Star Trek fans love to watch the show and its many TV and movie spin-offs (well, okay, not all of them) - but of course, plenty have also imagined what it would actually be like to sit in the captain's chair, and take command of a Federation starship.
Over the years, various games developers have tried to simulate the experience on PCs and consoles - with varying degrees of success - but an upcoming title from Ubisoft promises to bring gamers closer to the final frontier than ever before.
Star Trek: Bridge Crew is a new virtual reality game in which you'll serve aboard the USS Aegis NX-1787, a brand new Starfleet vessel.
The game is set in the 'new' Star Trek universe, established since JJ Abrams' 2009 movie, and which will be further explored when new movie Star Trek: Beyond heads to cinemas around the world this summer.
The Aegis is assigned to explore uncharted space in search of a new homeworld for the Vulcans, following the destruction of their planet. As Ubisoft explains, "you’ll need to work together with a team of other players to keep the ship running smoothly as you take on missions and come into conflict with the Klingon Empire."
Designed for VR, Ubisoft says that the game is primarily focused on multiplayer:
Star Trek: Bridge Crew lets up to four players assume the roles of Captain, Helm, Tactical, and Engineer, and uses full-body avatars, hand tracking, and real-time lip-sync to give each player a convincing presence on the bridge. Teamwork and communication are crucial, as all four players need to rely on each other to choose objectives, steer the ship, analyze scan data, fire on targets, hack enemy shields, and cycle quickly between vital ship systems.
Along with a storyline that unfolds as the Aegis explores a region of space known as 'The Trench', there's also an Ongoing Missions mode, which Ubisoft says "procedurally generates new missions". And for those who prefer to play on their own, that option will be available too, allowing solo gamers to assume the role of captain, issuing orders to their crew.
Star Trek: Bridge Crew will be available this fall for the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR.
For now, check out the video below, in which some familiar faces from Star Trek take the Aegis out for a spin:
Source: Ubisoft
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