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Scott Stein Editor at Large
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
Expertise VR and AR | Gaming | Metaverse technologies | Wearable tech | Tablets Credentials
- Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps
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SCORE
Walkabout Mini Golf
Pros
- Whimsical golf course designs
- Extra challenges
- Multiplayer chat is great
- Really good mini golf physics
Cons
- Lots of courses are DLC upsells (but worth it)
- I wish these golf courses never ended
2024
"Hey, how can we meet up and play in VR?"
I've asked my old college friends this question for years, and the answer is frequently, "Walkabout Mini Golf." And we're not the only ones. This is why it's become my favorite social VR game on Quest.
VR games can be intense sometimes, but not all of them. Walkabout beautifully simulates mini-golf physics and requires no more effort than some casual putting skills. Multiple friends can join -- up to eight at a time -- in private play sessions, which is more than enough for a bunch of us to play and chat.
Chatting is the other wonderful part of Walkabout, because conversations feel natural and casual via the in-headset voice chat. Playing through 18 holes is the perfect stretch of time for a VR session with friends, but if you want more, you can simply play again. I find myself wandering around and chatting just as much as I'm playing.
Walkabout's courses are whimsical and increasingly elaborate and jaw-dropping, encouraging exploration. The courses are designed with the brilliance of Disney attractions, some bending the rules of physics completely. Want to putt in a Jules Verne novel, or Jim Henson's Labyrinth, or an amazing recreation of a Meow Wolf immersive attraction? All of that and more is possible. Courses cost $4 each, although the base game includes a handful of courses to start with. I've collected every course and can't wait for the new ones.
The course art design is somewhat flat and cartoonish at times, but it's also amazingly immersive. Shadows, looming structures, echoing sound design: Walkabout becomes a way to explore, discover and play at the same time -- and also socialize. Courses have extra challenges, too. There are hidden golf balls to hunt for and, if you find enough, you unlock a harder course. In that course, there's another puzzle challenge to solve.
All the courses don't even need to be played: You could just wander through them, or fly by pointing your club in the air. Sometimes my friends just wander off into the sky in the middle of a hole and then come back. We're cool like that.
It feels like Walkabout's vision for social VR is slowly becoming more ambitious. It's more like a model for the metaverse than any other VR game I've played. It also runs on nearly every VR headset I can think of except Apple's Vision Pro; on the Quest 2 and Quest 3, it's perfection. Just get it. You'll never be disappointed.
Watch this: Apple Vision Pro vs. Meta Quest 3: Breaking Down the Hype
