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There are a lot of subscription services out there today, aren’t there? Netflix, Xbox Game Pass, and Viveport are all lovely, but the list goes on! So how are we supposed to keep up with the newest flavors like VrChat Plus? So let me explain to you one you may or may not have heard of for everyone’s favorite Virtual Reality social media platform: VrChat.Â
VrChat Plus is a subscription service that was the developers recently introduced to help support the client’s developers and give those supporters a little extra to show how valued they are as customers.Â
How does VRC+ work, though? Of course, the most important question on your mind is if it is worth your hard-earned money.Â
I did some research and digging to cover every base I could. I, of course, bought the subscription and played around with it myself as I explored VrChat for worlds and avatars to make sure every bit of information I gave you was accurate. So this guide is confirmed as a fae’s word. A fae muse’s at least.Â
So let me tell all of you what I’ve found out about VrChat’s subscription service VrChat Plus.
Bottom Line Up Front
- VRChat Plus is available on Steam and Quest but not on the Rift.
- VrChat Plus is $9.99 per month on both platforms, but only on Steam can you buy a $99.99 yearly subscription, saving 16%
- You can change your User Profile Icon, which you lose if you unsubscribe, but VrChat holds the icons. So when you come back, they’ll be there waiting for you.
- Your Avatar Favorites Limit increases from 25 to 100. Vrchat will save the extra 75 avatars if you unsubscribe, but you will lose the ability to access them.
- You gain a one-time boost to your Trusted User Rank, which you will keep if you unsubscribe.
- You gain a supporter badge for your profile which you keep if you unsubscribe.
- You can add a photo to invitations to other players so long as your subscription stays active.
- You can upgrade your Oculus or Steam account to a VrChat account using the Upgrade Account button in the settings menu.
- Additional features will be added in the future to both VrChat and VrChat Plus exclusively.Â
- The average user might not find considerable value in this service in its current form. However, those with a fondness for collecting avatars or wanting to stand out in the social masses of VrChat will find a lot of use in the service.
The Cost of VRC+ and How to Subscribe
VRC+ Is available on the Steam and Oculus Quest versions of VrChat and is optional. The Rift version of the platform is still in early access and does not have VRC+ available for purchase.
You do not need VrChat Plus to enjoy everything or anything that VrChat offers. It is simply a way to support the developers and for the developers to give supporters some goodies.
The price per month is the same at $9.99, but only Steam has an annual option to save you 16% off your yearly fee totaling $99.99.
You can subscribe to VrChat+ by clicking the VRC+ button in the upper left corner of the main VrChat menu once you use the expansion button.Â
Merging Your Accounts
In order to subscribe to VRC+ you will need a VrChat account instead of logging in using Oculus or Steam. I know, us lazy folk must suffer terrible fates, mustn’t we?
First off, don’t panic if you log in using your Steam or Oculus account. If you haven’t already used VrChat, make a VrChat account and log in. I, however, made my account using Oculus. So I needed to merge those accounts.Â
The first step is to go into the settings menu of your preferred platform. It makes it easier to use the extended UI. In your settings, you will find the ‘Upgrade Account’ setting if your account is not already merged or your Vr Chat login name if you are using a VrChat account or have already successfully merged your account.
Selecting’ Upgrade account’ will guide you through the rest of the process, but I will explain it here.Â
First, you will generate a Merge Token.Â
Then you will either log in using a different PC browser to Vr Chat Link Account option on your account home page.Â
Third, you will type in your Merge Token where directed. Be sure to verify your email account for your VrChat profile, as otherwise, it will remind you to do so before allowing you to merge accounts.Â
Finally, log out of the platform and log back in to enjoy your newly merged account! Unfortunately, you will need to wait upwards of an hour for all your favorite avatars and worlds to appear on your menu.
What you Get with Vr Chat Plus
Increased Avatar Favorites Limit
More Avatars was the feature that made me want to try VrChat Plus in the first place. First, your avatar favorites count increases to 100, split between four folders, each with 25 favorites.Â
I am a stickler for sorting, so trust me when I say this is a well worth it feature that I wish in the game without a subscription as, before VrChat Plus, I did the same with my favorite worlds. I didn’t need a subscription for those folders! Anyway!
