[NewsPoster]

Welcome to the Game Replay, the thrice-weekly look back at the wider world of gaming by the staff of MacNN. In today's edition, Oculus prepares to ship the Rift virtual reality headset on time, Sony reveals it intends to make mobile games using well-known PlayStation characters, and more details about Pokemon GO have been revealed.

Oculus CEO teases upcoming shipments of Rift headset with box photo

Oculus, the Facebook-owned virtual reality startup, is getting close to shipping its VR headset. The Oculus Rift, available for pre-order since January for $600, will start to arrive in consumers hands from March 28 onwards, just as the company previously advised, with CEO Brendan Iribe revealing on Twitter the box the headset will be packed inside.

The Oculus Rift consists of a bundle including the VR headset itself, a sensor that can be placed away from the user to help detect the headset's movement in 3D space, a remote, an Xbox controller, and two games. Lucky's Tale is an action platformer featuring a fox exploring a colorful world, while EvE: Valkyrie is a space dogfighting simulator based on the universe of CCP's main game EvE: Online.

Oculus has managed to reach the market ahead of its main rival in the VR space. The HTC Vive started accepting pre-orders in late February, at the higher price of $800, and is expected to start shipping in April.

Despite initially intending to release support for Macs with the consumer device, Oculus halted OS X and Linux support in May last year, pausing development in order to focus on Windows but still intending to continue work in the future. Since then, Rift creator Palmer Luckey made remarks that there wasn't a Mac on the market that had the specifications to run the headset properly, compared to a PC.

The first Oculus Rift has shipped, deliveries begin Monday 3.28.2016. pic.twitter.com/C0MMKmezun

- Brendan Iribe (@brendaniribe) March 24, 2016

Sony forming ForwardWorks as new mobile gaming arm

Sony is planning to make a splash in mobile gaming, by producing smartphone games. Sony Interactive Entertainment is forming ForwardWorks, an arm that will work to produce "full-fledged game titles" for mobile devices that take advantage of well-known PlayStation characters, intellectual property, and Sony's experience.

According to The Verge, ForwardWorks will focus on releasing games for users in Japan and Asia, with no word on if it will also produce for western audiences in the future. President of the company will be Atsushi Morita, head of Sony Computer Entertainment for Japan and Asia, with SIE head Andrew House also becoming a member of the board. The company itself will form on April 1, at the same time as Sony Computer Entertainment transitions over to SIE.

Sony has already attempted to take on mobile gaming, though it closed its PlayStation Mobile service after just two years of operation. A move into creating mobile titles could potentially be seen by some as a sign the PS Vita, Sony's portable console, may soon face retirement.

ForwardWorks is not the only initiative a major gaming company has taken to move into mobile gaming. Nintendo has been working with DeNA to produce a line of smartphone apps and games, with Miitomo, the first from the partnership, seemingly receiving a warm reception from players, reaching one million downloads in Japan alone within a few days of launch.

Details of gameplay for Pokemon Go revealed

The Pokemon Company has revealed more details about what players can expect when they start playing Pokemon GO, a mobile game that combines the collectable character game with location-based gameplay. The game, destined for both iOS and Android, is planned to go into testing in Japan in the near future, with expansion into other markets expected later in the game's development.

Monitoring the user's location, players will be told when they are nearby a Pokemon they can collect, reports MacRumors, with players needing to "take aim" at the creature with a Poke Ball to capture it. At "interesting places," such as public galleries and museums, players will be able to use a PokeStop to restock their Poke Balls and Pokemon Eggs, with the smartphone's pedometer used to "hatch" the eggs over time.

The franchise's iconic Gym system also makes an appearance, but not necessarily in the same way as the original version. Players will be asked to join one of three teams, and can claim ownership of a location's Gym in a battle. Once won, players can leave a collected Pokemon to guard it and fend off challengers, with teams working together to possess as many Gyms as possible.

While it is a smartphone game, there will be a wearable Bluetooth-connected device available to buy. Announced in September, the Pokemon GO Plus can be worn on the wrist and notifies players of events by a flashing LED and vibration, with a button press used to capture monsters. Pricing for the device is unknown, but it will be available "soon."