players to define how big or small the area will be that they’ll use to play. Whether you want to stay confined to a smaller space, or take up a good chunk of the room for the most immersive and active experience, just hold the grip buttons on the controllers and move your arms.

You’re also able to change the direction of where the virtual world is displayed by moving that around for even more customization.

Once you’re ready and in the game lobby, you’ll see your space around you with the game world on a VR portal. Whether you’re playing solo matches, multiplayer, or career, your opponents and teammates will appear in the VR world while the rest of the arena comes to life in your space. This is a really great way to play as the bowling ball return, pops into your space and you have to walk up to the lane in the VR space. Similarly, the other sports all make unique use of this MR experience.

And what would a stellar game be without good graphics?

The game not only beautifully blends the game world with yours for a great MR experience, everything looks great. Whether it’s bringing the detailed mini golf hole into your space as you make your putt, or just adding the net and circles to your zone of the hockey rink, Blondy and the developers did a remarkable job.

Quickly touching on the sports included with the game at launch, Blondy notes that there was a lot to consider when picking the offerings.

“When we first had the idea of Home Sports, the list of potential sports to include was long! So, we had to quickly come up with a few different guidelines when defining which sports would make it in. As such, we decided the sport needed to check all of the following boxes to be considered:

• Speak to the broadest audience possible – for us, this meant that the relationship between the sports gear and the action of what to do within the game needed to be understood almost innately, by anyone no matter the age, culture, etc.
• The ‘essence’ of the sport needed to be able to be preserved when reduced to a miniaturized scale.
• Lastly, the player had to be capable of doing the movements in their own living space, which varies for every player.”

Each sport aims to be as authentic as possible, but for those who may just want a lighter experience or don’t really have much experience playing a game such as pickleball, there are guidelines offered as well as assist modes – offering things like letting you know there things will land, bumpers on the bowling lanes, etc.

Some sports in the game stay truer to their real world counterparts than others, but this should not be a deterrent for anyone playing the game. For example, hockey here is more so a live version of air hockey; instead of using that red paddle to keep the puck out of your net, you and your virtual hockey stick are doing all the work.

Looking towards the future, Home Sports may not be limited to just five sports. In fact, Blondy says there is always a chance more could be added if that is what the players want.

“We’re always listening to our players and exploring opportunities to enhance our games. If there’s strong interest from the community, we would be excited about the possibility of adding more sports in the future.”

For those who have been looking for a good sports game for their VR headset, your search may finally be over. Home Sports is a really unique game and its MR offering means you can do so much more than the other multi-sport games out there. While the sports included is currently a short list, the chances are high that the communities interest can get more added down the road.

But even if these five sports are the only ones available for a while, considering how playing a multiplayer match in a large space can make the game feel very realistic, you may notice that you’re not as good as you thought and need practice.

This is not only another win for Resolution Games, this is a big win for VR and MR enthusiasts who want a game as fun and immersive as  Home Sports.

Home Sports, was reviewed on the Quest 3 after receiving a key from the developers.