Mini-Golf Roaming Mobile is coming to iPhone, and we got an early demo

Walkabout Mini Golf: Pocket Edition is now in public beta on iPhone. Here's what you need to know about the iOS version of one of VR's best games.

Developer Mighty Coconut is looking for virtual reality mini-golf fans to sign up for their accounts or convince their friends to test the iPhone app in its current state. The pocket version is still missing some important features, see below, and will be released in full in the coming weeks. This means that those who have already purchased the app fromQuestStore, Steam,PICOFans of the PSVR 2 headset who purchased Walkabout's stadium may want to get some details before signing up for the iPhone version.

Walkabout Mini Golf: Pocket Edition iOS Beta Description

The developers of Walkabout are currently gathering feedback as the pocket edition introduces a whole new way to play the game with friends who are coming into VR from other systems. Basically, the developers want to check in with some of the most engaged VR players to see how they like the game in VR before finalizing the final release design for the pocket version.

"We assume that VR players will use it in a secondary way, such as when they run out of headgear," suggests Mighty Coconut's David Wyatt. "But is it fun and engaging for those without a VR experience?"

This version is still missing a lot of features, including flight, gestures, quick matches, and the welcome island isn't included. Of course, you won't be able to keep any of the DLC packs in the pocket version, nor will you be able to keep the ball progression you've already found in other copies of the game. A shame, I know.

However, a groundbreaking piece of software is offered here that foreshadows a small part of the future.

Simply tap on the screen to access Walkabout Mini Golf: Pocket Edition.

Players in VR will see you moving smoothly. You can then use your iPhone as if peering into Seagull Stacks or Tourist Trap (the other two courses available in the beta), tracking the phone's position in 6DoF via Apple's ARKit, which uses AR to create a connection to VR in a small window.

While generic social services Rec Room, VRChat, and Horizon Worlds use touch controls in their mobile releases, Walkabout is exploring some content specifically for mini-golf here. In the beta, they only offer a control scheme similar to how people play games in virtual reality.

While putting, you still need to look down at your phone from above, place it on the circle near the ball, your putter will appear on the screen, and then you need to gently swing your phone in a gesture similar to a real putter.

Using an iPhone putter takes some getting used to, and Mighty Coconut is still looking for feedback.

I recently tried the pocket version on my iPhone 14 Pro after a half hour interview. The interviews were with sisters who live in different time zones but regularly play VR together. They met me at Walkabout's Jules Verne-inspired "80 Days Around the World" course and we talked for about half an hour. Then my dinner came and I had to go. However, I chose to continue playing golf and asked my sisters to find their way to the Tourist Trap course. I told them I would meet them there with my iPhone to play a few holes.

I took off the Quest 3 and picked up the pocket version. I simply enter the same room code we use in VR and wah-la, we're together again - the sisters use VR the whole time while I only see tiny windows through my iPhone.

The Pocket Edition also includes "Recommended Putting Paths" to help play the game in this new mode, fumbles, character customization, and localization in French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

The exact release date and final pricing for the end version has yet to be determined, though the studio has said they plan to price the basic pocket version at less than $5. There are no ads or microtransactions in Walkabout's VR version, and there are none here either.

The Walkabout Mini Golf: Pocket Edition beta includes four courses, each with day and night versions.Mighty Coconut says a full course catalog is coming soon, and DLC pricing will be announced soon.

Those interested in signing up for the beta version of Walkabout Mini Golf: Pocket Edition can do so at theOfficial websiteFind more information on.