What you need to know
- A famous Fortnite leaker has found references to "Oculus" in Fortnite's code.
- These references first appeared on the last update for Chapter 3 Season 3 on August 30, 2022.
- Meta has previously partnered with big studios to bring games like Resident Evil 4 and GTA: San Andreas to the Quest.
You might not be able to Kamehameha in Fortnite anymore, but the latest update to the ever-popular (and ever-updated) battle royale title could hold something even more exciting in the wings: support for the Oculus Quest 2.
Regular Fortnite leaker HYPEX dropped a quick line on Twitter to let everyone know that the latest update to Fortnite — which went live August 30, 2022 — includes references to "Oculus" hidden deep within the game's code. It's no surprise to see Fortnite launching on new platforms all the time given the game's incredible popularity and Unreal Engine's wide-ranging compatibility, but the game has never had VR support, even on PCs.
Epic added stuff related to Oculus (Quest, Quest 2 & Mobile) in today's update. Most likely proper VR support in the future..August 30, 2022
Leakers like HYPEX often scour game code looking for hints of what the next update could bring, whether it's the next line of emotes and characters on the Fortnite store, or the next big gameplay update or map changes. Adding VR support to Fortnite would be a massive new addition and could very well be a surprise announcement at the annual Connect conference — formerly known as Oculus Connect or Facebook Connect — which is scheduled to take place sometime in early October.
Our current list of best Quest 2 games only includes one battle royale game — that's Population: One — but a title like Fortnite would surely make its way to the top if it were to launch on the popular VR console.
While many leaks from HYPEX have specific dates of availability, this one is a little more elusive. We've previously seen terms like "Oculus" pop up in the code of popular games like Red Dead Redemption 2, only to never have actual VR support added to the game. Red Dead, like many other popular titles, eventually received fan-made VR mods that are playable on PC with a VR headset.
If Fortnite does come to the Quest 2 this year, it certainly raises the question of how some of the game's mechanics would work in a competitive space. VR provides the ability to move around better than controllers would allow since you can use your entire body, and it would likely also spell problems for the game's popular emote system since VR players could freely move around.
Other mechanics, like mantling and sliding, can already be found in most VR shooters but would likely only be usable for folks who have their "VR legs" and can withstand fast movement without getting sick. Still, if Epic Games and Meta have come to some sort of agreement to get Fortnite on the Quest, it would be a huge win for VR gamers. After all, it wouldn't be the first time we've seen big-name titles make their way to VR.
Forget just "playing" games. Get yourself INTO the game when you put on a Meta Quest 2. It's the easiest and most affordable way to jump into the world of VR.
