A Straight Road and Eight Real Hours
Desert Bus VR puts you in the driver's seat of a commercial passenger bus for the trip from Tucson to Las Vegas. The bus tops out at 45mph and has a passenger side misalignment, so it drifts steadily to the right. Staying on the road means constant small corrections. The trip takes eight hours of real time, and when you arrive in Nevada you can turn around and drive back. If you leave the road, a tow service hauls you back to the start in real time, so mistakes cost you the whole run.
Driving With Friends
Up to four friends can join the trip as passengers. Passengers can sit, wave, and throw wads of paper at the driver while you keep the bus between the lines. The driver has the horn, the bus door, and a fully interactive air freshener to tap. The radio plays a variety of programs, including one hosted by Penn Jillette, and you can turn it on or off to break the silence. Desert Bus VR also works without a VR headset if you play in standard digital reality.
Before You Start
Plan for a long sit. The eight-hour trip is real time, and the tow back to the start is also real time, so leaving the road is expensive. The bus's rightward pull never stops, so you cannot set it straight and relax. The game was made in part to support Desert Bus for Hope, a volunteer organization that runs a telethon-style stream to raise money for Child's Play, with pledges trading for incentives like prizes or a longer Desert Bus play time.