Penn & Teller aren’t just magicians, they are showmen. While the magic they perform together is impressive, their act is all about the performance, not just the trick. This is something that’s embraced by the upcoming Penn & Teller VR: Frankly Unfair, Unkind, Unnecessary & Underhanded (or F U, U, U, & U, for short…er). You can get your hands on it this summer, releasing June 27, 2019 for Oculus Quest, Rift, and HTC Vive, and coming just a couple weeks later on July 9 for PSVR owners.
Penn & Teller VR: F U, U, U, & U embraces the social aspect of virtual reality to help you put on a show. In fact, the less people know about Penn & Teller VR: F U, U, U, & U, the better the show will be. If you just want to get a quick look at what it might feature, watch this short trailer presented by Penn & Teller themselves.
Endorsed and supported by Penn & Teller, the magic duo actually played a significant role in the development of the game. There are hours of videos contained within Penn & Teller VR: F U, U, U, & U that will teach you how to perform the tricks within. Some of them are magic tricks that will wow your friends, and some of them are just plain mean pranks that you’ll hopefully all be able to look back and laugh at when all is said and done.
As friends of Gearbox Software’s magic aficionado, Randy Pitchford, the duo thought that technology had reached a place where the kind of unique magic possible through video games and VR was calling for this kind of experience. “When a new mind-blowing technology comes out, the first thing Teller and I think is, ‘How can we use this to help people play tricks, cheat, and prank?’” Penn Jillette said. “Luckily for us, (and maybe less luckily for the world), Randy Pitchford, the big cheese at Gearbox, is our buddy, and worked as a professional magician. We are the same soulless motherhubbards. So, we’ve found a way for people to use VR as a tool to monkey with their so-called ‘friends.’ It’s what we do, and we’ve done it.”
Penn & Teller VR: F U, U, U, & U features 15 tricks and performances, known in the game as “bits,” with some of them featuring digital likenesses of Penn & Teller themselves, Cardini, or even Houdini. It’s releasing at an attractive price point of $19.99. As a twisted social experiment, this probably won’t be a game you’ll play much outside of parties or having guests over, so the lower price point helps that along.
Penn & Teller VR: F U, U, U, & U will be available June 27, 2019 on Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive. For you PSVR owners, you’ll have to wait until July 9, 2019, but to prank your friends, that extra couple of weeks might be worth it.
