Neon Smash

Inspiration

The inspiration came from the release of the Meta Orion glasses, which showcased a local multiplayer Pong experience. I loved the idea of two people sharing the same physical space while playing together. Neon Smash is my attempt to recreate that magic on Meta Quest: expanding it into a high-energy engaging paddle game.

What it does

Neon Smash is a fast-paced Arcade VR paddle game featuring unique paddles and chaotic powerups that keep each match unpredictable and fun. It delivers quick, energetic gameplay that’s easy to learn and rewarding to master.

Powerups:

Blocks: Build defenses around your goal to block incoming shots.
Throwable Ball: Grab and throw the ball for surprise plays and counterattacks.
Portals: Send the ball through one portal and watch it exit the other for tricky angles.
Ball Boost: Aim a boost pad at your opponent’s goal and smash the ball into it for unexpected scoring shots.
Stasis Field: Freeze the ball in place to set up the perfect smash.
Cherry: Multiply the ball and overwhelm your opponent with chaos.
Star: Empower the ball to break through all your opponent’s defenses.

Paddles:

Standard Racket: A well-balanced paddle for all playstyles.
Ring Paddle: Hitting through the center ring gives the ball a powerful speed boost.
Spin Paddle: Adds extra spin on hit.
Fan Paddle: Creates turbulence that sends the ball on an unpredictable path.
Hammer Paddle: For players who want maximum smashing power with every hit.
Trampoline Paddle: Stores the ball’s kinetic energy and releases it a moment later for an explosive return.

How we built it

Neon Smash was built in Unity using Photon Fusion topology Host-Client with lag compensation, client side prediction and Meta Avatars.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Achieving smooth, reliable gameplay that feels responsive and satisfying in VR over a network with the players being able to smash the ball as hard as they can.

What's next for Neon Smash

Our next steps focus on polishing the overall experience, improving performance, reducing load times and optimizing systems to ensure the game is ready for release.

A competitive tower-building mode where one player stacks objects while the other tries to knock them down.

A paddle-dodgeball hybrid.

This project also serves as a strong foundation for future lightweight MR glasses. Here shared-room experiences can truly shine.