As a player obsessed with having all my favorite avatars available for a good joke, a well-timed spook, or to describe how I feel that day, I understand the need to keep your closet packed.Â
Without the VRC+ subscription, you get a somewhat generous 25 slots for your favorite avatars. However, you will find as you explore the countless Avatar Worlds available to you in VrChat that you will fill those slots up near immediately. It happened the first time I stumbled across The Void (Avatar Hub).
With the VrChat Plus Subscription, your avatar slots get quadrupled to an incredibly healthy 100. You will find this much more accessible and is, in my opinion, the main draw for constant users of Vr Chat.Â
Your Favorites Avatar number will not appear to increase at first, simply because your new Avatar collection comes in three new folders, each with 25 slots. Unfortunately, you can not currently rename them, but these four folders are fantastic for organizing your collection.Â
My method? Well, I am glad I forced you to ask!Â
- I use the favorites menu for my absolute favorites and the ones I want to keep should the unthinkable happen and I lose my VrChat Plus subscription.Â
- As a horror fan, I keep the second folder for spooky avatars and ones I wish to keep for weird horror-related photos.Â
- The second folder is for my favorite pop culture avatars; I needed a folder just for them as there are so many. I was barring my favorites, of course.
- The third and final folder is for avatars that I think would make good jokes or do not fit into the previous three categories.Â
Should you unsubscribe from VrChat Plus, you will keep the first 25 avatar favorites in your first row. Meanwhile, Vrchat will still save the remaining 75 potential avatars to the servers, but until you subscribe again, you will no longer have access to them or the ability to swap to them from the favorites menu.
Custom User Icons
VRC+ will allow you to change your User Icon from the friendly default to an icon of your choosing. Snapshots from VrChats or images you upload yourself may both be used to alter your icon.Â
In-World avatars can change so frequently and on the fly that it can benefit users and friends who haven’t memorized your username. Additionally, if you find yourself frequenting packed social venues and having trouble being recognized, especially if you are a chronic avatar hoarder like me. So again, this can be a highly advantageous feature.
You may use a photo from your VrChat snapshots, or you can upload a unique image of your own by going to your VrChat account on your browser of choice, going to the gallery option, and then uploading your preferred icons and pictures. Then, merely select the ones of your choice for your icon and your profile picture.
For content creators, streamers, YouTubers, and companies that use VrChat, this will be the most advantageous feature for you. Using the profile and icon will help solidify your logo and famous works anytime your profile is viewed.
Upon unsubscribing, your user icon will return to the default option. Vrchat will save all uploaded icons for the future when you unsubscribe, but you will be unable to use them.Â
One-Time User Rank Boost
VrChat includes a marvelous system to protect the User and their own company’s reputation by having the Trusted User Ranking system.
Being involved with the community, creating, and generally playing the game without being a putz increases your trusted rank. In addition, VrChat’s Safety system was made to protect the User from several malicious attacks and pranks from trolls.Â
The first time you buy VrChat Plus, you will gain a one-time boost to your Trusted User Rank. Please note that this boost is relatively small and has diminishing returns. A New User will see the highest gain from this one-time boost and likely see themselves be upgraded to User.
A User may or may not see their rank change to Known User, while it is doubtful a Known User will suddenly gain the Trusted User rank from buying this subscription. Not without doing considerable work to achieve that ranking and needs that little push.
You will retain this boost even if your subscription lapses. The Safety and Trust Ranking system goes from Visitor to New User to User to Known User, with the highest rank being a Trusted User. Another unique ranking is whether a user is your friend, the Friend Ranking.Â
Supporter Badge
You will gain a badge that will cement your bragging rights as a VrChat user who has experienced it and loved it with a Supporter Badge in your profile.Â
Mine was a golden chat bubble with a plus sign and an adorable kitty with a cardboard box helmet.
