"We are excited and proud to announce that for the first time ever in the world of Virtual Reality, players will be able to engage with each other in actual, real-life combat! 

........They can either play against the computer’s avatars or against real players in real-time.  Another great first:  Bare hands (no controllers needed for bare-hands play) are a huge plus - and again, ours is a history-making app by allowing real-life play with either bare hands or using weapons. Controllers are needed for weapons usage, but you have to experience it to believe it!  You will not believe how great it is to spar with someone anywhere in the world!  Great app for single-player and multiplayer use.  No room or chance here for boredom!"

Wow! That says more than you can imagine, everyone!   The above paragraph appears on our app's spot on the Meta store and when I first wrote it the words couldn't tumble fast enough from my brain. That, friends, was pure excitement!!

Its has been a long five years: from an idea, then onto the drawing board, and finally to the shelves of an online storefront. When we first started this project we had no clue what we were in for. It seemed like such a great idea - almost downright noble - but my partners and I had no idea how difficult it could be to achieve this because this was our first attempt at producing a virtual reality app. Pitfalls met us daily in the beginning years, some of them so severe that all of us were sorely challenged to keep on keeping on. But keep on we did, for nearly four long, often stomach-turning, gut wrenching years.

Back in early 2023 it turned out that what we really needed was a change in developers. By the grace of God alone, and perhaps with an incredible stroke of good luck, we found Suffescom Solutions, from India. A company with more than 500 employees, they know how to do up an app in style and they did it for us, which is more than great - our new app is truly an amazing 'one of a kind'. Best of all they created our SetVR- XL Unleashed, accomplishing this in less than one full year. 

 What makes our SETVR- XL Unleashed app so outstanding?  

• A great First is that you can actually spar with an avatar (we call that a 'bot') with your bare hands — which means 'without controllers'.  Anyone who has ever broken a controller with their hand encased in it by hitting the wall or other hard surface with same can see the wisdom in this. Controllers are expensive to replace, and hand injuries can be very  painful.  (Of course,  in our app you can also spar using a weapon, which requires you to use the controllers, but please remember to set up your boundaries carefully.)

• Next, Thanks to Suffescom Solutions, our creation has become the first ever virtual reality app for martial arts and any type of hand-to-hand self-defense, that actually allows players to practice not only with the computer, but with real human beings as well. Players can even converse with each other! This is truly immersive multyplayer activity, and it is ground-breaking. Get your name on the Leaderboard for the whole world to see! All of this is truly awe-inspiring as we are the first VR app ever to offer all of these interactional abilities. 

• Our app also offers along with three different battle arenas an amazing shooting gallery, and a cool-down area, the Meditation and Yoga center.  The shooting gallery also has a leaderboard just like the fighting  arenas do, so you can keep track of your progress and impress fellow players. 

• Perks in the app include some surprises, as well as the amazing Meditation and Yoga area where the figures look and sound so real, they are show-stoppers. My all time favorites are the bar room fight scene, with functional pool table, and stuff like bottles, glasses and chairs you can throw at your attacker. I also am addicted to the shooting gallery pavilion. Bow and arrows and pistols allows players to exercise their hand and eye co-ordination and to build up their powers of concentration. Believe me, as a senior adult this is really important to me and quite thrilling, too! Best of all, no one is suffering any injuries and the individual player is not actually responsible for harming someone else as well.

• Not only can you practice your self-defense abilities, but we are educational as well. You can learn about many of the Martial Arts (MA) great 'History Generals', those experts who laid the ground work for MA, and in whose footsteps we walk. Our Japanese Village History Portal contains much information on these people and it is our honor to share it with the world, at no additional cost to anyone. 

• This app provides a great chance to practice what you've already learned if you've studied martial arts of any type, or any kind of combat (boxing, UFC, MMA, etc.). A great side-benefit is keeping your body moving and exercising! In this day and age it is most opportune to be able to do all of this within the comfort of your own home. There is no need to go out in extreme weather, or in dealing with traffic, resulting in hoping for a parking space close enough to your destination. 

The amazing artistry of the app is unmatched as well: imagine a lovely setting of eastern architecture complete with a gently flowing brook— and voila! One click of your controller and you are in the Yoga studio following the instructor's gentle guidance, while listening to the gentle, soothing sounds of the brook in the near distance.  After a busy day, it is just what I need and I would bet you would appreciate it, too!

Do I sound proud of SetVR XL Unleashed? As Executive Producer, Art Director, Director of Marketing, Partner and Secretary of our company, I sure am proud! I've seen our collective dream come true and know that people everywhere can benefit from it. Trust me - I know first hand. Being a senior and having multiple health  issues, I never imagined in my younger days that I'd be having so much fun and exercise at the same time at this age! And, I would be doing this in the safety and comfort of my own home. A good idea: Get yourself a virtual reality headset, get our app and join me!

I would like to wish everyone a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.  As for me, I have to go protect my amazing 100K+ score (in our app) and keep on keeping on!

Peace and prosperity, and best of health always,

Marie Shanahan