There are many slot machine games that you can play on your computer. However, if you want to have the full immersive experience of playing a slots game in virtual reality, then Oculus Rift is the way to go.
What does it mean to play a slot machine in VR? Well, it means that you’ll be able to see the reels spin and hear the sounds from the actual machines. As long as there is video output available (such as a TV or monitor), you should be able to do just fine.
However, if you don’t have access to any sort of display device, then using an Oculus Rift headset will give you all the immersion you could ask for. You won’t even need to use up the battery life on your wireless controller. All you need is an Oculus Rift headset, and the free app called “Slots”. Here’s how to get started with playing slots in virtual reality.
Install “Slots”
First things first, make sure that you have already installed Oculus Rift SDK 2.0 beta. Then, download the “Slots” app from the Oculus App Store. When the file downloads, extract the contents of the archive and run the “Slots” executable inside the new folder.
You’ll then be prompted to install the application with the Oculus Rift Software Development Kit. This will take around 30 seconds, so stay patient while the process runs its course.
After the installation completes successfully, launch “Slots” and you’ll be greeted by the main menu screen. From here, choose “New Game” to start a new round of gameplay.
If you want to keep track of your progress during the current session, select “Stats” at the top of the screen. The stats screen will show your total winnings, total losses, and total credits earned during this particular game session.
How to Play Slots in Virtual Reality
When you first launch “Slots”, you’re given three options to choose from. These include the default option, which gives you the standard 3-reel slots game; a “Racer” mode, which uses car imagery instead of reel graphics; and a “Cyberball” mode, which features a ball rolling across the screen instead of reels and symbols.
Selecting any of these modes will bring about some minor visual changes. For example, the “Racer” mode will add a car icon that spins when you hold down on the directional pad, whereas the “Cyberball” mode will change the background color to orange, and the “Racer” mode adds a spinning wheel graphic to the bottom right corner of the screen.
To begin playing the game, simply place the left thumbstick onto the center of the circular button located on the front of the controller. Move the thumbstick slowly until you find the center position. You’ll notice that this triggers a small bar that appears at the middle of the screen. Once the bar reaches the top of the screen, you can move forward one unit and spin the reels automatically.
Keep holding down the thumbstick to spin more quickly through the entire length of the reels, and release the thumbstick when you want to stop the reels from spinning altogether. If you wish to pause the action temporarily, press the thumbstick once more to pause the reels, but leave the thumbstick held down until you decide to continue.
Now that you know how to play the game, let’s look at how each individual symbol works within “Slots”. Each of the reels has five separate symbols on them. They are: an odd number of cherries, an even number of cherries, an odd number of bars, an even number of bars, and a wild card.
The odd numbers of cherries represent the lower paying symbols, while the even numbers of cherries represent the higher paying symbols. The same holds true for the bars, except that the two bars are considered the highest paying symbols. Lastly, the wild card is a symbol that represents anything that can be used as a substitute for another symbol. It can also appear next to the other four, thus creating winning combinations.
Keep in mind that the odds of landing on a winning combination are based on simple mathematics. A winning combination is determined by the order of the symbols that land on the reels. Therefore, if you land on a cherry followed by a cherry, then the odds of earning a payout are 1/5. On the other hand, if you land on a cherry followed by a bar, then the odds of earning a payout are slightly higher, at 1/4.
This means that the odds of hitting a winning combo increase as more cherries and more bars fall into place on the reels. Keep in mind that you can only earn a cash prize if all five symbols are shown.
As you play through different rounds of gameplay, you’ll eventually come to understand what symbols are worth what amount of money. You may also notice that certain symbols seem to appear much more frequently than others. For example, the cherry symbol is always worth 1 credit, but the bar is worth anywhere between 0.5 and 2 credits depending on what part of the bar falls on the reels.
With that said, you’ll soon learn that it is best to avoid cherries and bars whenever possible. Instead, focus on placing the cherries and bars along the edges of the reels. This will help increase your chances of landing a winning combination.
