At the upcoming Anime Fest in Tokorozawa they will be allowing punters to experience the opening launch sequence of the Tsugumori from the recent Knights of Sidonia anime via the Oculus Rift DK2. As an aside, there are also rumours that a Sidonia game will surface (likely at this year’s Tokyo Game Show) and it’s well known that Tsutomu Nihei, the manga’s creator, is an ardent gamer. In any case, this is a pretty cool and we hope it’s made available to the public at large at some point in the future.

Like clockwork, Bandai Namco has graced us with their weekly round of Gundam Side Stories DLC. This week we visit UC 0080 with the RX-78NT-1 Gundam “Alex” and the MS-18E Kämpfer. A prototype Federation mobile suit specifically developed for Newtypes, the Alex first appeared in the 1989 OVA Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket under the control of test pilot Christina Mackenzie. Also making it’s first appearance in War in the Pocket, the Kämpfer is a Zeon mobile suit designed for fast and efficient combat. The Kämpfer took on the Alex in 0080 but fell prey to it’s wrist gattling cannon. Both suits are now available on the Japanese PlayStation Store for 400 yen each. In addition to the new mobile suits, this week’s update includes VR Mission 106, which is free to download. It is a ground-based mission that incorporates the Alex as an enemy if purchased.

Another week, another wave of Gundam Side Stories DLC, this time it being the RX-81 LA G-Line Light Armor. A variant of the RX-81 G-Line series, it made it’s first appearance in Kunio Okawara’s Missing Mobile Suit Variations. The Light Armor RX-81 saw a redesign by Katoki Hajime for the 2009 PS3 title Mobile Suit Gundam Battlefield Record U.C. 0081. In U.C. 0081, the RX-81LA G-Line Light Armor was assigned to the Earth Federation Forces’s Phantom Sweep Team as a means to combat the Invincible Knights Zeon remnants. Now available on the Japanese PlayStation Store, the G-Line LA can be yours for the low low price of 300 yen. This mobile suit is playable in both ground and space based missions. It should be noted, however, that this week’s update does not include any new VR Missions, but we know that they’re coming based on the information provided in the Famitsu Visual Complete Guide.

Following on from our first batch of coverage for Wonder Festival, we’ve now done a piece on all the garage kits that caught our attention. Due to the sheer volume of stuff on display, this is very much a highlight reel of things we liked the look of. The garage kit side of things is also a lot more personable and much of the time we spent talking to people about their amazing creations. In short, Wonfes suitably rocks!

We managed to make it to the recent Wonder Festival over the weekend (despite the insane heat). Naturally we took lots of pictures and have done a chunk of coverage on the commercial side of things over at HobbyLink.tv. As we suspected, the just announced PlayStation Optimus Prime was present (looked good too). We’ll be following this up with a garage kit update soon.

So it looks like we’ll be getting a few Virtual On Force VR’s and a Virtual On themed area added to the recently released Phantasy Star Online 2. It’s worth clarifying that these are just costumes for player characters and aren’t actually full blown VRs in the traditional sense. The Virtual On lobby will be opened at the end of July until the middle of August. A promo video of the new costumes are shown below, they kick in around the 2:31 mark.

Following on the heels of our report detailing future DLC courtesy of the Famitsu Visual Complete Guide, new downloadable content has been released today via the Japanese Playstation Store for Gundam Side Stories. Although it appears to be another reskin, the MG-14 Fs Gelgoog M Commander from Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 Stardust Memory is now available for 400 yen. In addition, VR Mission 105 is also available for free. Mission 105 is a ground based scenario taking place in the ruins of a war-ravaged city. If Bandai Namco continues this trend, we should see VR Missions 106-108 along with the Zudah, G-Line Armor, Gundam Alex, Kampfer, GM Custom and GM Cannon II in the near future.

In a move that would shock no one in Gundam fandom, the newly released Famitsu Visual Complete Guide for Gundam Side Stories lists multiple unannounced DLC mobile suits and VR missions that will likely be the final waves of new content. The previously unknown mobile suits are: G-Line Light Armor (Battlefield Record UC 0081), Gundam Alex (War in the Pocket), Kampfer (War in the Pocket), Zudah (MS IGLOO), GM Custom (Stardust Memory), GM Cannon II (Stardust Memory), Gelgoog Marine (Stardust Memory). In addition to the above mobile suits, VR Missions 105-108 are outlined in the Visual Complete Guide. No release date or pricing information is provided for the new content at this time.

Following on from the somewhat improved set of DLC for Gundam Side Stories, there’s now a new mobile suit out. Specifically that of the mighty RX-79[G]Ez-8 Gundam Ez8 from the 08th MS Team OVA. At 300 yen it’s a bit cheaper than usual but this is likely because it shares animation and weapons from the already existing Ground Gundam types in the game. That said, the model is all new and that is something at least.

Gundam Extreme Versus Full Boost players rejoice as Namco Bandai are releasing brand new units as proper DLC for the PS3 version of the game. Coming to the roster are Banshee Norn, Altron Gundam, Gundam X, Astray Gold Frame Amatsu Mina Custom, Strike Rouge Ootori, and the Re-GZ. Not much is known as of yet in regards to unit costs, but these units are part of the Extreme Versus Summer Festival 2014 where the lot will be released on both Maxi Boost and the home version of Full Boost. The actual dates of release are not quite known for the DLC, but will more than likely coincide with Maxi Boost release schedule of one new unit being released a week starting from July 29th. Also, current DLC will be on sale until August 31st, so if you haven’t jumped in on it yet, now’s the time!