Half + Half (read "half plus half") is a free to play game available in the Meta store. It is focused on user experience and interactions in a colorful setting with wiggly player characters, and, according to the developers at Normal, "designed to be fun, but also to make you look as ridiculous as possible in real life". They describe it as a family-friendly, collaborative experience that's accessible even for non-gamers.
Half + Half features five spaces that allow you to play and interact using gestures only, both with people you know and people you don't know. Developers say they prefer to think of Half + Half like going to a park, where you enjoy the space and the people you're with, rather than a game with a designated goal for completion. Users have reviewed Half + Half as a soothing, fun VR platform for social mini games.
Number of users: Users can invite their friends to ensure they are interacting in the same space. Game spaces have a set number of players (e.g. 4 for Hide and Seek). Open world spaces will hold up to 12 people before a new one is automatically generated.
Ease of use: Easy
Platforms: Half + Half is only available via Oculus Quest headsets (Quest, Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro)
Best for: Getting used to VR
Where to find it: Available in the Meta Quest Store
How to Register: Anyone with an Oculus Quest headset can play. No further registration is necessary
Spaces: Features 5 premade spaces that users can interact in: two of the spaces are designated as open worlds that users can explore without any specific objective, the other three are social mini games
The game is colorful and easy to understand. Users have also described it as sweet, relaxing, and therapeutic. As a safety feature, the game also forcibly separates players that are too close together by making them disappear from one another's view.
The game currently doesn't allow participants to talk with one another, and all speech gets converted to "la la la" sounds, so users who want to converse while playing will need to utilize a third party software. It also requires users to stand and move actively, so it may not be a good choice for users who experience motion sickness in VR.
Because Half + Half doesn't allow for in-game chat or voice chat, the pedagogical uses for this game are limited. However, the gameplay is straightforward and the converted speech and distance protection features make the game very safe, so it has potential for use even with small children.
Official website: https://halfandhalf.fun/
Meta Quest Store: https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/2035353573194060/
Developers: https://www.normalvr.com/blog/