Just Dance VR
Just Dance VR is a virtual reality music rhythm game developed by Ubisoft Paris in association with Soul Assembly and published by Ubisoft. It was released for Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S, and Meta Quest Pro headsets on October 15, 2024, being a spin-off title to the Just Dance series.
It is the first Just Dance spin-off game in 8 years following Just Sing, which released in September 2016.
Development
Plans for a Just Dance virtual reality game date back to 2016. A prototype was showcased at E3 2016, containing the songs "Same Old Love", "Born This Way" and "Chiwawa" from Just Dance 2016, alongside "Problem" from Just Dance 2015, adapted to 360-degree versions. The prototype was referred to as Just Dance VR by Ubisoft. Although it was said to be releasing the following year, news on the game went silent after the event and the prototype was never made public. It is unclear whether or not it served as the basis for the final game.In September 2022, the game was reannounced as a Pico 4 exclusive, aiming for a 2023 release. However, news went silent once again throughout most of 2023. In November of that year, it was announced that development would continue with a new partner after major lay offs at Pico and disappointing sales from Pico 4 headsets. The game was later featured at Ubisoft Forward in June 2024, where it was revealed that the game would be a Meta Quest exclusive.
Development focused on creating immersion and interaction, adapting songs from previous entries in the series into virtual reality experiences. This included adding left-hand scoring, in contrast to the series' games traditionally scoring only through right-hand movement, and reworking the user interface into a 360-degree VR setting. Customizable avatars and a social hub were also added with the purpose of allowing players a more fun experience by interacting with each other.
Gameplay
As with mainline and previous spin-off entries of the franchise, players must mimic the on-screen coach's choreography to a chosen song, in this case utilizing the headset's Touch, Touch Pro and Touch Plus controllers respectively.All songs are taken from previous games in the series, with the exception of "Centuries" which acts as an exclusive track. Furthermore, all backgrounds are now rendered in 3D within a 360° viewing angle, using the Unity engine, the same engine used in recent Just Dance games, starting from Just Dance 2023 Edition, in contrast to backgrounds that are rendered in-game, as akin to older Just Dance games, prior to Just Dance 2016, instead of pre-rendered backgrounds from later Just Dance games, starting from Just Dance 2016. Furthermore, the game shares UI elements from Just Dance 2023 Edition.
Players can access two distinct 3D social spaces; the Apartment and Dancity. In the former, users can see any trophies they have earned, customize their avatar, and interact with glowsticks and a basketball hoop. And in the latter, they can invite other users to multiplayer sessions, engage in freestyle dance battles and compete in throwing a ball in a hoop. In both, they can choose which song to play.
Within a song, a maximum of six players can dance simultaneously. Haptic feedback such as hand trails, pulse effects and clapping can be done while dancing.