You will keep this supporter badge even if you unsubscribe from the service.Â
Enhanced Invite Features
Sometimes you need your friend to see something in the world you are visiting. Sometimes you want to share a joke to convince them to come to visit. Sometimes still, you need a group photo of all their favorite friends to tug them from the LoFi Ball-pit’s hypnotizing draw.Â
As long as you own a VrChat Subscription, you can add photos to the invites you send other players to join you on whatever adventure you might be on out in the virtual wilderness.Â
Unsubscribing from VrChat+ will mean you no longer have access to this feature until you re-subscribe.Â
More to Come
VrChat’s website touts that more updates for VrChat plus will be on the way in the future. The one they are currently advertising is the ability to change up your UI with new skins and looks.Â
VrChat is constantly updating both the base game and what goodies you get in the subscription service. So should VRC+ not appeal to you now, keep an eye on their updates.
They may have that jaw-dropping feature you never knew you wanted somewhere down the pipeline. If you think they couldn’t possibly, sending the developers, a suggestion or twenty never hurts.
FAQs
Question: What Platforms Support VrChat Plus?
Answer: It might surprise you to hear that while the Oculus Quest version of the game supports VrPlus, the Oculus Rift/Pc Version does not at this time. You can still experience VrChat Plus using the Steam version of VrChat, download VrChat through Steam and then launch the program through the SteamVr platform in your headset.
You may find VrChat at the following links.Â
Official Website
Official VrChat Plus Website
Steam MarketplaceÂ
Oculus Quest MarketplaceÂ
Oculus Rift Marketplace (Early Access) (No VrChat Plus at the time.)Â
Question: What Happens When my Subscription Runs Out?
Answer: First off, you will retain the trust gained from the VRC+ trust boost and any “Early Supporter” statuses or badges.Â
As for what you will no longer have access to, you will have your user icon unselected and cleared, and while Vrchat will save your uploaded photos and icons, you will not be able to use or swap to them until you re-enable your subscription.Â
Similarly, you will lose access to your VRC+ granted rows of favorite avatars. However, you will keep access to the first 25 favorite avatars in the first row, while Vrchat will store the data for the three VRC+ granted rows should you restart your subscription.Â
Question: Does VrChat Have any Alternatives?
Answer: Actually, it does! Two large competitors come to mind.
Horizon Worlds is VrChat’s current biggest competitor. Being currently in its early stages, most of the tools and pieces for players and creators lean more on the side of development. Scripting and creation are constantly mentioned, but there are some issues.Â
A very notable one is you get no legs in Horizon Worlds! The avatars and the general style haven’t gotten quite past the uncanny valley. I’m sure if given the same time VrChat has, it would have more going for it.Â
If that seemed less like a powerful competitor, let me introduce you to a very old and very good friend.Â
Second Life was what VrChat and Horizon Worlds set out to be long before these two sprouted up. It holds a very similar idea: the bulk of its worlds are called sims; they are also player-run. Moreover, they are not only player-run but player-owned, built, and designed.Â
These worlds are also full of assets, coded objects, and more to create your avatar. Even better, these were also made by the players through Blender. So the avatar-worlds of VrChat will quickly remind you of the sims stacked with avatar parts to cobble your favorite creation.
You might be surprised to hear those photos I used for my profile picture and icon came from that very social client. You might also be surprised to learn Firestorm, a popular Third-Party client to run second Life, even has settings and tricks you can use to run it in VR.Â
Though, with how the creator of Second Life has been fussing about Horizon World, we might have an official option soon enough. Were that to happen, ol’ Dok Boots might have to go back to being Jingy Blinker. It is where I got my start writing.Â
Conclusion
So is VrChat Plus worth it?
Until more features get added as promised, it probably isn’t worth your money for the average and newer users unless you need that increase in avatar space or wish to be able to organize your avatar inventory.Â
For many users or frequent players of the platform, this feature and the option to support the developers for them to add more is well worth your money.
In addition, streamers, content creators, and VrChat content authors would also likely find a world of value in this subscription service. Thanks to sharing their brand through the icon and profile picture and all the opportunities the organized avatar folders can give you on a dime.Â
So, in the end, it depends on your preferences. As a diva, I am likely to hang on to my subscription for a good while.Â
Thank you for reading, and keep your days marvelous. I demand it.
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