Apex Legends has no shortage of unique weapons, but one of the ones with the most character is the Wingman. The trusty sidearm that packs a punch even without Hop-Ups is recognizable instantly whether it’s being used against you or whether you see it lying next to some stacks of Heavy Ammo. As it turns out, these core parts of the weapon translate perfectly to a virtual reality environment as well.
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Ben Lang of the VR-focused site Road to VR worked with fellow VR creator Henry Ventura and a Wingman model from 3D artist Esteban Salazar to create a new perspective on the Wingman totally unlike anything an Apex Legends player had seen before. The result was the video below that shows a Wingman being used in a virtual reality scenario where the wielder can not only shoot at targets with the weapon in-hand but can also pull off some tricks not seen in Apex Legends.
[THREAD] It’s my birthday! And I have something fun to share. To learn more about VR design I worked with a friend (@hvent90) to see if we could replicate the essential ‘feel’ of a weapon from @PlayApex in VR. HQ here: https://t.co/USV456dTeu pic.twitter.com/6f2u8bS0vA
— Ben Lang (@benz145) January 22, 2021
In a thread detailing the creation of the VR project, Lang said the goal of the process was to see how difficult it would be to bring “interesting interactions and character to a VR weapon.” We can see some of that character coming through right from the start with the unique pickup animation the Wingman has in Apex Legends translated first where it’s spun around before Legends are able to use it. That alongside the noises it makes when you pick it up lets you know right away which weapon the VR project focuses on even if it wasn’t explicitly named.
The unique reload animation where the rails pop open was added as well along with some extra features. Lang said the duo added both gun-spinning and fan-firing for some extra effects which gave the user more control over the feeling of the weapon beyond what’s possible in Apex Legends alone. Turning the weapon sideways and manipulating it in other ways are other ways VR’s signature traits were applied to the Apex Legends weapon. Lang added that the entire project took less than a day of development time.
The creation was praised by many in the Apex Legends community didn’t escape the attention of Respawn Entertainment either. Apex Legends design director Jason McCord shared his appreciation for the project when it was shared to the game’s subreddit.
